00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on Episode 5 31 of the inspired Stewardship Podcast, a special rebroadcast of an interview with Matt Ham. Hey, I'm at him, author of Redefined Rich and I Challenge You to live richly by listening to the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Made her. Someone who lives a rich life is going to naturally leave a legacy that transcends themselves because they're pointing back to the father. There's something eternal in that there's nothing internal in man. Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast.
00:00:54 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 who learn to invest in herself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world. Joining in on the discussion this week as we talk with mad about learning to live a rich life and how that can help you make an impact on how we can work to identify our calling as a posture,
00:01:33 not a position, how we can believe that Everyone has a story that matters, even you and lots more. How can learning to live rich help us make a positive impact on the world? Well, a the end of the book, you know, there's this really this just discovery that living richly is living for God for his purposes, tohave him be. You know what really shines through in you and and and yet at the same time, there's a very practical application of this ongoing process of investing in others and choosing gratitude and humble yourself with confidence.
00:02:12 And so I think that someone who lives a rich life is going to naturally leave a legacy that transcends themselves because they're pointing back to the father. There's something eternal in that there's nothing internal in man. But the great people in history always reflected something greater than themselves. You know, you look at the great athletes. I mean, that's a god given, you know? Yes, they worked hard, but they were blessed, you know? I mean, with with these these abilities, these talents, singers,
00:02:43 musicians, you know, playwrights, all of the above, I mean that they were given this this gift that they cultivated, and they might not even have been, you know, a believer, current Christian or whatever. But, you know, I do believe that God shows himself in the midst of those things. And I think that when we choose to live this way, we really naturally create a legacy that points to something greater than us. And people see that. And that's what you know has that ripple effect and that legacy that that impact and influence of reaching people and changing people for for eternal purposes,
00:03:19 that is what you know, kind of leaves its its market the same time There's Scott. You know, there are people who have lived a rich life, and, you know, they may not, you know, have this this great following or they might not have this. You know, this, Ah, this fame or the stardom or whatever. But that doesn't mean that it's any less impactful. And I think I think that part of that is understanding. To think, um, kind of the way God thinks right it is.
00:03:47 He doesn't measure things by the world's standards. It is a measuring the things by saying, you know how many lives that you change, You know, the guy who changed 100 is better than the guy who changed in Is that that he went searching for one lost sheep. He went searching for one lost coin. And that is the heart of the father. And so for us we have to understand is that you know, we this not metrics and the war of the way the world measures it.
00:04:13 We just need to, you know, if we can change the heart of one, then that's the heart of the father.
00:04:20 One thing that I know I've struggled with throughout my life is actually identifying my calling. You know, we're here.
00:04:29 Where should I have an impact? And honestly, I think many of us struggle with that. Um,
00:04:35 do you have any advice for those of us that struggle to identify our call? Yeah. You know,
00:04:41 I mean, again, I'm in that camp with you. Um, i e I've been in this journey now for almost three years of really saying what do you do and what are you doing?
00:04:51 Um, and I think it's a posture more than a position. Um, it was not calling was my calling was my calling.
00:05:02 You wanna know what he wants us to do. I think what he wants us to do first is too quiet ourselves at his feet every day.
00:05:10 Be present, trust him. And then from there it's just born. It's just born, you know.
00:05:18 And so you know, again it says it says in the gospel Seek and you will find knock and the door will be opened if you seek him seek first.
00:05:32 The kingdom and all these things will be added to you, right? The psalms said, Delight yourself in the Lord and he'll give you this art of your heart.
00:05:43 We have to focus on the seeking and the delighting in him, you know? And I think we spend too much time focusing on the calling in the end game,
00:05:53 the end of the rainbow, the end of the road, you know, And and that is not That is not where it is.
00:06:00 It's found in the president. You know, C s Lewis said that the president is the moment where time touches eternity and I love that imagery because,
00:06:10 you know, eternity begins now and now and now and now, right? I mean, that's that's That's the idea of the present.
00:06:19 Is the place where time touches eternity. And so, if you wanna have an eternal mindset, if we want to find our calling if we want to do those things,
00:06:26 we have to learn to be in the present. And I think that too often we start focusing about the end of the rainbow,
00:06:33 and we need to focus on you right now. So, Matt, I think you'd say that I don't want to put words in your mouth,
00:06:42 but I think you'd say that everyone has a story and and that, you know, their story matters.
00:06:47 Actually, I said that I said that in the book. I was I thought I was quoting it.
00:06:52 But I, uh can you Can you give any advice to those of us learning to actually believe that ourselves to believe that,
00:06:59 you know, there's value in our story? Mmm. Yeah. I mean, and that is that's the hard part is because in the midst of your own story,
00:07:10 you cannot see right, there's there's your blind, and you can't understand how this helps. Um, I had a an incredible story that happened to me.
00:07:25 I was actually running 1/2 iron man. A couple of years ago, and I was so distraught and and just really struggling,
00:07:32 I wasn't ready. And, you know, I was just kind of being beaten, beaten up by those monkeys and,
00:07:36 uh, the morning of the race. I just was sick and felt nauseous and couldn't eat anything. And I was getting ready to have to run,
00:07:43 you know, 70 miles and I'm not run 70 miles, but the whole race was 70 miles or so.
00:07:48 Basically, I rested in the Scripture from so money, one that says he who dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
00:07:57 And I remember about 67 miles into that race I was running down a very hot street in the middle of downtown Raleigh,
00:08:04 North Carolina, and and there was this little shadow, and I kind of stood underneath the shadow and remember that verse He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
00:08:15 And in that moment a man came running by me. I looked at him, he was holding a baton,
00:08:22 and there's another man holding the baton as well. These two men were running down the road holding a baton.
00:08:26 So what in the world is that about? I looked again and I realized that one of the men was blind.
00:08:31 Mmm. And I didn't just think about the 67 miles he already been. I thought about all the training he had to do to get to that moment.
00:08:40 There's a blind guy running his race with a baton. Somebody else holding on a moment had a picture.
00:08:51 And that's what God calls us, where the blind he's got the time, he says, Come, hold on and we'll run our race together.
00:09:04 And when we get to that point where you grab that baton, we understand that our story matters matters to God,
00:09:11 you know, and we confound power in that, and he'll breathe life into it. We just have to recognize our Brokenness,
00:09:19 invest in others, choose gratitude, humble ourselves with confidence. Grab hold of the baton. And Langley,
00:09:28 if you could look into the future long after you've passed away. Uh, what? What impact do you hope you've made on the world?
00:09:41 You know, man, I thought about this often, and and a while ago I told somebody one of my greatest.
00:09:46 Spears was not being remembered. Um, but But God spoke wife into that and and and said that even in the midst of that,
00:09:59 there's there's pride right for And so he kind of, you know, asked me like Abraham in the Old Testament,
00:10:07 to lay that on the altar and, you know, kill that thing. Um and so and quite,
00:10:17 quite honestly, I have not been worrying or thinking as much about the kind of impact I want to leave because I just feel like the guy's gonna do what he's gonna do with it as long as I you know,
00:10:30 Wong and and yet the thing that comes to mind and I've told somebody this before is I have three sons and I have a daughter on the way.
00:10:41 And for me, I just hope that my family, my Children, come to know the Lord intimately and love him,
00:10:56 and my grandchildren would know the Lord intimately and loving and in the kind of impact that I would leave would be my immediate footprint.
00:11:05 My family, those that he's entrusted me with would understand the love of the father, not me, their father in heaven and and that would be their sustaining thing.
00:11:15 And so that's the vision that I had for the future is a family who is intimately, you know,
00:11:24 with with God. And, um, and who understands that he is the source of joy and in life and that that's the picture that I got for him.
00:11:36 Well and honestly, I mean that that would be a tremendous impact. Just seeing it in your your own family and those around you.
00:11:45 Yeah. So what's what's next? Um what? What's next? Step on your journey? Yeah. Um,
00:11:54 you know, I redefined Riches Still has this crazy momentum. I mean, I get emails and messages all the time,
00:12:02 had a guy the other day he bought 20 something copies for his entire family. And I said, I'm just curious.
00:12:08 What? What what kind of ledge to do this. He said I had a dream where my grandmother told me to do this,
00:12:14 and I didn't do it. And then I had another dream where she said, I told you to do this.
00:12:18 Go do it. And he said, So honestly, I'm buying these books for my family because my my dead grandmother said too.
00:12:25 And I'm like, Holy cow, that's kind of wild, you know, But but But that's the crazy thing about this is this.
00:12:31 It has this very kind of organic fields, so I really, you know, as far as what's next?
00:12:36 You know, I have booked two in the works and, um, and it's dealing with identity. And it's dealing with the things that we find,
00:12:44 you know, our identity in our value in and in learning to kind of lay those things down. And as we say,
00:12:49 Take the cape off and and so that's that's booked, too. And and I have an agent working on kind of the proposals and getting all that together,
00:12:56 See if we can get, you know, publisher on board with this and and republish redefined Rich and so that's there.
00:13:02 And I'm also to working on the ministry that's gonna probably launch in 2016 and, um, have a partner.
00:13:09 I can't talk too much about it, but, um, we were really, really excited to begin helping people to walk a journey of faith in one that kind of transcends,
00:13:21 You know, the common sense and and what traditional kind of Christian language might say, but but one that is intimately aware of God's spirit,
00:13:31 working in us and threw us to do some amazing things for the kingdom. So, yeah, we're marching forward with those things,
00:13:38 man, one day at a time. Awesome. So I look forward to the next book. I mean,
00:13:43 I've heard you speak on that topic before, a little bit, and I know that's gonna be awesome.
00:13:46 Yeah, I'm excited to me and it's it's really coming together nicely so you can connect with Matt and learn more about these rich,
00:13:55 rich principles by following Matt on Twitter, He's at Matt Ham, S R Matt Ham, senior subscribe and Rita's Blawg over at matt ham dot com or join his whole life matters community on Facebook.
00:14:09 I'll have links to all of these on the Blogger at Christian Stewardship coaching dot com. I'm gonna say the episode number put that in.
00:14:17 Matt. Is there anything else you'd like to add? No. Scott, Man, this has been enjoyed.
00:14:23 It really talk just with you to dive into this stuff. It's always a great kind of refresher to me toe Look back and see what God's done.
00:14:30 And so I hope that folks here today would just see this is a journey that they can embrace and that they can live richly,
00:14:37 that their lives can radiate these principles. They just have to, um, kind of the understand them first and redefine them.
00:14:45 And that's really what this is about. So thanks, man, for letting me share. I'm happy to walk with anybody,
00:14:49 has any questions, and I think he gave my my sight in information out there. So look for to connecting with those who choose to thanks so much for joining us and listening to the inspired stewardship podcasts.
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