C. S. Lewis: Do you see yourself as God’s steward?

Home » Meditations

C. S. Lewis: Do you see yourself as God’s steward?

“The outpouring of royalties from his British and American publishers rivaled the tidal wave of fan mail. This development further complicated Lewis’ life because he believed these monies should be placed in a fund and carefully distributed to worthy causes, and this took time. Continually upgrading his standard of living neither suited Lewis’ lifestyle nor his calling. He saw himself as God’s steward and felt responsible for the careful expenditure and distribution of everything the Heavenly Father provided.”

Lyle Dorsett on C.S. Lewis in Essential C.S. Lewis (New York: Touchstone, 1988) 12-13.

While we have learned much from Clive Staples’ writings, perhaps we can learn even more from his example. “He saw himself as God’s steward and felt responsible for the careful expenditure and distribution of everything the Heavenly Father provided.” Let us all go and do likewise, that is, carefully spend and share everything God provides!

Read more

Francis Chan: Lukewarm people

“Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?”

Francis Chan in Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God revised and updated (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2013) 69.

I recently received an email from a friend, Jon Wiebe, President & CEO of the MB Foundation, and a portion of this quote was in the footer of his email, so I tracked it down in Crazy Love and decided to post it today. It fits the flow of my recent meditations, for as you may have noticed, I have been studying what different denominations are doing to teach stewardship principles and rally Christian generosity.

One big theme I am seeing is that many movements are boldly calling people to counter-cultural, Christ-like thinking and living. Or in the words of Francis Chan, we must call people out of a lukewarm place to an “all-in” way of life that seeks to live out the red letters of Jesus. This is not about how much we give, because movements where there is not much movement are focusing on increasing giving percentages. Instead it’s about sacrificial giving that flows from cheerful, grateful hearts.

Read more

Dallas Willard: Grasping the invisible kingdom of God enables us to see the visible world as a gift

“The visible world daily bludgeons us with its things and events. They pinch and pull and hammer away at our bodies. Few people arise in the morning as hungry for God as they are for corn flakes or toast and eggs. But instead of shouting and shoving, the spiritual world whispers at us ever so gently…

Nearly all areas of life in which we could become spiritually competent (hearing God, praying, receiving guidance, leadership) confront us with the same type of challenge. They all require of us a choice to be a spiritual person, to live a spiritual life. We are required to “bet our life” that the visible world, while real, is not reality itself.

God is not insensitive to our problem of overcoming the power of the visible world. He invades the visible…After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples in visible form over a period of forty days. He made himself visible to them just enough to give them confidence that it was He who was speaking in their hearts [cf. Luke 24:13-35]…

Today, as God’s trusting apprentices in the kingdom of the heavens, we live in the Emmaus road, so to speak. His word pours into our hearts, energizing and directing our lives in a way that cannot be accounted for in natural terms. The presence of the physical world is, then, if I will have it so, no longer a barrier between me and God. My visible surroundings become, instead, God’s gift to me, where I am privileged to see the rule of heaven realized through my friendship with Jesus.”

Dallas Willard in “Hearing God” a reading in A Faith and Culture Devotional: Daily Readings in Art, Science, and Life ed. Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008) 185-187.

Apart from Christ, we can’t help but be overcome by this world and all the things it offers us. So how do disciples of Jesus and His invisible kingdom live in relationship to the visible world? We can make the choice to live for a world we cannot see because we are no longer slaves to the world we can see.

The visible world no longer masters us; instead, it becomes a gift to be enjoyed and shared. Jesus positions us to shift from self-serving slaves to kingdom-serving conduits of His divine blessings. Apart from Christ we are not only slaves to this world, but we are incapable of generosity (cf. “goodness” in Galatians 5:22).

Read more

Stephen Paul Bouman: Dispossession and Reception

“Go. Sell. Give. Come. Follow. This [call to discipleship in Mark 10:17-31] is not something [the rich man] must do, but something he must be able to receive from God. The gift to be received is the gift of being called to follow Jesus. The man can’t receive it because his hands are full. The gift is a life of discipleship that involves dispossession, a lightening of his load, a freeing of his hands…

Jesus points out the result of receiving what he offers: life in the community of the cross, many brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children…oh, and persecution and a task and labor that will bring you up against trouble. The gift comes with a community. What we receive is life together that bears the world in its alienation, suffering and death.

I don’t believe that we have a money problem in our church. What we have is a faith issue and the collision of two economies. These economies collide with every decision we make about this world’s goods. It’s about dispossession and reception. It’s about keeping our eyes on the brothers and sisters God has given us in the process of every decision we make.

The human economy is about acquisition and possession, about scarcity and insecurity. It is alienating…The economy of God is always about something received, a calling, a gift, a given community. When we are caught up in an economy of possession, goaded by fear, scarcity and individualism, this is the exact place where the steward leader’s critique is needed to speak to full hands and anxious hearts. Yet God’s critique does not break out against us to judge and condemn us, but to draw us out into the community of the cross.”

Stephen Paul Bouman in “A Well-formed Stewardship Leader Engages and Critiques Culture” in How Much is Enough? A Deeper Look at Stewardship in An Age of Abundance ed. Catherine Malotky (Columbia, SC, 2011) 32-33.

Jesus is not trying to bankrupt the rich man but to offer him something better. What did it mean to be “rich” in antiquity? At the risk of oversimplification, basically the “rich” had more than enough to meet their daily needs. What should they do with their surplus? Share it with others in need rather than hoarding it for themselves.

The call to discipleship is about dispossession and reception, about letting go of something good in order to take hold of something better. Jesus promises life that it is 100x better than anything money can buy. Join me in graciously proclaiming this message in a time when many people have “full hands and anxious hearts” and take hold of life in the community of the cross.

Read more

Catherine Malotky: Writing a Money Autobiography

Use the following questions to help you recall your story of the formation of your relationship with money in three stages.

1. Your Past Story

What was the prevailing attitude about money in your family during your childhood and adolescence: Never enough? Plenty? Talked about? Secretive?

Who controlled the money in your family of origin? Why?

As a child, how did you come to have money? Did you get an allowance? Did you work? Did you ask for money when you needed it? How do you remember feeling about this?

As a young adult (high school, college) how did you come to have money? Did you work? Did you ask for money when you needed it? How do you remember feeling about this?

How did the amount of money you had as a young adult influence your feelings of self-worth? Did it impact your lifestyle?

What do you remember seeing and hearing about giving to others, including the congregation? Who taught you about charitable giving?

Who stands out as your primary role model for what you learned about money management?

2. Your Present Story

How would you describe your present attitude toward money?


Do you discuss your financial situation with any other person? How comfortable are you talking about your personal finances?

Who controls the money in your family now? Are there differing attitudes in your family around money?

How does the amount of money you have now influence your feelings of self-worth? How does it impact your lifestyle?

What is your current charitable giving?

3. Your Future Story

In what directions do you sense the Holy Spirit is leading you in your relationship with money?

What would you like to experience differently about your relationship with money?

What values and beliefs inspire you in your relationship with money?

What obstacles and beliefs hinder you in your relationship with money?

What are the next steps in your relationship with money?

“Writing a Money Autobiography” in How Much is Enough? A Deeper Look at Stewardship in An Age of Abundance ed. Catherine Malotky (Columbia, SC, 2011) Appendix A.

What’s your story?

Take some time to journal on these questions. If you are married, carve out time to discuss your answers with your spouse. If not, consider working through your findings with a trusted friend.

Listen well and love one another deeply from the heart because this can be an incredibly personal and transformational spiritual exercise.

What’s my story? Too long to share here, but let me acknowledge the mothers in my life since it’s mother’s day.

I want to thank my grandmother, Erna Hoag, for her reputation. Many said of her, “No one can make a dollar go further than Erna.” She was known for being thrifty as a basis for generosity. My maternal grandmother, Helen “Betty” Gregg, was known by all my friends at college for her care packages, and of course the cookies inside. Her generosity was incredibly thoughtful.

My mother, Patricia “Patsy” Hoag, is legendary for encouraging people with thoughtful gifts. Anyone who knows her, has witnessed her life of simplicity and generosity. My brother, sister and I say that if Mom has two pennies to rub together, she would give them to someone in need, or put them in our hands to deliver to a needy person in order to teach us to care for the poor. My mother-in-law is likewise known for her good works which are always, in some way shape or form, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ from service to song. And my sister is a hero of a mother to me, for her care for her two sons and her faithful love of her husband.

Lastly, as least from what I will share from my own story, I celebrate my wife, Jenni Hoag, for her generous love to me and every person she comes in contact with. She has the heart of mother Teresa for the poor and the mind of Teresa of Avila for providing soul care for people as a spiritual director. I honor her today for joining me in desiring to live out the red letters of Jesus as a testimony to the world of the generosity of God.

Read more

Roy Lessin: Where victory comes from

“Victory is not found in the ease of our circumstances nor in the strength of our own resources but in the presence of the Lord who is with us.”

This quote attributed to Roy Lessin was on a sign at the home of my sister, Heather. It was great to see her and her husband, Tom, along with Peter and Simon, last night. I got to stay with my parents, Jack and Patsy Hoag, the last two days as I have been in the Cleveland area serving the Alpha NE Ohio leaders. What a joy!

Sadly, many live their lives from the perspective that resources are their source of strength. How we handle our resources shows where our trust is!

Read more

Brian Starks: Recent research on encouraging generosity

“To encourage generosity, our report also suggests that discussions of money should be brought up within the larger context of a parish’s mission and vision. Such discussions will be especially beneficial if parishioners gain a clear understanding that an active and growing spiritual life requires [everyone] to recognize money and possessions as gifts of grace, which they are called to manage and share as good stewards.”

Brian Starks in Unleashing Catholic Generosity: Explaining the Catholic Giving Gap in the United States, page 3.

While there are many other findings in this study that focused on giving in Catholic churches, I love the idea that everyone must understand that money and possessions are “gifts of grace” to manage and share as good stewards.

What do you have? Perhaps take inventory and give thanks for everything as “gifts of grace” but don’t stop there. Put those resources to work as a faithful steward while also sharing with others in need.

Once you are living this way, go teach others what you are learning. The research shows this will stimulate Christian generosity among your community of faith.

Read more

John Scott: Legendary leaders

“Legendary leaders…

(1) Always go first, that is, they lead the way.

Why is this important? I don’t know about you, but I am always wary of someone telling me to do something that they have not done themselves first. Legendary leaders always go first as examples so that we might follow and support them. Think of a few times you have witnessed this and how motivating it was to you and others.

(2) Die to themselves.

This is a really critical but confusing point that has certainly gotten lost in American culture. Great leaders are actually servants. They represent others, not themselves, and are thus experts at servant leadership. That means the people they lead ALWAYS matter first. All of their thoughts, strategies, and actions are to encourage and lift all those they lead.

(3) Always “own” their actions.

They never, ever blame others for their frustrations or failings. They are in charge, so they own it. If you find a so-called leader accusing or blaming someone or something, turn your back and run because they will never be reliable or legendary.

I hope this is as thought-provoking for you as it has been for me.”

Adapted from John Scott’s thoughts in Cedrus 180 Q1 newsletter written in response to a recent sermon by Jim Bergen.

Why cite this today? My prayer is that the readers of these meditations become legendary “generous” leaders!

Recently an academic leader asked me this question: What characteristics must teachers exhibit if they desire to train students to grow in their understanding of biblical stewardship and their practice of Christian generosity?

My answer was quite similar: they must lead the way in obedience to Christ (by living out the red letters); they must die to themselves; and they must “own” their actions because someday they will have to give an account.

Do this and you will take hold of life (cf. 1 Tim 6:19)! It is also likely that many will follow you, and your legacy, well, it just might become the stuff of legends!

Read more

Philip Eubanks: Why teach about financial stewardship and giving in the university setting?

“Financial stewardship is an important area for spiritual formation…Giving provides the opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with God as we participate in giving to worship God; to align ourselves with God’s eternal purposes; to prove the promises of God in our lives; to strike a blow in the battle of the idolatry of this world in all the forms that tempt and pull us away; to be rich towards God; to learn daily dependence on God; and to lay up treasure in heaven.”

Philip Eubanks is vice president for advancement at Johnson University and both a former student and friend of mine. Johnson educates students for Christian ministries and other strategic vocations framed by the Great Commission in order to extend the kingdom of God among all nations. This statement was adapted from his remarks in “Student Missions Offerings” on 29 April 2014.

It’s doubly encouraging to me as a professor when profound statements like this are made by my former students. Why? It’s not about me! In so doing, the student surpasses their teacher because they have done the work of synthesizing and applying profound truths to impact the thousands of lives that are in their stewardship.

This summary statement reflects how Johnson University seeks to form students spiritually in a way that produces the outcome of Christian generosity. It’s a great summary statement for why we must teach about financial stewardship and giving in school settings.

Read more

Edgar and Gladys Güitz: Four-step framework for serving the Treasures

How do Edgar and Gladys Güitz and the staff of Potter’s House impact the destitute poor in the name of Jesus Christ and see lives literally transformed?

“Each Potter’s House Program follows a four-step framework to assist, develop, and empower individual independence and responsibility.

Step One: I do it. You learn.
Step Two: I do it. You help.
Step Three: You do it. I help.
Step Four: You do it. I support.”

I love this framework because of the way it builds people up, positions them to grow and help others, and literally transforms lives. The whole process is rooted in Christian discipleship!

To learn more about Potter’s House, check out this video which celebrates their work and and the award they just received: the 2013 Norman Borlaug Humanitarian Award.

My family is returning to Guatemala City to minister at Potter’s House to encourage the staff and serve the Treasures from 28 May 28 to 3 June 2014. We love being a part of the support team that helps transforms lives in the name of Jesus. Would you join us in supporting Potter’s House by making a gift online today?

How much should you give? Check out the impact of different gifts in their gift catalog and give according to your ability. Please be sure to type “Hoag” when you make the gift in the “special instructions” section. In so doing, 100% of your gift will be put to use to serve the Treasures, and you will receive a report that summarizes the impact of our visit.

Read more
« Previous PageNext Page »