Man in the Mirror, Chapter 12 Summary

Four Pillars of Financial Strength
Entrepreneur's credo: A dollar borrowed is a dollar earned, a dollar refinanced is a dollar saved, and a dollar paid back is gone forever! Ted Miller

Earning: Little by Little
"He who gathers money little by little makes it grow." Proverbs 13:11

Saving: Little by Little, Too
The Nest Egg Principle personifies the qualities of the Biblical view of life: quietness, diligence, industry, prudence, patience -- little by little.

Sharing: Where You Store Your Money
People and relationships are more important than possessions.
A different perspective: try putting a cap on your standard of living. Everything you earn beyond what you need to live and save for retirement, give to Christian work.

Three Principles.
Give a proportion of every dollar earned in relation to how God has blessed you. A good starting point is ten percent.
Do your giving in secret to guard against any temptation to become proud.
Give your gifts as an offering to God, not to men. Don't seek the praise or approval of men.

Debt: The Ability to Pretend
There are two ways to acquire and accumulate: income and debt.
Men either earn interest or pay interest.
Debt is a symptom, its a symptom of a consumptive lifestyle.

It doesn't get any better than this! The children (disciples-in-training) at Spruce Pine United Methodist Church lay hands on me and pray during the re-commissioning ceremony.

The blessings continue as Phillip Cole, Marion District superintendent, and Bruce Icard, lay leader of my church present me with the Men's Ministry Specialist certificate at a re-commissioning ceremony at my church. I am so thankful for so many showing God's unconditional love to me.

Man in the Mirror, Chapter 11 Summary

Money: A Biblical Point of View

"The problem with money is that it makes you do things you don't want to do." Wall Street, the movie

The Problem
How would you rate your Biblical I.Q. on money?
By winking at the Scriptures we don't like and cherry picking the ones we do, we create our own little theology about God and money.
One cannot serve both God and money; you are either a slave to God or to money.

The Power of Money
Money is not just a temptation for a moment of carnal pleasure; it is the temptation for us to be conquered by an inert, mindless master, one incapable of saving us from sin or satisfying the deep hunger of our soul for true peace, meaning, and purpose.

The Test of a Man's True Character
No test of a man's true character is more conclusive than how he spends his time and money.
If you really want to know what is important to you, get out your calendar and checkbook.

Is It Money or Me?
What is money? Money is simply a commodity, a medium of exchange. Money, by itself, is uncomplicated.
The problem is with men. God knew how much we would struggle with it -- that it would be His main competition for our affections.

Three Perspectives of Money

Poverty Theology. The disciple of poverty theology believes possessions are a curse and has rejected materialism in every form. The person who thinks one must be poor to be humble is mistaken.

Prosperity Theology. The disciple of Prosperity theology believes that you have not because you ask not. The theory is that one can create a binding transaction on God in which He is obligated to bless you. Many adherents to this approach live consumptive lifestyles.

Stewardship Theology. The disciple of stewardship theology believes that God owns and controls everything. Possessions are a privilege not a right. Being a steward is more of an attitude, a way of looking at life as a caretaker.

Poverty theology exaggerates the role of sacrificial work, while prosperity theology overemphasizes the pursuit of financial rewards. The steward leads a balanced life, enjoying God's abundance while serving others in love.

Another Spiritual Mountaintop Moment

I had the humbling but very high moment this past weekend by journeying to Nashville, Tennessee to the United Methodist "holy land" where I became one of the first seven men to be certified as a Men's Ministry Specialist, a para-professional ministry of the laity. This took place as a part of the annual three-day National Association of United Methodist Men's Conference Presidents meeting. Presiding over the commissioning ceremony were Rev. David Adams, general secretary of the General Commission on United Methodist Men and Dr. Zawdie Abadie, of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Division of Ordained Ministry. Praise be to God!

Walk to Emmaus

I have just returned from a 3-day Walk to Emmaus and am still "flying with the angels", a very blessed experience that I encourage every biblical Christian to attend. Many thanks to Dave and Alice, my sponsors; to Dave, Alice, Phil, Marvin, and Don for their unconditional agape love and who came to celebrate with us; and to my Table of Luke table mates and friends forever, Jack, Paul, Wally, Tim, and Shannon, I love you all unconditionally.