I give up! (it's not what you think...)

I give up…12 things actually. Well, it’s technically it's EVERYTHING BUT 12 categories of things. My wife Cathy and I are doing a shopping fast during Lent for a bunch of reasons: spiritual-we always need to grow & combat our materialistic tendencies; practical-we have way too much stuff; and financial-we want to cut back and trim our spending. We got the idea from my friend Julie Bullock, who did a much more restricted six-month shopping fast a couple years ago and had this to say:
“Why do a shopping fast? I came to appreciate three reasons: Discipline; Resourcefulness; and Opportunities for Generosity.” (for more on this, go to Julie's article posted on Generous Church)

Back to the fast Cathy and I are doing. Here’s what we ‘negotiated’ together as the ONLY items we can buy: 1)fruits; 2)vegetables; 3)bread/bagels/pasta/rice; 4)meat/cheese/eggs; 5)mustard/ketchup/salsa; 6)breakfast bars; 7)basic cleaning supplies; 8)basic toiletries; 9)cat food/litter; 10)milk & ½&½; 11)coffee; 12)gas & oil for cars. (okay, so we lumped some things together – hey, it’s our fast!)

So that means no clothing; no buying coffee out; no beer or wine (as a church leader can I say that?); no new furniture; no movies out; no eating out; the list goes on. Sorry Sam’s Club and Target and Kohl’s and Caribou…we won’t be frequenting you much in March and April.

But why do a fast? In addition to, or combined with what Julie had to say above? Probably the biggest reason is because it’s a primary spiritual discipline and a great catalyst for intentional spiritual growth. Stuck in your faith walk? Fast. Confused about things? Fast. Can’t sleep because you’re worried about money? Fast. As Richard Foster says:

“Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant gratification is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” - from Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth

And when the disciples had difficulty casting out a spirit, Jesus said:
‘So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”’ (Mark 9:29)

And there are countless other references to fasting in the Bible. It’s a good thing to do and one that will help you in your spiritual growth.

But there are other things you could do during Lent, as it’s a great time to reflect; pause; dig deeper; and connect with the spirit of the Lenten season as you seek to draw closer to God. Here are a few: 1)Use the “Generosity” devotional by Gordon McDonald; 2)Read “Making Room For Life” by Randy Frazee and seek to slow down the pace of your life; 3)do your own shopping fast; 4) fast from something else that, for you, tends to get in the way of following God.

Most of all, be intentional, and take advantage of Lent for restoration and renewal. God wants us to spend more time with him and listen for his voice. He loves us beyond anything we can imagine. I give up. And so can you!

Needs vs. Wants

Pastor Steve here at Grace made me question my needs vs. wants. Well, he really didn’t do it, his phone did. It’s actually his NEW cell phone and it’s very cool. It’s a T-Mobile MyTouch 4G with all the bells and whistles. It’s an Android phone, it’s very fast, has SWYPE technology, and can download all kinds of apps and would really, really simplify my life immensely! NOT. I have a fine 3½ year old smart phone that’s very capable and does everything I need it to do. While I could make a case that I NEED it, it’s really a WANT.

Why do we struggle with that so much? Jesus said this:

"For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:32-33)

“All these things” cover the pretty much the basics of life, things like food, clothes and drink. All of which we need, they are essentials for living, wouldn’t you say? What are our needs? How’s this for a definition, “the essentials, the basics of life we cannot live without.” And those essentials are generally regarded as: basic food; basic transportation; basic shelter; basic clothing; medical care; debt payments; and childcare. Beyond that, do we really need anything else? Plus, Jesus said that if we seek first the kingdom, God will take care of us.

As we journey and seek joy through simplicity and generosity, it’s really important for each of us to get clear about our needs vs. wants. Matt Bell in his blog Matt About Money says this:

"An Internet connection. An annual vacation. The financial freedom to shop for birthdays and other special occasions. Are these essentials or luxuries? For many of today’s baby boomers, they are essentials. According to a survey conducted by MainStay Investments and reported by MarketWatch, 84 percent of boomers consider an Internet connection a necessity, 66 percent said it’s essential to be able to shop for special occasions, and 50 percent said they need a once-a-year vacation."

But I’m guilty of it as well, even in little ways. I rented a car on a trip recently and as I drove off, realized it had no power windows and no cruise control! How could I drive a car like that, it seemed so old-fashioned. How quickly we can turn luxuries and wants into needs. But living simply requires being counter-cultural and making intentional decisions to focus on the basics and on what fits with our values and goals in life. Someone at church said their grade-school aged daughter asked her, “What did you and dad text about when you were dating?” Now there’s wake-up call for you! (But you had to admit, if you meet an adult who doesn’t text, your response may be, “seriously, you don’t text?”)

Our first and primary concern as Christians should be to focus on growing in our relationship with God. While we could make a case for needing many things we want (and really don’t need), they can often get in the way of that growing relationship. They not only get in the way, but sometimes we slip into the tendency to worship things, rather than God. And that’s a dangerous place to be as we worship idols - something other than our Creator.

Solomon, one of the richest men in all of history, learned the lesson of needs vs. wants. He said:

“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, as chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:11)

As we seek simplicity and generosity in our lives, it’s not simply a means to an end so we can have a better life. It’s to fulfill our calling as Christ-followers to bless the world and let our lives be spent on God’s behalf, for the sake of others. Love God, love others and let your life be spent to bless the world. Just know it takes prayer; intentionality; accountability; and God’s help. Live simply so that others may simply live.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

What do you think? You may have heard of the recent study done by Princeton that showed people were most content, happiest when they earned $75,000 or more. However, more money above that threshhold didn't make people any happier. So, how much money do you need to be happy? To feel secure? To be content? The study also showed that no matter what income level, people said they'd feel better if they earned about 10% more than whatever their annual income. Interesting. It's a complex issue with many factors involved such as level of education, health, etc. Take a look if you're interested!

Okay, I've been 'dark' for many months. No excuses, just other priorities, but that's gonna change. After my last post, over 7 months ago, the economy is still very challenging and my feelings about the church remain. Those of us who work at churches, in stewardship ministry, have a fantastic opportunity.
I just returned from the CSN (Christian Stewardship Network) Forum in Tampa. A great time of learning, fellowship and connecting with like-minded stewardship leaders from across the country...and world. As one speaker said, "God's taking us to the woodshed" as our world continues to slog through an unprecedented economic downturn. But, none of this is a surprise to God.
Scott Rodin presented thoughts from an upcoming book he's finishing. Scott is author of Stewards in the Kingdom & a great thinker in the stewardship field. His encouraged us all, telling us that stewardship is the tip of the spear in the battle of the heavenly kingdom against the earthly kingdom. Lots more to process.
If you're interested, check the CSN website, plans are to have his presentations posted in a few weeks.

Where is the church?

In our current economic situation here in the US, I'm confounded at times by the fact that the church should be at the forefront of teaching people about wise financial managment. While I can't attest to the sacred texts of other faiths, I know that the Bible is one of the best, (if not the best) financial managment handbooks. There is none better and what God says about how to handle our money and possessions not only makes sense, but it works!


Last week I met with one of our members for coffee. She's worked in banking, financial services and project management, but seemed surprised to hear there are almost 2,350 references to money and possessions in the Bible. Most people, both inside and outside the church are. Why? Perhaps because the church hasn't mentioned that fact to people in the past! Or perhaps they did, but many times it was only in reference to giving and only about the 10%, not about the other 90%.


I'm pleased that God has called me to be a part (a small one) of this generosity movement that's gaining momentum across the country. It's probably the number one issue for churches and their members, while at the same time a critical practical issue for most all Americans as we face rising gas prices, falling home prices, business cutbacks and all the other symptoms of what many economists are calling a recession.


In the midst of all that, there's a book that will help people understand and apply wise money management principles to their lives. It's called "Revolution In Generosity" by Wesley Willmer. It's a compilation of wise counsel and insight from 23 Christian leaders on how best to transform stewards to be rich toward God.

Included among the contributors are people like: Howard Dayton; Dick Towner; Ron Blue; Brian Kluth; Todd Harper; Dick Edic; Mark Vincent; Scott Rodin; Daryl Heald and many others who are well-known in Christian leadership circles.

If you get a chance, get a copy soon!

Financial Freedom? How do you define it?

Financial Freedom is a word that gets thrown around a lot, particularly within stewardship & generosity circles. In fact, I was curious so I did a Google search on the phrase, "financial freedom". It took only .26 seconds (that's 1/4 of a second) to come up with 15.5 million hits on sites with that as a topic!

Many of the sites on the first several pages were of course those looking to make money, but I was pleased to see Dave Ramsey's site & a quick description of his Financial Peace University curriculum in the first handful of sites listed. And, as you'd expect, many of the sites had to do with reverse mortgages. Which, I've heard a little about them & the little I've heard scares me. Though I'm sure they can be fine in the right situation. I put them in the same category as debt consolidation. Any tool can be a good thing if used wisely.

My interest in a definition of financial freedom was piqued a week or so ago as the question came up on LinkedIn, a professional network that I'm a part of (I'd encourage you to check it out if you haven't). The question was posted, "Show me the money? How do you define 'financially free'?" Here's an excerpt of the some of the answers:

• To me, "financially free" or "financial freedom" or "financial independence" all refers to the state where you no longer need to "work to live" but rather you "live to work". i.e. You have a net worth that is enough to sustain your desired lifestyle from now till the very day you leave this world.
• Most people in employment couldn't survive for more than a couple of months, or a year at the most. You need to push that boundary out to several decades if you want to retire early.
• Financial freedom is reached when you no longer think about the cost of things you need or want. Example: Mr. Financially Free: "I want to fly from New York to London at noon tomorrow." Mr. Not So Much: "You can save $1,500 if you leave at 3pm." Mr. Financially Free: "Who cares? Noon works better for me."
• One would be Financially Free if you have all the money -- or means to access all the money -- you "want", when and where you want it.
• About $2 million.
• There is no absolute answer to this question since to each person, the amount is different. However, the subjective guage of this is to have enough money (properly invested) that you can live the way that you wish off of the earned income, and not have to worry about having enough income to pay your bills. BTW, $2 million is far from enough to consider yourself financially free.
• When I can walk into my local BMW dealership, and order a 7 Series with full options, and pay full MSRP (without even bothering to ask what it is) to get bumped to the front of the line, I would consider myself to be financially free.

And finally, here's part of my answer (you wouldn't expect me to pass that one up, would you?)

• Great question, but as I read the answers they're (mostly) all from a worldview, practical perspective. There's probably no right or wrong answer, but from my perspective, it means you have no consumer debt; have no student loans; have at least three months of living expenses saved up; have a good start on your retirement savings (depending on your age); have your car(s) paid off; give at least 10%; save at least 10%; have more money left at the end of the month; and perhaps even have your home paid for as well. We're all rich in the US. So...our biggest problem is that we have a serious problem confusing our needs with our wants. We profess to be a generous country but that would be a stretch as we give only about 3% of our incomes away for worthy causes.

Good question, how would you define it?

Past columns...

occasionally thought I'd post past columns I've written for our church newsletter, this one is from our August 2007 issue. perhaps it may be of interest & helpful!

God owns everything. We’ve all heard it, but how does this impact the way we live? Being responsible for leading the stewardship ministry at Grace, I believe knowing that God owns everything is a foundational Biblical principle. My primary passion and focus is to help more of us become financially free and understand that God owns everything. These are concepts that we'll unpack in the months to come.

If we truly understand that God owns everything, then we are responsible for being a good steward (or manager) of everything God has given us.

Unfortunately many of us have difficulty managing our money well. Yet, most of us want to be free of the anxiety, stress, worry, guilt, and shame that result. Most of us would like to be more generous, but we’re either unable to (because of debt and financial commitments) or we really don’t understand God’s financial principles.

So, my hope for Grace is that stewardship will be modeled humbly, taught effectively, preached regularly, and celebrated joyfully. I long for the day when more of us are financially free and that all of us, including myself, are willing to rearrange our lives to give more of our time and treasure for God’s Kingdom purposes…and tangibly growing in our faith as a result!

In the months ahead, you’ll hear more about Good $ense, a stewardship ministry that is designed to help us work toward financial freedom. In the meantime, look for the “Roadside Assistance” insert enclosed in this month’s Grace Notes. It’s from my friend, Matt Bell, who leads a ministry called “Money, Purpose, Joy”. This card is an invitation for you to sign up for his free monthly e-newsletter. No strings attached, nothing to buy, just helpful tips and stories on how to handle money well. I’d encourage you to sign up.

Finally, if you’re financially free and would like to be part of our stewardship ministry, please let me know. Or, if you’re challenged by managing money well, the stewardship ministry is glad to help…confidentially and from a Biblical perspective.

For His Kingdom,
Chris