Getting Rich off Taxpayers

I had taken a hiatus from blogging as I have worked with Will Nielsen- my web development friend to improve the site. Hopefully, I will have the new site up and running before 2008.

Also, I was chosen (as any Calvinist believes) for a full line-by-line 2006 tax audit by the IRS. That was a lot of fun. It consumed some of my time that I would be writing blogs and reading.

One subject that has received some media attention lately is the escalating salaries of college administrators. I have written about the disparity in CEO and worker pay before. This is a problem in corporate America.

The companies that seem to do well on many levels have some reasonable strategy for creating stakeholder value- being good stewards over the money and people that have been entrusted to them. Many of these stewardship-minded companies have a written policy that the CEO will not earn more than 40 times the salary of the average worker or something to that effect. The average CEO earns 364 times the salary of the average worker.

Although there is public outrage over the greedy actions of corporate executives, the wealth generated usually has some tie to profitability of that corporation. This is not the case in the halls of academia. There was an article written in World magazine recently about the escalation in pay for college presidents. The average compensation for a college president was over $400,000 in 2006-2007. That figure doesn't seem too outrageous.

But the salaries are escalating fast. Many public university presidents are receiving over $700,000 per year in salaries and bonuses. I will grant that this is not an easy job and that there is probably a great need to pay these men and women well. But doesn't it seem excessive to pay someone over $700,000 per year when the incomes are being supported by taxpayers/state funding?

The President of the United States only makes $400,000 per year. Senators and Congressmen/women bring home about $200,000 per year.

Over 81 presidents of private universities earned $500,000 or more in 2006. Where is the equal outrage for the excessive pay of college presidents that the media gives to CEOs and ministers?

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Greater Scrutiny for Non-Profit Abuses

It may be troubled times ahead for many of the highest paid leaders of megachurches. Senator Chuck Grassley has sent letters to six highly visible televangelists requesting a detailed explanation of how funds are being accounted for. You can read the letters here.

I think this is a good thing. It may result in jail time for abusers of the public trust, the attorneys and financial advisors who helped facilitate the unethical and illegal behavior.

The problem of using non-profit organizations as personal ATM machines is so vast that I am sure many abusers will continue to get away with squandering resources that were intended for ministry or public good type charitable actions.

But if there is not greater transparency and a restoration of public trust, I fear an outcome will take place in the next 20 years that will not be positive for those who desire to give financially to the work of Christian ministries:

The tax code may be changed and religious institutions will no longer enjoy tax-free status. This would mean that contributions to churches and ministries will be no longer be tax-deductible. An increasingly secular nation will encourage lawmakers to take away the tax-free status of all religious organizations. There will be plenty of examples to point to where tax breaks are given and the money is used in a similar fashion to a country club.

Right now, believers have an unprecented opportunity to get resources in the hands of good stewards- and there are many out there who do things the right way. The amazing wealth generation of the United States economy over the last 100 years and the favorable tax code treatment of contributions to Christian-based work have given Christians an opportunity to influence people by showing Christ's love through financial generosity.

Hopefully, the inquisition by Senator Grassley will lead to sweeping reformation in the non-profit sector. Hopefully, there will be greater transparency and less waste. Hopefully, there will be enough evidence of more good than harm coming from the use of tax-free status. If that happens, perhaps the tax code will be left alone for a while. God is in control of all of that and will use whatever means He desires to accomplish His purposes. But the help from Uncle Sam certainly doesn't hurt.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Basketball highlights

There are lots of serious topics swirling around in my head. Lately, I have been working on an updated, improved version of http://stewardshipmandate.com/ which should go live in the next week.

I take a break from my serious side, to list my top 7 basketball videos from You Tube- I could not limit to 5. I love the game. Some of these are awe-inspiring; others funny. A tribute to some of my favorite players growing up:

1. Jim Carrey's portrayal of a weird pick-up basketball player in Cable Guy. I love the line, "Oh, I see we were playing prison rules, huh?"

Cable Guy

2. "Pistol" Pete Maravich- the original "Showtime"

Maravich

3. Len Bias- tragically died of a cocaine overdose within 48 hours of being the 2nd pick in the NBA draft. This tragedy was the beginning of the demise of the Boston Celtics- who have not been good sense this happened. Bias was my favorite player in high school. I wish I could have watched him for many more years.

Bias

4. Nerf Dunking Contest- this is genius. Funny stuff! Reminds me of my high school and college days.

Nerf Dunking

5. Michael Jordan- wow! What can you say? Is this guy human?

Jordan

6. Larry Bird- he wasn't called Larry Legend for nothing.

Bird

7. Baylor University Basketball highlights- okay apologies to Magic Johnson for choosing this over you. But I have some excitement over Baylor's basketball potential this year. They have 4 players that have played together for 3 years and I think this could be a breakthrough year for them.

Baylor

Disclaimer: some of these videos are best viewed without any sound. Not what I would pick for the music choices...

All things for God's glory (including recreation),

Ashley Hodge

The Need for Muscular Christianity

One of my heroes is JC Ryle. I want to emulate him in many ways. I have read several biographies about him and I am amazed at the kind of life and influence that he had. He was married 3 times and buried each of his wives. Two of his wives were very ill and bed ridden for many years in the prime of their lives. This placed a large burden on Ryle- not only to provide income, but also to take care of children- one of whom was disabled. But Ryle did not complain.

He endured many hardships- poverty (family went bankrupt); caring for family members that were ill; and attacks by critics. Despite his trials, he preached thousands of sermons; wrote over 20 books; and probably led thousands to Christ in his life. His most famous writing is Holiness. It is one of the classic books of the Christian faith. But you cannot go wrong reading anything that he wrote. In fact, if you want a terrific tool to study the gospels, you should buy his Exposition of the Gospels series. You can obtain it here at a bargain price:

One of JC Ryle's beliefs was that we needed a more muscular form of Christianity. He was a bishop in the Anglican church (modern day Episcopal). The term muscular Christianity was coined in the 19th century as a reaction to the effeminate leanings of the Anglican church in the 1800's. Men were dropping out of church life. The church became more and more irrelevant to men. There are similar problems and conversation in the church today.

Ryle believed that we needed a more strenous form of Christianity and that men needed to step up and be tough/tender leaders. Tough exterior with tender hearts. Ryle's belief was that we needed to train our bodies physically so that we could serve God with vitality; protect the weak; defend what is true and subdue the earth as stewards of God's resources.

The muscular Christianity movement spawned many good things- including the YMCA and a sport that I love- basketball. I have been meditating on the need in my own life to be tough and to instill that toughness into my son and daughter. We need tough men and women who will live and die by convictions and values but who also have the humility to be broken and shaped by a transforming God.

Here are four values that relate to the need for muscular Christianity that I wish to reinforce daily in my life and the life of my family:

1. Embrace discipline in all areas of life. But specifically discipline in the areas of spending; giving; saving; eating; exercise; sleeping; time management and reading. I can improve in every one of these areas. Being a muscular Christian means to me that I need to exercise daily the spiritual disciplines that will lead me into a more Christ-like life.

2. Do all things without complaining- Philippians 2:14. There is nothing more unattractive that a discontent heart. To be a muscular Christian means that I will look for joy in all circumstances- I Thessalonians 5:18- and will put to death my ungrateful, complaining nature.

3. Embrace and persevere through trials. Life is tough. It is tough to keep a good attitude many days. We have financial, health, relationship and marital problems to work through. It never goes as smoothly as we envision in our minds. I have found the secret to being happy is to have very low expectations of this life and very high expectations of the heaven that God has promised to those who love Him.

4. Fight daily. I like and admire fighters. My wife is this way. She has incredible health challenges to deal with, but she is a fighter. We have enemies to face- sin; death; illness; worldliness (consumerism- the god of this age); evil. These enemies will plow us over if we don't go on the offensive. We need to aggressively fight these things by being obedient to the will of God. Of course, death will conquer each of us physically. But if we fight with the power of God's Spirit, we will be able to say with Paul: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"- I Corinthians 15:55.

We need a more vigorous, muscular Christianity. We need some JC Ryle's in this age to lead us by example in applying the truths of God to life and leading our families into a kingdom which cannot be shaken.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Famous Last Words

"I will never, ever drive a mini-van." These were the words spoken by my wife- Amy- back in 1999 when we were dating.

It was such a rich quote that I decided to write it down and save it for the ages. Fast forward 8 years and sure enough we are purchasing a mini-van for our family of four- the Honda Odyssey.

It has been my secret mission ever since 1999 to have my wife's words come back to haunt her. Not really. But I am having plenty of fun with her about it.

Actually, what I want to write about today is what to do with used cars. If you are able to do so; you should consider gifting your used vehicle to charity. Not every family is in a position to do this. But I have some reasons to recommend this course:

1. When given to the right charitable organization, the vehicle can be a life-changing gift to a needy family. I chose to give our 2000 Infiniti I-30 to Cornerstone Assistance Network in North Richland Hills, TX. This organization is constantly in need of reliable cars because they serve single mothers, reformed drug addicts, prisoners, people with financial hardships, etc...

In my situation, I have a car worth around $5000 as a trade-in according to http://edmunds.com. If I traded that car into a car dealership, I might have received that amount. But it would have been a battle. New car dealerships make their large profits on underpaying for trade-ins and selling you lots of stuff you don't need in the F&I (Finance & Insurance) office. But what happens to your car after that?

It might be sold at auction. This is the best outcome you can hope for.

In reality, it is often put on a tote-the-note lot and sold to a person with bad or unestablished credit. The car is likely marked up $2-$5k and the interest rate on these loans is 15% plus. In other words, your car contributes to a great problem. You are helping those who prey on the poor.

2. You do receive a tax benefit for giving the car away- if you itemize your deductions. You will receive either the fair market value of the car if it is used by the charity. Or you will receive a deduction equal to the what the car is sold for at auction if the charity sells the car. If the car is worth over $5,000, you will need to get a certified appraisal to back up your deduction claim.

The IRS puts out a publication that outlines the rules to follow in this area:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/pub4303.pdf

If you must sell your car due to financial necessity, there are some other options to consider besides trading it in to a car dealership where you will often not receive a good outcome.

Another option: you could sell the car yourself at a reasonable price. If you are dealing with someone who might buy their cars at a tote-the-note type car lot, you could even finance the deal. Charge 6% instead of 15%+. Sell the car for $500 over trade-in value instead of $3k over trade-in value. You are taking some financial risk here if you choose this option. The person who buys the car from you might not make the payments. But you are helping someone in need obtain a deal that they could not obtain otherwise.

This blog is not meant to make anyone feel guilty if they routinely trade their cars into dealerships. Nor is meant to indict all car salespeople as dishonest. I sold cars for a year right out of college. I know honest, hard-working salesmen. Unfortunately, those with high integrity get lumped into the poor reputation that the industry has due to the poor practices of some.

There are honest car salesmen who do not contribute to the predatory practices that take advantage of the poor and needy. If you find such a person, by all means sell them your car. My greater concern is for the practices that appear to be widespread in the industry dealing with used cars worth under $10k.

There are over 300 verses in the Bible that relate directly to God's concern for the poor. Proverbs 29:7, "The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked have no such concern."

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Does God Miraculously Heal the Sick?

This is a question I have been wrestling with. My wife was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth- a neuro-muscular disease that has slowly ravaged her body. Her muscles have atrophied. Her nerves have died. It sucks. There is really no good spin to put on it.

We are not without hope, however. I know that one day God will resurrect her body with a perfected, resurrected body that is like Christ. This is the hope of Christianity. Though we are now subject to death, disease and the curses of the Fall; one day we will not be subject to these enemies. Christ will return. The curses will be removed. And we will all experience life as it is fully intended.

But she is only 38. She likely has 50+ years to struggle through this disease. Will God heal her? I pray for it daily. I pray for the gift of healing. I have seen people cured from diseases that defy medical explanation.

It is a great burden to me. I have two friends who have babies that have bleak medical prognosis due to diseases that are likely to cut their lives short. I have many clients and friends suffering from chronic pain, cancer, heart defects, neurological disease, brain tumors. I cry out to God for their healing daily.

After studying the topic, I have come to the following conclusions. I am all ears if anyone has something to add to the discussion.

1. Jesus gives us a foretaste of the perfect health that will be ours for eternity by healing those who are diseased.

In the pages of Scripture, Jesus healed. We are told several places in Scripture that we are healed by the wounds of Jesus- Isaiah 53; I Peter 2; Matthew 8. Jesus explains a prophecy about Him in Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:17-19:

"The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Jesus proclaims His purpose is to set free, heal and comfort the afflicted.

Wayne Grudem in Systematic Theology gives four purposes for healing:

• Authenticates the gospel message by showing that the kingdom of God has come.
• Brings comfort and health to those who are ill, demonstrating God's mercy to those in distress.
• Healing equips people for service as physical impediments are removed.
• Healing provides opportunities for God to be glorified as people see physical evidence of His goodness, love, power and presence.

After reading Grudem's comments on the gift of healing, it is interesting to note the common methods used in healing during the period when the New Testament was written. These miracles are most frequently accompanied by the laying on of hands. If you do a study of miracles in the New Testament, you will see the laying on of hands prominent in nearly every miracle.

Another method was to anoint with oil- Mark 6:13; James 5:14-15. Anointing with oil seems to be symbolic for the Holy Spirit's power to come and heal the sick.

2. It is right to ask God for healing.

Jesus healed those who were sent to Him and did not say, "It is good for you to remain ill." Jesus came to deliver us from evil. Sickness, disease and death can be used for God-glorifying purposes. But they are evil at the root. Paul calls death our last enemy- I Corinthians 15:26.

Grudem says that we should seek all medical remedies to curing disease. But we should never rely on medicine alone. God also expects us to pray and seek healing from Him. God has ordained doctors, nurses and medicines to be used in the healing process. Grudem gives this advice for advising people in relation to praying for healing:

"We can tell people that God frequently heals today and that it is very possible that they will be healed. But that we are still living in an age when the kingdom of God is 'already' here but 'not yet' fully here. Therefore, Christians in this life will experience continued healing (and many other answers to prayer), but they will also experience continuing illness and eventual death. In each individual case it is God's sovereign wisdom that decides the outcome and our role is simply to ask Him and wait for Him to answer."

3. God will often not heal us in this life.

This is a hard truth for those who are sick to accept. We should eagerly pray for and expect healing. But we must also wait patiently for the true healing to take place- the redemption of our bodies. For we know that all things work together for good with those who are called according to His purposes- Romans 8.

That good may manifest itself in this life through material abundance, healing, easier relationships, etc... But that good may be put on hold. We may experience poverty, suffering, illness, hard and bitter relationships. Hebrews 11 teaches that some are rewarded for faith in this life and some live in caves and are sawed in two. All of these reasons are mysterious to us. But God has a plan and a path for each of us.

In every circumstance in life, we should give thanks and praise God that He knows what is best for developing our character and soul better than we do. Because eventually, we all will physically die. But we are not without hope. God will redeem those who love Christ. He will raise our lifeless, sick, diseased and dead bodies from the grave and will restore us to perfect health and vitality.

Do I believe the gift of physical healing exists today? Yes. Do I pray for that gift? Yes in this sense: that God's power would flow through my prayers and hands as I pray for people. I believe that God does grant this gift to people in different measures. Have I ever seen somebody instantly healed from blindness, terminal cancer, paralysis? No. I have heard stories that seem hard to discredit. But I have never witnessed it with my own eyes. Personal observation and experience tell me that God does not habitually heal people in this dramatic fashion.

These miracles seemed to occur more frequently in the pages of the New Testament. Isn't the same authority and power available to His followers today? I know the arguments that say no. The miracles were to establish the authority of the church and New Testament. But there are too many clear passages in Scripture that would seem to contradict the belief that miracles have ceased in this age and were only for a previous time.

I want to differentiate this gift from quacks like Benny Hinn or others who peddle this "gift of healing" in a flashy and unscriptural way. When did Jesus ever gather a crowd together, sell tickets and parade people up on stage and then ask for "love" offerings? Never. Jesus healed because He cared. But He also told many whom He healed not to tell others about it. He didn't want His life to be a circus and to deflect any attention from the power and glory of God.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

The Ones Who Are Sent

One of the themes that has been dominating my thoughts lately is the idea that all Christians are called to be missionaries. A few may feel God's urging to go overseas to a foreign land and culture. But the vast majority of us are sent to be missionaries to our families, clients, co-workers, friends and neighbors.

The New Testament is filled with Jesus' commands that followers of Christ are sent to teach and live His message. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.., " Matthew 28:19.

"As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world," John 17:18.

"The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." Luke 10:2

In the past, it has been very easy for me to ignore these commands and to be busy doing spiritual things. Going to church and getting involved in good programs have led to passive participation on my part. As I look at my life, I am frustrated at what little effect I perceive that I have had on others. I know Christ as a result of faithful men and women who did not ignore the call of God to proclaim and reinforce His message to me. They sought me, just as God sought me.

I want to share with you some of my thoughts and practical ways that I am trying to be faithful to God's call on my life to be sent: proclaiming Christ in actions and words.

1. I feel a burden to be a missionary to my family. I am troubled reading the statistics. 90% of kids who are involved in youth ministries drop out of any church related activity by their sophomore year in college. Only 4% of 16-31 year olds have a Christian worldview based on answers to a survey of questions about beliefs.

The church in America is in trouble. 80% of the giving comes from those 55-years and older. I think Barna is right that the institutional church may lose half of its members by 2030 if these trends hold (I am praying that they don't and that we have another Great Awakening in this country).

Unless there is a dramatic change, it is likely that my kids will grow up in a culture that is thoroughly humanistic and where faith in God is looked at as weak or irrelevant. So first and foremost, I am a missionary to my family. I establish spiritual habits with my kids- prayer, reading the Bible, talking about God regularly, etc... where they see authenticity and consistency in daily life.

2. I feel a burden to be a missionary to my neighborhood. My family recently moved into a new home in Hurst. The neighborhood is new and this is a plus for building relationships. People seem a little more open to community. We had some good believing friends- the Chang's- that moved in across the street. We have talked about starting a home fellowship and potentially allowing it to become a church plant in our neighborhood. We had our first meeting last night. We have four couples- including my family and the Chang's- who have expressed interest.

For now, we are focusing on building relationships, prayer and preparation. I printed out a map of my neighborhood and started filling in names of families as I meet people. Hudson- my 3-year old- and I walk in the evening on weekdays and mornings on weekends. This has lead to many conversations. I pray for my neighbors. I don't believe God has placed me here by accident and I am excited to see what He will do in this neighborhood.

3. I feel a burden to be a missionary to my clients. I have a practice that is probably 60% believers and 40% unbelievers. I like that. I hope that my clients identify me as a Christian by the concern I have for them and the service I provide. I am surprised that I don't drive more of them away with my material on http://stewardshipmandate.com. I pray that doors are open to share the hope that is within me and that my clients make progress in their relationship with God.

I pray for 5-6 clients a day. Every month I pray through my client base. I know that my clients are not clients of mine by accident. God has a purpose in everything. I want to be available to how He might use me in building a relationship with my clients.

My heart is not where it should be on any of these things. But I thank God that it is further along than it was. Deeper faith in God daily. Life transformation. Service/usefulness to others. These are my goals. Jonathan Edwards once said, "My aim is to do the maximum amount of good to the maximum amount of people." I pray that this becomes my aim also. Lord, prune me so that I will bear much fruit for Your kingdom.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Bare Necessities

One of my 3-year old son's favorite movies is Jungle Book. In that movie, there is a song called The Bare Necessities. Being the strange person that I am, I tend to analyze and think about lyrics to almost every song I hear.

God seems to be reinforcing an old message to me in many ways: simplify, simplify, simplify. I just finished reading a book called Simple Church. This book makes the claim- backed up by research- that churches with simple processes and purposes grow. Most churches stagnate because they get caught up in doing good things. But those things distract the focus and the church becomes ineffective as a result. The same is true in business. As Clint Eastwood said in a Dirty Harry film, "A man has to know his limitations."

The last verse of The Bare Necessities reads:

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
With just the bare necessities of life

We have a tendency to make life more complex than is necessary don't we? I was struck by a fact that was released over the weekend. The United States is arguably the wealthiest, most technologically advanced nation in the world. But our life expectancy is 42nd among nations. This means 41 nations have longer life expectancies for their citizens than the US. There are reasons for this: overindulgence and stress would be high on my suspect list.

I am beginning to re-evaluate everything in my life (again) with the goal of returning to a more strategic simplicity. Ecclesiastes 7:29, "God has made man simple; but man seeks out many complexities."

I am thinking about the implications for stewardship. I feel called to make whole-life stewardship my purpose in life. My vision is to help others make progress in becoming better stewards of money, abilities, time and health in order that God would be glorified through a transforming life.

My method for promoting this has been too complex. I have encouraged clients and friends to set goals for making progress in stewardship. Some have participated in this exercise. The focus or lack of focus I should say has been on setting a large amount of stewardship goals- somewhere between 10-25. What has happened in my own life is that this number is way too large to focus on and therefore accountability to these goals has been low.

My renewed simple concentration is to set four goals for making progress in daily stewardship of the Lord's resources. One goal for each letter in the MATH acronym (Money, Abilities, Time and Health). These goals will be my focus for six months. Hopefully, at the end of six months they will become such entrenched habits that I can move on to another set of four goals. But if they are not, I will continue with these original goals until they become part of my daily life.

Soren Kierkegaard said, "Define your life forward and live it backwards." We all need a transformation process to shoot for. The Lord is in the transformation business. Paul says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day Christ returns"- Philippians 1:6.

The goals of every Christian should be:

1. Deeper understanding and relationship with God (Father, Son, Spirit).
2. A transformed life into the image of Christ.
3. A commitment to the mission of God to redeem others. We are to be ambassadors for His kingdom on earth as it is and will be in heaven.

We make it more complicated than it should be. Everything else is noise. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

New Way to Think About Church

I have been reading with interest about a growing movement around the world to redefine how church is done. Books like Revolution by George Barna; Organic Church by Neil Cole; The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch and The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll. These books and others have challenged conventional thinking about how a church should be organized and executed.

In summary, these authors make the case that the institutional, attractional model of church is in decline. The organic, missional model of church is in rapid growth. In this blog, I will attempt to outline some of the important ideas that I learned from these books and also define some of the terms that surround the traditional church growth model and the organic church growth model.

First, we should start with a definition of church. Wayne Grudem writes in Systematic Theology that church is the community of all true believers for all time. Grudem goes on to write that the church is local and universal; visible and invisible. The visible church is as Christians see it. The invisible church is as God sees it. The church may be a local group of believers meeting in a private home. It may also be a large group of believers meeting in a large building.

Grudem writes, "We should not make the mistake of saying that only a church meeting in houses expresses the true nature of church, or only a church considered at a city-wide level can rightly be called a church... Rather the community of God's people considered at any level can be rightly called a church.

There is an unhealthy debate going on in some circles about what constitutes a pure church. Many who have embraced the "house church" movement believe that this is the only viable church model. Others who have been trained to think of a church as only a large building and institution believe that you can only have church in this context.

Common sense would lead us to believe that the model is not the issue here. There are heretical, scripturally unsound house churches and institutional churches. And there are many biblically sound, Spirit-filled churches of both types as well.

But a bigger question is this: what is the most effective model to reach our culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we not supposed to follow the Great Commission that Jesus commands in Matthew 28:19-20 to go and make disciples of all nations?

Let's look at two methods of accomplishing this task: the traditional church growth model that has been prevalent in America; and the organic, missional church model that is rapidly gaining interest especially on the West and East Coast.

Traditional, Institutional Church Growth Model (Attractional)

This is the model we are all familiar with. The way the model looks in 2007 is that you build a church that seeks to attract believers and non-believers. Churches that have large growth usually follow this formula:

• Excellent preaching on subjects that relate to the real life experience of hearers.
• Inspiring worship by professionally trained musicians
• Parking facilities that minimize inconvenience in finding a parking spot
• Emphasis on children and youth programs
• Cell groups where you can connect to church members socially and build community

There are some great churches that have built dynamic organizations upon this model. Thousands perhaps millions have come into the kingdom of God through these type of churches. I praise God for the faithful men and women who have served Christ and continue to serve Christ in these type of churches. I have been members of these type of churches and have grown spiritually through my involvement in them.

There are some potential weaknesses however. First, the model can promote passiveness among church members. Trained ministry professionals do the teaching. The rest of the people do the listening. This can stunt the spiritual growth of those who are not actively participating in church.

Second, many of the fastest growing churches are growing through pew-swapping (attracting other Christians to leave their current church and join this fellowship). Some churches are doing a great job of seeing growth through new converts. But other churches are seeing numbers increase without the conversions.

Also, this model is becoming increasingly ineffective in reaching an unchurched culture. Adult church attendance is at 18% nationally and dropping. Some churches using this attractional (let's bring them to us) model are growing. This gives inspiration to the 80%+ traditonal growth model churches that are stagnant or in decline from an attendance standpoint.

Organic Model of Church (Missional)

Frank Viola defines organic church to mean: a non-traditional church that is born out of spiritual life instead of being constructed by human institutions and held together by religious programs. Organic church life is a grass roots experience that is marked by face-to-face community, every-member functioning, open-participatory meetings, non-hierarchical leadership, and the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ as the functional Leader and Head of the gathering.

This model is gaining acceptance and interest in the West. It has been the primary model for church in the East for financial and political reasons. The model has been inspired by two great church growth stories:

1. The early church grew from around 25,000 Christians in AD 100 to 20 million by AD 300. It did this under intense persecution, without buildings, seminaries, Bibles, books, etc... People were attracted to the devotion, community, love and integrity of these early believers. As these early believers lived out their faith, the Spirit was active in bringing multitudes into the truths of Christianity.
2. The Chinese underground church. Estimates say that there were 2 million Christians in China when Mao Tse Tung tried to expel all religious life in the 1940s-1950s. Tung killed, imprisoned and tortured many Christian leaders. Yet, the number of Christians grew rapidly. It is believed that there are as many as 100 million evangelical Christians in China today- most of whom worship in small house churches. The similarities to the early church are many: persecution; no church buildings; no evangelical seminaries, etc...

Alan Hirsch in Forgotten Ways says that this explosive growth happened for six reasons:

• Simple confession: Jesus is Lord.
• Focus on disciple making. These churches worshipped Jesus and wanted to become like Him.
• Outward focus towards others. The emphasis was how can we connect to the world of our friends, family and co-workers and share with them this life-changing truth.
• Passionate, Spirit-filled leadership. Leaders were filled with a vision to see lives transformed daily by the gospel.
• Organic system- no centralized institution to block growth through control. The early church and Chinese house church stories spread like viruses and were structured like networks and not organizational charts.
• Communitas- shared mission that lies beyond self. Persecution helped to create tighter focus and mission among Christians as they were reminded daily that faith cost something.

There are potential weaknesses here as well. The organic church can lack organization, focus and leadership. Without a continual focus on biblical Christianity, these types of churches can quickly venture into unhealthy cults.

Many of the books I have been reading advocate a return in mission and focus to what made the early church and the Chinese church such great Jesus movements. It appeals to me because I am convinced that we make things more complicated than they have to be. I have absolutely nothing against professional Christian workers. I think they are needed. I have nothing against church buildings. They are often useful to accomplish the purposes of ministry.

But I believe every Christian should be asking the question: what are we doing here? Are we creating an environment where people can learn to love God with all of their heart, mind, strength and soul and love their neighbors? Are lives being transformed for the better? Are we becoming more useful servants to our world? If not, change is needed. May God raise up churches and people to effectively do His work irregardless of the type of church model used.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Innocent Pastime or Dangerous Obsession?

Gambling and sports have been in the news lately. NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under investigation for conspiring with mafia types to affect the point spread on basketball games that he officiated.

It is no secret that gambling is huge business. Casinos seem to be on every corner. Nearly half of the US population buys at least one lottery ticket each year.

I was amazed when I did some quick web searches to discover that the 50% figure is consistently spread across all income and education levels. In other words, poor and uneducated people play the lottery as often as rich, highly educated folk.

If you channel surf cable or satellite television, you are likely to land on 2-3 poker programs. Some churches have been scrutinized for using bingo, poker games or monte carlo nights to raise funds for various ministries and agencies.

How should a Christian feel about gambling? Is it a fun diversion? Or does it ruin lives and therefore should be not only avoided but opposed?

I used to think it was the former- a harmless diversion. Before I came to strong anti-gambling convictions, I was an occasional gambler. I played a few hands of blackjack at casinos. I bet on sports games. I played my share of poker with friends. I bought a couple of lottery tickets. I bet on horses at the racetrack. It never really did anything for me. But I chalked it up to entertainment.

One trip I made to Vegas in 2001 was the turning point for me. I stared at the floor of a casino and felt tremendous sadness and empathy for what I saw. I saw thousands of people acting like addicts feeding slot machines as fast as humanly possible. There was no joy in their eyes. Just monotonous repetition and noise. From that point on, I have considered gambling to be a disease and not a fun little diversion.

I continued to play NCAA basketball pools until last year. Even though I occasionally won a pool, I enjoyed the tournament a whole lot more last year when there was nothing at stake. My disdain for gambling has recently extended to trying to avoid investing in any companies that profit from gambling.

Everyone has their hot buttons. You can make similar arguments against alcohol that I make against gambling. Alcohol destroys many lives. But I enjoy drinking wine and an occasional beer. Alcohol has some redeeming value when enjoyed in moderation. But the same cannot really be argued about gambling. I believe there will be alcohol in the new heavens and new earth but I doubt there will be gambling.

Jesus tells his disciples after sharing wine with them at the Last Supper in Matthew 26:29 , "I tell you, I will not drink of this wine from now on until I share it with you in my Father's kingdom." Alcohol is a good gift when used moderately. It can be terribly destructive when abused.

But gambling has no good purpose. Christ never mentions anything about the joys to be experienced from putting the financial resources that God has entrusted to you at risk through games of chance.

Hypocrisy you say! This is a man who makes his living from taking chances with investment money every day. True. But the investment markets use socially constructive methods to spread risk. It is a potential win/win proposition. Gambling is parasitic. It is almost always lose/win (as is network marketing where only 3% of participants ever turn a profit).

Other than writing this blog, I don't go around bashing people who gamble. I don't think it is healthy for Christians to be known only for what they are against. But gambling is a major issue with confessing Christians that is largely ignored from the pulpit. We should be taught to avoid gambling for four major reasons:

1. Gambling appeals to luck and chance disregarding the sovereignty of God.
2. Gambling violates the stewardship of money, abilities, time and health.
3. Gambling undermines a biblical work ethic and promotes materialism and a love of money.
4. Gambling destroys many lives and is potentially addictive.

Many biblical verses can be used as support to build a position of avoiding gambling. One of my favorite is Proverbs 12:11, "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment." Gambling is investing for people who are really bad at math.

What do you think? Am I too hard on gambling? Your thoughts are welcomed.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

A perspective changing book

Have you ever wanted one resource that explained biblical Christianity? Have you been confused by some of the subjects debated about the Bible? Have you wondered what the Bible teaches about God's sovereignty; free will; the age of the earth; baptism; the authority of Scripture; the attributes of God; sin; salvation; Jesus Christ; church and what will happen in the future? If so, you should purchase and read Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. You can purchase it here: http://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMATIC-THEOLOGY-Introduction-Biblical-Doctrine/dp/0310286700

I just completed reading this book. Many beliefs that I held prior to reading the book have been challenged and changed. I have read bits and pieces of other systematic theology books- Berkhof; Charles Hodge and John Calvin. Grudem's book is more concise and readable. I highly recommend the book.

It is almost 1200 pages which will scare most people off, but if you commit to read 100 pages per month, you can finish the book in a year. I studied it with a friend and we met for breakfast or lunch once a month to discuss.

Grudem is a Calvinist. He believes solidly in the doctrines of grace. He believes that God's control over all of creation and history is the building block for proper understanding of the Bible. But he is difficult to put in a box.

Most Calvinists believe many spiritual gifts (prophecy, tongues, healing, etc...) ceased at the closing of the canon (the Protestant Bible). Grudem believes that these spiritual gifts are still active today- not to be practiced in a sensational way but still in operation for the encouragement and building up of the church. He persuaded me on that issue.

He also changed my mind about the proper way to view the millenium debate. There are three major views within the Christian church on the return of Christ: premillenialism; amillenialism and postmillenialism. It can get confusing. But here's a web page that lays out the basics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Eschatology

I have always leaned towards amillenialism, but with major reservations due to covenantal promises to the nation of Israel. One book started to sway me towards historical premillenialism: JC Ryle's Are You Ready for the End of Time? Grudem's Systematic Theology put the nail in the coffin on my amillenial beliefs for the time being. Historical premillenialism seems to be the more scripturally accurate view given the clear promises of God to Israel.

Grudem's discussion of the nature of the church also changed many of my perspectives. It is a challenging book. I hope many people read it and think about what they are reading. I will be working on an outline that I will hopefully post on http://stewardshipmandate.com/ in the near future.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

What is a safe withdrawal rate?

It has been a while since I posted anything. My life has been in some turmoil the last 30 days. We have moved into a new home. It has been complicated by a wife with a broken leg and two children under 4 years old. Getting anything done during this season of life seems to move in slow motion.

But things are settling down, so I am looking forward to blogging again. This post will be rather short.

I just lost a client because I had told her that a safe withdrawal rate in retirement is 4%. In other words, you can feel reasonably confident that you will be able to live on your savings the rest of your life if you limit your withdrawals to 4% of principal.

This is not what she wanted to hear. So she went out and found someone who would promise her a higher withdrawal rate. She found that person. She was told that she could withdraw 8% and have no worries about running out of money.

There are plenty of "planners" who will tell people 8%. I like Dave Ramsey and think no one does a better job of motivating people to get out of debt. But Dave also teaches that you can withdraw 8% from your retirement savings. It's crazy talk and here are two reasons it is crazy.

1. To take an 8% withdrawal you will need to invest with a heavy emphasis on growth investments. Growth investments have averaged 8-12% per year over long periods of time. But it is never a smooth 8-12%. There are periods where you will have to absorb significant losses in order to get the high average returns.

If you invested your money in 1969 and withdrew 8% a year. You would have run out of money in 1981 (right before the bull market raged from 1982-1999). There are many other periods we can point to.

2. High expectations presume on tomorrow. For all we know, 4% may be a poor assumption. We could see periods of bad economic times that will blow away all of our best laid plans. But 4% has some historical prudence behind it. 8% is presuming that you will be withdrawing money during very good economic times. You will need a solid bull market to support this rate of withdrawal.

There is a story Jesus told in the Sermon on the Mount about a wise man who built his house on a rock. A foolish man built his house on the sand. The storms came to both men. One of the houses was able to withstand the storm. One house was destroyed by the storm. Although Jesus was not making any comments on wise financial planning here (Matthew 7:24-27), the lesson endures.

It is wise to expect storms and be prepared. Err on the side of conservative assumptions. It will allow you to sleep better at night.

For God's Glory,

Ashley Hodge

The Secret

Have you heard about the best-selling book and DVD series called The Secret? It has sold over 2 million copies by explaining that the secret to life is the law of attraction. You become what you think about.

I heard Oprah Winfrey say that this was true, so I thought I would give it a try. Good things happen to people who think only good thoughts. Bad things happen to people who think bad thoughts. If you have a disease, trial, disappointing relationship, etc... it has come as a direct result of your thinking.

Hmmm! Sounds interesting. I tried it on a couple of life events. I am tired of getting up every 3 hours to change my baby girl's diaper and give her to my wife to feed. So I tried to think positive about her sleeping through the night. It didn't happen. I also tried this week to think that the stock market would go up every day and create great wealth for my clients and self. But it lost value. Is the universe against me?

I am all for positive thinking. I enjoy being around positive people. I don't like to hear constant complainers. But there is a problem with the Secret. It doesn't work. I mean it might "work" for some people. But is something true, if it doesn't work for all people all of the time? You can think nice thoughts all day long. But you will die. You can think every day will be sunny. But one day it is going to rain. And it might rain hard.

It is has been raining hard for my family lately. My wife got diagnosed with a neurological disease called Charcot-Marie-Tooth about 3 years ago. Her muscles are wasting away because her nerves are not working properly. And there is no current cure. The Secret can't help her.

On top of that, she had a spinal cord tumor 2 years ago that we feared was cancerous and deadly. Praise God it wasn't but she had to have surgery to remove it and this tumor may reappear over and over again with more surgeries to come.

Despite these health trials, God continues to sustain and bless us. We have 2 healthy children. We sold a house in Dallas and we are building a home that was supposed to be completed in March of this year. We don't deserve it. But we are grateful.

Because our house wasn't ready, we had to move our selves and kids to live with my wife's parents for a few weeks. Not being in your own bed is a little inconvenient, but no big deal. But building a house is stressful- lots of things go wrong. Not the kind of stress that comes from not knowing where your next meal is coming from. Or the stress that comes from being in continual pain. But stressful nonetheless. I guess if I lived in the world of The Secret, the new house would have been completed on time.

Life was difficult enough with the new home; a 7-week old baby; a 3-year old; my wife's ongoing health concerns, etc... But then she fractured her leg last week. She did this in Joe Theismann like fashion. She was screaming as I rushed to her. I saw her ankle hanging to the side. In a panic, I reset her ankle which caused her extreme pain.

I don't know why I did this. I have to credit God's Spirit. I know it wasn't The Secret. But it ended up being the right thing. The surgeon told me that it might have saved her leg. If the ankle hadn't been reset, she could have had a broken blood vessel or major nerve damage. I am sitting with her in the hospital right now as she recovers from surgery. She will be wheelchair bound for 3 months. I don't look forward to it- I have to be honest. It is a whipping.

I guess you could say that we are living the anti-Secret right now. But God is enough. He sustains us through every trial. He is our joy. We don't need good health to be thankful. We don't need stuff- although God has given us an abundance. This is the message that must be communicated to the world. God is not a slot machine. Jesus is not the ticket to prosperity.

Jesus invites us to come to Him and die, "If anyone wants to follow me, let him take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."- Luke 9:23-24. Sound attractive? Not to the Secret followers.

But Heaven can wait. I believe in the Secret in this sense. God will have abundance in store for those who yield to Him and follow Him. He will make good on His promises when He eliminates sin, disease, war, evil, pollution, etc... He will give His children a perfectly renovated earth in a resurrected body. He gives us a taste of this goodness during this life. But to really experience this, we must die. This life is not heaven. There are problems. But one day all wrongs will be made right.

The Apostle Paul told us, "To live as Christ and to die is gain."- Philippians 1:21. There is no secret to that. The gospel is believing God's promises of eternal bliss. But is also a willingness to travel a hard road to get there. A faith that costs nothing is worth nothing. Jesus told his disciples, "I told you these things that you may have peace. In this world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."- John 16:33.

Life is full of trials. Thinking them away won't do anything to help us avoid them. But God gives us grace to handle them one day at a time.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Grace Giving- Traveling Light

One of my financial planner friends- Michael- encouraged me to balance my attack on tithing with a picture of what grace giving should look like under the new covenant of Christ.

I agreed that this was a good idea and this post is my attempt to do so. Let me start off by saying that one of the dangers of taking a stand on something is that people will view you as a hypocrite when your life doesn't match your beliefs.

For example, Al Gore speaks about the need for environmental reform. But he spent over $30k on electricity and natural gas in 2006 in his 10,000 square foot home. This makes him an easy target for critics that he is unwilling to make necessary sacrifices to be environmentally friendly.

In that sense, I admit that I am a hypocrite. The ideals that I espouse are goals that I strive for but fall short of. I am painfully aware that I could consume less than I do. I eat too much. Live in a house that is more than I need. I have more stuff than I need. I buy things and then days later ask, "Why did I do that?" I am not as conscious about waste as I should be. I give less than I could if I was willing to make more sacrifices, etc...


I am aware of my faults and try to make improvements as I journey through this life. My heroes are those who are content with less and view money and possessions as something to be funneled to others in need. I love what the English pastor John Stott said, "We should travel light and simply. Our enemy is not possessions, but excess."


In a nutshell, this is what I believe about grace giving under the new covenant. Possessions and things are gifts from God. Everything that God has created is good. We are to enjoy natural beauty and the improvements on creation that have come through the cultivation/innovation of mankind who are instructed to be stewards of God's resources- Genesis 1:28. We are to enjoy these things with gratitude.

God has showered the US with great financial wealth and abundance. Have we done anything to deserve this? No. It is the outflow of God's mercy. Has this abundance come directly as a result of tithing to a local church? I believe the answer is no. God's common grace showers plenty of evil men and women with abundance also. This is why the prosperity gospel is false.

Tom Verace a pastor in Arlington said this in a recent sermon, "Sometimes we are selling popsicles in the midst of a heat wave." Our prosperity can be attributed to good economic times not a direct result of God owing us anything for our faithfulness.

So the question is: what should we do with the resources that God brings our way? I believe there are some key questions we need to ask ourselves:

1. How much do I need to live?

We should evaluate what is needed for our families. This should be a prayerful process. What is wrong for one family might be right for another. But the challenge should be towards getting rid of excess in every area of life. For me this has had some practical implications: dropping 40 lbs of excess body weight; building a house with a small yard; purging any possession that has not been put to use in the last 12 months.

A recent song by Switchfoot titled American Dream has these lyrics,

When success is equated with excess
The ambition for excess wrecks us
When the top of the mind becomes the bottom line
When success is equated with excess

I want out of this machine
It doesn't feel like freedom
This ain't my American dream
I want to live for bigger things

2. How much do I need to give, save and/or pay down debt?

Most Americans don't save enough. But some save too much. Too much money in the bank at the end of life can be as worthless as too many possessions. There should be a finish line for every Christian. Howard Dayton writes, "you don't see runners crossing a finish line of a race and continuing to run." Once we determine our Number, we should consider radical generosity with everything above this Number.

In other words, I believe that financial freedom is a worthwhile goal. We owe it to our spouses and kids to be striving for financial strength. Financial freedom allows us to use time and money in ways that are glorifying to God. When we are saddled by debt or financial worries, there is a tendency to make decisions that are less than ideal.

Debt should be attacked aggressively. Wise King Solomon said, "...you know not what disaster may happen..."- Eclessiastes 11:2. Being completely debt-free is wise. But being debt-free on a 8000 square foot home is different than being debt-free on a 2000 square foot home. Are you really free if your lifestyle requires massive overhead each month just to break even?

I believe that giving is a discipline. I am always in favor for setting giving goals each month/year and stretching towards those goals. But as I have written before, I just don't see the scriptural argument towards saying that 10% of your income must be given to a local church.

Everything we own or will own belongs to God. I have never earned a dollar that is not the direct result of God's grace. He can take my breath away any moment He desires. He can strip me of materials and abundance in a second and I will have no basis for complaint about God's unfairness in doing so.

But if He chooses to bring resources my way, my responsibility is to view every dollar and decision as part of a sacred trust. I am His steward. Whether I spend, give, save or pay off debt; I am to do all things for the glory of God.

Naturally the steward's heart will want to give generously. My desire is that Christ would increase and I would decrease- John 3:30. What this means to me is that I should strive for moderation and strategic simplicity in the way I live. And if my income rises, I should give a greater percentage each year. I don't believe the percentage matters. God sees the heart and he sees through all the ways we try to justify our goodness and faithfulness.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Tithing- A Twisted Teaching?

If you attend a Christian fellowship long enough, you are likely to hear many sermons on the subject of tithing. Sometimes the sermons are called something different like "Biblical Stewardship" or "God's Plan for Your Finances". But the message is usually the same: you are required to give a tenth of your finances to the local church if you want God to bless you. If you don't tithe (give 10% of your gross income), you will be under the curses of God and things will not go well for you.

For most of my life I believed this to be true. I had many well-respected pastors and Christian writers reinforce this idea in many creative ways. The popular texts to "support" this view are: Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23 and a multitude of old covenant laws- Leviticus, Deuteronomy.

I decided to study the topic in detail in 1999. I read over 20 books on the subject- many written from a pro-tithing view. Some written from an anti-tithing view. Let me clarify. I believe that most Christians- myself included- would applaud anyone who gives 10% or more of the income that God has provided for the purpose of meeting real tangible financial needs to spread the gospel of Christ. When I say pro-tithing, I mean that an author expouses a belief that giving 10% of one's income is mandated today. Anti-tithing simply means that the author believes this requirement is no longer valid.

There are huge problems with the way tithing is taught in a large percentage of congregations. The give-to-get philosophy is rampant. The law of attraction nonsense that has inspired the best-selling book The Secret is all too prevalent in Christendom. But I will assume for arguments sake that pro-tithing teachers have no ulterior motives for espousing this doctrine.

The question becomes: should tithing be taught as a principle that applies to Christians today? I believe the answer to this question is "no". Why do I believe this? I have five major reasons:

1. The Word of God does not teach tithing as a principle for believers in Jesus Christ. There are some Old Testament verses that teach the importance of tithing. These verses can be easily manipulated to formulate a belief in tithing for Christians today. But Israel was under a theocracy. God was their Ruler. Tithes were taxes paid to priests who administered the laws of God. We do not live under this form of government. God is still our Ruler. But we now pay taxes to the governments that He has installed to rule us- Romans 13:1.

John MacArthur is a well-respected Bible teacher. He explains this in an answer to the question: does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn? I whole-heartedly agree with his response: http://www.biblebb.com/files/macqa/IA-tithe.htm

2. Tithing diminishes the joy from giving. No one joyfully pays taxes. At least I don't. I suppose there are people out there who love to give 10% of their income to their local church because their pastor has convinced them that there are God-ordained goodies in store for them as a result of their faithfulness. But the New Testament clearly teaches that giving should be cheerful and not under compulsion. 2 Corinthinans 9:7 teaches, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

My conviction is that the amount of money and where that money is disbursed should be continually motivated by God's Spirit. We should support the poor and needy; proclamation of the gospel and people/ministries that are discipling us. We are not required to finance massive building campaigns and cushy lifestyles for ministry professionals.

3. Tithing is counter-productive to the clear biblical message of whole-life stewardship. A Christian believes in Christ and submits to Him in every area of life. God now owns 100% of our money, ability, time and health. There is no separation of sacred and secular to the committed believer. The Christian should prayerfully decide how to allocate every resource. In the case of money, we should work hard to obtain honest wealth. But here is where it gets tricky.

Does it honor God to charge your customer twice as much so that you can give more to your local church? Is it really more spiritual to give money to your local church than to provide for your family; help a person in need; pay off debt or save? Common sense tells us that there are plenty of dilemmas that cannot be solved by some black and white rule. We should daily seek the Holy Spirit's guidance on how to distribute the resources God entrusts to us.

4. Tithing is inequitable. Many pastors teach that you are required to give 10% of your gross income to the local church. For the Ed Young Jr's; TD Jakes; Kenneth Copeland's of the world this is easy to teach. If you are making over $1,000,000 per year, you can spare $100k without much of a problem. But what about the single mom of three kids who is scraping by on $30k per year. Is it fair to require her to give $3k per year to the local church?

Shouldn't we ponder Andrew Murray's words: "How different our standard is from Christ. We ask how much a person gives? Christ asks how much a person keeps?"

The idea that all people should give 10% of their gross income to the local church reminds me of Jesus' stern warning to the Pharisees- religious leaders of Israel in Jesus' day. Luke 11:46, "Woe to you Pharisees! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."

5. Church history is noticeably silent on the topic of tithing. The teaching of tithing for believers has only come into vogue since 1900. Jesus only mentioned it once in the Gospels- Matthew 23:23- and this was not an endorsement of it for his followers. Paul never mentions the tithe. Nor does Peter, James or John. The author of Hebrews mentions the tithe but again only to illustrate a different theological point.

Martin Luther and John Calvin- two of the most voracious students of Scripture- did not teach tithing as applicable to the new covenant believer. Luther said this in a sermon dated August 27,1525: "But the other commandments of Moses, which are not (implanted in all men) by nature, the Gentiles do not hold. Nor do these pertain to the Gentiles, such as the tithe...

Early church leaders wrote the following comments in reference to the subject of tithing:

“The wealthy among us help the needy…As for the persons who are prosperous and are willing, they give what each thinks fit.” Justin Martyr, 160 A.D.

“Instead of the Law commanding the giving of tithes, He taught us to share all our possessions with the poor.” Irenaeus, 180 A.D.

“On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation- but only if it is his pleasure and only if he is able. For there is no compulsion; all is voluntary.” Tertullian, 197 A.D.

Why is tithing taught in churches today? It's good business. The more a church takes in, the more financially secure and comfortable things are. But is it biblical? My conviction is no. Believe me it would be easier to say and think otherwise. The pro-tithers is a larger club. And they tend to take care of their own. They don't enjoy dissenting opinions.

But I have to stand on conviction. Perhaps God will show me different in Heaven. But I won't bet on it for the reasons I have stated above. Hopefully, all pro-tithers and anti-tithers can agree on this: all resources should be maximized for God's glory and the advancement of His kingdom.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Basketball and Stewardship

I love the game of basketball. I attempt to work into my schedule at least 3-4 hours of basketball every week. When it is just me, a basket and a ball, I often have my best thinking time. This is the time I come up with blog topics.

Yesterday, I started thinking about the link between basketball and a resurrected body.

Have you ever seen a really talented player who didn't understand the game and think: why did God distribute that kind of talent to someone who is wasting it? Likewise, I have played with guys who are fun to play with because they understand the team concept. But the skills are limited.

I look forward to a resurrected body and mind. I look forward to glorifying God by focusing passions without the hindrances and limitations of sin. I am excited about the potential pick-up basketball games in the new heavens and earth.

I started thinking about a pick-up game with a potential God Squad- guys who have made a public profession of faith in Christ and seem to have a demeanor that matches this profession. These names come to mind:

C- David Robinson
PF- Dwight Howard
SF- Dwayne Wade
SG- Pistol Pete Maravich
PG- Chris Paul

It would be a tough team. But I believe many ordinary Joes like myself will be able to compete and play on their level with a resurrected body and mind. I love basketball so much that there was a time in my life- before marriage to Amy- that I thought...

"I should just rent a simple apartment next to some good outdoor courts and an indoor gym. Then I could play pick-up basketball 4-5 times per week. And if I stay single... I could watch every college and NBA game that I want... And..."

Fortunately, I matured. But the longing for this has just been delayed to enjoying it fully in heaven. Now, I catch a glimpse from time to time. I understand Eric Liddel's line in Chariots of Fire, "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." God didn't make me a tremendous basketball player, but He did create in my heart a desire for the game. And when I play, I feel His pleasure.

In heaven, playing basketball and having time to read all the books I want to read are going to be permanent realities. I believe this. Because I believe heaven is the earth renovated. Our purest longings will be fulfilled as we enjoy the full presence of Christ and the elimination of the curse of sin. Psalms 107:9, "He satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul He fills with good things."

One other plug for basketball... If you are a fan and you don't know about Bill Simmons' basketball blog, you need to read this. Here's a link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons

Simmons understands the game better than any sports writer I have ever read. He is to writing as Hubie Brown is to announcing. They are in leagues by themselves.

Praising God for the Gift of Recreation,

Ashley Hodge

Lessons From Moving

Moving- we forget the pain. Every time I do it, I say "I will never do it again." And then a few years later I do it again.

Our family moved last week. We are keeping all of our stuff in storage as we wait patiently for a new home to be completed that should have been completed months ago. We decided to accept my wife's parent's gracious invitation to house us for the next few weeks (hopefully) while we are in transition as our new home is completed.

Moving has made me quite philosophical. I believe there are spiritual lessons to be learned in all we do. But I tend to contemplate them more at times of life change.

Lessons From Moving:

1. We have too much stuff. This is the obvious one. But never does it become more glaring than when you go through a move. Despite vowing to have nothing stored in the attic, we managed to fill a 1700 square foot house with lots of things. My wife and I promised each other as we spent days packing: we are okay with owning high quality things. We just want to commit to own less of it and have room for our family and possessions to breathe. As great as we think possessions are, it all becomes one giant hassle when you pack and move them.

Jesus said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15

2. There is great freedom in having less. Currently about 95% of the things we own are being stored. To me it is freeing to have less stuff to care for. One of my favorite parts of moving is the excuse it gives me to purge and recycle possessions by giving them to charity. I love to purge. My wife used to hate it. But lately she has been admitting that she sees my view- which makes me giddy. We were created to live simple but we constantly gravitate towards complexity.

Ecclesiastes 7:29, "God has made men upright, but they have sought out many devices." It is probably stretching the original meaning some but I have always felt that verse telling me that God made us simple, but we have sought out complications.

3. Nothing in this life goes as planned. In my pride, I congratulated myself for my precise planning. We had sold our home to an acquaintance without going through the hassles of listing it. We leased it back and gave ourselves ample time to move into our new home (we thought). But pride always has a way of embarrassing us. God has many lessons to teach us and the one I must learn over and over is to never place trust in my own cleverness. I get knocked down every time.

Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling."

4. This world is not our home. Every time I start to place confidence in this world, I get disappointed. The new home we envision doesn't turn out quite as nice due to shoddy workmanship. Our dreams are never realized because we live in a world that shows daily reminders that it is fallen. Sin has distorted this world and will continue to do so.

An aside... I am all for the new focus on environmentalism (as long as it is reasonable). I think we should consume less and care more for God's creation. But as my friend Gary Randle said to me recently, "All this talk about going green. We are trying to save a planet that God tells us is going to burn." (2 Peter 3:12). Our hearts are meant to be fixed on heaven. This world under the curse of sin will never be paradise. We have glimpses but nothing to set our hearts on. We should travel light in this life.

I John 2:17, "The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever."

Moving builds in me much needed humility. It reminds me that life is never about stuff. It teaches me that we are currently living in a wilderness in temporary tents. We are seeking the Promised Land.

But often we seek heaven on earth instead of seeking heaven in heaven. All of the grandest homes are one tornado, hurricane, tsunami, fire or earthquake away from being destroyed. Life is about God and others. We can enjoy great prosperity in the eternal life to come (as we fully enjoy God and others). Possessions become our comfort too easy. Thank you God for continuing to destroy these idols in my heart by any means that You see fit.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Big House, Bad CEO?

First, you must allow me my proud dad moment. Last week, we welcomed into the world Hope Caroline Hodge. We are sleep deprived but feel extremely blessed. God is good.

William- my French journalist friend- passed along an article that is interesting: Haunted Mansion. The article explores the link between CEO real estate purchases and the performance of that company's stock among S&P500 companies.

The article can be read here: http://www.slate.com/id/2162989?nav=tap3.

The debate is whether a CEO buying a large, elaborate house is a commitment to continue to work hard to pay for this home? Or does it signal complacency towards costs and distraction from the demands of running a company?

Two professors- David Yermack of New York University and Crocker Liu of Arizona State University- studied the home buying behavior of CEOs of S&P500 companies. This is what they found:

• The average home was 6,145 square feet and valued at $3.1 million.
• CEO's who lived in above average homes returned 3.35% per year less than companies whose CEOs lived more modestly.
• CEO's who lived in homes over 10,000 square feet underperformed their peers by 6.9% per year.

To me this is interesting stuff. From personal experience it rings true. I don't (nor plan to) own a boat or second home. I don't think owning these things is sinful. But I understand fully the distractive nature of possessions. I firmly believe that God created us to be free from the clutter of stuff and yet we have sought out ways to complicate our lives- Ecclesiastes 7:29.

Our family is in the final stages of constructing a new home and although the home is less than 1/2 of the square footage of the average CEO and about 10% of the cost, I constantly ask myself, "Is this worth the hassle?" My mind cannot even fathom taking on 10 times the financial commitment and all the headaches associated with that.

We would be wise to listen to the words of Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden, "Simplify, simplify, simplify." This means different things to different people. But this article about CEO homes and stock performance indicates that possessions have a distracting influence on our focus. Christ said, "Take care and be on your guard against all forms of greed because one's life does not consist of the abundance of possessions"- Luke 12:15.

For the Advancement of God's Kingdom and Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Is the resurrection figurative or literal?

The Apostles' Creed from the 3rd-4th century reads:

I believe in God the Father Almighty;
Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary;
Suffered under Pontius Pitlate, was crucified, dead and buried;
The third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven;
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From there He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
The holy catholic Church;
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting. Amen.

This is put beautifully to song by the late Rich Mullins. My 3-year old boy- Hudson- loves this song and can recite it word for word. I don't understand why churches don't sing this creed versus reciting it as some dry reading, but I digress... Here's the video of the song. I encourage you to take time to listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHWoDwxyKUE

A lot of people who would label themselves as Christian believe that the resurrection of Christ is a symbolic thing and did not actually happen. They say, "C'mon people do not rise from the dead." Of course, we see it in nature all the time. Things die and come back to life. Winter comes and then comes Spring. Trees lose their leaves and then a miraculous rebirth occurs and new buds pop out of lifeless (seemingly) limbs.

Easter is about the resurrection of Christ. The hope of Christianity rests on this literal resurrection. The apostle Paul realized the importance of the literal resurrection. A whole chapter is devoted to it: http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/search/?go=Go&q=1+Corinthians+15. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. He appeared to Peter and the apostles. He appeared to over 500 people. Paul says that our faith is worthless if Christ did not literally resurrect.

One my favorite passages in all of the Bible is 1 Corinthians 15:19-20, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of peoples most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead..."

Many skeptics have sought and seek to disprove Christianity. Very few actually study the Scriptures and investigate the literal resurrection of Christ. Some that have gone to this trouble have come to a disturbing conclusion: the literal resurrection of Christ is true. In 1930, English journalist/Christian skeptic Frank Morrison wrote Who Moved the Stone? Morrison came to the conclusion that the resurrection was true.

Josh McDowell wrote Evidence That Demands a Verdict after a similar study. Avowed atheist and legal editor for the Chicago Tribune Herald Lee Strobel investigated the claims of Christianity and found them true. He wrote about his journey in The Case for Christ. CS Lewis underwent a similar journey and wrote about his discoveries in many of his books.

I believe in the resurrection and I believe in life that never ends. I believe that one day God will take this sinful dying or dead body and resurrect it with a perfected body just like He does in nature every Winter/Spring. I believe that God will take this worn out, disease filled, dying earth and resurrect it with a renovated earth free from pollution, sin, disease, death, waste, greed, etc... I believe that God will do this just as He shows us it is possible in nature every Winter/Spring.

I believe that my hope is firmly planted in the resurrection of Christ. He died on the cross for my sins and the sins of all who believe in His sacrificial love. I believe that His resurrection from the dead makes my resurrection from the dead possible. I believe that He will return to judge the earth and everyone in it. I believe that the only way to escape the just wrath of God is to be a follower of Christ. I believe that He will return to establish a kingdom of truth, mercy, righteousness, love and good that will never end.

My daughter Hope is due any day now. Her birth is eagerly awaited by her mother and me. But there is a hope that I long for even more than the birth of my daughter. I long for the return of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. I love my kids and would die for them. But I would also stake my life on the truth of Christ's literal resurrection from the dead. If it is only in this life I have hope, I am to be pitied.

One more video: Bruce Springsteen's version of When the Saints Go Marching In:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aff_zv76sCY&mode=related&search=

For The Hope of Resurrection,

Ashley Hodge