The Jewish Roots of The Christian Faith
Author and Scholar Dr Craig A. Evans joins Michael to discuss his book, A Handbook on The Jewish Roots of The Christian Faith.
Being raised by a single mom, I was quite aware of the challenges of finances. I created the top half of the high school class by being in the bottom half. From there, I went into the two-year program at Penn State in forestry and then down to Steven F. Austin in Texas with five of my peers. We were introduced to a world-class forester, Dr. Larry Walker, who was a strong Christian. God was doing some mighty things in my life. I was planning on going to graduate school to be a professor in forestry because I was so impressed by the Christian men in that field, but God had other plans.
I heard Bill Bright speak at DTS during a senior event. From there, God said, ‘No, I want you to join Campus Crusade for Christ and forget that full scholarship you have.’ I joined in the summer of 1970. My first job with Campus Crusade for Christ was working on the grounds at Arrowhead Springs, spreading manure on Bill and Vonette’s front lawn. It was exciting to be at the International Headquarters because of the things that happened around the world. People would come in from around the world to pick up Bill Bright at the airport. Being around such godly people and seeing them make an impact far beyond themselves was humbling.
Growing up, I traveled to three states, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Next thing you know, I was on the other side of the country, and the Jesus revolution was taking place. Chuck Smith was baptizing people in the ocean. In the summer of 1970, Campus Crusade for Christ saw 600 staff come on, with a total staff of just over two thousand. It was an exciting time to be involved; I felt swept along by God’s Spirit. After two years, I moved to Arkansas and saw the same thing: God was incredibly at work.
But the important thing about being on Cru staff at Arrowhead Springs right after that was Larry Burkett. He wrote a book, Your Finances in Changing Times. If you get an original edition with his pale blue cover, you’ll open it up, and it says, Copyright Campus Crusade for Christ. He was on our staff for a brief time. Bill had asked him to come and teach us how to handle our finances. And his bottom line was you don’t pay them enough. And that was good news and bad news. Good news, we’re gonna get a raise. Bad news, we had to go raise that money. Just to understand, Bill’s house was a nice bungalow cottage, at Arrowhead Springs, and he lived on the same salary as someone else with two children.
Marriage tends to reorient your financial perspective. It’s one thing when you’re single, living paycheck to paycheck. But as a single man, I felt I needed to be a giver as part of that, not just to my church but to the needs around the world. I wanted to give because I had no problem having food on the table, and there were people worldwide that didn’t. So I made a lifelong commitment to give one percent of my income to World Hunger, which went to World Relief, a branch of the National Association of Evangelicals.
I was making $250 a month, and I thought sending a check for $2.50/month was silly. So every other month, I sent a check for $5. When Katie and I married, we had to learn how to communicate with a spouse. You have to talk things out, which is good because, all of a sudden, we’re working on more of a plan rather than living month to month. When you have children, your finances become much more complex. You have to work those things out. So I think marriage was the important thing for me that helped me work through a financial plan for the long haul.
For one, it was a mutual commitment to each other, and we decided not to have credit card debt. Fortunately, both of us were on the same page. We were committed to doing things right and well because we had to think it through if that was helpful. And so, as we traveled into summertime, the idea of Christmas came up, and we would say,’ What can we do to think through what our parents need? What do they need that we can get them starting in July?’ I’ve counseled enough people to know that husbands and wives often don’t agree on their finances. It is a lightning rod for their life, where their relationship falls apart. So Katie and I were both fortunate to be in agreement and make sure that we put money aside to be givers and savers. We saved a lot of money then. It was only a few dollars, and it was for the next major purchase.
Well, I was doing a consultation with a church in Northern Virginia. They asked me to come in and work with them on the idea of stewardship. And I asked why they wanted to start a stewardship program. They answered, ‘We need more money.’ I said, ‘Wrong answer.’ What you need to be looking at is stewardship as discipleship. You’re going to disciple people in their Christian walk. Part of that is their management of not just money but possessions.
We had a fellow by the name of Ed Britain at Immanuel. And he had this lake house. And that lake house got used so many times because of his good stewardship of that. Not just the pastors of Immanuel but small groups and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes used the house. He saw that as his blessing to minister to others in incredible ways. That’s what stewardship is all about. And I think that’s what people are having a hard time capturing. When we talk about stewardship, they immediately think of their wallet. And, yes, that’s part of it, not a small part. But it is not the only part. It needs to be more of our life. What do we do with what God’s given us to bless others?
A new generation has come along, thinking of being responsible. I work three days a week at an assisted living facility. I’m older than some of the residents there, and it is hard to find folks wanting to be responsible and thinking about the long haul. They are not looking at a career.
When I became stewardship pastor at Immanuel, my first computer was held together with some duct tape. We didn’t have all this wonderful stuff that feels necessary. I went to a place that could run off a program for me, and it was $100,000 of mortgage payments, along with what would happen if I paid an extra $150/month.
I wanted to see every payment which came out on this tractor paper. And I realized it would take a long time to match our interest and principal payments. We rolled over our money from each house. We only had two houses before the house we lived in at Immanuel. For example, say our house payment was $2,025/month. Instead of increasing to $2,100, we went up to $2,200. We paid off our mortgage in 13 years at age 55.
Regarding finances, you never answer a question in isolation but rather look at the big picture. Being a good steward of all I have financially means asking, ‘What am I doing, and what does God call me to be as a giver?’ And some people are very good at this. They’re not just giving money but also giving to their neighbors, whether it’s mowing their lawn for them or giving them a gift. We need to be involved in being Christlike and giving away so much of what we have.
So I did this for my mother. As you know, I made a lot of trips to Pennsylvania to take care of her. And whenever I got scrap metal off her property and other places, I would sell it. It was a pretty good income because, back then, the scrap metal market was doing well. Today, since my mother passed away, I continue doing that, and the local thrift store gives me the metal they can’t use. I’ve set the boundary that this money cannot be for my personal use and cannot go to someplace that will give me a receipt. It has to go to someplace where it’s going to bless somebody.
With God’s kindness, my kids are doing very well. One of the things that we wanted to make sure our kids were doing was enjoying life. We wanted them to enjoy sporty activities and do fun things together. In other words, we wanted to be givers and would talk about that when our kids were growing up.
We took care of the education of a younger student in India. And that picture sat on our kitchen table, and we would talk about giving money to this student halfway around the world in India. The student graduated, and we began sponsoring another student. It’s one thing to tell your kids you’re given some money or to write a check, but what does that mean to them? It made sense to see a student that’s different from them, with a need for education.
I was a field administrator with Campus Crusade for Christ for 12 years. Only a couple of us lasted that long as field administrators. We ministered to staff and set up conferences and many other things we were responsible for. I put together a questionnaire to ask staff when I would visit a campus. They understood when a director came but wondered why an administrator would meet with them.
One of the questions I asked on my questionnaire was, ‘Do you balance your checkbook?’ I was at Towson State University in Baltimore, and we were sitting in a cafeteria setting working through the questionnaire, and we got to that question. I looked up at a staff member, she was young, and she was crying. I asked what was wrong, and she said, ‘I didn’t think anybody cared.’ And I said, ‘Let me assure you, that’s what administrators do. We care about the financial part of your life (raising support), but also how you’re managing the money you have.’ It’s so important to engage people’s lives.
One of the things I coined at Immanuel was, ‘When you deal with an individuals’ finances, you have a window into their soul.’ It’s a trusting relationship, and you must work at what you share. First of all, nobody else will know it. You are there not to be a negative warning to do something differently, but you’re there to walk alongside them. We need to walk alongside people to help them grow in managing their finances. At work, I’ve challenged three of our staff to consider college. I’m talking about the importance of not just having a job but having a career. I’m looking at it as God’s stewardship. They might not be at that point yet, but I think that’s important for people to understand.
We have friends that are doing that. And fortunately, where I’m working, I have a lot of flexibility in my scheduling. That’s the nice thing about working at this age; you can do other things. We came to Charlotte right before the pandemic hit. We went to church on Sundays and Bible study on Wednesdays, but that was it. The biggest challenge we had was remembering the day of the week. The idea of work gives you certain routines and opportunities to impact people’s lives. It keeps us out there. I have a friend who sits around, watches Netflix, and works in his garden. Katie and I have talked about how I can initiate something that will benefit him and impact his life.
Ralph Weitz is a seminar and retreat speaker – men’s retreats and breakfasts, temperaments and how they impact the workplace, weekly series or retreats on stewardship, marketplace apologetics, Malachi, and more. He is a tour guide for Philadelphia, Valley Forge, Lancaster, and Gettysburg. Leadership and teamwork – Harley factory and Gettysburg (one day). Ralph served as a stewardship pastor for 25 years at Immanuel Bible Church ministering and counseling in personal finances.
Your Finances in Changing Times by Larry Burkett
Battlefields and Blessings Series by Jane Cook
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