Janice Worth

Hi, I'm Janice Worth, daughter of the King, wife of Eric, and mother of Mike. I've been a serial entrepreneur in the beauty and wellness arena and owner of Anushka Spa. In my twenties, I was living a lavish life in Manhattan and was the least likely person to go to a Bible Study. But when a friend invited me I couldn’t say no. Soon after I began attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church and was profoundly influenced by Tim and Kathy Keller. Their friendship and Bible teaching pointed me to Jesus again and again and it was thrilling to be a part of God's revival happening in New York City.

I see God as the genesis of generosity. It's because of God radically giving his son Jesus that we have redemption. Years ago, I was helped to see this by attending a Generous Giving conference. I spent the weekend with four or five hundred people who were lit-up about sharing the resources God had given them to heal the world. For the first time, I heard stories of radical generosity and these people were having a ball. They were the happiest group of people I had ever met. I understood that their generosity was a response to grasping God’s generosity to us.

Generosity is a journey. Even after listening to Tim Keller preach week after week and fourteen years of Bible Study Fellowship, it took time for God to win my heart over money. One key step was realizing that there was nothing I possessed that God hadn't given me, including my intellect, education, and opportunities. The next logical step was to acknowledge God owns it all. And He who owns it all also wants all of me—my time, talent, and treasure. God has given me a lot of grace to experiment with different concepts like a financial finish line, capping my income, and rewriting my will to leave a legacy beyond my son. Now I believe extravagant generosity opens the door for the gospel to re-weave the fabric of society.

I think one of the greatest dangers of wealth is when we believe our money can give us significance, security, safety and fulfillment. So we spend years pursuing more zeros in our bank accounts only to find out they cannot satisfy us ... only God can. Another danger is when I look around at my friends with bigger homes, fancier cars, and more exotic vacations, not to mention more shoes, and I excuse my own greed. I don't consider myself greedy, however my checkbook has often told a different story. I’ve realized comparison and greed blind me to the bondage I have around money.

I constantly need to wrestle with the question, “Am I getting my identity from what Jesus did for me or from my achievements and success?” Often it’s both. It's a struggle. As my heart rests in my true identity as a daughter of the King, I am free to be radically generous with my money. Embracing God’s grace will always make me more generous. Embracing our world’s materialistic culture will always make me hoard. When my identity and security are rooted in Christ, then my money becomes a tool for doing good and serving people.

When I was 25 I wish I knew that generosity is the tool God would use to set my heart free. A generous life is the quickest pathway to a life of freedom and joy. Now I know that my money and my success only bring me a happy and abundant life as I spend it on behalf of others. The abundant life is not about how much I have, but how much I can give.

I have become addicted to reading the Bible in 90 days. For me it has made Scripture truly foundational and vibrantly alive in my life. It's like reading God's memoirs and discovering new things about Him everyday. This is different from meditating or studying Scripture and more about being constantly washed by God’s word.

A biblically generous life is the life that’s truly life. (1 Timothy 6:18-19) As I more fully surrender to God, I see giving as something I get to do. One of my greatest giving tools is my donor advised fund with the National Christian Foundation. It is like having a personal giving assistant. I can see my giving broken down into a pie chart and track my giving to see that it’s dramatically weighted towards supporting gospel ministry. I support church-planting, a number of college ministries, an evangelism ministry, and others. I love it when my giving can go from transactional stewardship to relational generosity, which is what gospel patrons is all about.

My two-word purpose statement is “Expanding Territory.” I love seeing things grow. My passion is spreading the message of generosity. When God aligns these two things - my purpose and passion - I am in my sweet spot. Over the years, it’s been a joy to serve with ministries like Redeemer City to City, Generous Giving, Women Doing Well and NCF and help them grow. True life is partnering with God on a giving adventure to heal the world.