Episode 781 Invest in Others - Interview with Marcus Hall – Part 2
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining us on episode 781 of the inspired stewardship
[00:00:05] Marcus Hall: [00:00:05] podcast. I'm Marcus hall, author of spiritual wealth, a 40 day journey to developing stewardship mindset. I challenge you to invest in yourself and invest in others. Develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your calling.
[00:00:22] Having the ability to steward your resources is key. And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader
[00:00:39] And so if I'm understanding that actually living the fact that I understand that this is not my money, not my time, not I resources, not my gifts they got is, has lent to me if I am truly believing that in ha and having faith in that, it should be a lot easier for me to give. Those back because they're not mine in the first place.
[00:00:58] And so that's why we come back to the [00:01:00] mindset and the lifestyle and what we're thinking or a worldview. That's why that is so important.
[00:01:05] Scott Maderer: [00:01:05] Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcasts. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired stewardship podcast.
[00:01:22] We'll learn to invest in yourself. Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
[00:01:35] In today's interview with Marcus hall, I asked Marcus to share how giving should be done with the right attitude and why churches so often mess up the giving conversation. I also asked Marcus about teaching children to be better stewards and Marcus. And I also share with you how to balance sacrificial, given why still taking care of ourselves and our families.
[00:01:57] Marcus hall is an Arthur and Christian [00:02:00] financial advisor, helping families create and develop values-based planning, investment and giving strategies. His goal is to help people understand the biblical principles of stewardship, how to apply them to real life. And fulfill God's purpose for their existence.
[00:02:15] He's gained valuable knowledge on the subject by obtaining the certified kingdom advisor designation and he desires to help people integrate their Christian values into their financial decision-making. Marcus spent the early part of his career as a broadcast journalist and was awarded multiple Alabama associated press awards for his anchoring.
[00:02:34] Reporting and videography of local high school and college sports events. His passion was finding that something special about local athletes, both kids and adults and sharing their stories with his audience. He now uses those same skills honed in the broadcast industry to teach others on the subjects of stewardship.
[00:02:52] Marcus is married to Kristy and has three wonderful daughters. Welcome to the show,
[00:03:00] [00:02:59] Marcus Hall: [00:02:59] Marcus man. It is great to be here. Thanks so much for having me, Scott. So last week
[00:03:04] Scott Maderer: [00:03:04] we talked about the first four sections of the book and the kind of the final section of the book is called giving by God's standards.
[00:03:13] So as we've moved into talking about others and investing in others, giving is a part of that. So how can people use the principles utilize to make sure that they're giving with the right attitude about it and. I think for a lot of folks, especially if they're may be struggling a little bit right now, or feel like they don't have enough to go around.
[00:03:38] We talked about this a little bit last week. How does it apply then? Especially because a lot of times that's where the pushback about giving comes from.
[00:03:47]Marcus Hall: [00:03:47] I'll tell you that is the time that that I think is really important when you are struggling a little bit, when you don't feel like that you can give like you want to or give, like, you think you should.
[00:03:59]God is never [00:04:00] going to ask you to give something you don't have. If he hasn't supplied it for you, he's not going to ask it back from you, but he is asking for certain things from us as Christians, regardless of how much money you have coming in or not. And one of those non-negotiables is a ties. And that can be the hardest thing.
[00:04:17] Sometimes when you feel like man, I'm having a hard time. Even paying the mortgage or the rent or for the car or getting these credit cards paid off, I felt like I'm always behind. Let me tell you, that's the most important time of your life to trust God, to start giving the way that he asked us to now, you may not be able to do the above and beyond, but the 10% of tire that he says, I'm asking this of you.
[00:04:41] And the only time in the Bible when God has said, you test me on this, test me on this and Malakai that he says and see if I don't bust open. The storehouse doors for you. That doesn't mean it's going to make you rich. That's prosperity, gospel junk. That's not biblical, but what it does promise you is I'm [00:05:00] testing you right now.
[00:05:01] And that if this, in this situation, if you were still able to have enough faith and to show that faith by your actions trust me when I say I am going to bless you abundantly in ways that you cannot imagine he flat out tells us that, and I've never seen the town, but he did not honor. What he said to us in Malakai.
[00:05:18] There that's one of my favorite verses of the Bible and just trusting him even when it's hardest. And that when it's the hardest we talked and we talked about it last week and that. Even when it's hardest that giving still needs to be on top of that, that first 10% needs to go where it goes, because he's not going to bless the rest of what he gives to us.
[00:05:36] If we're not honoring him and thanking him for what he's given to us in the first place.
[00:05:42]Scott Maderer: [00:05:42] They the tie of 10%, first fruits, it gets back to also the order of the budget. Because the tide this called for first, before everything else if that makes sense offerings is the, what comes later, and I've seen that too, where [00:06:00] clients or even my own personal journey, my wife and I were not tithing.
[00:06:03] We were not doing all of that. And as I began to study this and she began to. I study this and speaking to my life, we just began to do it. And we were not in a position where it made any logical sense to begin doing it. But it worked, and not like you said, not because suddenly money just magically appeared, but it changed things about how we did things and what we thought and what we
[00:06:27] Marcus Hall: [00:06:27] acted well, once you start obeying God, and once you start showing faith, In him.
[00:06:32] And once he starts honoring that faith that you've shown, Hey, your confidence level really picks up as you're reading. And as you're investing time with him and as you're trying to live more of the godly lodge style, listen, there are markers along the way where you can go back to any Christian can go back on their lives.
[00:06:53] Who've lived a life with Christ and S and note out different times where they knew, Hey, God proved himself. [00:07:00] Here at this point, what? That was the hardest you just gave me one and that went when it wasn't good, but you made the decision, Hey, we're going to have faith. We're going to do what he tells us to.
[00:07:07] And he showed out just like, God always does. He showed out and he came through, he has never broken a promise and he will honor that give, and he will honor that faith and everything that we do. And I want folks to realize the amount doesn't matter if you made a hundred dollars this week, And you gave 10, you, you are, you were in compliance with what he's asking us to do.
[00:07:27] You are living what he wants us to do. It may not build the rest of that building, but God is not concerned with that. God is concerned with your heart. And if you're on board with him, remember the story in, I think it's embark of the, a woman who, as they're coming and giving their their offerings or their ties and they're coming in the, at the downtown area.
[00:07:47] And they're all, the. In front of the tons that made more are coming through and they're giving not really giving with a great giving attitude, but they're giving more than she gave, but she came through and gave her two copper coins and she put those in there and [00:08:00] really was probably made fun of the others for just bringing those two copper coins.
[00:08:02] But who did Jesus stop and make an example out of it was that woman that he said, look at what she's given. And everybody around us said, what do you mean what she's given? She just gave two little flimsy little coins. She used to say, that's right. But it was everything she had. She just gave me everything she had where you guys without making a lot more.
[00:08:22] And this is, Hey, this is our population. This is the USA right here. Those of us making a lot more who aren't doing our share and who aren't giving, like he's asked us to that. She gave everything and she was made the example of a Jesus recognized that, and honor that, and that woman's life. And that's
[00:08:39] Scott Maderer: [00:08:39] the widow's mite.
[00:08:40] The story is the widow's mite, which is a popular kind of, and that is an interest of their expression. And a lot of people don't even recognize that it's a biblical story, but it is a biblical story
[00:08:49] Marcus Hall: [00:08:49] about sacrificial the amount doesn't matter, just do what he asks you to do, and he will honor that in your life.
[00:08:54] Scott Maderer: [00:08:54] So flipping the coin a little bit. When we talk about giving, [00:09:00] I think within, especially within the church circles, there can often be negative. Connotation negative feeling. Even the tie, there's, you go look it up, you can find church articles about why the tie is an outdated idea and different things like that.
[00:09:15] So how is it that we are doing it wrong within the church when it comes to giving?
[00:09:22]Marcus Hall: [00:09:22] I think you made an example earlier when we're talking about, and I actually use it in the book as the kind of intro to one of the days devotions. In that I can see the eyes rolling. In people's eye in, in people's heads, as they hear, Hey, we've just had a great worship service.
[00:09:40] We're having great praise and worship. And then they realized that today the preacher is preaching on stewardship and automatically their thoughts go to if it's a typical church that happens too often, automatically the thoughts do go to, alright, what are we raising money for? What are we paying off?
[00:09:56] What are we about to buy? And that's because, and that's what I think [00:10:00] we're doing wrong. So often in that. Stewardship is like anything else in the Bible that God takes when it's not even like anything else. I think it's, in some cases, we're talking about the fact that what 2300 verses in the Bible deal with money, stewardship, giving something along those lines.
[00:10:15] It's a pretty important, it's mentioned more often than love. It's a party important topic. And that I think the reason, not just for God to enforced and reinforced to us that this was important to him, but I think it also shows us. How hard it was going to be for us to live that life and how hard our flesh was going to fight against that and that greed and that selfishness was going to fight against that because he had to keep repeating it and just not go across the head with it quite honestly with that.
[00:10:40] And I think if our is only bringing up the topic at those times where we need the money for something, then I think we're doing it wrong. I love that the church that I'm with for several years, every January, Whether we had something going on or not something special, which most years we didn't. We started with a month of stewardship lessons for every Sunday school class for every connection [00:11:00] group that the breacher taught on that throughout the month, really to start off the year with that mindset and that attitude just like I'm dealing with it with the devotional here is is changing that mindset to where this should be a part of our every day.
[00:11:13] Godly lifestyle stewardship is about everything. Just like we said, not just money. It is about everything that God gives us. And so it's important that I think so often money and stewardship is thought of in the church setting as something that comes with guilt or confusion or shame, or we talk about things like Tai or stewardship and.
[00:11:33] Quite honestly, a lot of folks don't understand the verbiage that we use because we're not explaining it. We're not talking about even some of the verses we've used today, what the Bible says about it. And we're not teaching biblical principles and how to live a Gavi lifestyle. We're teaching that we need something for this particular moment and that confuses people.
[00:11:52] And I think it, it doesn't help us to understand exactly what stewardship is.
[00:11:57]Scott Maderer: [00:11:57] I think too, oftentimes we tie [00:12:00] it to rule following. Yes, where it almost becomes a do this because I told you to exactly. Yes, obedience to God is necessary. And that's part of what we're called to do, but it's not it's a BDS out of a sense of all, out of a sense of relationship.
[00:12:20] It's not obedient out of. I don't even know why I'm supposed to do this. I'm just supposed to do it kind of thing. Sometimes that's what we're called to do, and then we'll figure it out, down the road. But not always, at least. So as a parent, myself, and I know you're a parent of three girls yourself, we.
[00:12:39] I know, I worry about passing this onto my son. I think I, I have a lot of parents that talk about how do you teach your child this? I think children are natural givers. Most of the time, children are very good at giving at least initially, but how do we teach them to not just do that, but actually become and be better [00:13:00] stewards of their resources
[00:13:01] Marcus Hall: [00:13:01] as well.
[00:13:03] Well, I will tell you this, it won't just happen. You have to be purposeful and you have to be thinking about it and just like everything else we've talked about, you have to make a commitment to do it. And that doesn't mean it's going to be easy, but it means if you want them to understand what it is, it's important to you.
[00:13:19] Listen, I realized something a couple of years ago. I now tied online. What when I get paid. I'm sitting down to do my bills probably after they're already in bed. And the first Blake's is when everything's quiet and I can actually get things settled. And so the first thing I do is go to the church website and make the ties.
[00:13:33] Then they are, my kids are never going to see me put $8 in an offering plate. And quite honestly, we haven't even passed around offering plates for the last several months because of COVID and things like that. And so they won't even see me giving to the church. And so I have to make it purposeful in my wife and I Christy have to make it purposeful as to why are these things important?
[00:13:54] And so there are many different ways that you can do one way. Now you said I've got three girls they're 18, [00:14:00] six, and four. So we can do some things with the 18 year old with Emma that Abigail and Olivia won't necessarily understand yet. And so what we've done with Emma now, a couple of times is maybe for Christmas or for a birthday, we have given her a letter and some money that says, listen, here's a dollar figure.
[00:14:18] That is not for you, but we want you to tell us a kingdom related Organization company that you want to give this money to. And for a reason, and even though it's not their money, what you're doing is, is you're starting to instill principles in them as a young adult, that when I do have money, my expectation and my parents apparently do this because they're doing it.
[00:14:41] For me is that I should be giving part of that money for some different reasons, besides just my own spending and launched out. And so maybe they're not spending their own money yet, but you're allowing them to start again. It goes back to mindset. It goes back to lifestyle. You're training them that this is important to you.
[00:14:58] Therefore it should be important to [00:15:00] them when they do have money to spend. And so what we have her do then is say, listen, where does this money need to go? Why does it need to go there? And so she was one of the ones we did before. It was a there was a mission trip. She went on with her school and they were involved with the with the church that in the village they were in that church happened to be the home of the water Wells of that area where people came to not just get literal water.
[00:15:23] But to give that, but to get the water of life as well. And so we found out that they needed a replacement there. And so she was able to get that money towards a replacement of that. Well, that's not just gonna help people physically, but help them spiritually because now the church is giving to them and their responses to the church by having the connection.
[00:15:41] Yeah. Having the friendship there as well, the relationship there. So that's one way to do that with the older ones. Would the younger ones when we start Tai, Oh, excuse me. When we start doing allowances, we actually tried the the three jar with the w with the Gibbs spend or save, or however you want to label those, but how, at least one of those jars was set aside for whatever money you [00:16:00] earn from your allowances.
[00:16:01] That week part of that money is going to go to the church. You're instilling again, you may be fortunate to do that, to start with. But it's setting that mindset and showing them why this is important, not just doing it, but showing them why this is important because God asked us to do these things.
[00:16:15] And there are a myriad of different opportunities and ways to do that, that you can easily find with a few searches or whatever like that on the internet. Well,
[00:16:23] Scott Maderer: [00:16:23] and going a step further to beyond money. You can also find activities and ways that they can spend time and other things as well. In kingdom
[00:16:32] Marcus Hall: [00:16:32] ways, we did something with the two younger ones.
[00:16:35] That back at the start of, I guess it was the start of summer after a two or three months of COVID after everything shut down. Back last year and that how in the world did we get at that time, a five and a four year old to understand how to give, because they have never wanted for their next meal.
[00:16:50] They've never had to worry about, what they were going to wear tomorrow. How do we under, how do we help them to understand these things? And so we took a, of course we were a family of five with two small kids. You [00:17:00] have a minivan. My wife really loves that. But we took that and she had the idea that.
[00:17:04] This woman is so tremendously creative. So we basically decorated the minivan as a, as an ice cream truck for that day. And we even had the, we even downloaded some music to have when we pulled up and we called some friends because we haven't seen anybody because of social distancing schools have been closed.
[00:17:20] We haven't seen anybody in several weeks. And so we said, what's the way we can be outside, do something. And so we had a plan that we wanted to help, for them to raise money for the local food bank. And so our plan was let's go out. We bought some Walmart, ice cream, stuck at the coolers and just headed out and they made the signs.
[00:17:36] They put some sweat equity in a, they were sweating at the end of the day, we're in the South. They were sweat at the end of the day, but they were raising money throughout the day. So we were helping them understand we were raising money and doing something for somebody else. And then after the end of the day, we went back, I knew someone here locally that allowed them to come in toward the food bank, the two, my two youngest kids.
[00:17:55] And so they got to hear firsthand from the food bank director. Why they were important, why [00:18:00] that was a special thing to do to give money to them because of the people that needed food. And so they were getting the fact that, Hey, they were spending time, they were working, they were tired.
[00:18:08] And that Saturday afternoon when we got done, but where was that money going? That was a creative way to do things. There are you just to be intentional and purposeful to figure out a way to do that, to say, listen and what, when I go back to what Ron's materials and for kingdom advisors what the blues have taught is the next steward.
[00:18:26] Chosen and prepared. And so I know right now, if my wife and I pass away today, these three kids would inherit the life insurance money or savings and retirement savings that we have and all that. And of course they wouldn't get it at this age right now, but they would be in a pretty good situation financially at an early age.
[00:18:43] Now, are they ready to an era that money, that they have any semblance of idea of how mom and dad would want that money to be spent? That's hard for young people, but I'm hoping that we're establishing that if that were to happen and they were to come into money like that, that they would understand not just my money perspective, but time and [00:19:00] effort.
[00:19:00] What's important for us to be doing with our money and our resources that God has gifted us.
[00:19:07] Scott Maderer: [00:19:07] So when we think about those resources and those gifts as we recognize the true ownership, and we've said time and time again, God owns it. God blesses us with this. How does that help us to be more fully willing?
[00:19:23] To give and yet, you know, going back to the widow's mite, how do we balance that as well and balance this idea of sacrificial giving without overdoing it, without taking care of our own household and doing the other things that we need to do, how do we balance between
[00:19:40] Marcus Hall: [00:19:40] those? Well the first part of that question, it would be a lot easier for me to give away your money Scott, than to give away my money.
[00:19:49] And so if I'm understanding and actually living the fact that I understand that this is not my money, not my time, not my resources, not my gifts that God has lent to [00:20:00] me. If I am truly believing that it had and having faith in that, it should be a lot easier for me to give those back because they're not mine in the first place.
[00:20:08] And so that's why we come back to the mindset and the lifestyle and what we're thinking or a worldview. That's why that is so important. I believe because it's all about perspective living the Christian life is all about perspective. If I'm worried about myself and what I feel and what I want to do, my decisions I make are going to be a lot different every day than if I'm concerned with what would God want me to do in this situation?
[00:20:30] What is he telling me to do? What would be the right thing to do from Jesus's point of view, that's a whole lot different from what Martin wants to do a lot of the time. And so it's that vantage point in that perspective, I think that changes that totally to where. I'm going to tell you right now, when we, when you start doing that and you used, and God allows us to be a part of that blessing of giving and why in the world would you wait until you're dead and gone to leave everything for somebody else?
[00:20:55] When you have the opportunity today to be a part of his kingdom work and to receive the blessings [00:21:00] that we could receive. And we shouldn't do it for that reason, but just the blessings that he gives me tenfold from the reason I wanted to do it in the first place. That's amazing to me, how I see that occur.
[00:21:10] When I give, when the person is being blessed, I feel like I'm blessed more. Yeah, in those situations, it's absolutely astonishing when that happens. And he tells us, let's be building up heavenly treasures. Let's not be building up these temporary treasures here on earth that are going to collect them off in the rust and pass away.
[00:21:26] They are going to go away. You are not willing to take those on with you. Why not go ahead and be part of the process of giving those back out and showing that showing others your love for Christ in that way. And when you ask, how do we balance that with overdoing it again, that goes back to personal relationship with Christ.
[00:21:44] Listen, we are responsible. I would not be a good steward of my family. If I gave away every dollar that came into the household and gave it away to everybody. If I couldn't take care of my own family, that would not be a prudent or smart thing to do. And people will go back to that story. I think a lot of times in the Bible where the rich young [00:22:00] ruler was instructed to do so, and we think that's the parameter of what God is going to ask us to do.
[00:22:04] Well, you know why God asked him to do that and why he doesn't ask you or I, or somebody else to do that. God knew that was his Achilles heel. He was saying, Hey, I've done everything else that I need to do. God, I am ready to be yours and followed all the way over to be your fault. I will do everything you need to do.
[00:22:19] I've done everything you've asked me to do. And that's when he said, Jesus is, well, I can't come. I can't believe I'm comparing Jesus to a good attorney but he's lucky to have a good attorney and that he's never going to, he never asked a question. He doesn't already know the answer to. And when he asked that Richard, your road trip to, to do that, listen go give to the poor.
[00:22:36] He knew he wasn't going to do that. He knew his heart was not in the right place to be able to do that and to make that sacrifice, to go follow him with that. He really wasn't where it needed to be. That doesn't mean that he's going to ask every one of us, or he's not going to ask most of us to give everything.
[00:22:50] We have to go follow him. That is not going to happen in most situations, but I'm not telling you a Wolf either. I can't tell you how he's going to deal with you, but he hasn't asked me to do that. And I [00:23:00] don't think. That's prudent in most situations. And that he would ask us to forsake taking care of our families when he tells us to do that in the Bible.
[00:23:08] On behalf of just to give everything away for those matters. But I think there's a file on that. Again, you have to be in relationship with him and then and in prayer with him and then talks with him daily and on a consistent basis to be able to understand what does he want you to do with your life?
[00:23:24] The Holy spirit is going to guide you in the right way. Right?
[00:23:26]Scott Maderer: [00:23:26] And again, I think for most of us we're providing. Quite well for ourselves. And, again, getting back to the beginning of the conversation with the challenge of how do you give, even when things are really tight? I think oftentimes the reason things are tight is because we've over lived our lifestyle as opposed to under living.
[00:23:51]Marcus Hall: [00:23:51] I don't know if many folks who've ever, I've never met anybody who regretted paying off. The mortgage or paying off the credit card bills. I have, [00:24:00] honestly,
[00:24:00] Scott Maderer: [00:24:00] if you do regret it, you'd go get more.
[00:24:02] Marcus Hall: [00:24:02] If you can. You can. I have met several folks who have regret and a decision they make to spend on a vacation or a a more lavish vehicle or house that they needed.
[00:24:12] At the time and realize it later on and couldn't well, they could do something about it. I don't know if they were willing to, or not in that situation, but there's been some regret there. Yes. Yeah.
[00:24:19] Scott Maderer: [00:24:19] Well, or in doing something about it, it created know again, sometimes what feels good in the short term causes long-term pain.
[00:24:27] And the short-term pain often leads to long-term.
[00:24:30] Marcus Hall: [00:24:30] When we talk about, if I have this conversation probably weekly at some point, and that, and it deals a lot, you can compare it a lot too. I think you can compare it a lot to the markets and retirement aspect. And as you can, from a biblical perspective and that when you are making decisions based on short term hurt, Or short-term pain or short-term desire.
[00:24:51] I guarantee you you're most likely going to be making a horrible decision for your long-term financial future. If you can change that [00:25:00] to be thinking about, is this really something I need to do for the longterm now you've changed the perspective. And you've probably changed the answer to your question the same way that I think when you're thinking biblically, if the difference in the temporary of today and the eternal of what the kingdom of God is, if we are thinking from an eternal perspective, a more long-term perspective, you're going to make a better decision in everything that you do.
[00:25:24] That is what this whole book is about. That's what this whole conversation is about.
[00:25:29] Scott Maderer: [00:25:29] You can follow Marcus on Facebook and Instagram as at stewardship Arthur, or find him on his website@stewardshipmindset.com. He's also over on LinkedIn as Marcus hall, all of course have links to all of these in the show notes as well.
[00:25:45] Marcus, is there anything else you'd like to share
[00:25:47] Marcus Hall: [00:25:47] with the listener? I hope that what you take from the conversations we're having. And if you're listening to Scott's podcasts and stewardship must be an important topic in your life. I just want you to be able to know, Hey, this is an important thing that we need [00:26:00] to look at daily in our lives to make sure that we are aligning ourselves with the mind of Christ, that we are living the life that he wants us to live, and that we are growing one step closer to him each and every day.
[00:26:17] Scott Maderer: [00:26:17] thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast as a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listened, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode. Please, please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship.com/itunes
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