The politicians have a knack to vote in such a way that they can claim they were for something if it turns out good, or against something if it turns out bad. Of course, they are never responsible for any position they hold.

The banks are blaming everyone. The people they lent the money to aren’t paying the money back. The assets that support the loans are being devalued. Never mind that they lent money to people who shouldn’t even have qualified for the loans in the first place. They took the risk – now they don’t want to live with the results.

The people who borrowed more money than they can pay back. How may people borrowed money with adjustable rate mortgages that once adjusted couldn’t afford them anymore. They are blaming the banks for getting them into an adjustable rate mortgage. I even heard a story of Oprah’s Mom saying that the bank shouldn’t have lent her any money. They should have known better!

Where is the personal responsibility? Shouldn’t we all get our own financial houses in order? If you borrow money – it is your responsibility to repay it. If you can’t repay it, you shouldn’t borrow it. If you are going to borrow money over a period of 30 years – you should make sure you will be able to continue to make those payments for 30 years. If things are getting a little tight financially – who says you can’t work two jobs?

If you are a lending institution – why are you lending money to people who can’t pay it back? I have heard stories of banks lending money to people without jobs! Incredible! Lending standards need to be tightened. Does that mean that some people won’t be able to purchase a house? Yes – until they get their own financial houses in order. Depending on their own situation – it may always be more economical to rent than to buy. A good way to determine this is to use one of many rent vs. buy calculators like this one.

If you are a politician – God help you. Please support policies that limits Government intervention into our everyday lives. History is rife with examples of situations getting worse when government gets involved. Does the government really need to own banks? With government printing all of this bailout money – can this be good for the economy? I don’t think so.

Anybody and everybody should stop right now and embrace a dependency on God. I just read a post by Jeff Leake at the LaunchPad where he paraphrased Dave Ramsey. In it, Dave said that we should “shake off the spirit of fear and declare our dependence on God, who is far bigger than this economic crisis.”

Speaking of economic fear – the news keeps harping that home values are going down. Who does that really affect? Anyone trying to sell their house or refinance their house, right? If you are currently in your home, and planning to stay there for a long time – it doesn’t really matter does it? As for me – I’m actually looking forward to protesting my valuation for property tax purposes. If the value of homes are going down, I definitely want to pay lower property taxes! I’ll use the savings to add an extra payment toward debt elimination!

A while back, I was teaching a course on Discovering God’s Way of Handling Money and I wrote almost daily emails to my class hopefully keeping the subject fresh in their mind throughout the week. One of the first emails I wrote had to do with Faith or Fundraising. I had been receiving (and still do) mailings from different Christian organizations requesting funds for their ministry. I know that I gave $50 to one of them 5 years ago and I still get monthly mailings from them asking for more money. They have most likely spent that whole $50 trying to get me to donate more. I haven’t opened a letter from them in years. It goes directly to the trash. So, I ask you…is that being good stewards of God’s money?

The church that I attend is currently having a space problem. We don’t have enough room to offer small group studies for adults or children on Sunday mornings. In fact, our Sunday mornings are getting more and more packed. It is obvious that we need more space. Our first attempt was to rent the gymnasium across the street for our services and let the kids have full use of our currently building. That relieved the space pressure – but for various reasons, we also lost a large number of people. About a month or so after we moved to the school, we decided to move back. Once we moved back to the church, we started filling up again. So, what do we do? We know we need more space but as a church, we want to be good stewards. Temporary buildings or more permanent buildings? Do we look at other locations? If so, will the people move with the church? I don’t have the answers. I see good points and bad points to all of the alternatives.

Another question I always ask myself is how much of our tithe should go toward financing church expenses? This is a big issue for me since I am a preachers kid. We grew up being paid by the members of the church my Dad was a pastor at. But the big question is, what is the tithe for? Is it to support big buildings and large salaries? (I will be the first to tell you that most full-time ministers don’t make large salaries – but there are those small percentages that make a lot of money.) Large staffs of church workers? Programs, programs and more programs? Or is it to care for the homeless, the sick, the widowed? Jesus conducted his ministry without a building or a salary. So did the disciples. Paul worked so his parishioners didn’t have to support him. When we give our money to the church we attend, how much should be spent on facilities and salaries and all of the expenses that go along with it, and how much should be dedicated to caring for the sick, homeless and poor? What is our primary function as a church?

My idealistic mind says that we should be spending as little as we have to on “overhead” and the majority of the money received toward caring for the homeless, the poor, the sick. Some have suggested that we only use 10% of the money given to cover the overhead and the rest toward caring for others who need it. That means that for a church with a $100,000 budget, $10,000 goes toward administration and $90,000 toward caring for those in need. Do you know of a church that does that now? I tend to lean toward more of a middle ground option. Here’s an example I read about. A church decided that it needed a larger building to meet their current needs. It was decided that the church needed to raise $500,000 to build a new multipurpose building. The leadership of the church was also in tune with what their primary mission should be so the leadership approached the church with the proposal that although they needed $500,000 to build the building for the church, they wouldn’t start building until they raised $1,000,000. $500,000 for the building and $500,000 to be used to directly benefit the homeless, sick, poor and needy in their community. Can you guess whether or not they had trouble raising all of the money? Of course the congregation got behind the leadership and giving actually went up. They raised the money faster than they had planned for.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I don’t have any answers yet. For me, every question begets another question. I see a legitimate need for a full-time staff to serve the needs of the local congregation – more and more who have never attended church before. There is also a need for the church to be actively serving the needy in their community both financially and physically. Here’s a thought. If churches actively supported organizations and ministries that served the homeless and needy in our community, those organizations wouldn’t have to spend millions on fund raising.

One last question to leave you with – As Christians, what is our main purpose here on earth?

I’d like to hear from you….

Want to know where your money goes when you give to your favorite charity?

Charity Navigator is a great resource.

1. God owns everything. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains” (Psalm 24:1)
2. Avoid Debt. “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)
3. Seek Counsel. “And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
4. Absolute Honesty. “The Lord loathes all cheating and dishonesty.” (Proverbs 20:23)
5. Generous Giving. “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35)
6. Hard Work. “The Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15)
7. Save, Invest. “Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
8. Train Children. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

As Pastor Bart said in his message last Sunday,

Financial freedom is achieved by becoming a faithful steward. Financial success is achieved by remaining a faithful steward.

If you enjoyed this study, you may also like to complete the more in depth study offered by Crown Financial. If you know what podcasts are and would like to subscribe to a daily 3-minute podcast from Crown entitled “Managing Your Money”, here is the link.

Without trying to get too bogged down in self-analysis, the simple reason is that I didn’t (and sometimes still don’t) discipline myself. As my income increased, my standard of living increased. I wanted things that I saw others have. Granted, we have four kids now – they cost something! (And I am beginning to believe that girls are more expensive than boys.) But isn’t there truth to the concept of “keeping up with the Joneses”?

Ads on TV and our culture in general encourage this type of thinking. According to them, you have to have the latest, greatest, biggest, coolest, hippest lifestyle available today! And tomorrow, you need more. If you watch any music television, you know you aren’t cool unless you are covered in bling, wear baggy clothes and show your underwear. We should all be driving hummers – the H1 for me – and your car is old if it is over 2 years old. In fact, you can get more car if you lease it because you should always be driving a new car! Everyone has two car payments – it’s no big deal!

Do you see what you are up against? That is why we have to develop the attitude that all the stuff we surround ourselves with is not ours but Gods and that we shouldn’t ask ourself, how much should we give God, but how much of Gods stuff should we keep for ourselves? Consider things with an eternal perspective. Our culture tries to persuade us to gratify ourselves now with no thought to tomorrow. An eternal perspective would have us deny immediate gratification for future rewards.

Moses faced a similar decision. Moses was Pharaoh’s adopted son. He could have a lavish lifestyle. But Moses had an eternal perspective. Read Hebrews 11:24-26. Moses chose to live (and be ill-treated) with his people instead of being called son of Pharaoh’s daughter. By having this eternal perspective, he was used by God in a great way!

Pastor Bart said it on Sunday – “Financial freedom is achieved by becoming a faithful steward. Financial success is achieved by remaining a faithful steward.”

Have you ever just concentrated on what the words actually say? Here’s the first verse:

You Who Are On The Road
Must Have A Code
That You Can Live By
And So Become Yourself
Because The Past
Is Just A Goodbye.

Teach Your Children Well
Their Father’s Hell
Will Slowly Go By
And Feed Them On Your Dreams
The One They Picks
The One You’ll Know By.

Don’t You Ever Ask Them Why
If They Told You, You Would Cry
So Just Look At Them And Sigh
And Know They Love You.
-Teach Your Children, Graham Nash, CSN, Deja Vu (Released 1970)

Somewhere in Graham Nashes lyrics, came the truth of our lives as parents. Our children learn from our “hell” and from our vocalized “dreams”. We need to have a “code” to live by because they will learn by our example. It is up to us to “teach them well” so that when they get older, they will be able to make the right decisions because ultimately, they are the ones who inherit the world that we are leaving.

Let’s all try to make sure they’re prepared.

There are a lot of things that I would like to have. There are times when I am out shopping that I could just buy something for myself. I don’t. I deny myself these wants in order that I can buy the things that I need. I can plan – take care of my tithe, my savings, my needs and then save for the things I want – or, I can give in to the greed and just buy it right away.

It’s important that I share this whole decision making process with my children. As a parent, I have a responsibility to teach my children how to handle money responsibly, God’s way. We teach best by leading by example. It’s important that they see that I too want things. That I have priorities. That I plan. That I deny myself the instant gratification. I want to involve them in the process so that they can understand that we don’t always get what we want. That there is a difference between need and want. That will help them deal with the no’s they will get from me when they ask for things. They will eventually understand that their needs are really wants and that if they really want something, they have to plan, save and be patient.

It is up to us, as parents, to leave our children a legacy of stewardship. If we teach our children at an early age to be good stewards of God’s money, they will have a head start in achieving financial freedom.

• Guide and advise rather then direct and dictate.
• Encourage and praise rather than criticize or rebuke.
• Allow children to learn by mistakes and by successes.
• Be consistent while taking children’s differences into account.
• Include all family members in money management discussions, decision making, and activities as appropriate for their age.
• Explain to children what they can and cannot do and the consequences of violating the limits.
• As children get older increasingly include them in discussions of limits and consequences.
• Expect all family members to perform unpaid, routine household chores based on their abilities.
• Express your desire to have things you can’t afford. Children need to know that parents say “no” to themselves, too.

(Percentage of families experiencing stress)

Money for food, clothing and energy 45%
Purchase of a car, or other major item 43%
Taking out a loan 31%
Children’s education 29%
Problems with family income 26%
Medical/dental expenses 23%
Purchase or construction of a home 16%
Bad investments 16%
Overuse of credit cards 15%
Starting a business 10%

Together Forever, Aid Association for Lutherans, Appleton, WI, 1997, p. 51

1 = Strongly disagree
2 = Disagree
3 = Undecided
4 = Agree
5 = Strongly agree

1. It is important to me to maintain a lifestyle similar to or better than that of my peers.

2. In making a major purchase, an important consideration is what others will think of my choice.

3. Since money equals power, I am willing to work hard for money in order to have more power.

4. I really enjoy shopping and having nice things.

5. Saving money for a rainy day is an important principle to live by.

6. If I had a moderate amount of money to invest, I would be more likely to put it into multiple resources that are relatively safe than into one fairly risky source that has the potential to make a lot of money.

7. Being “flat broke” is one of the worst things that could happen to me.

8. Saving for retirement is an important financial goal for me.

9. If I suddenly came into a windfall of $1,000 for something I have always wanted to do or have. I’d spend it.

10. Since “You can’t take it with you,” you might as well spend it.

11. Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure helps.

12. Few things in life give me greater pleasure than making a great buy.

13. I like/would like having my own business because I can/could control my own financial destiny.

14. I like being able to make decisions about how to spend the money I earn.

15. It bothers me to be dependent on someone else for money.

16. I feel uncomfortable if someone offers to “pick up the tab” because I feel indebted to them.

Now, add your scores for the four questions in each category. The higher your score, the stronger you identify with that approach.

Category Questions Your Score Your Partner’s Score
Money as Status 1-4 __________ _________
Money as Security 5-8 __________ _________
Money as Enjoyment 9-12 __________ _________
Money as a Control over Life 13-16 __________ _________

Interpretation of Scores

4-8 = Low
9-12 = Moderate
13-16 = High
17-20 = Very High

Understanding what it means:

Money as status. People who identify with money as a status symbol are interested in money as power-as a means of keeping ahead of one’s peers.

Money as security. People who use money as a means of security spend conservatively and focus on saving.

Money as enjoyment. People who view money as a means to enjoyment get satisfaction from buying things for themselves and others.

Money as control. People who see money as a source of control, use it to maintain control of their lives, and to remain independent from their partner or other family members.

Now, compare your scores with each other. The closer your scores in each category are, the easier it will be to meet mutual financial goals and needs. The further apart they are, the more negotiating and compromising you’ll have to do.

Reprinted by permission of Warner Books, Inc. of New York, New York, U.S.A. From The First Year of Marriage by Miriam Arond and Samuel L. Pauker, M.D., Copyright by Miriam Arond and Samuel Pauker. Quoted in Together Forever, Aid Association for Lutherans, Appleton, WI, 1997, pp. 46-57

But when the Joslyn Art Museum was completed in 1931, it was paid for. She may have gotten her frugal ways from her husband. A painting of George Joslyn shows him wearing a stickpin that he got free from a sack of Bull durham tobacco.

(Last Word, Omaha Magazine, Sept/Oct 2005, pg. 78)

John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years.

The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers. Even worse, they were like the kind of person Jesus referred to “who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

It almost goes without saying that we should save money for our later years. God also wants us to save so that when we do come accross people in need, we will have the resources to help them. In Luke 10:33-35 we read the familiar story of the good Samaritan. Most of us know the story. The Samaritan saw an injured man on the side of the road and helped him. He bandaged his wounds and took him to an inn to recover. Here’s the key verse. “The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. `If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, `I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’” In other texts, the amount is two Denarii. A Denarius is the equivilant of a full day’s wage. Obviously, the Samaritan was either wealthy or he practiced good stewardship. I infer from the passage that the Samaritan was not a wealthy man. I believe that Jesus used the amount as an example of the sacrifice the Samaritan was making for this man.

Think about it. Figure out how much you make in a day. Could you afford to just give two days wages away? Have you saved enough that it wouldn’t be such a burden on you?

That is the true meaning of financial freedom. When we reach a place that we are able to help people in need without restrictions.

a bed but not sleep;
books but not brains;
food but not appetite;
finery but not beauty;
a house but not a home;
medicine but not health;
luxuries but not culture;
amusements but not happiness;
religion but not salvation;
a passport to everywhere but heaven.

_{(The Voice In the Wilderness, quoted in Discipleship Journal, Issue 53, 1989, p. 21)}

Here’s a couple of quotes to ponder:

The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money. – J. H. Jowett

Almost half of Americans report having less than $5,000 in savings and investments, including 1 out of 10 who have none at all. Significantly, more than one-fourth of Americans did not save or invest any of their income in the past year. – Dr. Seymour Lieberman, in Homemade, January, 1985

That’s the problem. If money were the answer, we wouldn’t need faith. If we had 34 million dollars to support a ministry, what would I be putting my faith in? Would others stop giving knowing that there’s 34 million in the church’s account? God does not want us to waste money. He wants us to work hard, tithe, care for the poor and save some for our later years.

Instant “wealth” comes with it’s own problems too. All of a sudden, you have more cousins than you knew you had. (And they’re all named Earl) Everyone will be asking to borrow money because – “what is $5,000 to someone with 340 million?” People will try to rip you off. You will be offered more “valuable” investment property than you knew existed! Everywhere you go you will be “stalked”. The friends you thought you had will become jealous. Most “new” friends will be your friend just because of the money.

Does that sound like it’s from God? Remember, only good comes from God. If you like to throw away money on lotteries, I’m selling tickets to the “Help David pay for his four daughters college education lottery.” The jackpot is huge and “You guessed it, you won’t win that either.”

The one thing that I felt I had to emphasize today in class was this: We have each been given unique skills by God to use to serve each other and to serve God. As Christians, we are called a community of believers. God gave us each unique abilities and together, we make each other complete.

If you heard Bart’s message this morning, He said the same thing. Find your skills and then use them to serve God.

I really think that today’s message will have a big impact on us at Grace. I really want to encourage you to seek God and ask Him to show you how you can use your skills to serve Him. Wednesday evening is the Oasis at Grace. It will be a perfect opportunity to focus on what your ministry could be or how you can use your skills to make an impact for Him.

I think this could be HUGE. Just think of the possibilities, if everyone at Grace were to commit to use their God given abilities to serve Him. I urge each of you to pray sincerely about how God can use you and the abilities He gave you to serve Him.

Have a great week! Remember, you are working for God!

WHY THE #**%^@ IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?
WHO IN THE #@^*@ DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?
WHERE IN THE ^&*#% IS GOD?

It’s days like today that I start doubting the sincerity of a God that says that He will provide all my needs. A loving God that is supposed to take care of me. I have been faithful – where is He?

I notice a my daily calendar on my desk. It’s one of those that has a Bible verse for every day. I haven’t turned it to the current date. I need a distraction. The day is half over and I’m #*&%@ off. I pick up the calendar, turn it to today….

I start crying…

Oh God – forgive me for being so selfish. So doubtful. How could I ever doubt you. You are my rock, my salvation. I am totally dependent in you. Please have mercy on me. Forgive me. You are my Lord and Savior! Why do I let work stress me out so much. You are my life. You will provide! You always have. Forgive me for doubting you. Thank you for showing me that you are here.

I feel much better now. Oh – you want to know what the calender said? OK.

Psalm 28

1To you I call, O LORD my Rock;
do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you remain silent,
I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.

2 Hear my cry for mercy
as I call to you for help,
as I lift up my hands
toward your Most Holy Place.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil,
who speak cordially with their neighbors
but harbor malice in their hearts.

4 Repay them for their deeds
and for their evil work;
repay them for what their hands have done
and bring back upon them what they deserve.

5 Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD
and what his hands have done,
he will tear them down
and never build them up again.

6 Praise be to the LORD,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.

7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.

8 The LORD is the strength of his people,
a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.

In Colossians, it says (my translation), “When you work, work hard, like you are working for Jesus because, as a Christian, you serve Christ, not men.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

Think about it. God gives us each abilities. I can program computers but I can’t fix a car. My brother fixes cars but he can’t program a computer! God creates us each with our own ability so that as a community, we can help each other. When we serve others, we serve God.

When we use our abilities to serve Him, he then gives us success. In the story of Joseph, it says that “the Lord was with Joseph and so he became a successful man.” (Genesis 39:2-3) Note: Success does not always have to mean material gain. I consider this website successful and I don’t make a cent on it!

God also gives us our promotions. Instead of kissing-up to your immediate superior, focus on serving the real Boss! Psalm 75:6 says “For promotion and power come from nowhere on earth, but only from God!”

Of course, if you are self-employed like me, then you know who runs everything. I like to say that God is my sales manager!!!

When God created this world, he made Adam to work. God created this beautiful garden of Eden and furnished it with the most luxurious vegitation and beautiful trees, like cedars, pine and plane trees (Ezekiel 31:8). God then gave Adam work that employed all his powers. He trained Adam to cultivate the garden and to take care of it. (Gen 2:15) This way, Adam is to be happily absorbed in work that makes him happy. There are no thorns or hard soil to frustrate him so that he works without any problems. He really enjoys his work! Then, since Adam is to have dominion over the whole earth, the Lord God personally trains him for this position. God instructs Adam to name each animal. He learns the particular characteristics of each one.(Gen 2:19-20)

When Adam sinned, God said, “”Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Now I know why work is so hard! Thanks Adam.

This week’s lesson is on work. God values work. He created the Garden of Eden and then put Adam and Eve in charge of it. They were to take care of it and all that was in it. I will expand on this more this week.

This weeks memory verse is: Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

Be one that cares…

It is better to give than to receive.

Where did this come from? I usually hear that when everyone else gets gifts and I don’t!

That phrase is actually attributed to Jesus by Paul in Acts 20:35. (Side note: One of the unique facts about this saying, is that it is one of the few quotes attributed to Jesus that doesn’t appear in the Gospels. The closest verse that I found where Jesus said something like this is in Matthew 10:8 where Jesus says, “Give as freely as you have received!”) Paul used this “Jesus theme” in reference to helping the weak and the poor. Here’s the same verse, found in the DIPShtick translation:

Paul said – “I never wanted anything from anyone else. You know that I supported myself and my followers by working hard. I supported myself to show you that those of us that can work hard should, and support those who can’t. Because, a person who is able to work hard, and give of himself, will gain blessing if they give freely. If you were laid up, and could not work, wouldn’t you be blessed if someone who could give, provided for you?”

Paul knew that in giving without expectation of a return, we take on the qualities of Jesus. Jesus taught personal, sometimes sacrificial service to others. In his life and his death, Jesus showed us how to give without expecting anything in return. That is the attitude we should take on. We should give personally and sacrificially to others without expecting anything in return.

With that, I’ll end this like Paul ended his talk in Ephesus. I’ll take my leave.

Goodbye is not an easy word to say.
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
I will always remember you.