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I'm Rob West. What comes to mind when you hear the word wealth? For some, it means freedom. For others, it brings anxiety and pressure. Today, Jeff Mannion joins us to explore how we can cultivate contentment in a culture that always craves more.
And then it's on to your calls at 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. This is Faith in Finance, biblical wisdom for your financial journey.
Well, Jeff Mannion is the teaching pastor of Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the author of an article in the latest issue of our Faithful Stewart magazine titled Discovering the Power of Contentment. And that's our focus today. Jeff, we are so glad to have you back with us. Rob, it's such a joy to be with you today. Thanks for making the time.
Jeff, in the article, you write that wealth confuses me. I want to start there. Why do you think that's an important place to start this conversation in your writing? Oh my goodness, Rob, it's just such a moving target. I mean, Chris and I started out in ministry when we were 21, tiny little church of 25 people.
And by the way, if you're looking for a fast track to financial freedom, do not take a church of 25 people that refuses to get off the ground. I mean, a Bible church is sizable today, but it took seven years to get up to 100 people consistently. And so we lived simply out of necessity. I mean, it was just always barely enough. But to fast forward the tape, decades and uh The church is now sizable.
We did so many of the right things, set up an emergency fund, studiously avoided debt, and And yet, still. I wrestle with this uh Issue of contentment and sufficiency. And you would think, you know, now that we're out of those days of shortage, dude, you must have nailed it. And I'm going, it is an ongoing struggle. Learning contentment in Financial status of sufficiency is radically different than learning contentment in a season of shortage.
Yeah, but the common denominator for both is learning. And we can learn in different environments. And one of those environments you learned in, you called the desert classroom. Share that with our listeners. Yeah.
And the desert classroom, it refers to the Israelites. They were enslaved for generations in Egypt, right? And then, under the leadership of Moses, they go out into the desert and they have this 40-year detour in the desert. And that's where God provided for them every day with this food substance called manna, and basically kept them alive in the desert. But Rob, then there's this fascinating, for me, chilling and jarring conversation that takes place just when they're ready to leave the desert.
And it's like Deuteronomy chapter eight. It's like, when you get into the land of promise, the promised land, which was often called the land flowing with milk and honey, they're going to trade in the desert for rushing streams and growing grain and. Flourishing grapevines and pomegranates and figs, and there's this warning. Don't forget the Lord your God. Who brought you out of Egypt?
And you think, well, it would be automatic that their hearts would be drawn to worship once they get into this season of sufficiency. My friend, it's not. And it's like, you're going to get into the land of promise. You're going to get into a nice house. Your flocks and herds are going to increase.
And you're going to say, you know, I think I did this. Yes. My strength did this for me. And it's like, do not forget the Lord your God. He is the one who even gives you the ability to grow wealth.
And so again, that's part of the wealth confuses me thing and just the The shifting target is That when a financial status stabilizes, You've done the right things. Debts paid off. The student loans are gone. You know, maybe paying off your mortgage given consistently to retirement fund is kind of like, okay, right there, right there. That is a dangerous moment.
And you need to just double down on the journey of trust. And just remember, you know, I know where my stuff comes from. Yes. Wow, that is so powerful. Yeah, I'm thinking about those Israelites about to face their most significant challenge, prosperity.
What is it about prosperity that makes it so difficult for us to understand the source of it and to navigate it?
Well, we're talking today with Jeff Mannion about contentment. It's a learned behavior, and we're going to try to help you with some of that learning today. Jeff is teaching pastor of Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The article is titled Discovering the Power of Contentment in the latest issue of our Faithful Stewart magazine. We'll continue to unpack it just around the corner and then your questions.
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Yeah. Today, we're talking about finding contentment in every season of life. This is Faith in Finance. I'm Rob West. Joining me today is Jeff Mannion, teaching pastor of Ada Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Jeff wrote an incredible article for the latest issue of Our Faithful Stewart magazine titled Discovering the Power of Contentment. Jeff, before the break, you were talking about what that looks like and the journey of learning that and drawing from scripture and the Israelites. And as you know, in the article, you also share about your personal journey of decluttering. Oh, man. I'm sure that's a topic that resonates with a lot of our listening audience.
Why was that season so impactful for you? And what did you learn?
Well, I I think what happens is uh stuff Rob, stuff grows. Yes. It's like it multiplies and reproduces. And it's not only our lives are filled with all this stuff. And I don't even remember where some of the stuff came from.
And so I went through this seven-week exercise where I gave away. Five items a day. For seven weeks is like 210 items. When I say gave away, I don't mean generosity. This was like getting rid of three dozen CDs.
I didn't listen to CDs anymore. And there they were hibernating in a box in my basement. A 40-piece dish set. That we donated to a housing center that we hadn't used in like two or three years and a drawer of t-shirts. It's like they followed me home from 5K races and conferences and events.
You know, it's enough to outfit a small village. Right. And so 210 items later, the experience I had was just number one, coming in contact with the stuff that I inadvertently surrounded myself with. But um just I felt 210 items lighter. I f I felt Richer for having less.
Right. We can all resonate with that, and there's all plenty for us to declutter.
So that's a great reminder. All right, Jeff, let's begin to dive into this idea of contentment a little deeper. I know in the article you referenced Paul's words to Timothy: godliness with contentment is great gain. What does that look like in our lives today? Yeah, I think the words that we are seduced by are the words there and then.
That is, I will only be at peace there and then. I will only be fully alive there and then. When we're able to break away from this monotonous routine and go on vacation there and then, when we're able to get out of this apartment and get into a house, when we're able to renovate this outdated kitchen and get into a different kitchen there and then, that's where life is. That's where we can be fully alive. And I think contentment, Rob, is learning to be fully alive to God.
fully alive to the people around us, here and now. Not there and then. I think a critical word is before. Uh the the the more fully alive I am to God and people, While I am in the apartment, the more it is likely that I'll be fully alive when we get in the house. The more fully alive I am here now with imperfect people in an imperfect place.
The more likely I will be fully alive when we go on vacation for a week. The more fully alive I am without the renovation, the more fully alive I'll be after the renovation. This renovation will not fix me. Yes. And there is not a mountain of Amazon boxes large enough waiting for me on my front porch to fill the empty space that is in me.
And so, I call it the school of contentment because, in another place, Apollo would say, I have learned to be content. I think that's pivotal. It's not just that some people have the contentment DNA and others don't. I've learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. And by the way, those words were written by an inmate.
He was not where he wanted to be. It's during a house arrest, imprisonment. And he goes, I had to learn to be content, whatever the circumstances. And so, contentment is not gained by getting what we want. Contentment, we arrive at contentment.
Through having this joy and peace and being alive, even when we don't get what we want. And I think it positions us to have extreme joy. If the day comes and when the day comes and we do get what we want, I think it's a powerful, powerful force. It sure is. Boy, we could finish right there and we've learned everything we need here and now, not there and then, but we're going to keep going.
Jeff, let's talk about the comparison trap. You talk about comparison as a major barrier to contentment. Why is comparison in particular so spiritually damaging? And why do you think we struggle with it so much? Yeah, you know, Teddy Roosevelt, I don't know if he actually said it, but he's credited as saying comparison is a thief of joy.
And so I don't know whether Teddy Roosevelt said it, but I believe it's true because, Rob, there's always someone with a bigger boat. Yes. A better landscaped yard. That's right. A longer five-star vacation.
And what comparison does. is it causes my heart to focus on what is being withheld. Rather than focusing on the blessings that are bombarding my life day after day after day. And by the way, if this was a problem 30 years ago, yeah, multiply that by 10 now. That's right.
Because of social media. Yes. Because I'm no longer comparing my life. to somebody else's life. I'm comparing my life to somebody else's image crafting.
Yes. And so not my reality to their reality. But my reality to my impression of their reality. And it can shrivel the heart and it can kill generosity. Because generosity comes from this sense of abundance.
Yes. That I am given much. Abundance meaning more than enough. I have more than enough. That's the fountain from which generosity flows.
And so when I am looking around at my life and I go, not enough, not enough, not enough. it will cripple generosity and it will cripple joy. Oh, so good. Let's go there next because you're right. Giving, we say, often breaks money's grip over our lives and over our hearts.
Why is that so powerful?
Well, it's interesting. That famous passage, I just, it's my key passage on. How to deal with my wealth in an appropriate way. First, Timothy. Where Paul writes to the younger pastor, command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant or to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
And then Rob right after that, command them to do good, to be rich in good dates, to be generous and willing to give. And I think that be generous and willing to give. What Paul is pointing at there is that when we open our hands, It is a reflection of the generosity of God, the God who was generous first in creation and in Christ. And as we begin to reflect His generosity, Wealth can begin to lose its stranglehold. as the source of joy and identity in my life.
Mm. Wow.
Well, Jeff, no doubt we want this for ourselves. We also want this for our kids. We have just a minute left. How do we begin to pass this down, this deeper legacy of living a truly satisfied life? You know, I thought this was important as a dad, and now I, you know, a couple gent, you know, we have, you know, five grandchildren now.
Yeah. And I think it's what's caught. The values are caught. And I just hope that my children and grandchildren observe that Chris and I, that our greatest joy is not new and better stuff. That's just a story too small.
And I hope they can see the source of the lives of generosity that we pursue, and that is that it just imitates the generosity of God for us. When we are generous, It's like it's reflecting the DNA of Christ that's been implanted within us. Oh, Jeff, man, incredible stuff. Listen, folks, if you want to read Jeff's article in the latest issue of our Faithful Steward magazine, consider becoming a FaithFi partner at faithfi.com slash give to receive your copy each quarter directly to your mailbox. My friend, it's truly been a pleasure.
So grateful, Rob, for these moments. That's Pastor Jeff Mannion. The article is called Discovering the Power of Contentment in the latest issue of our Faithful Stewart magazine. Just visit faithfi.com slash give to learn more about becoming a faith five partner. Back with your calls right after this.
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That's faithfi.com/slash preborn. Thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. All right, let's tackle some questions. Today we've got the lines open: 800-525-7000. Milton is in Texas.
Go ahead, sir. Yes, sir. I have a question about the phase five promotion that we've been hearing about on your program.
Okay. When I check online, it says the promotion is up to $400 for that. Money market account. Do you have any details on that? Because, for whatever reason, not able to find it on their website.
Great question. Yeah. So, what Milton is talking about is our friends at Adelphi Christian Banking, which is the merger between Christian Community Credit Union and Adelphi, now the largest Christian banking solution in the world. One of our longtime partners, and they've just been a wonderful partner for those that want a banking partner who's aligned with their Christian values. In addition to their 4% money market up to $100,000, they're offering specifically for Faith Phi listeners a bonus of up to, and this is what Milton's talking about, $400 when you open new accounts.
And the way that breaks out, Milton, has to do with which accounts you're opening.
So it's $100 bonus for a harvest high-yield checking that offers a checking account with 4% interest, another $100 for a harvest high-yield savings, which has an APY of 5%. And then $200 for their cash rewards visa.
So, if you were to do all three, you could get $400. And that's what it's talking about. That's broken out for you. If you head to faithfy.com/slash banking and you scroll down to about the middle of the page, you'll see that bonus offer that's there, and you'll see how that $400 breaks out from those three products. Is that helpful?
Yes, it is. Excellent. Milton, we appreciate your call today, sir. Thank you for being on the program. Let's stay in Texas.
Michael, how can I help you? Hey, my wife and I have sold our house in Texas with a net gain of $200,000. We're about six years from retiring. we're moving to Saint George, Utah. Currently, we lease a house there.
$2,200 a month, which is a very nice house. Or we have the option to buy a condo for cash, but have a three hundred dollar HOA. An equivalent house to what we're leasing would cost about one hundred fifty thousand dollars more that we would have to finance And would still have like a $200 HOA. And I'm just wondering, should we just pay cash for something at this point? And just have a small HOA and the property taxes.
But I'm sure it's a simple answer, but it keeps going around in my head. Yeah. So as you all talk about it, and obviously, you know, you've lived out there or you at least have a place out there.
So you've spent considerable time just in terms of the lifestyle, the location, which would suit you better? We're going to get to the financial side of it in a moment, but I want to just talk about this is going to be your new home.
So talk to me about kind of how you all have thought through that.
Well, the home that we're leasing is a fifty five plus community and it has all the amenities. And also, the condo has that, but that's just not as elaborate as the one that we're leasing, I guess I would say. And she's comfortable with any one of them. And my idea is just to be as close to debt free as possible on the housing. I'm feeling if I have to finance the house, then we're paying everything plus interest, correct?
Yeah, exactly. And I think that's the key. What you just said there a moment ago is that your goal is to be debt-free. You're six years out from retirement. And so, if you wanted to start with that goal in mind, avoiding that new mortgage is going to be wise because you're going to probably struggle unless you have the ability to really accelerate that payoff by limiting your lifestyle over these remaining six years of working.
You're probably going to have a mortgage when you get there. In terms of the lease with the nice amenities, that gives you maximum flexibility, no maintenance, repairs, surprise costs. The downside is the rent's likely going to keep increasing. You're not building any equity. And so, you know, that would be best for a short-term transition.
I would say buying the condo allows you to be fully debt-free, gives you stable housing costs going into retirement. You've got the amenities. No landlord risk. You've got the HOA fees that could rise, and condo values tend to grow a little bit slower. I think the key question is: are we sure this is where we want to stay long term?
If no, then definitely continue to lease. If yes, then I think buying that condo in cash is very compelling given your wife is good with all three options. You're enjoying the amenities of this, or at least what you're seeing there for the condo, and you have this goal of being debt-free, which this allows you to do that. And so, you know, I think the condo is probably the best option, just given everything you've described here, unless there's just something about being in a single family home that has more appeal to it. And you all could really buckle down and try to, you know, pay off this mortgage or at least get close to it by the time you transition into retirement.
But you may find that A, we just don't want to take on that debt, or B, we're giving up some of the amenities that we would enjoy by being in one of these other communities. And if so, I think everything points to the condo as long as you're confident this is where you want to be long term. Does that make sense? Yeah, it does, Rob. Thank you.
Okay. And I guess at worst case scenario, we could lease a condo down there and see if we like it. Yeah, you certainly could do that. And that allows you to get into that community. Are there leases available in that same community where you would be buying eventually?
Yes, there are.
Okay. Yeah, that's not a bad idea at all because then you hang on to your cash. We've still got decent interest rates right now that allow you to keep it safe and liquid and get some good interest on it and allows you to get into that community and kind of try before you buy. Because the last thing we want to do is spend all the closing costs and the taxes and the realtor fees and just all the things that come with buying if you're not sure. And you may find that six months or a year later, you say this is not the community for us.
And that would have been time well spent. It would also allow you to figure out which unit do we want to be in, which level do we want to be on, assuming there's multiple levels involved in this thing. I think the only other thing to consider, Michael, is just which is the best place for you to be as you age.
So many of these homes are just not built for people as they age. And a lot of that comes down to is there multiple levels and things like that.
So you want to factor that in also.
So, but I think, especially given that you're gonna locate to a new state in terms of you've never lived there on a year-round basis. And that you really want to remain debt-free, I think getting to a place where you can try before you buy is probably a good idea.
So I would say, you know, you guys either head out there and you just feel like, no, this is it, we're going to go ahead and buy it, or no, we're going to lease in here looking to buy, but really spend some time making sure this is the right thing for us. I think either of those would suit you really well. All right.
Well, thank you very much, Rob. That made it a little bit more clearer for me. And I'm that by my Teresa, and hopefully everything will work out great. Very good, Michael. Hey, listen, I want to send you a book.
It's called An Uncommon Retirement. It's by my friend Jeff Hainan, and he's done some deep work on really thinking about this fourth quarter of life through the lens of biblical wisdom. I think it'll be an encouragement to you as you think about preparing for this next season of life.
So stay on the line. We'll get your information. We'll put that in the mail as our gift to you. Appreciate you being on the program today. Hey, big thanks to my team today: Pat, Sandy, Devin, Jim, and everybody here at FaithFi that makes this possible.
I certainly couldn't do this without them. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Faith in Finance is provided by FaithFi and listeners like you.
