Travis Seitler: Web Designer

There was this successful businessman, okay? He was raking in the dough, and he was all like, “What am I gonna do with all of this? It’s not like I can cram it all under my mattress.”

So he talked to his financial advisers, and decided, “I’ll max out my 401(k), flip some real estate, buy up a bunch of tech stocks and live off the dividends. I’ll be all set, and I can retire before I’m fifty! See the world… maybe spend a year or two relaxing in Paris. I’m set for life.”

But God had other ideas: that same week the economy tanked, taking all the man’s investments with it. He died over the weekend of a massive stress-induced heart attack.

“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”

So here’s the deal: don’t worry about “taking care of yourself.” God’s been taking care of the rest of the world for a while now, and frankly, he’s way better at it than you are. There’s all sorts of idiots scurrying around chasing after things they have no real control over.

Don’t be like them, they’re stupid.

Instead, chase after God’s kingdom and trust him to take care of that other stuff. He’s happy to do it, too! So don’t freak out; sell all of that crap you’ve been holding onto, then take that money and give it to people who are worse off than you. That’s how you chase after God’s kingdom, and it’s the only investment that’s a sure thing.

See, you’re like a manager who’s been put in charge of payroll: you’ve been given access to large sums of money, but don’t let that delude you into thinking the money’s for you, because it’s not. What would the boss say if he found out that while he was on vacation, that manager withheld everybody else’s paychecks and gave himself a hefty bonus? Do you think he’d even be given time to clear out his desk?

Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

• Bear Stearns Loss Presages More Turmoil – New York Times [NY Times]
  “Morgan Stanley on Wednesday announced the sale of a $5 billion stake to China’s sovereign wealth fund, and both Citigroup and UBS made similar deals with Middle Eastern and Asian governments…”
• The alliance between China’s communist government and Wall Street deepens [Roubini Global Economics Monitor]
  “The CIC’s big stake [in Wall Street] still worries me—in large part because the CIC also owns three of the four large Chinese stake banks, and is expected to own two others after the recapitalization. And there is no doubt that the state banks have been managed in part to achieve non-commercial goals. China’s banks have historically been used to implement China’s version of industrial policy—directing credit to favored sectors of the economy.”
• Crazy For China [Forbes]
  “This is China’s century. The rest of the world is just living in it.”

America isn’t just bleeding money—Asia is busy holding buckets underneath to catch it all. You never know… this might be a good time to brush up on your Mandarin. :/

The Wall Street Journal has just published a decent article on the fight against the tithing heresy, and it’s scary how similar my own story is to that of one of the believers in the article:

When he objected to his church’s instructions to tithe, Kirk Cesaretti took it up with the church leaders. In response, he received a letter from the pastor and elders of Hydesville Community Church in Hydesville, Calif. “At this time, we believe your concerns do not warrant any change in our church policy or positions,” the letter read.

The letter closed with a verse from Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls; as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

Mr. Cesaretti, an engineer in Fortuna, Calif., says he took the letter to mean he was no longer welcome at the church. Hydesville’s senior pastor, Michael Delamarian III, says he believes “the more you give the more you’re going to be blessed.” He says he did not bar Mr. Cesaretti from the church.

There’s a lot of passive-aggressive manipulation happening on the part of these pastors toward the flocks under their care. The article also mentions the practice of pastors making applicants sign a document essentially vowing to tithe. Are there so few people who understand that inclusion in the visible expression of the Body of Christ is not something to be held for ransom? My heart breaks for the people who have turned (or rather, been turned) away from Christ on account of grinning, greedy wolves like this at the pulpit.

So yeah, if you were wondering… the wound’s still a bit fresh.

I was reading today’s ESV Daily Verse when I realized that money—especially the way Christians handle it—is kind of a pet topic for me. For example:

• On the Highlighting of Many Books…
  If our possessions really belong to God, then why are we marking up “our” books? Do you mark up library books?
• The Cross Centered Life: Not Just for the Wealthy!
  Two in-print books are repackaged as if they were a single, new one… and who knows how many people were hoodwinked in the process?
• Cognitive Dissonance: Money and the Church
  The United States’ welfare system could be eliminated solely by Christians providing reasonable levels of financial assistance to those in need. But instead, let’s get some plasma TV screens for our church building’s lobby… we want to be relevant, don’tcha know!
• Silver and Gold ARE Money…
  The “dollar bill,” however, is not. It’s simply a promise to pay issued by an organization which is in the red by trillions. Think they’ll make good on that IOU anytime soon?
• 2007: Time To Circle The Wagons?
  Is that recession I smell? Possibly.
• What Does the Bible Say About the Tithe?
  Hint: It’s not what most pastors and radio teachers are telling you…

And now there’s this verse that says integrity and character are more important than a house, stock portfolio or retirement account. And that’s true. The lie would be if you said a poor man is better than a rich man, period. No, the point of this proverb is the same point Jesus made: namely, pursue holiness no matter the cost.

But are we really willing to do that?