Category: Podcast

Released on the Spark My Muse podcast

The Myth of Church Budget Problems

CAUTION: BOOM post

How much do you give to charity?

(That’s probably not something you want to answer. Don’t worry about it, just think about it. Here’s where you are going to have to be very brave to keep reading.)

I rarely write anything of this sort.

The statistical chances are that I’m talking to you as a “stingy non tither”, and you won’t like this post. I’m okay with that. I’m writing it anyway because I’ve just endured a rather unfortunate budget meeting, and I’ve now had my fill of an American original. A brand that pairs excessive abundance and skimpy giving. And, yes, I can taste the bile in my mouth, because it makes me sick.

The stats say most people give 2-3% of their income to charity.

Not a tithe, is it? Most people (and probably you) know that a tithe is 10%…an offering is treasure (time or talent or legal tender) given above the tithe percent amount.

GIFTS?
A “gift” is what people give when the plate gets passed around. They plop a fiver in, or sometimes when they’re feeling particularly generous, they plop a twenty and a fiver on the top and think that somehow they aren’t stealing God’s money (b/c it’s all God’s money). Ya know what? That’s no gift…it’s the booby prize.

The minimum you are required to give is 10%. period.

The church could aid the least of these (think needy, hungry, naked, etc.), if people tithed. Instead they give the scraps left over once they’ve had their fun. First, they’ve eaten out, seen movies, bought (expensive) coffee, bottled water, goodies, weight loss products, pet products, books, accessories, top dollar clothes, the latest gadgets and toys, and video games, and extras, and used up money their deposable income. Whoops… FAIL. Forgetting anything, people? um yeah. Oh, yeah.

One of the 3 center pieces of the Sermon on the Mount…you know, the manifesto for citizens in the kingdom, is giving. Fasting, Giving, and Prayer are the 3 biggies. I think we’re sucking at it.

When everyone gives 10%, no one is in need. It’s a simple concept.

Instead of planning living expenses around giving the tithe–off the top, people quickly scan their wallet as the ushers come down the rows. “Gosh, I better help out a little here. Hum. I should of stopped at the ATM. Oh, well. Maybe next time.”

Instead of stepping out in faith knowing that God will provide for financial needs–more importantly every need, people wring their hands and say they have to slash the budget. The same people who don’t tithe can also be the same ones to say stupid things like, “It’s really hard to make these tough decisions.”

Yeh, it’s so hard and horrible, but apparently not as hard as giving what God requires. Let me guess, you’re also going hunting soon, right? So you can pay what ends up to be $35 per pound for deer meat. But, times are tough; you can’t really give more.  I get it. That wretched smell worse than deer carcass is your boloney. Hey, jerky, that’s bad jerky.

I should add that if hunting is a “man thing” shopping might be a “woman thing”…things like cute shoes on sale, getting a hair coloring job at $70-100, and mani-pedis come to mind. Those things that we may feel entitled to pamper ourselves with. But you can insert your own guilty pleasure.

Churches pray that God will help them, or that the pews will fill up, and help the chances of filling the plate better. Maybe a cool new program will work. Maybe a cantata.

The problem is never money. The problem resides in the poverty of the heart.

Here’s the awkward truth: No church has financial problems. Instead they have spiritual problems. They have generosity problems. They have unstemmed selfishness, and a prolific lack of faith.

Here are some official troubling facts about giving.

Giving by Class: The two groups in the United States that give the highest percentages of their income are the poor (those making less than $20,000 per year) and the rich (those making more than $100,000 per year). Middle-class Americans (those making between $40,000 and $100,000 per year) are the smallest percentage givers.55

Few Support the Church: Only one-third to one-half of U.S. church members financially support their churches.56

Religious Donations: More than $60 billion a year is donated to religious nonprofit organizations. The vast bulk of that sum-more that $40 billion annually-goes directly to churches, almost all of it from individuals.57

Pets: In 2007, it is estimated that Americans will spend over $40 billion on their pets.58

Weight Loss: It is estimated that by 2010, Americans will spend over $60 billion on weight-loss programs.59

Giving Not a Priority: Christians worldwide had personal income totaling more than $16 trillion in 2007 but gave only 2 percent, or $370 billion, to Christian causes.60

Read more stats here, but let me warn you, it’s not pretty. It’s shameful.

I’m writing this because Christians need to wake up. If I have to be the one who bears the brunt of the pushback because of a kill the messenger mentality, I’m willing to take it.

The index of real and deep relationship with God is found in our obedience and our love in action. This includes giving as one ought to.

That is all.

Except that here is some really useful advice from Dave Ramsey on tithing and giving.

Fasting, Reading, Prayer, Study Guide for Advent Season

Advent Resources

Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics 

by Robert B. Kruschwitz, the author of this study guide, directs the Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University. He serves as General Editor of Christian Reflection. 

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 58:6-8 and Luke 2:22-38    

Study Guide and article by article here.

Advent Guide and more from Thom Turner here.

 

5 Ways to Get Whatever you Want

1. Shun Meaningful Relationships

  • The problem with interpersonal intimacy is that it diminishes one’s ability to hone self-centeredness. Once others start to matter you sometimes have to take them into consideration. Two Words, people: Lone Wolf.

2. Don’t Get Married/Stay Married

  • One of the first things you learn, and then continue to learn repeatedly through the years, is that marriage puts your selfishness under a looming, bright, hot spotlight. There is no need to build those skills of negotiating compromise, because unfettered selfishness is crucial to consistently getting what you want.

3. Don’t Be A Good Parent

  • From birth children are needy. Constantly, one must put his children’s welfare ahead of his own. Even one’s ambitious and preferences routinely are relegated to second priority, or much worse. All this practice of deferring weakens you, so you hardly ever get whatever you want. I’ve seen this happen a ton of times.

4. Don’t Commit to People or Ideals

  • Believing in something, or being loyal, severely compromises your abilities to get whatever you want. One minute you’re doing something nice for someone, or some cause, and the next minute your going well out of your way. Talk about getting derailed!

5. Don’t Grow Compassionate

  • As people elicit your pity, or draws you into some sort of endearment, it lights the fuse on the bomb that will eventually explode your efforts to get whatever you want.
If you can avoid all these trappings, you will probably grow expert at getting whatever you want. Of course don’t expect anyone to like it, or like you. As a kind of plague to those in your world, you will continue to seek meaning, but only find it rarely; and even then it will be fleetingly.
Have you been harmed selfishness?

Path to Porn (part III)

I strongly suggest you read the 2 earlier posts  in this series to get all the context needed for this series. I say this because a blog cannot be exhaustive on a topic, or give important issues a thorough going over. Instead, a blog can be a starting point to open up topics that are overlooked, or glossed over, or downright avoided. The stats say the most pastors look at porn, fairly regularly, when was the last time you heard them admit it?

I hope you’ll comment with your thoughts, or write on the topic yourself, (and share the link, so we can follow along.)

Uncomfortable topics:
In most Christian circles masturbation and pornography…or porn, which is actually not the same…(see “porn” definition from previous post) aren’t discussed, that is, least not until the worst is over. Sex might be discussed, but if it gets personal, or unflattering, well, it seems rare that you’ll hear honesty.

You’ll be hard pressed to find your ladies book club trailing off in that direction. “Well, I was feeling lonely last night, and this Amish romance is so, you know…hot, or whatever…and I just starting imaging myself as Hannah Swartzentruber on a forbidden buggy ride, and it’s all fun and games until someone has an orgasm, ya know. Am I right, ladies?” (My previous ‘Amish Romance’ post here.)

Probably you won’t hear that, right? Not so much.

The internet and other media allow for private voyeurism that trips many of us up. This goes for men and women.

Still, some might say, “This is fairly normal stuff, right?” or “Does it matter?” Things that are typical aren’t equivalent to things that are healthy, necessarily. Involvement in porn (be it sexual or otherwise) is a honey trap. Distracting and eventually toxic to us, and our relationships.

Here’s some of the inter dialogue when we travel the path to porn, and I speak from experience, and my female mind.

If we know the circumstances that lead up to viewing things we shouldn’t, perhaps we won’t get too far down the trail, before we course correct.

Thoughts, feelings, or circumstances involving:

• Feeling rejected/not belonging

• Feeling left out

• Feeling misunderstood

• Envy and Jealousy

• Feeling out of control

• Wish fulfillment/fantasy

• Feeling isolated or lonely

• Anger or bitterness

Share your thoughts on this issue.

+ the Potent Question of the Day: What have been the circumstances of your involvement in viewing voyeuristic or sexual content?

Important note:
While I encourage honesty and confession, this might not be the ideal place to have a “tell all.” Please get into a committed accountability relationship as you work through this journey. Thank you very much for participating in this series, and commenting as much as you are able. And remember that you can always comment here anonymously.)

-Thank you.