I was so excited to receive this book from Momentum to review a few weeks ago.
Being a full-time county school employee, a travel agent, and an Amazon entrepreneur, I couldn't wait to read how my faith could play into capitalism.
I am usually reading two books at once, tackling them one chapter a day, at a time - but I couldn't put this book down. I read the first three chapters almost immediately. I remember thinking, "I need to order more copies," and then went through a mental list in my head of everyone I felt would benefit from the knowledge inside it.
If you are a small business owner, or heck - even a faith-filled Christian wondering about how finances, money, and capitalism can play and intertwine into your life, this book is a great read.
Rich Sanders, the Author, writes in simple and easy-to-understand terms, making it a quick read.
Let me share one thing from the book that hit me almost immediately and which I shared with a friend of mine...
Rich shares the story of creation and how one of the first things we learn about the nature of God is that He works. And if we are made in His image, that must mean we were created to work as well.
As a hard worker, both mentally and physically, that really impressed upon me and validated my hard work ethic. But it also shed light on the people around me that do not share the same work ethic as myself, even those that are Christians.
If we are truly God's people and believe that Jesus came and died for our sins, was resurrected and brought back to life, and we now accept Him into our hearts to live with and for, then shouldn't we reflect (as best we can) His nature?
I want to work; I want to reflect this characteristic of God. I want to embrace Sunday as the day of rest and understand we were created in the image of God and it is okay to work hard and rest from it all at the end of the week.
This will probably be a a book I re-read a time or two, as I want to fully absorb its message, understanding that God teaches us to work hard but to also give generously. No matter how much or how little God gives us, the ability and gift to work is also His call to us to use what we are given by Him to help others.
If you are interested in learning more about the Christian perspective on The Gospel of Hard Work and Generous Giving, you can visit the Christian Capitalist website where a copy can be ordered directly. It makes for a great read plus a great gift for other Christian Capitalists in your life.
The Christian Capitalist Overview
"The Christian Capitalist explores various scriptural references that support twin pillars of Christian belief:
Working hard to make a productive benefit from talents and materials that God has provided all people.
Giving generously to share those benefits with our neighbors in the name of Jesus Christ.
Through a discussion of Holy Scripture, it analyzes various passages that relate to these concepts of productivity and generosity, along with 2,000 years of history discussing the good works of Christians as examples. Ultimately, this book develops a philosophy that is uniquely
Christian and capitalist: the Gospel of Hard Work and Generous Giving!"
Rich Sanders Biography
Rich Sanders is the founding pastor of Online Home Church in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, which has met weekly online since the pandemic shutdown in March 2020.
He earned his Master’s in Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in 2015. Rich follows a bi-vocational calling, so he serves in ministry and in business. As the retired President of Southern Health Lawyers, he practiced law for nearly 30 years. He has been named annually to The Best Lawyers in America - Healthcare since 2011, and he is a past president of the Georgia Academy of Healthcare Attorneys.
Rich is the founder of the charitable organization St. Michael’s Mission, Inc., which is a ministry organized to assist and serve active duty and veterans of the armed services. He is a retired volunteer chaplain at the Interfaith Airport Chapel at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and served as its President of the Board of Directors from 2017 until 2023.
Endorsement
“As a small business owner, my husband and I have experienced both success and challenges. The Christian Capitalist reminded me that going to church isn’t the only way to worship God.
By working hard and giving to others, I share the blessings God has given to me and my family with others.” - Elizabeth Cranston, Esq., Chief Executive Officer, Cana, LLC, Washington, DC.
GIVEAWAY TIME
I will be giving away one (1) copy of The Christian Capitalist to one lucky reader. Please click HERE to join the giveaway. Giveaway ends on July 8, 2024.
Momentum will also be hosting a $500 giveaway! This will be a $500 Christian donation giveaway they will be doing separately, away from this blog and across all bloggers participating in this book event. To enter the $500 Christian donation giveaway, please visit HERE and enter today. (What an amazing gift to all of us - a chance to bless a cause near to your heart!)
*Many thanks to GoodWorks Mission, LLC for providing a sample of the product for my review. Opinions are 100% my own.
Those that follow me and read my words know that I write best early in the morning. And, well. Here it is 6:01 a.m. Friday morning.
I read this morning's devotion from Proverbs 31 ministries, and true to God's character, it was exactly what I needed.
You see, today is bill-paying Friday. I got into a habit many decades ago of paying bills every other weekend. Because that's when my ex-husband got paid - every other week. So we paid bills every other week. It became a habit. A habit that still carries forward today.
But no longer are these bill-paying weekends shared with a partner. Now the bills fall to only me, and honestly, working as an AA for the local school system, I don't make what maybe I could be making out in the corporate world.
That said, I love working for the high school I am currently in. The leadership is fantastic, my coworkers are like family, and I love interacting with the kids every day (okay - well maybe not every day, but you get the idea).
Bill-paying weekends are stressful. I toss and turn all night, if I sleep at all. I wonder how I am going to make the threshold. Roughly speaking, I am $2,000 short a month. I've been blessed with a savings account, but even that won't hold on forever. It's like sitting and watching the railroad tracks because you know the train that's coming is going to crash.
God has always been faithful to me. I had an ex-husband that always paid his child support on time; I had a best friend that helped me get my current school job so I could keep insurance and stay on my children's school schedules; and I have other minimal streams of income coming in. No doubt God has blessed me.
But still. I am $2,000 short a month. We've cut back just about everywhere we can. My travel agent job allows me to travel wisely and help others as well. My thrifting and drop-shipping company helps bring in pocket change here and there. But still.
Is God testing me? My ability to be a good financial steward? My ability to weed out things in life I don't really need? My ability to force myself to grow? To go back to school? What exactly is He looking for in me? What am I missing?
It is so hard to keep a mindset of HOW CAN I instead of looking at your problems negatively and burying yourself in the miseries life can bestow upon you. (Brief shout out to my Rainmaker family for positive encouragment and teaching on how to grow.)
So, it was after tearful prayer time this morning. Again releasing all my monies, time, thoughts, and more to the foot of the cross - that this morning's Proverbs 31 devotion popped up in my facebook feed (like it does every morning) with the picture above.
Yes.
Yes. Someday, I will look back to these times and see how God's hand was at work in my life. I maybe can't see it right in this moment - but He is here. He is here working and making a way.
Sometimes, God will not give us more than we need. He will give us less than we need for reasons we can't see but that will someday be explained.
I am blessed. I have a home. I have a wonderful boyfriend and partner in life. I have the best girlfriends a girl could ever ask for to do life with. I have a job that I love.
My fears and needs for financial stability do not come from a desire to have a boat, a Florida home, fancy cars, a higher-level home, or anything else of that nature. My "why" to have MORE is so that I can meet my threshold and then give the rest away to others.
Jesus knows this. He knows my heart inside and out. He sees the sacrifices and the offerings this household gives when it hurts to do so. He sees the blessings that come from those sacrifices and offerings. I just want to meet my threshold so I can do more abundantly.
My tearful prayer this morning is that Jesus will not let me fail. I do not want to repeat the failures of my Dad (my Dad filed for bankruptcy three times). I do not want to be "without," but I will go and do what HE wants - even if that means I hit those particular financial valleys.
Jesus thank you for all the blessings of my life. My beautiful children - Tony and Josh; my wonderful partner - David; my incredible support circle of girlfriends - Michelle, Melanie, Denise, Janet, and Stephanie; and all the other people, animals, and blessings you've put in my path. You've created a beautiful tapestry for my life, and I ask for your forgiveness for when I feel it is not enough. It is never my desire to beg for MORE Jesus; it is just to humbly lay before the cross and ask HOW CAN I do more, be more, and give more. Help me to sustain my household Jesus. Open doors, and help me to understand and "see" when you keep doors closed. Help me to learn to be more like YOU each minute of every day, and thank you for putting people in my path that exemplify that and show me an example of You love. I humbly ask for your sustance, your guidance, your forgiveness, and your leadership. In your name we always pray, Amen.
I think we all do. For me, my biggest debt is my home and one credit card.
While owning a home (or, if you don't own a home - your rent or monthly dwelling expense) is common and normal for most of us, as a single Mom and sole breadwinner, a credit card is my other vice and biggest debt hurdle.
All of us have some form of credit card and housing debt. These debts can be big or they can be smaller. They can come from excess and lavish living or simply from trying to just make ends meet each month.
As a child, I grew up in a home with two very polar opposite Parents. One liked to stay home with the children and animals. One liked to cook and garden. The other Parent liked to keep up with the Jones. This Parent maxed out multiple credit cards, left the other parent often in tears, and filed for bankruptcy multiple times.
My brother and I learned through their stories how not to live. It was a good lesson but one that was difficult to witness and live through.
We each grew up and traveled down the paths life gave us. Today, we live in modest homes with mortgages and credit card debt. Not lavish and huge amounts of credit card debt, but still slaves to debt at some level.
Do you struggle with debt? Do you struggle with that rule that lingers out there that we must have an emergency fund in a savings account that can sustain us for at least six months if an emergency were to arise?
I mean, how are we to save up an emergency fund or even create a budget if we are striving to pay the mortgage and rent, our credit card(s), and basic living expenses each month? Debt is a killer and a thief.
It keeps us up at night. It raises our anxiety levels. It sneaks into our thoughts and makes us wonder, "What will I end up like without a home, a car, or (insert here whatever your fear is)?"
Like you, I am struggling. We work multiple jobs, while maybe keeping an eye out for a larger-salaried position; we scrimp and save. We clip coupons. We turn off all the lights when we leave a room. We do what we can. But debt is still knocking at the front door.
How do you mange your finances? Are you a Larry Burkett follower? Are you a Ron Blue follower? Dave Ramsey?
I'm interested to hear your story and how you make ends meet. Maybe your story can help someone else. Leave us a message or a comment or a tip below.
We would love to pray for you and hear your story.
Today, I found this Devotional on YouVersion. It's called, "Debt: A Biblical Exploration." I'd love to have you journey it with me (it's only five days long). Let's look at Day 1, which struck such a cord with me, that I came over here to talk to YOU...
Debt can cause so many problems both financially and spiritually.
When too much debt is attained it is as if we become trapped, drowning in our finances. Our worries over our debt quickly consume our lives and our thoughts.
We become servants to debt, and debt becomes our master. Debt can cause us to have tunnel vision, living life consumed by our financial worries instead putting God first in our lives. We can quickly forget about God and those around us who we care and love.
Dallas Willard describes the spiritual bondage we encounter when we get in too much debt. "In our current world, a large part of the freedom that comes from frugality is freedom from the spiritual bondage caused by financial debt. This kind of debt is often incurred by buying things that are far from necessary, and its effect, when the amount is substantial, is to diminish our sense of worth, dim our hope for the future, and eliminate our sensitivity to the needs of others."
Such great words of wisdom. My goal for 2020 is to claim my mortgage to be paid off. Yep, you read that right. Will it happen? Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm claiming it - I want to be free of this ONE burden.
Not for myself, but so that myself and my finances will be free to help others. I want my time, my finances, and myself open to where God will lead me in 2020 and I do not want to be burdened with a dwelling payment.
I am excited for 2020. It is a year of growth and of action. Where will you let God lead you this year? Look at your debt, pray over it, and ask God to remove it from you.
Lay your fears at his feet. He WILL be faithful to alleviate your fears. Be open to what He has planned for you!
Romans 13:8, "Let NO debt remain outstanding, except the CONTINUING debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law."
