Many of the discussions those early years were about money. Folks were enamored by the fact that I had left a promising, well paying, career at a fortune 500 company to plant a church in a place I knew very little about. I was glad people were asking, because it gave me an opportunity to talk about the impact God had on my life. The reactions, though, were very mixed. Either people were enamored by my dedication to God and His will or they walked away shaking their heads in confusion. The second group didn't understand why I would have made such a "stupid" move.
The years at Life Bridge haven't made it any easier on group number two. My initial salary at Life Bridge was set by the church planting organization that started Life Bridge. They set my salary at an average number for the households in our area (Valparaiso and Porter County) so I could live a similar lifestyle to the people we would be serving. While this was a significant cut from my previous corporate-world salary, Traci and I were fine with the change because we knew this was God's call on our lives. We set our budget appropriately.
This worked fine for the first few years. As time went on, though, people became disenchanted with some of the decisions that were being made. Some of these decisions were financial. The money was being handled with integrity just fine, but I wasn't committed to growing the attendance (and the finances) of the church the way people wanted from me. They were hoping that my business background would drive my leadership and decision making process, but God was getting hold of more and more of my mind, heart, and decisions. I started making more and more decisions to be true to God's Word and being led by His Spirit. The result was more financial difficulties. People's hope of latching on to a rising corporate star fell by the waste side. More people left confused. Life Bridge struggled even more financially. Against the wishes of my coaches and mentors, I changed my salary to reflect the financial struggles of the church. This is what it has looked like over the years.
I do not share this information for sympathy or empathy. I share it as a starting point for discussion and understanding of finances. How we see, understand, and approach finances in our personal lives directly impacts God's Church. How we see, understand, and approach finances in God's Church directly impacts God's Kingdom work. When we pray the Lord's Prayer, we ask God's Kingdom to come and His Will to be done here on earth in the same way that it is in heaven. Then we ask God to give us our daily bread. For some of you, the above graph would indicate that God is not giving me and my family their daily bread. I'm sharing the information with you, though, because I'm still eating. Throughout every up and down over the past 12 years, God has provided.
You see, I don't worry about money anymore - either at home or at Life Bridge. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I ignore money. In fact, I watch it closely, pray over it regularly, and manage it all for my King who will return someday and ask for an accounting of my management. That being said, I don't worry about it. Why? Simple. God tells me not to.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:19-33 NIV)
Obviously, there's more to it than just saying, "I'm not going to worry about money." That's why I will be writing more posts this week about money. In them, I will share some insights from God about how we should see and approach finances in our personal lives. I will also share insights about how we should approach finances with God's Church as well. Finally, I'll evaluate how we are doing at Life Bridge in light of these Scriptures and insights, concluding with how we will be approaching this new ministry endeavor to empower one million to walk together with God. I hope you will stick with me this week and check out each of the posts.
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