October update

Well I can't believe that it's been almost three weeks since my last update.
Fall is finally making herself known and I am a little sad as I can't play 9 holes of golf in the evenings anymore. It also means we're in the middle of deer hunting season and so my front yard has become a sanctuary for half a dozen or so of the little critters. For some reason they seem to know I haven't got a gun yet. Linnet is planning to get some corn to feed them so they will hang around all winter. I'm still in a quandary with the whole thing as I like the venison that Brad at work has given me but the novelty of having them on the front lawn hasn't worn off yet. The other little novelty is squirrels. I had one the other day come down a tree and tell me off. Very comical. This weekend we are off to Port Orford to take in the Coast and to hang out with Linda and Rockne (Linnet's Mum & Step-dad). It will be good to see the ocean again even if it's too cold to go in. Apart from that I have nothing really to say. I'm still waiting for emails to come in from some of you (that¹s my little guilt trip) and I am missing hearing about how things are going over there. I am also a little disappointed that I won't get the Ashes. Part 2 of the spiel is below.

Money part 2

This part two of a spiel on money and how to deal with it. If you haven’t read last time’s, then go there now. If you have, then let’s get down to the nitty gritty. How does God want you to use the money He has provided? Well, you could be the teenager and say “it’s all mine.” But I suspect you won’t. You could be the legalist and divvy up what’s God’s and what’s yours to the cent and become a Pharisee or worse Ananias or Sapphira. Or you could do what I believe is biblical and trust that God knows what you need and has provided enough for today and tomorrow. Now I want to do things God’s way so let’s look at option three. The first thing to remember when you get your paycheck is don’t look at it as yours. Look at it correctly and that is - God knows all of my needs and those of the world that can be dealt with by the exchange of money, and has given me X dollars to do my part. It’s still His and I need to be the good servant trusting in the goodness of my master. So if God has entrusted us with 100% of a paycheck to be spent to His glory how do we divvy it up? First Fruits: I believe that the Bible is pretty clear that God’s house and specific duties (teacher, priest etc) are incredibly important to God. The way God wants us to deal with this particular need is by giving first fruits to their upkeep. I think God gets a bit ticked with us and it speaks volumes to the world if the treasurer has to beg for funds for building upkeep and pastor is driving a 30 year old bomb while the car park it full of new SUV’s . You might know it better by its other name - tithe (meaning 10% of income). Now some people have put it up to 22% when you take into account special offerings in the OT, but I think as Christians and being under grace, the rule of thumb should be to pray and see what you feel at peace with. I can’t stress enough, however, that this is the first thing God expects in any budget and it is just as real a need as food in your fridge. Remember, God is good and knows your needs so trust that if you put first things first you will not be left out. The next rule of thumb for good stewards is 10% to savings and investments. Good stewards build wealth bit by bit and then use their resources for God’s glory. Having full barns with the intention to do good is not evil. Having full barns and just admiring your handy work is. If you don’t thinks savings are a good idea, remember that being locked into debt helps no one. That leaves 70-80%. I believe that this is discretionary for living and free will offerings. You need to develop a budget for all the household stuff (mortgage, fuel, food etc) out of this. I think the part about living modest lives and being satisfied with what you have comes into play here. If you cannot live on this amount then it might be time to check your lifestyle, not take from tithe or savings. Sure there are times when you will have to flex and spend, but if you find yourself unable live on under 80% of your wage for 70% of a year, then you need to look seriously either at your lifestyle or you need to be petitioning God about it. If take an honest look at the lifestyle you lead, you might, like me, just find out that it isn’t very modest. If you use this method you will probably see that as you go on and stick to your budget, your discretionary portion doesn’t all go. When this happens don’t go “Yahoo! We’re off to Tahiti” (unless of course you have budgeted that into your holiday fund) but rather look at where God would have you use it. Finally if you are locked into big debt such as a large Bankcard bill or some other form of personal finance and you can’t see the forest for the trees then you will probably need some professional advice. Most churches can direct you to a financial councilor who is in touch with biblical principles and will help you to work out a God-glorifying solution. So get the right perspective. Make tithing and savings as important as food and more important than a night at the movies and be content with what you have and thank God that you have at all.
Finally, I have to admit that while I have been writing this I find myself falling short of what has gone down on paper. I therefore ask if you are like me and do find yourself falling short of being a good steward, that you would not run away in guilt or shame but rather you would join me in admitting it to our Provider and Sustainer and commit with repentance to becoming the one who can be trusted with much.

Ducks V Beavers

It’s October in the USA and that means football has well and truly started. Now I know this will be hard to believe especially since the Weagles beat Sydney and I am sure Perth has gone mad, but the Yanks have one on us when it comes to being football supporters. Now I’m not talking pro-football. I’m talking college and high school football. To give you some idea, when was the last time you heard 96FM stop its music broadcast because Gosnells Senior High was playing Rockingham and that surely takes priority? Well driving home on Friday, Roseburg were playing someone and I lost the classic 80’s rock hour (I know, the shame) to little Billy scoring a touchdown. And the college scene is worse. If you live in Oregon, the question asked to determine your social station isn’t “are you a Republican or Democrat?” Nor is it, “north of the river or south of the river?” It’s “Duck or Beaver?” Now I have to be a Beaver even though the Ducks colors are the mighty green and gold. Why? Because Linnet went to OSU and therefore we are Beavers football tribe (ops I mean fans). However Eugene is closer to us than Corvallis and that means most people are Oregon University types and that makes them Ducks. On Friday morning as I slipped into my shared cubical I was greeted to the strains of the Ducks “club song.” It is truly amazing to see middle age men go back to their college years and start acting like frat boys at a homecoming rally. The scary thing is that I now have joined in. “Benny” the beaver is now sitting in pride of place on my desk. I get the urge to put on orange and black war paint. My ball markers have dam-building rodents on them. Ah, such is life.
Speaking of life, I suspect some of you would like an update since it has been a month (sorry). We now have our furniture and have officially settled in. Linnet is just starting to look in earnest for a job and it looks like we have found a church. Autumn has made itself known and the days have started shrinking. The forecasters seem to think we are at the end of the dry and the rains should start soon. I’m still getting use to living in a place that you have to take elevation into account (we’re at 495 feet, but if you go for a drive inland a bit, it jumps up and that causes snow). Some of you have asked how the plans for the new shop are coming along as well. In short they are not. The move highlighted some things and our vision for a new Revelations doesn’t seem to fit with our current position. We still have a passion for Christian education through a shop, but as with the first one we have a vision that requires a set of prerequisites to be filled before we jump in. We want the timing to be right before we go. We are still praying for those to be met but in the meantime I’m starting to get itchy for something to do and I’m sure we will be involved in some type of ministry soon. For those who don’t know, I’m a firm believer that if you have a vision and God says no or wait, then the next question should be, “Ok Lord, what then would you have me do?” On another note, Linnet went up and helped her dad with his hazelnut harvest. I’ve learnt from Gordon that my wife can sure drive a mean tractor.
Well, that’s it for today. I am looking for suggestions on anything that you would like to hear about. So if there is any topic tell me. Speaking of topics I have finally written a new spiel and it is a two part blurb. Part one is below.

Simons Spiel: The Pay Check

Well, this week marked a special day, my first real payday in the USA. When your bank account has been heading in one direction for four months it is nice to be able to stem the flow somewhat. It also means that it’s time for Linnet and I to move from our “moving to the USA budget” and on to our “live well within our means budget.” And it means I get to write a spiel that I have wanted but did not dare to write when we had the bookshop, for it involves the subject that puts the fear into the hearts of many a paid pastor - tithe. Over the years, I’ve talked to many pastors and the one subject that they fear the most is talking to Christians about their giving. Now, for people who are not supposed to be about this world, we hang pretty tight onto the folding stuff and don’t like to be told that we might not be following Jesus too well. A lot of pastors have been offered up to the god of mammon for even suggesting that the church as a body might want to invest in the kingdom more than 1% of the gross wage that week. I, on the other hand, don’t have such restrictions so if you are going to throw a huffy, leave now. If, however, you are looking for something that might just take the pressure and guilt off, then read on.
For starters, I think the reason it’s so hard to give away what we have been paid for our 40 hours is that we really think we have earned it. It’s tough to part with what we think we rightfully own. If you earn the money, it’s yours. So if someone in the worship group sings out of tune, less money in the plate this week. Pastor hits on a sore point - I’ll withhold completely. After all it’s my money; I get to choose how to spend it, right? Wrong. This train of thought (and we have all had it) is delusional. You were bought with a price. Christ owns you (and me). A slave with a master doesn’t own anything. The master owns it all. And by the way, the last time I checked, a slave of Christ is what a Christian is supposed to be. Slaves work and if they are lucky their master keeps them well. When they live they don’t own anything and when they die they don’t either. But, you cry, I’m a child of God - entitled, not a slave. Yes, and Jesus could count it not robbery to be equal with God but lowered himself to a slave-status, even unto death on a cross. I hope you’re agreeing with me at this point. If not then think of it this way. I bet everyone who has had a teenager has heard this one, “Get out of my room”. Now does the teenager own the room? Of course not, the Bank does. Ok, ok the parents kind of do. The teen has been assigned rights, privileges and possibly a wage. But a quick look at the deed will show it is definitely not “their room.” The funny thing is that you do “Get out of their room.” Why? Well in most cases, you want them to learn to make the right decisions in life and that can only be learned by living it. You hope that they learn to deal with things responsibly in “their room” prior to owning “their house.” Our money is the same way. When we look at our paycheck and think we own it we effectively say to God “get out of my room.” God graciously does because we are His kids and he wants us to grow up. He has great plans for us and that involves us learning to put money in its correct place, using it wisely, and that can only be done when we realize just like the teen, that we don’t own the room.
So where does it leave my paycheck? Well we will cover that next time. Don’t worry I’m not going to suggest that you do something too radical. I think you will like where we go with it so stay tuned.
PS: A couple of people have asked me to start referencing the verses I quote. I would but…this is a blog and I am trying to keep it short. Don’t be lazy, go look for it. If then you still can’t find it, get back to me and I’ll help. That said for the next installment I will put some in relation to the topic at hand.