Time Share Charity and God’s Scandalous Grace

I answer the phone and the voice on the other end of the line chirps, “We want to give you 2 nights and 3 days in our luxurious Florida beach-front resort.”

I am immediately suspicious. “What is the catch?”

“There is no catch! This is our gift to you. We just need you to act now to reserve your spot. And then when you arrive, we will need an hour of your time to share all of the perks of the gift.”

“Ah-hah! So there IS a catch! Voluntarily submit myself to an hour of high-pressure manipulative sales pitch? No thank you.” <Click>

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I have friends who delight in jumping through all the hoops to get the “free” gift. They have absolutely zero intention of kowtowing to the pressure, and they don’t. I tend to be more of the kind who would rather pay than endure the agony of a sales pitch. Others can’t say no to anyone and get locked into contracts and agreements they didn’t want, don’t need, and would be better off without. I once bought a $3000 vacuum cleaner because of a scheme like this. …