Was Jesus Poor or was He a Minimalist?

February 20, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Most people probably think Jesus was poor.

I don’t know about that. Some people probably think he was a minimalist. If not a minimalist, then he would have at least adopted a simple lifestyle, right? After all, he did say, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

I think Jesus lived simply, not because he was poor, but because he was strategic. He had few possessions because he needed to travel light. He had no place to lay his head, i.e., a home like a fox or a bird, because of his itinerant preaching schedule.

Jesus was likely a carpenter. He probably followed his dad’s footsteps as was normal in those days. There were no vocational schools to attend to learn a trade. Bethlehem Technical College didn’t exist. Young men grew up watching their fathers work and typically learned their dad’s trade.

Carpenters likely made good money. Like today, a good carpenter can make a fine living for his family. Depending on his talents, a carpenter’s income would fit somewhere between the lower middle to upper middle class of his day. Since the Roman empire was thriving in Jesus’ day, it’s fair to say that the construction business was booming in Israel.

Jesus was likely a busy carpenter.

Think about this: Jesus probably started earning money when he was in his teens. Let’s be conservative and say that he made a living doing carpentry work for 12 years. From the age of 18 until he went public with his ministry at the age of 30, Jesus had a steady paycheck.

He knew that  a “career change” was coming when he turned 30. I’m sure he planned for it. He could have tucked some money away during his earning years for his season of ministry. He is omniscient, after all.

But what about his disciples? Didn’t they abandon everything they had? Didn’t they become minimalists? Not necessarily.

•    Simon and Andrew kept their home (Mark 1:29).

•    All of the boating that Jesus and the disciples did on the Sea of Galilee was probably done in one of their boats.

•    Peter told Jesus, “We’ve left everything for you,” not “We’ve sold everything for you” (Mark 10:28).

•    John maintained a home during his three years with Jesus. When Jesus was dying on the cross, he entrusted John to take care of Mary. From that time on, Mary lived with John in his home (John 19:27).

•    Levi (a.k.a., Matthew) had a large home. He had Jesus, his disciples, many of his fellow tax collectors, and a bunch of sinners over once (Mark 2:15). Levi’s house must have been pretty big to have that kind of crowd.

Jesus lived simply and strategically. He didn’t accumulate a lot of stuff because he knew that stuff slows you down. He didn’t make his disciples get rid of their stuff. In fact, he used their stuff for ministry. They kept their stuff but they were willing to leave it for a greater cause.

How does this apply to you and me? I believe that we shouldn’t go overboard when it comes to owning a lot of material things. Where to draw the line, however, is hard to say. You and God should decide that. He can use your boat and your home for the Kingdom’s sake. He did it with the disciples’ things.

We should be ready to leave everything behind if necessary. We should not hoard money and things. We shouldn’t spend money on excessive stuff. We should not fail to be generous givers.

I think Jesus was strategic with his time, energy, and money. I think he knew what the last three years of his life would be like. I think he intentionally kept his possessions to a minimum so that he could move quickly from one place to another. I think he stored money away during his earning years to use during his ministry.

I think he always had ministry in mind over material things. I think he knew that stuff could easily distract one from ministry. I think he knew that dependence on things reduces dependence on God. I think he knew that if he had too much stuff he would begin to feel like the owner rather than the manager of stuff. I think he knew that too much stuff may require too much maintenance.

What do you think?

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Categories: Faith Matters, Personal Development, Personal Finance, Simple Living

Simple Living vs. Strategic Living

February 16, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Strategic Living

Strategic Living

One of the things I like to read and write about it is typically categorized as simple living. Simple living, simplicity, or the more extreme movement called minimalism, is the idea of not allowing material things to bind us or slow us down. (See this post about the difference between minimalism and simple living.)

It’s simple math: The less you own, the less it owns you.

Missionary Craig Ford wrote about Missional Frugality. I reposted his article here last year.

I recently read a magazine article by Pastor and Author Randy Alcorn where he explained the difference between simple living and strategic living.

If I’m devoted to “simple living,” I might reject a computer because it’s modern and nonessential. But if I live a … strategic lifestyle, the computer may serve as a tool for Kingdom purposes. In my case, I use it daily to serve God in my writing. A microwave oven isn’t essential. But it’s handy and labor saving and can free up time to engage in Kingdom causes. Simple living may be self-centered. Strategic living is Kingdom centered.

Alcorn’s point is that sometimes simple living is regarded as a way to work less and live more. Simple living is touted by some as a way to devote more time, energy, and money to travel and see the world. It also greatly reduces our carbon footprint on the world and is therefore advantageous to the environment.

None of these things are necessarily wrong. In fact, these reasons and others are why I’m so interested in simple living.

But I like the term “strategic living” better. Strategic living has a goal. Strategic living is part of a greater mission. Strategic living is more accurate for me.

For example, I have written many times here about time management. I want to be conscious of how I use my time because I want to be productive with my life. I believe we are too easily entertained and distracted by the things of this world. The average American watches 4.5 hours of TV a day. That’s too much.

But that’s not to say that I don’t watch TV. I do. (I like Swamp People and American Pickers too!) But I try not to go to the TV just for the sake of burning a few hours away watching mindless shows until I get sleepy.

The same is true with money management. We entertain ourselves. We go out to eat. We enjoy the riches that God has given us. But we try not to go crazy and get in over our heads. We live on about 75% of our total income. We give about 15% to our church and other missions, e.g., Mission 227,  Compassion International, Boy With a Ball,  et. al. We save about 10% for the future.

We strive to be strategic with our money. I drive an old car not because I’m cheap but because I’d rather that money go to pay down debt or be invested for the future. I teach the 10-10-80 principle when I can (Give 10% to God. Save 10%. Live on 80%.) Currently, we are at 15-10-75. My goal is to continue to increase our giving over the years.

Simple living is an attitude and lifestyle that can help me be strategic or missional. I’m no expert nor do I have it all together but I believe it is a sound philosophy for living.

It’s even good theology. Jesus lived simply, not because he was poor, but because he was strategic. More on that topic later.

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Categories: Faith Matters, Global Needs, Missions, Personal Development, Personal Finance, Simple Living

8 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

February 13, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Winter in the South is a roller coaster ride. Last weekend it was like spring here with temperatures in the 70′s. This weekend the temperatures dipped into the 20′s. It was 27 when I woke up this morning.

I’m no veteran of cold, harsh winters like my friends who live up North but I know that when it’s cold I want to be indoors. But if you stay indoors too long with no purpose or plan except watching American Idol or The Voice, you’ll soon go crazy.

Wnter Blues

Winter Blues

Here’s a list of things you can do to avoid the winter blahs.

Purge your home. Simplify your possessions. Give some warm clothes to those in need. (For help and encouragement in this department, check out Joshua Becker’s book Simplify and Leo Babauta’s Simple Guide in the column to your right.)

If you have stuff that you just can’t bear to give away, sell it on eBay. List a few things each week until all of it is gone. (Then you can apply that money toward a wedding or two.)

Play a game or do a puzzle. Someone gave us a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle for Christmas. Beth and I actually enjoyed putting it together. It took us a couple of weeks and, I confess, Beth did most of it. But it was something fun to do when it was too nasty to go outside.

READ! I get more reading and writing accomplished in the winter months. Even when it’s not cold, it gets dark earlier. The shorter days make for more time indoors which gives me time to work through my stack of “books to read.” (A stack that constantly gets higher.)

Work on indoor projects. Makeover a room. Work on some crafty project that you saw on Pinterest. Invent something and sell it on Quirky.

Try new recipes. Beth likes to experiment with new soups, chili dishes, and crockpot creations this time of year.

Take lessons. We’re talking about taking dance lessons (if I could ever remember to call the guy I know that teaches dance.) Learn a language. Go to your favorite bookstore and buy a Dummies book about something you’ve always wanted to know. My winter project last year was learning how to create this website from scratch using WordPress.org.

Do your taxes. Yeah, I know, this one isn’t fun but it’s a necessary evil. Why waste a beautiful Saturday in March or April doing them? Do it while the weather is ugly. You’ll be glad you did.

Above all, be grateful. God gave my awesome wife the following words of wisdom two weeks ago while we were going through a period when we thought she might have cancer. (The doctor was pretty sure of it. The pathology report came back negative. Praise God!)

Whether she had cancer or not, Beth said, “Shame on me if I don’t remain grateful.”

She’s right. We are incredibly blessed. We are spoiled rotten. We have more than enough stuff. We have wonderful children and a great family. We have the most awesome church family in the world. We have grace from our Father that is too much to fathom.

We must remain grateful in all seasons. If we do not, shame on us.

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Categories: Personal Development, Simple Living

What Google Feeds Me

February 9, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Google Feeder

Google Feeds Me

I use Google Reader to keep up with other websites by friends and like-minded writers. I subscribed to over 30 sites but in January I chose to purge that list to a more manageable size.

Here’s a list of the sites that made the cut and why I like them:

A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing – Joe Konrath is a prolific author and publisher of eBooks. He is proving that the traditional publishing route is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
AJWired – Alan Jones is a personal friend and provides me with graphics assistance on occasion. His posts are usually spiritually reflective and personal.
Andy the Country Parson – Andy Hunter is one of our dearest friends. He claims responsibility for putting my wife and I together over 30 years ago. Andy’s blog is full of stories and lots of videos.
Becoming Minimalist – Joshua Becker decided to simplify his life several years ago. Not only did he simplify his life, he’s now a rock star in the minimalist movement.
Chris Guillebeau is on a personal mission to travel to every country in the world before his 35th birthday. He’s very close to accomplishing his goal. While jetting around the world, he is also a highly successful and humble writer and blogger.

Extra Latitude – Peter Zink is a soldier, sailor, and writer. I met Pete at the World Domination Summit in Portland last year. Even though we only spoke for a short while over pizza, we immediately had several things in common. First, he was one of the few people I met that week in Oregon from the South. (Pete lives in Savannah, GA.) Second, he wants to create a large following on his website. Third, he wants to develop as a writer. Pete blogs about sailing of which I know nothing about. But I keep my eye on him anyway.
Final Vision – Mike Adams is a member of my church and I love his photography. Final Vision is a photo blog featuring some of the things Mike finds interesting to shoot from time to time.
He Said, She Said – Dean and Pam Ochiltree are also members of my church. They are movie buffs who post their critiques online. People were always asking them what they thought about certain movies so they decided to start a blog.
John D. Pierce and I shared office space in 1989-90. Johnny was the Campus Minister at Kennesaw State University and I was starting a church in the Atlanta suburbs. I recently discovered John’s blog so I subscribed to it to keep up with his thoughts. He is currently the editor of Baptists Today.
Matt Ames sits in my living room every Tuesday night when we host our college Bible study group. He is a communicator, writer, and social media addict. Matt is an incredible young man with a quick wit, a big smile, a humble heart, and a servant’s attitude.
Missional Mama – Amy Mozombite and her husband David are missionaries in Bolivia. I honestly don’t remember how I discovered her site but we’ve guest posted for each other and I love missionaries so she is on Google Reader!
Money Help for Christians – Craig Ford is a missionary in Papua New Guinea who has two successful blogs. Craig teaches financial principles that I wish I had known 30 years ago. Great, practical money management blog.
Pro Blogger Tips is what it says it is. Only you don’t have to be a pro blogger to read it. But it might make you one.
Rowdy Kittens – Tammy Strobel is one of the sweetest people ever. I’ve been following her for a couple of years. I met her in Portland last year too. Tammy and her husband Logan have taken some radical steps toward minimizing and simplifying their life. You really need to see their tiny house.
Think Traffic – Corbett Barr & Caleb Wojcik are two more guys I met in Portland last June. Think Traffic gives tips and advice on how to drive more people to your website. Unfortunately, I don’t practice what they preach much. But I should.
Zen Habits – Leo Babauta has one of the most popular websites in the world. He majors on simplicity and minimalistic living. Leo changed his life drastically when he got serious about breaking bad habits and creating good habits. He lost weight. Quit smoking. Got out of debt. Created his dream job and makes lots of money writing – all while being the father of six children in Guam. I was fortunate to meet and hear Leo speak in Portland.

One more note: As a pastor, I highly endorse and encourage other Christ-followers to be FED regularly from the Bible and other Christian books. I don’t get spiritually fed online much. I still do that the old-fashioned way. I just put my favorite study Bible in my lap the first thing every morning and read at least a chapter a day. Most of the Christian growth material is read from books. There’s still something about having a book in your hands. I just like it.

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Categories: Faith Matters, Personal Development, Simple Living

Problems with Feed

February 7, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Sorry. My RSS feeds haven’t been working over the last couple of weeks so I’m posting this to see if I fixed it.

I hope you get this! If you haven’t received an email from this site lately. Please take a minute to review what you might have missed.

Thanks for reading!

Gene

 

 

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Categories: Miscellaneous

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