John said, "No, we're just making chili for the homeless."

They replied by telling us how great we were and what a good deed we were doing, then offered various ways to spice up the chili (such as adding bbq sauce). This amused me because it reminded me of a conversation I was having with the girls last week about the difference between doing a good deed and doing it because God asks you to. Anyone can do something good: they can start a charity, rebuild broken houses for those who can't afford it, or feed the hungry. The difference between charities and the church is grace.

It was like today. I finally started the after school program for kids.now that I've been talking about for what seems like forever now. Although the turn out was less than I'd expected, it was still good nonetheless, the kids I'm working with seem curious enough about what I have to tell them.

In the middle of it all, I asked myself, "What's the difference between what I have to offer and what teachers at the school have to offer?"

Essentially, we're all there to teach, mentor, and coach the young'ins to be productive adults. We have the same goals, just like the charities have the same goals of helping the homeless or those in need. The difference, I suppose, is grace: where one might do it for a job or for the sake of doing a good deed, grace is doing it for God, out of unselfishness, for the sake of others without asking for anything in return.

If anything, that's the most interesting lesson we can provide for others.