Greg Stipe is a new friend of the past 2-3 years. He is an entrepreneur who sold his sales training business several years ago. Since then Greg has led businessmen’s roundtables (Trac 3) and done consulting. I love the heart he and his wife Deborah have for Christ. Enjoy this teaching he researched from C.S. Lewis on questions to ask about money.

In Christ,

Boyd

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Questions About Money:

1. What are the risks of making a windfall of money?

2. What has been your experience with people who have come into a lot of money?

3. Are there any verses in the Bible that apply to this situation?

C.S. Lewis made a decision to give away all of the proceeds of his books before he sold the first one. Why? Because he was deathly afraid of what money could/would do to him. Are we afraid of money like him? How would you describe our attitude toward money?

Hebrews 11:6…without faith it is impossible to please God. Where are we tempted to “trust” if we have a great deal of money? How can we fight this?
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“What is your attitude toward giving your money to the work of God and to the needs of others? Like many of us, C.S. Lewis experienced some struggles in this area: “I’m a panic-y person about money myself (which is a most shameful confession and a thing dead against our Lord’s words) and poverty frightens me more than anything else, except large spiders and the tops of cliffs…”

1. Yet Lewis also realized that his fears were a hindrance to faith. “For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money; but in our fear—fear of insecurity. This must often be recognized as a temptation.”

2. The temptation to which Lewis refers is that of trusting in ourselves and our material resources for security in life, instead of trusting God. This is a perennial temptation for our human nature. The problem, of course, is not what we have, but what has us. And, our attitude toward giving is a very good barometer of what has us—where our trust really lies. Thus, for the sake of our souls we need to give. Not only for the advancement of God’s work and the good of needy people, but also for our own spiritual health.

This is exactly how C.S. Lewis dealt with the matter in his life. Though few people know it, Lewis lived a very modest life and spent very little on himself. He gave away the royalties from his books to a foundation set up for this purpose. Again and again, needy students at Oxford would find anonymous gifts of money slipped under their doors.

How much should we give? Lewis suggested it is better to consider the manner in which we should give: “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them. I am speaking now of ‘charities’ in the common way.”

3. Giving can be a great joy and an exciting adventure if we will follow the teaching of Jesus and the example of C.S. Lewis. And, it will help us grow deeper in a living faith in God.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38 NIV

Larry Green is a friend with a passion to connect life purpose through the lens of the Lord’s purpose. Transitioning from the business world he has developed Cloud Walk as a platform for coaching leaders in spiritual disciplines. You will love his “Life Compass” we have laid out below along with a description of how to implement.

In Christ,
Boyd

It has been said that to know God you must know who God has made you to be… to know who you are… to understand whose you are.

We discover that in coming to know our innermost self we come to know God. (Psalm 51:6)

The journey of discovery we will take together can be summed up with two simple questions or prayers…

Who am I?
Who is God?

In seeking the answers to these questions something very powerful occurs… we discover over time that God will reveal the highest purpose for our lives. In seeking truth, God gives us the clarity and the vision to understand the unique call placed deep within our hearts and our souls.

It is from this place of knowing that we can begin to truly live out God’s purpose and our passion for this life.

If you want to know the status of your automobile you will look to the dashboard indicators. These instruments and gauges will reveal a great deal about the inner workings of your car.

If you want to know God’s purpose for your life where do you look?

The idea of an instrument, a tool, a process that would help us understand who we are and give us insight into what our true purpose looks like became our goal. We asked if we were able to put this process on a single piece of paper, what would it look like? What would this “tool” look like that will assist us in intentionally opening up a space in our lives through which God can begin to reveal who we are and who God is?

The answer became this…

Can you imagine what your life would be like if you had greater clarity on the answers to these questions? God can… and God wants you to know.

During the Life Compass program, we meet as a group for 7 two hour sessions over a 6 month period. In each session we cover one or more of the 9 Life Compass “Life Indicators” (see below) through a series of exercises, discussions, and prayer.

Life Indicators
1. God’s purpose for my life
2. My Passions
3. My most authentic Christ-like self
4. My Belief
5. My Gifts
6. My Fears
7. My Weaknesses
8. My Core Values
9. My Key Relationships

We trust there will be much to celebrate and give thanks for as we experience as deeper sense of connection and a truer sense of who we are. To learn more about Cloud Walk, visit cloudwalk.org.

My son-in-law Todd Coons and four of his friends meet monthly for accountability. Below is a good outline to follow as you are developing your own accountability group. I joined an accountability group 8 years ago and it has been a great value in keeping my life encouraged and accountable. Enjoy! Boyd

Men’s Breakfast – Accountability Group
2008 Outline
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another
Proverbs 27:17

Purpose of Group:

To productively build relationships and community, and to participate in prayer, encouragement, and accountability with other men in the small group Bible study.

Frequency / Setting of Group:

Meet for breakfast once a month at same agreed upon location and time, unless another time and place has been designated. Each man will be responsible for his own breakfast payment.

Structure of Group Time:

I) Begin with relational time, general hang out, and breakfast order

II) Open in prayer, person leading/facilitating time opens or appoints another to lead

III) Discuss the following three questions, each on a major aspect of a man’s life. Take time for each guy to answer briefly:

1) Relationship with God: What is God most teaching you these days?

2) Relationship with wife/ family: What are you learning from your family?

3) Relationship with work: What is your number one issue at work?

IV) Discuss topic of the month – Either decided in advance, or a pertinent topic that is brought up by members of the group during question answer/discussion time.

V) Close time in prayer, again person leading/facilitating time closes or appoints another to lead

Group General Guidelines:

1) Everything discussed in the group is to remain confidential, unless otherwise specified.
2) Each participant does not have to answer questions or participate in topics in which they do not feel comfortable.
3) Group members will take turns facilitating the prayer and discussion time.
4) Group members will be asked to make maintaining consistent attendance, though not binding, a priority in their lives. Commitment will be made on a semester by semester basis to follow church calendar.

Future ideas for group:

Blueprint for Life – Life planning and coaching system

Man in the Mirror – Patrick Morley

Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerichs

Conformed to His Image – Ken Boa

Every Man’s Battle – Arterburn / Stoeker

Captivated – John and Stasi Eldridge

Experiencing God – Henry Blackaby

Perfect Leader – Ken Boa

Visioneering – Andy Stanley

Dan Glaze knows how to love on and invest in people. This is his job at National Christian Foundation where he’s a National Relationship Manager. Rita and I love him and his wife Donna. Below are three questions I asked him regarding relational investments…

1. What does it mean to invest in others relationally?

Investing in others relationally is sharing life upon life. Today’s culture is driving us toward isolation. We are spending more time looking at a computer screen than being face-to-face with people. I am confident that life cannot exist outside the context of relationships. We have limited time and energy and thus the most important use of our time is in the lives of others. Investing in others relationally means laying aside our desires for self and giving our life to someone else. (BTW – this is what Jesus did)

2. Why do you invest in others relationally?

There is a saying that only two things will last eternally – God’s Word and People. What then is worthy of our investment? Transformation (life change) takes place in relationships, not in isolation. I desire to be God’s touch into people’s lives. There is nothing more important than sharing life together. Someone said; “Shared joy is a double joy and shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” People are lonely today because they are building walls instead of bridges. But the main reason I invest in others is because this was God’s strategy for bringing life to a dead world. Emmanuel (God with us) selected purposeful proximity as His strategy. He could have come as an idea or a light, but He came as one of us and walked with us. The word relationship comes from the Latin relationem meaning “a bringing back, restoring.” So many, including ourselves, have the tendency to get off track to who God desires us to be. Relationships bring us back and restore us to who God created us to be. Having an intimate relationship with HIM.

3. How do you invest in others relationally?

I pour my life into the lives of others. I care for them. I invest in others by being more concerned with their needs than my own needs. I take a keen interest in their lives, their relationship with Christ, their families, their businesses, and their hobbies. There is one couple Donna and I met back in 1994. That year Donna and I intentionally decided to invest in this couple’s lives. What an amazing journey over the last 13 years. Each year, we spend 4 days together at their lake house laughing, eating, praying, crying, fishing and loving on each other. Chuck and Joanne have become almost as close as family. As I seek to serve and give to others, I end up receiving far more than I give. God’s economy is upside down from today’s culture. As I invest in the lives of others, God gives my life a huge return. There is no greater ministry than investing in others. Anthony D’Angelo states – “Treasure your relationships, not your possessions”. Relationships will give a greater return. “You have given us a new commandment to love one another even as You have loved us; so we must love one another. By this all men will know that we are Your disciples, if we have love for one another.” (John 13:34)