How To (Effectively) Save Money and Pay for Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner, and most people probably find themselves in somewhat of a panic. One group doesn't know how it will pay for Christmas, and the other group will quickly realize that they have overspent on Christmas. 

Both groups will be tempted to whip out a credit card in order to split the difference.

Don't be among them.

Instead, I would like to propose a simple method of paying for Christmas.  But you cannot embrace this method unless you realize the fundamental problem at the heart of it all:

You are your own worst enemy!!!

You are not as good with money as you think you are. If you've ever closely tracked your spending and made a budget, then you know what I am talking about.  The moment you start ignoring the constraints of your budget because you think you are "fine," is the very moment you will start to overspend, and will ultimately start coming up short financially.

The first thing you need to do is to make a budget.

Decide ahead of time how much money you are going to spend on Christmas every year.  As Dave Ramsey says, "Tell every dollar where to go instead of wondering where every dollar went!"  Your money needs to have a name. Assign it one on a spreadsheet, and use it to track your monthly spending.

The second thing you need to do is automatically save.

You will need to start saving a small amount of your monthly budget and setting aside funds for Christmas.  If you are going to drop a grand or two on Christmas this year for you and your entire family, it's a lot easier to figure out where to come up with the money for Christmas if you've been setting aside $100 or $200 a month throughout the year, than wondering where the money is going to come from five or six weeks out.

Christmas comes every year.  It's not an emergency, so don't treat it as one.  Plan for it through monthly budgeting. 

The third thing you need to do is to setup a separate checking account with a bank that is not your primary bank. 

Sure, such seems like a hassle, but ever since discovering that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to money, I've found another truth: 

You need to hide money from yourself!

In realizing I am my own worst enemy, I've also discovered if I mix my Christmas money with the same bank account I use to pay the bills with, or my "rainy day" emergency funds account, I've discovered that I either don't have as much money going into Christmas as I thought I did, or after Christmas, I've discovered that I've spent more than I intended on spending,  and now have less savings for other things that I was also saving for. 

So the best solution I've discovered is to automatically hide my monthly Christmas savings in another checking account at another bank.  That way I won't accidentally spend Christmas funds on other things, and likewise, I won't be able to easily spend more than what is in that account.  When the funds in that account hit zero, Christmas shopping is officially over. 

And since this Christmas account is at another bank, you don't have to worry about auto-drafting your account and taking money from other accounts you've already earmarked for other things.  The only way to spend more money at this point would be to fall into the temptation of using another card, or you would have to add more funds into your already depleted Christmas account. 

Of course, it is still possible to still fall into this temptation.  However, I've discovered that by having a separate Christmas account, you provide a "check" to yourself that hopefully keeps your spending under control.  If you over spend, your overspending will at least be slowed down by the slight trouble of having to get money from another account.  You won't be able to spend money on other things without thinking about it first.  You will be forced to recognize that you've reached your maximum spending budget. 

And even if you do decide you can afford to spend more money on Christmas than you originally budgeted for in your Christmas account, at least you will be forced to account instead of just wondering where all the money went.  Either way, this will help you keep your spending under control, and Christmas won't become an annual financial disaster.

Finally, this idea can be applied to multiple spending areas.

Don't just limit this idea to Christmas.  Apply it to birthdays, vacations, or saving money for a car or a new house.  Whatever your major financial goals are, I highly recommend opening an account for each one.  And in doing such, I believe over time you will discover that you are better off financially than you were when you had all your eggs in one basket.

And while it might be a little too late to start saving for Christmas this year, if you start today, you can start to plan for Christmas next year.   By removing the financial stress Christmas creates by simply budgeting every month and moving a little money into an account earmarked specifically for Christmas, just wait and see how much more enjoyment you will get out of the Christmas season when you know how it's all going to be paid for!

Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!

Prophets Can No Longer Afford to Profit

If you ever plan on speaking for God one day, and feel called to do so, don't ever plan on making a dime for your troubles.

Rather, plan on being like the apostle Paul and many of his companions, who seldom took so much as a dime to cover even their personal expenses.  Prefer to pursue your holy calling while you work as a janitor, mechanic, nurse, office worker, manager, accountant, banker, or some other profession.

There is no shortage of men and women who feel "called" to "full-time vocational ministry."  And while I have no problem whatsoever with men and women doing such, I feel it in my bones that such a calling should be exceptionally rare.  We should seek to persuade as many people as possible, as often as possible, away from such a pursuit.  Especially young ministers, who so easily glamorize the idea, and make it a personal goal.

Prophets can no longer afford to profit from their ministries.

There is too much at stake.  Hard times are coming, and difficult decisions will have to be made.  The decision to do the easy thing, and accept money as compensation for your labors, that will cost you more than you think.

A paycheck will cost you your reputation, and your loss of reputation will cost you influence, and your loss of influence will choke whatever words that issue out of your mouth, and cause them to fall on deaf ears.  And in the process, you'll make a liar out of God who said His Word would not return unto Him void.

Don't do that.  I've myself have made stupid choices myself over the years that have cost me such.  I've seen God's Word die because of my destructive actions.  And I don't want to see the same thing happen with you.

Instead of seeking vocational ministry, prefer to seek "bi-vocational ministry."  Consider it the new normal.

Learn about as much of the Word as you can from godly men and women.  Be a scholar.  Be active in the life of your church.  Pound the street as well as the pulpit.  And don't look at your career outside the church as "secular" employment, but rather, see your career as part of your "holy" calling.

And whenever possible, prophesy.

Tiny Houses Are Cool... But Kinda Stupid

Tiny Houses are super cool. 

To me, they reflect outside the box thinking, and are full of highly creative, thoughtful, and intentional design, as their builders attempt to solve the problem of making the most use of a small living space.  If you've not seen the documentary on Netflix called "Tiny," or the HGTV show called "Tiny House Hunters," I would highly encourage you to do so. 

In reaction to the "McMansion" craze of the housing market in the past couple of decades, a counter-cultural phenomenon has arisen in recent years consisting of people who yearn for a more simplified and less cluttered lifestyle. Instead of building and living in homes that are 3,000+ square feet, more and more people are attempting to live in homes that are 1/10th the size.  Tiny Houses are often custom made to order from a few builders who specialize in manufacturing them.  But, because of the small scale nature of the project, many do-it-yourself types often build their own Tiny House.  Tiny Houses are often built on large trailer hitches, as they are designed to be portable homes capable of moving with you.

But for all my admiration for Tiny Houses, I think Tiny Houses are also kinda stupid.  Here are 6 reasons I think Tiny Houses are stupid:

1. They are attempting to solve a problem we don't have.  If your desire is to live a simplified lifestyle by means of downsizing the square footage of your living space, there are already tons of homes across America under 1,000 square foot range.  If such is still too big for you, you can always live out of an RV or a single-wide mobile home.
2. Tiny Houses are basically nothing more than glorified trailers.  And, I suspect that one of the primary reasons that people build Tiny Houses instead of living in single-wide trailers is because those who live in Tiny Houses have upper middle-class tastes, and don't want to be caught dead living in a trailer park.  So think of them as "Middle-Class Trailers."  Most Tiny Houses end up costing about $100-$200 per square foot to build, and consist of higher-end materials and amenities.  Tiny House prices often range in the $30,000-$60,000 range to make, and are designed to look like a home in the burbs, just at the micro level. Which brings me to my next point.
3. As a glorified trailer, a Tiny House is looked at as a depreciating asset.  It's not like a real home. It's more like your car.  That is, they don't gain value, instead they lose value over time. Which means that if you ever desire to live in another home, you will be forced to sell your Tiny House for less than it cost to buy.  And, given the highly personalized and customized nature of most Tiny Houses, you are going to attempt to sell something that nobody likely wants to buy.  Which means you will likely be forced to abandon your Tiny House, or keep it is a glorified tree house in your back yard, so your kids have something to play with.  Either way, you are throwing away tens of thousands of dollars, and the last I checked, such is contrary to a spirit of simplicity.
4. Tiny Houses are technically "illegal" to live in. Most building codes across America require your dwelling to be more than 500-600 square feet. (Darn our communist government officials for imposing "living standards" on its people!) Even in remote places like Montana, you aren't just allowed to throw up a shack on a piece of land and live out of it.  There are minimum building (and plumbing) standards that everybody must adhere too. Unfortunately for Tiny Houses, they often fail to live up to such standards.  So what people living in Tiny Houses often do?  To some extent, they live "off the grid" illegally... or as very often happens, they end up parking their Tiny Houses in the back yards of family and friends.  Such is not a long-term housing solution, and thus non-sustainable (which is contrary to the purpose of Tiny Houses).
5. Tiny Houses are easy to steal.  Since Tiny Houses weigh no more than a couple thousand pounds, and are mounted on a trailer hitch as their base, anybody with a heavy duty pickup with towing ability could simply come by and drive off with your home.  And yes... it has happened.  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to risk becoming homeless simply because a thief thought they would try to steal something a little more unique.  I mean, why steal a TV when they can not only steal your TV,  but the entire structure that the TV is connected to?  After all, they may want a cool tree house for their kids to play out of, while watching Sponge Bob on their new TV.
6. Tiny Houses make practicing hospitality difficult, if not impossible.  Their physical limitations make it almost impossible to have your own family, let alone have family and friends over for dinner, or to provide lodging to overnight guests.  Raising a family in one is down right impossible. Tiny Houses seldom have more than one bed.  Not to mention the unattractive fact that your indoor toilet is within a couple feet from where you are eating at or hanging out. Let that one stink (ahem... sink) in to your head for a minute.  And because Tiny Houses make it almost impossible to practice hospitality, I think there is something almost un-Christian about them.

So, while there are many things I admire about Tiny Houses, such as the building principles and concepts that go into them, and how it might provoke us to better incorporate such things into our own dwellings, ultimately, I think Tiny Houses are a short-term fad.  A cool fad mind you. But a fad, that at the end of the day, reminds me of the famous Saturday Night Live skit featuring Chris Farley, where in a crazy and wild fashion, he reminds the audience that he "lives in a van... down by the river."

But instead of admitting to such a thing, those who live in a Tiny House get a few more cool points for saying they have a living arrangement that is a bit more hip.

Charity Without a Press Release

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." ~ (Matthew 6:1-4; NASB)

In just about every major city across America, without asking a single person who the most charitable person in town is, you could easily find out who that is simply by driving around a few blocks.

During your adventure, you will eventually discover a bunch of buildings with somebody's last name on them.  Where I live at in Charlotte, North Carolina, you'll discover the name "Levine" is all over the place.  They are a very generous family that has given hundreds of millions of dollars back to the local community.

And how do I know such?

Well, because they like to talk about their charity in the local news, such as the Charlotte Observer, and in more widely circulated news outlets, like the New York Times.  And in case any of those stories are ever lost or forgotten, the Leon Levine Foundation website will tell you on the very first page how much money he's given, and where he's given it.

Such a phenomenon is not unique to the world.

Such a thing happens even in the church.  In many older churches, you will often find pews that have tiny little name plates on the end of them, that tell you exactly who made it possible for you to sit in that pew.  Individuals known for their charity to the church regularly get appointed into important leadership positions.  And in churches that are more media intensive and tech savvy, there is this tendency to show short infomercials in church, where we videotape somebody handing a check to somebody else, and show it on a big screen... all in the name of Jesus of course.

There is something in our DNA that strongly loves the idea of charity, and helping somebody else out.  It's the stuff God has put in us as creatures created in His image.  God is a giver, and He has made us to be givers as well.

But in our fallen nature, something has crept into our humanity that is always looking out for number one.  We want to give, but we don't want to do so freely.  We want to give, but we want to know what's in it for us.  We want to give, but we want to attach strings to our dollars.  We want to give, but we want to be recognized for our giving.

Jesus blasted this sort of giving in His teachings.

We should give, and give generously.  But we should give in ways where we receive no recognition for it.  There should be no blowing of the trumpets in the synagogue or on street corners. We should not ask our name be put on any buildings; issue no press releases; and in God's holy name, we should never video tape ourselves putting money in somebody else's hands.

The only one who should be glorified in our giving is God.  And such giving requires no PR stunt on His behalf.  We should give secretly, like Jesus said, without drawing any attention to ourselves.  For if our giving is in anyway self-serving, then we are simply make-believe actors (hypocrites) who are not as selfless as we appear.

We may believe our own press, but God knows better.

And for all the philanthropists who make names for themselves in their charity work, I would encourage you to continue to do what you do and give.  There are people out there who desperately need your charity.  But when you give in such a way that somebody gives you a trophy for all of your giving, know such is the only reward you will ever get.  And what's that going to get you in the long run?

Rather, instead of giving in such a way that somebody gives you a pat on the head, give in such a way that the only person in this world who can reward you, is if God Himself rewards you.  And I don't know about you, but I would rather have a reward that came from God, instead of a case full of trophies.

How to Escape Poverty

The rich man’s wealth is his fortress, The ruin of the poor is their poverty. ~ (Proverbs 10:15; NASB)

In the world we live in, money begets money, and poverty begets poverty.  The rich have a tendency to get richer, and the poor have a tendency to get poorer.  Unlike the theories of Karl Marx, this is not primarily the result of the rich exploiting the poor, although that does happen a bit.

Rather, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer is more like a law of physics.  It's akin to gravity and all of its forces. And whether you like it or not, it's just the way this world works.

Sorry Karl Marx and friends.

That's why it is so hard on individuals who are living in poverty, whether it be in America, France, or Calcutta, to escape poverty.  Poverty has a way of acting like quicksand.  The more you struggle in it, the deeper and quicker you tend to sink, and the harder it is to get free.  The only way out of it is either for somebody to help you out of it, or to make deliberate and carefully calculated moves until you eventually free yourself.

The Biblical author of Proverbs observed this phenomenon in his own life.  But instead of talking about it in terms of quicksand, he likened the entire issue unto a fortress.

Back in the early days of human civilization, there was a tendency for cities to build large walls around the borders of a town.  This was smart primarily for two reasons.  First, it kept wild animals from randomly wandering into your territory late at night, and eating your next of kin.  Second, it protected the citizens of your city from gangs and small armies looking to pillage and to loot.

Wealth is like this fortress.

If you are wealthy, that is, if you have more than the basic resources needed to sustain your life and provide for some simple creature comforts, your wealth becomes like a fortress.  Your wealth protects you from "random" animals from wandering into your village and eating you, and it also keeps others from randomly pillaging your possessions.

For example, if you are wealthy, when your car randomly breaks down, you can afford to get it fixed.    Fixing your car is still expensive, but because of your wealth, getting it fixed becomes a mere inconvenience.  But when you are poor, if your car breaks down, and you can't afford to fix it, what alternatives do you have?  You might be able to take a loan out.  But what if nobody will give you a loan?  Then you might find yourself without transportation.  And if you live more than a few miles away from work, all of a sudden your job is in jeopardy if you no longer have reliable transportation to get to work.  And if you can't get to work anymore, how will you afford to pay for food and shelter?

Likewise, while being wealthy can make you a target ("Hey, look at that nice big city over there!  I bet they have a lot of food and gold!") those who are wealthy have a way of protecting themselves from those who are looking to "pillage" them.  If they are faced with an ethical dilemma at work, or are being harassed by superior, then if one has saved up enough money, one could easily just quit their job and look for work elsewhere.  Or, if somebody decides to terrorize you with a frivolous lawsuit, being able to afford "umbrella insurance" and an attorney will protect you against something that would destroy and otherwise ruin many others.

So, what can be learned from all of this?

Biblically speaking, we should make sure that when it comes to our personal finances, that we try to save as much as we possibly can.  I know, saving money can be a very difficult thing to do.  But like giving, saving is something we must all do.  And even as the poorest amongst us can usually find something we can give to charity, even the poorest amongst us can usually find something we can save and set aside for the future.

And we need to do such, because we know we live in a world where "life happens."  Life happens to the rich, and life happens to the poor.  Life happens to those who trust in God, and life happens to those who do not.

But when we do all we can to muster up some money to save, dollar by dollar and brick by brick, we begin to build a fortress in our lives.  It may take many years to complete a walled fortress.  It's a slow and labor intensive process.  But it is something we must all do.

Look at those who have built fortresses in the past.  Why did they do such?  In the past they built fortresses because they knew their lives depended on it.  Likewise, you and I should save money like our lives depend on it.

How much should you save?

The answer to this question is going to be different for every person.  But you should save like your life depends on it.  If all you can muster is five or ten bucks a week, you should save what you can, and put it in a place where you can't easily access that money.  If this means setting up a second bank account that's not linked to your checking account, then do it.  If this means getting a piggy bank and stuffing money into it every now and then, then do it.  If this means grabbing a shovel and burying your savings in your backyard, then in God's name, do it!

You may never become very wealthy in this life.  And that is perfectly fine.  Don't try to become wealthy.  The Bible has a ton of warnings about pursuing wealth.  Trying to get wealthy may damn you for all eternity!

But there is a big difference between trying to pursue wealth and getting rich, and merely looking to build a barrier of protection in your life.  Of course, we cannot make our lives bullet proof.  There are some things that enter our lives that no amount of wealth will protect us from.  Ten out of ten people will ultimately die, as death comes for us all.

But simple things like replacing a flat tire or two should not be something that has the power to ruin the vast majority of our lives.  If we use wisdom to do things like work hard, make a budget, live within our means, and save whatever we can, then the vast majority of us should be able to create some sort of buffer between us and "life happenings."  We need to build fortresses in our lives.

We may still be poor at the end of the day.  But that doesn't mean we have to allow our poverty to ruin us.   Like escaping from quicksand, we can escape the destructive forces of poverty by slowly and carefully working our way out of it.

Albert Einstein's Poverty Equation: Why the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer

 "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.  He who understands it, earns it... and he who doesn't, pays it." ~ Albert Einstein

Have you ever wondered why the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer?

Marxist and free market capitalist theories aside, it's really a pretty simple matter of understanding the above quote by Albert Einstein.  If you can grasp this idea, you can feel free to ignore just about everything a politician says about the issue in the up and coming presidential election in America.

The reason the rich get richer and the poor get poorer is a simple matter of arithmetic:  Rich people get richer, because they have math working on their side.  Poor people get poorer, because they have math working against them.

Simple enough, right?

Consider Bill Gates.

He has an estimated net worth right now of about $89 billion dollars.  Imagine if all this money was sitting in a savings account, earning 1% of annual interest.  That means without doing anything except letting his money sit in a savings account and earning interest, Bill Gates would earn $890 million dollars in one year alone.  That means he would make more than a million dollars every day before it is even lunch time.  His situation goes from great to greater, and all because of simple math.

Now consider the average poor person.

They live paycheck to paycheck, and are never able to save much of any money.  While driving to work one day, their car breaks down.  Not having enough money in the bank to pay for the repairs, but needing to make them because their car is the only way they can get to work, they sign up for a credit card at the auto repair shop in order to finance $2,000 to get their car fixed.  And at the end of the month, they receive a bill in the mail from their credit card company saying that they need to make a minimum payment of $60 a month for the next few years.  Living paycheck to paycheck as it is, they aren't really sure how they are going to squeeze another $60 out of their budget this month, let alone next month, and every month thereafter for the next few years. They try hard, but eventually "life happens" and they miss a couple payments in a row.  And suddenly they discover their balance of $2,000 has grown to $2,200, and they now owe $75 a month.  Their situation goes from bad to worse, and all because of simple math.

Albert Einstein was onto something.  Compound interest is an amazing thing.  It has the ability to make the rich even richer, and likewise, it has the ability to make the poor even poorer.  Compound interest impacts everybody in this world.

Compound interest impacts the rich, it impacts the poor, and it impacts you.  

Rant and rave all you want about economic and social injustices, real or imagined, at the end of the day rich people get richer, not because they are busy screwing over poor people, bribing politicians, and exploiting the working class.

The rich get richer simply because they have learned how to put the money they have to work, and to take advantage of the simple law of compound interest.  The poor individual, unfortunately, experiences the devastating impact that compound interest has on his life.  What turns out to be a positive experience for the rich ends up turning out to be a negative experience for the poor.  What creates wealth for one person ends up creating poverty for another.

As Einstein said, he who understands how compound interest works will earn from his understanding.  But he who does not understand how compound interest works, will pay for his understanding.

I Vow To Be Wealthy

For centuries, monks, nuns, and priests have taken numerous vows:  Vows of celibacy, vows of silence, and even vows of poverty.

Of course, the irony in taking a vow of poverty is that most of those that have taken that vow tend to live fairly well.  Granted, they seldom ever end up breaking their vows and become affluent aristocrats.  But they never really have to worry about the traditional things associated with poverty, such as having a roof over their head, clothes on their back, or food in their stomach (unlike people who are actually poor).  For the church essentially guarantees these basic necessities to them... and then some.

In reality, those who take a vow of poverty simply end up forfeiting the right to claim private property for themselves. It's not really a vow to live in poverty per say (though it is called such). Rather it is simply a vow to embrace a communal lifestyle where all resources are shared, and nobody claims ownership over anything. Everything is simply owned in common with everybody else who has taken the same vow.  As one nun says, "It's a vow of poverty, not a vow of destitution."

Many of us probably find the idea of a vow of poverty to be rather strange.  Not only because it involves something as archaic sounding as a "vow," but because it willing embraces and celebrates poverty, which is so contrary to our American way of life.

Indeed, one might say that as Americans we have gone to the opposite extreme, and have made a "vow to be wealthy."

...We vow to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps.
...We vow to dream big.
...We vow to climb the corporate ladder.
...We vow to buy the latest and greatest stuff.
...We vow to work hard, but play harder.
...We vow to give our kids the things we never had.
...We vow to live the American dream.

As Christians, we don't need to take vows of poverty and live a monastic lifestyle.  It's even questionable if such a thing is Biblical.  But in not taking a vow of poverty, we need to fight against taking a silent vow, whereby we mentally assent to a vow to be wealthy.  Such, whether we want to admit it or not, is what most of us have embraced.

Let's break that vow today.

Instead of being a people who vow to be wealthy, we need to be a people who "vow" to work hard, make the most of what we have and the opportunities before us, to live simply and modestly, and to generously share with those who are in need.  Such is something all Christians are called to do.  It is not simply the calling of monks, nuns, and priests.  It is the calling of all the saints.

What Ten Million Shovels can teach us about Money

Let me ask you a simple question:  If I gave you ten million shovels, would that fundamentally change your life?

Probably not.

Indeed, if I offered to give you ten million shovels, you would probably decline the offer.  Even though you know that over time, you could probably sell most of those shovels and make a handsome profit, you probably wouldn't jump at the chance to start a business with the sole purpose of selling shovels.  Indeed, you would probably look at a warehouse full of shovels and just kinda shrug it off, and move on with your life. You wouldn't want the bother. You'd let the next guy in line have them.

Let me ask you another question:  If I gave you ten million dollars, would that fundamentally change your life?

"Absolutely!" you say.

It has been commonly taught over the years that money is a neutral thing. It's completely amoral. It's neither good nor bad in and of itself.  Dave Ramsey and a lot of pastors teach this.  Money is a mere tool, and could be likened to a shovel.  With a shovel, you could plant a beautiful garden.  Or, if you are a mobster, you can use a shovel to bury the body of somebody like Jimmy Hoffa.  Either way, the shovel is neither good nor bad, it's what you do with it that matters.

Right???

Yet I can't help but wonder, if money is so neutral as people usually say it is, then why is it that money has the ability to fundamentally change our lives in a way that shovels never can?

Ten million dollars has the power to change your life in the way ten million shovels never could.... unless you are Jimmy Hoffa.

Indeed, money changes people.

And if money can change people, then I think it is a bit dangerous for us to ever call money a neutral thing, and liken it unto a mere tool.  Indeed, I worry that those who say money is a neutral thing have already come under its spell, and aren't properly prepared for the responsibility of handling it.

People marry for money.  People divorce over money.  People fight for money.  People work hard for money.  People kill for money.  People risk their lives for money.  People worry about money.  People lose their souls over money.

If money's involvement in my life has the ability to possibly damn my soul, then maybe money isn't so neutral after all.  Maybe it is more than a mere tool.  

Remembering the Poor as the Heart of Ministry

"They only asked us to remember the poor--the very thing I also was eager to do." ~ Galatians 2:10 (NASB)

I find this verse very curious. In the midst of much traveling, saving souls, and theologizing, the apostle Paul takes a moment to recall a time in his ministry when the apostle Peter asked of him "only" one thing, and that one thing was to "remember the poor."

Which makes me to wonder, how often do I remember the poor? And am I as "eager" as the apostle Paul was to remember those living in poverty?

Honestly, I don't think I remember the poor as often as I should. I know in my life, I'm doing pretty well. My wife and I live in a uber middle-to-upper-middle crust part of town. On either side of our neighborhood are some shopping centers featuring high end restaurants, grocery stores, and retail outlets.  We have two Target stores within a mile of our home!  These insulate us into a really nice cultural bubble, as we seldom need to go anywhere outside these two shopping centers to find most of what we need for our daily lives.

Don't get me wrong, my wife and I aren't exactly rolling in dough. But we do make out a pretty comfortable life as two young professionals, who have firmly planted our feet in the middle of suburbia.  Like most of our neighbors, we have a mortgage, car payments, and a little bit of credit card debt.  We have some savings, and some money tied up for retirement.  We give to charity.  And we manage to scrape away a few bucks for date nights, and the occasional trip to the mountains or the beach.

Poor people are very difficult to find in my part of town, as the size of the homes and the property tax values virtually guarantees you won't run into very many "undesirables."  If I wanted to go to a part of town where most of the people living there meets the Federal government's definition of poverty, I would probably have to drive about 20-30 minutes to find such a place.

And so an old saying becomes a prophecy fulfilled: "out of sight, out of mind."

In order for me to remember the poor, I have to make a concerted effort to find somebody that is poor.  I'm simply unlikely to run into somebody who is poor in my daily life and interactions with others.

And I am willing to bet that the chances are, if you are reading this short blog post, then there is a pretty good chance you are like me.  You too are rather insulated from the poor, and they are not a regular part of your life.  Therefore, as you go about your day, you think very little about the poor.

I am also willing to bet that like me, most of the people who you attend church with are in the exact same scenario.  In contrast to the churches the apostles planted, which were made up of mostly poor individuals, our churches are often composed primarily of other affluent people, just like you and me.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with this per say.  Jesus died for rich people too.

But as a result of the high affluency rate in the population of our churches, whatever we do in the name of "outreach" to the poor often becomes nothing more than a "special project" that our church engages in.  It involves us loading a bunch of white rich people into a van to take a trip across town to the "other side of the tracks."  It's nothing more than a side project we do on the weekends, and a line item on our church budget.  Our main focus in ministry is back in the comforts of our home church, on Sunday morning, where hardly a poor person is to be found.

Yet for the apostles Paul and Peter, ministering to the poor was at the very heart of their ministry.  Indeed, they saw ministering to the poor at the very heart of the Gospel itself.  Ministering to the poor wasn't simply a side project that they tacked onto an otherwise busy church schedule.  They saw ministry to the poor as central to their calling as apostles.

I believe I am in the process of discovering this truth in my life.  It is my hope that this short blog entry will help you begin the journey of discovering it in your life as well.  For I feel in my heart of hearts that we miss the opportunity to remember the poor, and in doing so, we fail to become true ministers of Jesus Christ.,

May we remember the poor in all that we do.  And may remembering the poor become something that gets ingrained into the heart of our everyday church ministry, experience, and life.

New Testament "Giving" beats Old Testament "Tithing" Practices

When I tell some people I don't believe in tithing, they automatically think I don't believe in giving. And such is the furthest thing from the truth.

I believe in generous and liberal giving.

I just happen to believe that since there is no more Levitical priesthood to support, I don't need to reimburse anybody for their services in a temple that no longer exists, or as a sign of gratitude to Yahweh for the land He's given Abraham and his children to dwell in forever.  Such is simply not my covenant, and such are not the promises that God has given me.

Instead, I recognize that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all these things commanded to the children of Israel, including the tithe.  And I believe we as Christians are no more called to tithe than we are called to circumcise our sons on the eight day of their birth, or to offer up any other type of sacrifice, because Jesus Christ has become to us our circumcision, our sacrifice, and our to tithe.  In light of such things, it simply does not make any sense to think we are required to tithe anymore.

And I don't think I'm alone in this feeling.

For all the preaching you hear in some churches, it is estimated that at best, only 10-15% of church members actually tithes a tenth of their gross income.  There are two reasons for this.  Either the church is full of greedy people who want to rob God, or the church is full of people who simply believe that God has called us to do something besides blindly writing a check every week to the church for an amount equal to ten percent of our income.

Granted, there is definitely a place for greed in this equation. But most Christians I know are very generous people.  Some give ten percent or more, and others give less.  But at the end of the day, I can't say I've ever known a Christian who wasn't a giver, because all have recognized that God has abundantly blessed them, and have by nature become givers themselves.

We as Christians are a people who recognize that Jesus Christ gave us His all, so we can't help but give as a result. Giving is as natural to a Christian as breathing is to all of humanity.

Whether people give ten percent, or whether people give less, I'm convinced God is just as happy with both sets of people just the same. And I believe God causes it to rain on both just the same (Matthew 5:45).  He is the same Lord, and is Lord of ALL! And He has blessed all Christians with every blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3), regardless of the percentage of income they sign over from their paycheck.

Contrary to the exasperated claims of some preachers, there is not a single Christian alive that God has cursed because of their failure to tithe.

We don't live under the threat of the Old Testament curses anymore.  Jesus Christ gave us a "better covenant" with "better promises," (Hebrews 8:6) a covenant that promises us "life" (2 Corinthians 3:6), and not a covenant that threatens us with "curses" and "death."  All the curses in this world Jesus Christ became for us on our behalf when He hung on a tree (Galatians 3:13).  Clearly, ministers who continue to threaten other believers with financial curses for failing to tithe clearly have a very deficient understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I believe because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, we need to rethink our giving practices.  For Jesus Christ has brought to this world a new and better way.  As great as the things were that God instructed Israel through Moses, Jesus Christ has freed us to live a way of life that simply was not possible under Moses.

Tithing was done in the Old Testament in order to maintain an old covenant way of life.

Tithing was commanded in order to preserve the temple order and feed the priesthood and their families.  It was also done in order to help the poor who were experiencing lack, even as they lived in the land of promise.  And in this, tithing it was very limited within its scope.  The blessings associated with tithing under the old covenant stopped at the borders of Israel.  Tithing was given in order to maintain everyday life within the borders of a theocratic state, and ultimately make it possible for Jesus to be born.  As a result, tithing had a very limited purpose and in its reach.

But now Jesus Christ, the seed ultimately promised to Abraham, has come.  And now, when we give, we do not give in order to maintain any sort of priesthood or theocratic state.  Nor do we give to the poor as a result of the promised land not being such a great place to live.  Rather, we give out of a result of being a people who have experienced the blessings of the Gospel being worked into the very fabric of our lives, and we give in order that other people across the entire world might experience the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Instead of giving to maintain life, we now give in order to give life to others.

Can you see the difference?

We give, not so much because we are thankful to God and want to honor Him for the increase we have experienced in our lives (though we do), but we give because we are blessed beyond measure, and want all the nations of the earth to be blessed, and to enjoy the overflow of what we have in Christ.  We give because we are thinking outside the finite blessings that were limited by the borders of Israel under the old covenant.  We give because we have a greater mission, a mission that tithing has no means of fulfilling.

I believe as Christians, we need to seriously rethink how we give and what we give to, as a result of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.    

Don't get me wrong, I am all for us giving to the support of the ministry of the church.  There are brothers and sisters who labor hard for the sake of the Gospel, and we and the rest of the world are in need of their "full-time" labor.  Let us bless these men and women financially, even as the apostles instructed us to do.  They are worthy of "double honor." (1 Timothy 5:17)

But if you study closely the pages of the New Testament, you will find that the early church was very  deliberate and focused in what it gave the vast majority of its money to.  Most of the money we see given in the New Testament was not given to ministers.  Nor is there one instance of a single dime ever being given towards a "building program."  Yet these are the very things we as the church spend our money on today.

Rather, if you actually study the giving habits of people in the New Testament, you will discover that the vast majority of money that people gave was for the benefit of the hungry and the poor.  Ministers received some financial support, but leaders like the apostle Paul taught that ministers should prefer to support themselves financially by getting a job, instead of "robbing" churches by drawing a salary (2 Corinthians 11:8).  Such is what he did for himself (Acts 20:34-35), and encouraged other ministers to follow in his example.

Such, however, is contrary to the spirit of this age.  In our culture, we find that being a "full-time" minister is one of the most coveted prizes in ministry, and it is highly sought after.  While many work bi-vocationally because they have to, I believe it is safe to say that the vast majority dream about the day when they can do such "professionally" and "for a living."  Such is blatantly an unbiblical attitude to embrace, yet it is the dream of just about every person I met in Biblical college and Seminary.

And I believe as a church, we have embraced such an attitude, because we still live very Old Testament lifestyles, and the practice of tithing only encourages us to foster such an attitude.

Remember, tithing was practiced under the old covenant in order to ultimately assist in maintaining life in the promised land.  It was very limited in scope and purpose.

Under the covenant that Jesus Christ has brought, we are no longer focused on maintaining a temporary program located in Palestine.  Rather, we are interested in taking the blessings of the Gospel to the uttermost ends of the earth.  We are freed from maintaining a program whose time has ultimately set with the coming of Christ.

Rather, God has called us as Christians to take the blessings we have received in Christ, and to ultimately share those same blessings to the uttermost ends of the earth.  And we are to do so by looking for and building relationships with individuals who are sick, poor, naked, hungry, and in prison (Matthew 25:31-46).  And as w forge relationships with such people, we cannot help but feel compelled to bless them as we have been blessed, as if they were Jesus Christ Himself.

These people are everywhere, and they ultimately need us to use our resources to help take care of them.  We need to seek them out, and we need to give our money to them.  And we need to give to them, not only by strategically forming ministries designed to assist the poor, but we need to find them one by one, and give to them directly.

Of course, we can continue to blindly write checks to a church for ten percent of our income.  And such is fine to do.

But when you really stop and think about it, tithing sucks compared to the practice of giving that is actually encouraged and practiced in the New Testament.  

In giving, we are free to actually be the church, and to share the blessings of the Gospel with the entire world.  In tithing, we model a form of giving that existed under the Old Testament, to maintain an old program that no longer exists, because that program has been replaced with Jesus Christ, and all that came with Him.  At its best, tithing could do little more than make some people fat under the Old Testament.  And such it continues to do for some ministries today.

Giving, on the other hand, and primarily giving to those who are in actual need, allows us to change the world, and the entire order of things.  It empowers us to all become ministers of the Gospel, and to make a difference in the name of Christ.. "Tithing" was done to maintain an Old Testament lifestyle.  "Giving" is now a means by which we share the blessings of the Gospel with those who need it most.

"Tithing" was practiced in order to maintain life under the old covenant.  "Giving" is now to be done to the end that others might experience the "new life" that is found in Jesus Christ. 

10 Signs of a Money Hungry Church

In a recent post, since the Bible has many sayings that warn against "the love of money," and being so successful that you "gain the whole world but lose your own soul," I thought it was appropriate to write about 10 Signs You Might Love Money.  Today, I thought it would be appropriate to expand on this topic, and provide a list of 10 signs that demonstrate that your church has a problem with the love of money.

My insight from this post comes from years of having served in just about every capacity of the church, both in big churches and small churches. In the process, it has been my observation that few things hinder a church from being all that God has called it to be more than a love of money, and yet at the same time, fewer sins are so casually dismissed among leaders in the church.

Yet fewer sins will ruin a church and ministry more than their love for money.  Therefore, if we care anything about God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the people we are trying to reach, we ought to guard our collective hearts from the love of money.

10 Signs of a Money Hungry Church:

1. A general lack of financial transparency:  If members of the church aren't freely allowed to "see the books," and aren't provided a detailed financial accounting of the amount of income the church receives, and where it spends its resources, then your church has something to hide.

2. If the pastors total compensation package is a secret, or known only to a few people, then the church likely hides his compensation because it knows most people would find his salary extravagant, and such would undermine his credibility and authority.

3. If the pastor regular drives a new car, has a large house (which few members ever visit!), is regularly changing his wardrobe out for the latest in fashion, and frequently sports a new hair-cut,  then these are all signs of not only great affluence, but the entitlement mentality that comes with wealth.

4.  If a large percentage of the elders, deacons, teachers, or lay-leaders are affluent businessmen and retirees.  Many churches these days have a "pay to play" attitude.  That is, if you wish to be in a position that influences the life of the church, you need to give a significant amount of money on  a regular basis in order to do so.  Because, an increasing number of churches these days bar those who don't give "above and beyond" from official ministry within the church, then church leadership is generally composed of those who can "afford" to give.  These men are often awarded positions of leadership in the church, knowing such will keep them "invested" in what goes on, and guarantees a regular source of revenue.

5.  If your church has a regular devotional message that accompanies the offering taken up during a worship service.  This is often done with accompanying music playing in the background.  Officially, it is typically said that this is done to provide a "worshipful" atmosphere in giving, and to incorporate it into the general flow of a worship service.  But in truth, this is usually done as a subtle form of manipulation.  It's the equivalent of playing a sad Sara McLachlan song during a ASCPA commercial.  Once your heart strings are plucked, your purse strings often are too.

6. If your church or denomination makes "tithing" one of its fundamentals of faith or part of its core practical values, then money is clearly at the heart of the organization.  Frankly, as Christians we should be offended that right up there with major doctrines like the deity of Jesus Christ, doctrines associated with "giving" are listed as a fundamental of the Christian faith.  While giving is very important in the life of the church, I can think of many other spiritual disciplines that are more essential to her health.

7. "Sacrificial giving" towards the church is encouraged, especially around Christmas time, and shortly after New Years. This is done, after all, to compete with the money you might otherwise spend at Target, and to capture as much income from the larger than normal size of the crowds typically visiting at Christmas time.  It is also done after New Years in order to take advantage of your all your new resolutions, or tax refund money you might get from the IRS.

8. The church never encourages you to give directly to the poor, and is upset if you "tithe" your income towards ministering directly to the poor.  After all, every good theologian knows that the local church is the "storehouse"  that you are to "bring" your tithes, and "give" your offerings at.  If your church in any way monitors your level of giving, and your pastor is deeply concerned about where you give your money to, then this is a major sign that your church loves money.  A pastor should have almost no knowledge of who personally gives what and where in the church.

9. The heavy use of creative arts, stage props, and technology in worship services and in preaching:  If Sunday morning often resembles a rock concert, such requires a ton of dollars to facilitate, and often a small army of professionals.  Such flashy services make the church highly dependent upon wealth to maintain its essential functions.  The monthly light bill for such a worship experience can often be thousands upon thousands of dollar in order to function.

10.  If the church has a large amount of debt, and/or takes out large lines of credit in order to help fund building programs, then this is a big red flag.  There is nothing that says "I love money" more than borrowing cash.  Such puts incredible financial burdens upon churches, and with it, opens the doors for incredible spiritual abuse by those in leadership.  Such requires the church to start acting more and more like a business, and less like a family, in its daily life.  In your personal finances, there is almost no excuse for excessive levels of personal debt.  In the corporate life of the church, this is also true.  Yet many ministries find themselves deeply in debt.  They are doing it "in faith" of course to support some big "vision."  But such an excuse does not make it ok.

10 Signs You Might Love Money

As is well known, the Bible says "the love of money is the root of all evil."  Few people give any thought to their love for money.  Money is celebrated, and those who have it are thought of as being virtuous in our society.  Indeed, poverty is often thought to be the result of a lack of moral character, and those who are poor are thought to be cursed.  Unfortunately, the church has done little to challenge this conception.  As it turns out, many in the church have tied wealth and financial gain to the Gospel, and a growing number of pastors are living high off the hog as a result of the "blessings" associated with their ministry.

Being that "the love of money" is not something we think much about, I thought it would be helpful to put together a small list together of things I believe show that you are infected with the love of money.

1. You worry about money:  We worry about the things we love.  Whether or not you are rich or poor, if you find yourself regularly worrying about your personal finances, you just might be in love with your money.   This is especially true if you worry to the point of losing sleep, or fighting with your spouse.
2. You don't make a budget:  Unless you wake up in the morning and go outside and pick money off the branches of the money tree you have growing in your back yard, you need to make a budget.  Because if you aren't making a regular budget and tracking your spending, then the chances are money is ruling your life in the form of overspending.
3. You are never able to save any money:  Unless you are living in deep poverty or are simply giving every last cent you make to the poor, you should be able to save a portion of every paycheck you cash.  Living paycheck to paycheck may be the common American experience.  But, if you are only one paycheck away from disaster because you have no savings, then money has too much power in your life, because failing to get paid has the power to destroy you.  Money should never have this much power in your life.
4. You are deeply in debt:  This problem is related to everything said thus far.  If you don't make a budget and don't save any money, you are probably having to regularly go into debt to cover unexpected expenses, or "splurges."  And when you take out enough debt, you create another monthly expense that has the power to bring worry into your life, because you constantly worry that you won't have enough money to cover your additional expenses.
5. You aren't a giver:  If you aren't regularly and systematically giving your money to charity and those in need (or you are giving simply so you can get a tax write-off), then the money in your life consumes you, as you are unable to let go of any of it.  You should regularly look for ways to expand your giving, especially in the area of giving directly to those who are poor.  If you judge them by saying things like "But they'll just spend it on booze and drugs!" then you love money too much.
6. You don't forgive personal loans made to others:  It's amazing how many people sue other people, especially close friends and family, simply because that individual has failed to repay what they have promised.  If somebody hits you up for some money, just give it to them with no strings attached.  If they repay you, great.  But if they don't, then don't let that ruin your relationship with that individual.  Prefer to lose money over family and friends.
7. Money keeps you from getting married, having kids, or making other major life decisions:  A lot of "millennials" have delayed making major life choices simply because they feel that they don't have the necessary financial security in order to do so.  As a result, an increasing number of people are waiting until they are 30 or older before finally "getting on" with life.  For some, their wallet leads in areas where their heart should.
8. You are involved in a multi-level marketing scheme, or are regularly trying to "get rich quick":  When I was 19 years old and in college, two of my friends that were engaged were recruited into a multi-level marketing program, and decided to drop out of college.  Their logic was that they didn't need to go to college anymore, because they were going to become "millionaires" within the next year, and would be able to retire.  Needless to say, things didn't work out for them like they thought.
9. You regularly buy the newest, biggest, baddest, coolest, brand name items:  If you feel you are regularly "entitled" to luxury items simply because you work hard and "deserve" the finer things in life, then money has a hold on you. "Work hard and play harder" may sound like a great motto to live by.  But in truth, most people who quote this motto really don't work all that hard to begin with.  They just feel entitled to stuff, and are in love with "bling."
10. You make grand moral judgments about others because of their level of poverty/wealth:  I once was part of a church where the vast majority of the congregation was poor.  I was surprised how many people in the church had harsh feelings towards those who were middle-class or above.  Bitter and jealous comments abounded.  Attitudes and comments such as I heard made me very aware that poor people are just as capable of greed.  "Greed," is not a vice unique to those who are wealthy.  

This list is by no means exhaustive.  What are some other ways you think we demonstrate we are in love with money?  Feel free to comment below...

I. Heart. Money.

I believe if you were to ask a lot people if they loved money, generally speaking, they would probably say "yes." They might add a disclaimer to their affirmation, but their answer would essentially still boil down to a yes. And why not? Money gets you so many things. It allows you to do everything from putting food on the table, to gaining political power and influence. Money, they even say, makes the world go round.

Money is greatly celebrated in our culture. Hip-hop and rap artists frequently make songs about it, and feature it as an important "prop" in their music videos. They show that money is the key to getting bling and having a nice "life." Money is so important to us as a nation that we even have entire cable channels, like CNBC and Fox Business News, dedicated to around the clock coverage of news stories and shows that focus on nothing but money related issues.

Some of us would deny having an intense love for money. But our hearts otherwise betray us. "It's just a tool," we say. Few things will spark more emotion from people than money. Research has shown that money is the primary thing that married couples tend to fight over most, and money problems have resulted in many people who otherwise had an intense romantic love for one another getting a divorce.

A comedian once said "Getting a divorce is like getting your heart ripped out through your wallet." Many men jokingly lament that it's always, "cheaper to keep her." And often, when a divorce happens, at least one person is forced to go through bankruptcy court in addition to divorce court.

I can't personally relate to getting divorced, but I remember this one time I was in a long term relationship that went bad. I remember that one of the first thoughts that entered my head shortly after we broke up was "this sucks... but on a brighter note, I'll finally be able to save some money." I was shocked that this thought entered my head so quickly after the event. My wallet suddenly felt a little bit better. Benjamin Franklin's make for great tissues in which to dry our tears upon. It's a funny thing how money comforts us and touches us on an emotional level.

For example, I work in the financial services industry at a really big national bank. In a prior position, I had to fly all over the country and participate in many court facilitated conferences to try and help people who were having financial troubles. I know from first-hand experience that I've never seen people get more emotional than when I sat down as a bank rep, to have a "heart to heart," with people over their financial challenges.

I'm a super nice guy, and to my recollection, I can't ever recall saying anything to anybody in my entire life that inflicted so much pain in their hearts so as to make anybody cry. I care about people and geniunely love them. But when I went to court to talk to people about restructuring their finances, sometimes I had to have some very difficult conversations with individuals, and those conversations sometimes made people extremely upset, to the point they busted out in tears, which stopped court proceedings, as people had to be excused so that they could collect themselves.

But I can relate. I remember a time when I was going through my own money troubles. My income was very low, but my bills were very high, and I didn't have the ability to make all of my ends meet. I was single, and didn't have to take care of anybody but me. If I got kicked out of my apartment for failing to pay rent, I always had parents who loved me and would be more than glad to let me move back in with them. I had little to lose, except my dignity and pride. But in spite of this, I regularly lost sleep, as I couldn't do anything but stay up and worry about my money woes. I was full of so much worry... and all over money.

As it also turns out, worrying about money isn't a problem only poor people have. People who are well-off and wealthy worry about money too. One millionare I knew once told me that to him, "a million dollars represents a million problems." First, he has to make sure the money is stored in a safe location so that somebody doesn't just steal it. So he puts the money in a bank. Then while in the bank, he has to make sure inflation doesn't eat up his hard earned savings like a moth eats a sweater. So he has to make sure he invests his money in financial instruments that will gain enough earnings to protect him from inflation, but at the same time, make sure he limits his exposure to the market, so as to not become poor overnight because of a stock market crash. Then of course, he has to worry about his children never growing up and becoming financially independent, because they look at their father as a cash cow, and are ready to seize his assets as soon as he dies. His money, which appears to be a great blessing to many, is a potential disaster waiting to happen.

Rich and poor, we all tend to worry about money. And reflecting on these things, I tend to think as human beings that we only worry about those things which we love and care about. And if we find ourselves worrying regularly about money, I think it might be due to the fact that we have an attachment to it that is greater than the purpose of paying our bills, and putting food in our bellies. We worry about money because we love it. But the end, this thing that we love so much often ends up destroying us.

No wonder the Bible is full of warnings about money. Warnings, I think we as Christians living in America would do well to seriously consider. Money is often made out to be a merely neutral thing, a mere tool of many different tools in our shed. But the more I read the Bible, the more I become convinced that money is not the neutral thing that it appears to be. And in my experience, those who frequently point out that money is merely a tool, tend to be the individuals that love money the most. And "the love of money," which consumes so many of us, truly ends up "consuming" us in the end.

No wonder Jesus said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. While we probably all wish that the only temptation we suffered in this life was the problem of having too much money, in reality, being "blessed" with a surplus of greenbacks and gold tends to only plunge us into the worst of possible problems.

We often see this with people who win the lottery and become multi-millionaires overnight. Even people who win hundreds of millions of dollars end up seeing their lives wrecked as a result. This has happened with so many people that there is said to be a "lottery curse."

Or consider TV shows like "The People's Court" or "Judge Judy." See how many people on those shows end up suing close family members and friends over a few bucks. Such suits often destroy the deeply woven bonds of people with long histories. And all over a few bucks that most people would have never missed to begin with! But money became more important to them than the relationships they had. They were wronged out of their money, so they sued somebody they loved, as a matter of "principle." So they went to court all over something as silly as money, and lost a friend or family member for the rest of their lives in the process.

In the end, the love of money destroys us and those around us. It is no wonder that Jesus said the love of money will cause so many people to lose their own souls. It truly is the root of all sorts of evil. Money is something we would do well to purge from our hearts, and it is something we would do well to never chase.

Should Christians Save For Retirement?

Recently I had the distinct privilege of sitting down over dinner and talking to a young missionary couple.  Knowing that I have a background in theology and ministry, and making a living in the world of finance, they wanted to pick my brain and see what I thought about the idea of them saving up for retirement.  For the missionary society they are a part of requires that they set aside a certain percentage of their income for this purpose.  And in doing so, they have received some criticism from other Christians (and even other missionaries), for having any savings at all, let alone saving up enough money to one day retire.

I found this question very interesting, because when you and I think of missionaries, we typically think of extraordinary men and women of faith who boldly immerse themselves in remote parts of the world for the purpose of sharing the Gospel.  We don't think of people who plan on retiring from the missions field like people who will retire from their jobs.

We think of people who are putting their entire life on the line to go to the utter ends of the earth to answer the call they feel God has placed on their lives.  We tend to think of missionaries as extremely spiritual people who live very close to God, as the nature of their job requires of them.  When we think of missionaries, we think of people who will go somewhere, spend their life in a remote part of the world, and ultimately die there.  We seldom think of people who eventually come off the field, returning home physically and mentally exhausted, and spending the final years of their life in retirement.

As I pondered in my mind how to respond to this couple, I reflected on how we as the Church are often far too "spiritual" about practical matters of every day life.  And too often we "shame" people for how they handle practical matters, such as their personal finances, and for failing to demonstrate the "faith" we associate with handling finances.

We claim of ourselves that we are acting with a wisdom and faith not of this world, and we work up this great cosmic drama in our minds that God is somehow testing us in the area of how we handle money.  And we reason that if we don't respond in some irrational way (like paying our tithe instead of our mortgage), then we aren't really putting our faith in God as we ought, and that everything in our life is going to come unglued as a result of our failing to act "in faith."

As a result of such broken thinking, we misuse the Bible to shame the practice of saving money or retiring.  Real wisdom and faith, as taught by some, is in living paycheck to paycheck, and practically speaking, being constantly broke as a result.  Such people often quote the famous parable Jesus taught about the rich man who built large barns for himself so that he could live a life of ease and pleasure, but did not have the foresight to see that his life would be required of him earlier than he thought, and was called a "fool" by the Lord for so handling his finances, and not living a life of generosity.  Thus, we are told by some who so mishandle this parable, that the Lord condemns saving, or condemns retirement planning.

Never-mind the Bible is full of examples of great men of faith who not only possessed wealth in both the Old and New Testaments, but also made practical preparations in regard to the future, and were able to be a source of blessing to others who were without as a result of such practical thinking.  Joseph knew a famine was going to hit the world, and used his seven years of plenty to prepare for the lean times ahead.  Or consider how when Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, how He not only provided enough to feed the multitude, but He sent people away with extra to eat on for the next few days.  Or consider how in the book of Acts, there were believers who were able to sell possessions and property at a profit, and were able to share their wealth with the poor as a result of all the saving and investing they had previously done.

But with all this said, we need not get in some great theological war as to whether or not Christians (or missionaries!) should save for the future and plan for some form of retirement.  If they have the means and ability to, I believe a Christian can and should save for the future, and plan for retirement. The way I see it, the question of saving and retirement to me isn't so much a question of one's theology or spirituality, as it is simply about living a very practical life.

To question whether or not a Christian should try to save and plan for retirement is like questioning whether or not a Christian should own a refrigerator.  Stop and think about it: Why do you own a refrigerator? Is it not because you buy food in bulk at the grocery store, and plan on keeping it for a few days, if not longer?  Or if you see a great deal on meat, do you not buy some extra meat, and come home and wrap in up in a freezer bag and store it for future consumption?

For those of you who think it is a sin or unspiritual to save and plan for retirement, how would you feel if a Christian guilt tripped you over owning a refrigerator and buying food in bulk?  If you are truly living by faith, should you not go to the grocery store every single day and buy food and make it fresh?  Should you refuse to stick a lasagna in the refrigerator so that you and your family can eat off leftovers later this week?  Do you not trust God to provide you with "daily" bread?  Why is it then that you have a refrigerator in your house?  O Christian, where is your faith???

Of course, no Christian thinks it is a sin to own a refrigerator (well, except for the Amish).  For us owning a refrigerator is just practical and common sense.  We own refrigerators, not only for the convenience of avoiding excessive trips to the grocery store, but so we can stretch out our dollar and make food last for a longer period of time than it would otherwise naturally last.  And in doing so, we are taking the "daily" bread that God has provided for us in the present, and using it to make provision for the future.  It's a simple matter of practicality.  Indeed, not owning a refrigerator would be seen by most as an unwise and foolish decision.

And if we unquestionably make use of refrigerators and freezers when it comes to food storage, should we not make use of savings, retirement accounts, and other investment tools when it comes towards handling money? Why is it that we see a refrigerator as common sense, but we see saving for the future as some great acid test of faith?  Far from being an issue of spirituality, worldliness, or sin, saving for the future is simply a matter of common sense and practical wisdom.

I advised this young missionary couple that I thought it would be wise for them to save for the future and to plan for eventual retirement.  Even should they die out on the mission field and never retire, the money they saved could be used to pay for their funeral, or to bless others in the form of an inheritance.  Such was like many missionaries in the course of history, who went to the mission field, and brought a coffin with them wherever they moved.  They knew they were going to die on the field one day, and they made practical arrangements ahead of time for their death.  Such wasn't an issue of spirituality and faith to trust God with the mans of providing them a proper burial, but such was simply a matter of practical wisdom and common sense.

We as the Church need much more common sense and practical wisdom.  We need less pseudo-spirituality that masks itself as wisdom.

The Power of "Mad Money"

Do you notice your monthly checking and savings account balance trending downward month after month?

If so, you probably have a spending problem.

"But where does it go?" you may ask. After all, like a lot of people these days, you probably pay most, if not all of your bills online. And apart from some seasonal fluctuations in your utilities, your monthly expenses are pretty much the same.

So why doesn't the balance in your bank account increase?

If you are like me (or most people), you probably don't carry around a check ledger and record every single transaction. You spend pretty freely, guessing how much money you have in the bank on any given day, and primarily rely on periodic balance updates or warnings that get sent electronically to your e-mail or phone to alert you of any extreme transgressions.

And as a result, it is only towards the end of the month when you realize that you overspent.

The truth is (of which there is a lot of research to back up), if you use your ATM/debit card to make all of your purchases, you will tend to underestimate how much you actually spend compared to how much you truly spend. Using your ATM/debit card, you feel wealthier than you actually are, and you tend to spend more freely.

If you are trying to live off a budget (as we all should), then this is a REALLY bad method of controlling your personal finances. For example, let's say that you allow yourself $300 a month in "discretionary spending" on things such as shopping, eating out, going to Starbucks, date money, and entertainment. The chances are, if you rely on your ATM/debit card for the bulk of these purchases, you are probably going to blow your discretionary spending fund.

Don't feel bad, such is simply how human nature responds to plastic bank cards.

Being recently married, I found out that two people jointly using this method of personal finance tends to have a "multiplier effect," and it makes it all the more clear that this is a really bad way to manage finances. For example, on Friday I might go out to lunch with the guys at work, and on my wife's way home, she might swing by Target for an item or two. Then I might swing by Redbox, pick up a movie, order a pizza, and settle in for a lazy Friday evening.

But, before you know it, we've spent $100! Yet, each of us feels like we have only spent half of that. And we are only talking about how we handled our finances for one Friday out of the month. We still have the rest of the month ahead of us, in which we will likely repeat a similar pattern of destructive financial behavior!

Just imagine how well that plays out in the long run. It's a great way to become broke... and fast!

But, imagine how it could be better. Putting our heads together, my wife and I implemented a new strategy for controlling our monthly expenses.

Now, instead of using our ATM/debit card for our discretionary spending, we take out some cash at the start of every month, divide it between the two of us, and we call that our "MAD MONEY."

Under our new system, we take our monthly "mad money" and use it for all of our discretionary spending. Once we run out of the cash we took out, that's it... no more mad money to spend. When my wallet is empty, my hands are tied and I no longer have anything to freely spend. If I want to buy anything else, I need to ask my wife to borrower some of her "mad money," and vice versa.

The end result of our little experiment has been that since we've implemented our "mad money" system, every single month we've seen our bank balance increase.

And while we have not completely eliminated using our ATM/debit card in our discretionary spending category, that's ok. We've made significant progress in this arena, our behaviors are changing, our savings are growing, and we are going in the right direction.

Remember: Personal finance is a journey, not a destination.

I believe that simply keeping cash on hand will change not only the way you spend your money, but how much you spend, and help you grow your bank account balance in the process! Try it out, and let me know how it works. See if it won't make a difference.

Budget to Give

I think a lot of God's people would admit that they enjoy giving, and that they want to give more.

But many feel hindered, because they feel their financial situation doesn't afford them the ability to give as much as they'd like.  Thus, the idea of giving more seems a bit frightening, because they fear they simply cannot afford to give more than they presently do. Maybe you are one of those people.

Let me ask you a simple question...

How much money do you make on a monthly basis?

It's really a simple question.  But it's a question that I believe a lot of people cannot accurately answer.  My guess is that you probably don't really know either.

For a living, I work as a mortgage underwriter on the foreclosure side of a really big bank.  As a result, I've had the opportunity to review the personal financial statements of a lot of different people.  In the standard paperwork my bank asks people to fill out, people are asked to disclose their monthly income.  When I compare what people write down as their monthly income, to what I actually calculate after reviewing their last several paychecks, I usually discover what a person thinks they make on a monthly basis is very different than what they actually make on a monthly basis.

Having reviewed thousands of personal financial statements, I am of the opinion that most people in America simply do not know how much money they make!

And if people don't know how much money they make on a monthly basis, I think it is fairly safe to assume that they don't know what their monthly expenses are either.

Honestly, I believe that most people simply hope to have money left over at the end of every month.  And usually, they are right, and that is enough for them.  But many people learn the hard way, and eventually find out that they were guessing wrong, and don't have enough money to cover all their expenses.

Don't be one of those people.  As much as I enjoy being employed at the bank, I don't want to see your loan application on my desk asking for help so that you can avoid foreclosure.

Instead of being a person who thinks they make enough money to cover their monthly expenses, become the type of person who knows exactly what they make on a monthly basis, and who knows exactly what their monthly expenses are.

But the only way you can do that is if you take charge of your personal finances and make a monthly budget.

I know... not exactly fun stuff.  Some people would rather go to the dentist than make a budget.

But if you are to be a responsible steward of the financial blessings God has provided you in your life, making a budget is the only way you can get on top of your personal finances.  And if you are looking to be a "cheerful giver" as the Bible teaches, there is no way you can find joy in writing checks that you fear may possibly bounce, or cause you to get behind on your other bills.

Making a budget requires that you first analyze your personal finances by going line by line through your bank statements, and find out exactly how much money you take home on a monthly basis, and exactly how much you spend.  Of course, since expenses vary month to month, it is best to analyze a full year worth of bank statements so that you can get a general average.

In this process, you will likely discover that you are spending far more in certain categories on a monthly basis than you were previously aware.  I think most people discover that they spend far more on eating out, shopping, and home repair/maintenance than they thought they did.

I remember analyzing the bank statements of one person at work, and discovered that they spent about $1,000 eating out on a monthly basis.  Such was almost the amount of their monthly mortgage payment, which they had fallen behind on.

I didn't have the opportunity to talk to this man about his personal monthly expenses, but I bet if I were to have asked him if he ate out that much, he would deny spending as much as he does at restaurants.  And a lot of people are like that, in denial about what they spend and where they spend it.

But that's what is so amazing about a budget.

A budget forces you to be honest about your spending habits.  A budget forces you to deal with reality, and not simply what you think is going on.  In making a budget, you do as personal finance guru Dave Ramsey says, and "name every dollar, instead of wondering where every dollar went."  A budget helps you take control of your spending habits, so you can better direct where your money goes.  Instead of doing this...

A lot of Christians write checks "in faith."

That is, they write a check hoping that it clears before other checks do, and that they will get paid before all the other checks have a chance to clear.  They do this with everything from tithe checks to mortgage payments.

God doesn't want you to have that kind of faith.  When it comes to "tithing" or making your mortgage payment on time, God is much more interested in your being "faithful" than He is whether or not if you can write a check not knowing where the money is going to come from to pay the bills this month.

Being faithful means not writing a bad check that has the potential to bounce.  And if you are living off a budget, you will never need such "faith."

Some Christians like to tell stories about how they tithed, not knowing where the money was going to come from in order to pay their mortgage or other bills, and that God miraculously provided for them in the end.

I'm not going to say such never happens.  But let's be real.

Churches process bounced tithe checks on a weekly basis.  And banks regularly foreclose on homes owned by Christians who practice such check writing habits.

If you can't afford to tithe AND pay your bills this month, pay your bills first and learn to make a budget so that you can actually afford to give.  Write your tithe check later, it's ok, God won't curse you if He doesn't get it this week.

The point of developing a budget as a Christian is so that you and I don't have to live by such "faith."  Rather, we develop a budget so that we can be the faithful, and show that we are faithful by our ability to follow through.

As Christians, we live in the belief that God has already provided for all of our needs, and we adjust our lifestyle in accordance with what God has actually supplied.

When we track our monthly income and expenses, and create a budget, we do so in order that we can take control of our personal finances.  Such a process is something that actually honors God.  And we do this so that we can afford to live a lifestyle that not only honors God, but so that we can be liberal and generous in our giving habits.  We do this so that others may enjoy the grace that God has given us.