Category Archives: cash money!

How to Spot a Liar

How to Spot a Liar, by Russell E Kelly
Most common Identifying Traits
More Traits Equal Higher Probability

1. Partial quotations in long articles.
2. Short quotations in long articles.
3. Ignores context in long articles.
4. Refuse to defend their position.
5. Refuse to answer questions.
6. Refuse to answer all questions.
7. Resorts to personal attacks.
8. Charges for most material.
9. Accumulates wealth by soliciting from the poor.
10. Refuse to share contrary material with their followers.
11. Are far wealthier than those who support them.
12. Refuse to identify themselves.

Cheerful giving is impossible apart from a new heart with new desires

Talking Money with Jamie Munson

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 11:03 PM PST

Today, I’m excited to welcome Jamie Munson to the blog to discuss his new book Money – God or Gift, available on Amazon for just $5. Jamie is Executive Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I encourage you to read this interview and then take a look at Jamie’s book.

Trevin Wax: Churches are making budget decisions in the middle of a sagging economy right now. How do we navigate between good stewardship (saving resources for future use) on the one hand and bad stewardship (hoarding resources out of insecurity rather than using them for ministry today) on the other?

Jamie Munson: Church leadership is responsible for prayerfully setting a budget number that will allow robust ministry in the present and adequate reserves for the future. At Mars Hill, we look at historic giving trends to identify a giving target that is both reasonable and requires faith that God will provide. Then it’s a matter of teaching the church body to be faithful with the resources God has given. This requires regular communication and diligent shepherding to address the underlying sin that keeps many people enslaved to their stuff. We’ve learned this the hard way (not talking about giving doesn’t help), and in many ways Money is the fruit of those lessons.

For a bit more on this topic, I wrote a post for The Resurgence about why churches should expand—even when they shouldn’t.

Trevin Wax: If someone is not able to give cheerfully, should they still give? If our motivation is incorrect, is it better that we not give until our hearts are right?

Jamie Munson: Cheerful giving is impossible apart from a new heart with new desires. It is a gift of God’s grace. If you’re a Christian that can’t give cheerfully, don’t wait until your heart is right—your heart was already made right at the cross. Repent—cheerfully! Because Jesus died for your bad attitude and invited you to participate in his mission to redeem the world. What’s a couple hundred bucks when you’ve been given the eternal kingdom of God?

Trevin Wax: Is it ever okay to buy things that are not “needs” but “wants”? How do we balance our desire and joy for good things and our desire and joy to seek first the kingdom?

Jamie Munson: I hit this in more detail in chapter six of the book, but basically I don’t believe in “needs.” Strictly speaking, food and water are all we need for basic survival, which means all we have are “wants.” That’s not a bad thing, but it’s an important paradigm shift: rather than pitting our needs against our wants, we must prioritize our wants and prayerfully align them with the call and commands of God on our life.

Good things and the kingdom of God are not mutually exclusive, and on occasion Jesus condoned what many others perceived to be extravagant expenses (Mark 14:3; John 2:1–11). Don’t fall for “self-made religion and asceticism” by rejecting or feeling guilty about every material purchase (Col. 2:23).

Trevin Wax: Should Christians tithe?

Jamie Munson: As a pastor at Mars Hill, I’ve often counseled and taught that giving 10 percent to the church is a good place to start. For most people, 10 percent represents an amount that challenges them to walk faithfully in this area of their life. Depending on the circumstances of life, for some a tenth isn’t enough. For others it may be too much. I believe that the New Testament is intentionally ambiguous on the subject because it creates dependence on God: we must actively seek his will for our finances.

We can’t identify a percentage and “set it and forget it.” Rather, giving is meant to be an ongoing, dynamic component of lives lived in worship of Jesus. When we understand the joy of giving in response to God’s grace, how much does God want becomes how much can I give?

Trevin Wax: What books and Bible scholars have influenced your thinking about stewardship and money?

Jamie Munson: The book of Proverbs is the greatest source of financial wisdom and principles that I’ve ever encountered, and it’s been hugely influential in shaping my understanding of stewardship. Dave Ramsey’s books are extremely practical, and I’ve benefited greatly from his work. I also recommend Randy Alcorn’s The Treasure Principle.

Trevin Wax: For campus pastors/ministry leaders, how could they use your book in a discipleship or small group bible study context?

Jamie Munson: Our community groups at Mars Hill Church took three weeks to go through the book. It’s a quick read with discussion questions and some useful tools for practical application. We tried to avoid fluff, get straight to the heart, and stick close to the Bible (the book is based in Luke 12). The feedback has been really positive. It’s a flexible resource that I think would work well for individual study, counseling sessions, or small group settings.

If you decide to check it out, I’d love to hear what you think: twitter.com/jamiemunson or facebook.com/jamiemunson. The Resurgence has some free chapters and a page with more info on the book as well.

http://theresurgence.com/pages/money
http://theresurgence.com/2010/11/23/free-chapter-from-money-god-or-gift
http://theresurgence.com/2010/11/17/have-it-all-or-want-it-all