Copyright 2014 William F. High United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations marked PEB are taken from the Plain English Bible, copyright 2003. Used by permission of Destiny Image Publishers, Shippensburg, PA 17257. All rights reserved. All emphasis within Scripture quotations is the author s own. DESTINY IMAGE PUBLISHERS, INC. P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 Promoting Inspired Lives.
A Thousand Little Gifts Rick Warren and Generous Living William F. High Imagine that you ve worked hard for twenty-two years, built your business from the ground up, grown to twenty thousand employees, and finally the payday comes the chance to cash out and live in luxury. What would you do? While it wasn t a business, Rick Warren, Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church, was confronted with a similar choice the chance to earn a small fortune and live the easy life or carry on just as before. Ultimately, the influence of his family, the valley of depression, and a thousand little gifts along the way made the path he took possible. Family Influenes Rick was the second child of Jimmy and Dot Warren. His father was a Baptist pastor and his mother was a school librarian. They were poor, but their meager means didn t entail a meager lifestyle. My dad planted a garden that was an acre in size, which was far more than we could ever eat, Rick said. But he wanted to give away the extra vegetables to provide for families in need. His mother was a model of generosity as well. When I woke up, I never knew who was going to be at the breakfast table because my parents were always taking in people, having guests or people who just needed help. One year, Rick s father added it up Rick s mother had given away over one thousand additional meals in a single year! Don t waste it, don t love it, don t trust in it for security, and don t expect it to satisfy you. 3
Not only did Rick s parents model generosity, but they also taught him four big things not to do with money: Don t waste it, don t love it, don t trust in it for security, and don t expect it to satisfy you. Those lessons would become important later in Rick s story. The Call and Release of a Pastor After graduating from high school, Rick attended California Baptist University. In November 1973, he and a friend skipped classes and drove three hundred fifty miles to hear W.A. Criswell preach. Rick stood in line to shake Criswell s hand, and Criswell told Rick he felt led to lay his hands on him and pray for him. This was a memorable moment in Rick s early ministry. During seminary, Rick had a vision for building a church for people who didn t go to church. He believed that one day God would give him a church with twenty thousand people in attendance on a hundred-acre property. In April 1980, they led the first service of Saddleback Church at Laguna Hills High School with two hundred people in attendance. After Saddleback Church began, it continued to grow quickly. They had to change locations often just to accommodate the church s growth. The crazy success of the church produced unintended consequences for Rick depression. After the Christmas service in 1980, Rick fled to the Arizona desert where he found himself doubting his ability to lead a large congregation and questioning their success. In the desert, God made it clear to Rick that this ministry effort was not about Rick, but about the work God desired to do. God reminded me that it was His church and He would take the responsibility for growing it. I had to let go of the reins and trust God. A Thousand Gifts As the church grew, so did Rick s opportunity for income. Nonetheless, he and Kay had made the decision to raise their giving each year of their marriage. Some years were lean, but still each year they increased their giving. And for thirty-eight years, they ve kept that commitment. Even in college, Rick found God was giving him opportunities to trust Him. At the end of one school year, he owed $500 in tuition that had to be paid by the end of the month in order to return to school the next year. He also owed a friend $10 for gas money. Rick had no money except for $50 in a savings account. He reasoned that the $50 wasn t enough to pay his bills, so he closed out the account and, after praying, gave the money to the American Bible Society. He sent the $50 with a note saying, Whoever gets this note, while you re processing this gift, would you mind praying for this poor college student who has some bills to pay? I m trusting God to meet my needs as I think about the needs of other people. 4
I believe that spontaneous giving is just good for your heart. About ten days later, Rick was invited to speak at a weekend revival at a church in Los Angeles. At the end of the revival, to his surprise, the pastor of the church took up an offering for him. That night Rick walked out with a check in the amount of $565, which meant he could pay his $500 tuition, the $10 loan, and $55 in tithes! Along the way, Rick and Kay, in addition to their regular systematic giving, have also practiced strategic giving and spontaneous giving. Kay has a policy that if she sees anybody on the corner she will always stop and give them something. Sometimes it s money and other times it s gift cards to grocery stores. While some people might say don t do that because they ll spend it on drugs or beer, you know what? That s their problem. If you have the opportunity, do it. I believe that spontaneous giving is just good for your heart if you only do strategic giving, then you are trying to control everything. And that is a heart issue that needs to be exposed. One of Rick s favorite generosity stories happened over a four-year time span. While at some meetings in eastern Los Angeles, he and a friend went to a taco joint at midnight for a snack. A homeless man was outside the restaurant, so Rick bought him some burritos and something to drink. Four years later and sixty miles away in Pasadena, Rick was waiting for his wife and son to finish an appointment. He bought lunch and sat outside on some church steps to eat. Two homeless men joined him, so he offered to split his lunch with the men. After a fun lunch of eating and telling stories, one of the men said, I know who you are. You re Pastor Rick. When Rick asked him how the man knew him, the man replied, Four years ago, on the other side of town, you bought me dinner at midnight. Rick said, That the guy would remember that, and that God gave me the opportunity to help him again, was just a neat confirmation that I was doing the right thing. The Choice By 1995, just fifteen years after its inception, Saddleback Church had grown to ten thousand weekly attendees. In 1995, Rick also published The Purpose Driven Church, and followed that in 2002 with The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? It hit number one on four major bestseller lists, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. Time magazine named him one of the 15 Leaders Who Mattered Most in 2004, and in 2005 he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Today, The Purpose Driven Life has sold more than 32 million copies worldwide and is the most-translated book in the world next to the Bible. A bestselling book like that means millions of dollars. 5
So what do you do with those millions? The same thing you ve been doing for thirty-eight years you give them away. Honestly, the money scared me, Rick said. But I knew I wasn t going to spend it on myself. When you write a book and the first sentence of the book is It s not about you, then you know the money is not for you. I was taught that God was using money to test me. My use of money shows what I love the most. Rick and Kay made the decision to give away 90 percent of the proceeds and to live on 10 percent. Their decision was simply consistent with the way they d been living. Rick noted, Luke 16:11-12 says whoever can be trusted with very little, can also be trusted with much. But whoever is dishonest with very little, will be dishonest with much. If you have not been trustworthy with handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches? In commenting on this passage Rick said, I believe there s a direct connection between maturity and money, between spiritual power and possessions, between how much God is able to bless you and how good a money manager I am. And if God cannot trust you with material blessing, He s not going to give you spiritual power. And I m far more interested in the power and the anointing and the blessing of God. If God cannot trust you with material blessing, He s not going to give you spiritual power. The Impact What are the results? Rick still drives a fourteen-year-old Ford, wears a watch from Wal-Mart, and still lives in the same home they bought years ago. I m not into a lot of bling. I m happy if I ve got a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I think part of it has to do with your own self-esteem and security in Christ. If you know who you are because you know whose you are, then you don t need status symbols and name brands on your luggage to prop you up. So in other words, I don t have to buy a fancy suit to feel like I m a good preacher. On the other hand, their giving has touched many. Rick has given heavily to equip leaders by training pastors around the world, including those in little villages no one would know. Kay has led the charge in supporting the work of orphans and HIV and AIDS work around the world. They ve launched a well-publicized and received Global PEACE plan to plant churches, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Sometimes people ask me, Why do you think God chose you to be the author of the best-selling hardback book in American history? I say, Well because He knew what I d do with the money. He knew He could trust me. In answering 6
those who say they would give it all away if they also had a lot of money, Rick said, No you wouldn t because you re not giving it when you are poor. Indeed, last year Rick and Kay raised their giving to 91 percent and lived off of just 9 percent. And I have no intention of stopping there, Rick said. I ve played this game with God for thirty-eight years where God says, You give to Me, and I ll give to you, and let s see who wins. Your Story? 1. Rick Warren began to understand generosity because it was first modeled by his parents through things like having a large garden so his mother could offer meals to others. What heart attitude does your giving reflect? Is it an attitude you want to pass on to your children? 2. Rick said that to learn to be generous, we must first find our security in Christ rather than in status symbols like posses- sions or the logos on our luggage or clothing. What status symbols do you have in your life? Consider what their pur- pose is do you use them to enjoy God and serve others, or do they serve as props for your identity and security? 3. Many people say they would give a lot of money if they sud- denly became wealthy. However, Rick said if you re not al- ready giving when you have little, that s not going to change when you have much. What steps do you need to take to be faithful with the time, talents, relationships, money, and possessions you now have? 4. Many people talk about the prayer of Jabez (Lord, bless me and enlarge my territory), but Rick thinks we should also learn the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30, which essentially says, Lord, don t let me become too poor or too rich, but just give me what I need. If I have too much, I might for- get about You, but if I m too poor, I might steal and disgrace Your name. How might this prayer be helpful for you as you balance how much is enough? 7
William F. High is the CEO of National Christian Foundation Heartland and the founder of idonate.com, Generous Life, and FamilyArc. He is a highly sought-after speaker and leader who specializes in coaching individuals, financial advisors, and affluent families about biblical generosity and family legacy. He graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law and has been married to Brooke since 1987. www.thegenerositybet.com» Founder of Saddleback Church, Rick Warren is one of the nation s leading pastors, inspiring others to pursue their own callings to ministry. He and his wife Kay work to empower local churches and local leaders and built the Purpose Driven Network, a global alliance of pastors from more than 160 countries and hundreds of denominations who have been trained to create sustainable change that gives a voice to the voiceless and help to the helpless. 8
More Resources from William F. High buy now» Your Key to Experiencing a Life of Joy, Success, and Lasting Impact! Bill High s message isn t just about being generous; it s about the very real process of becoming generous. The Generosity Bet reminds us that God is working in our lives and inspires us to continue in His plan for stewardship. Robert Morris, Founding Senior Pastor, Gateway Church God has given you the ability to make a difference in the world by generous living. It s time for you to unwrap this gift and discover the secret that leads you to true fulfillment and significance. This book is not the typical stewardship in the church call for you to give away your money... or your time, your resources, and your talents. It is a reminder that everything you have comes from God. You are not the owner; you are Heaven s steward. When you live this way, you will start experiencing ultimate satisfaction in every area of your life. Giving is no longer a chore to be endured; it becomes a lifestyle to be cherished! As you read about the stories of the entrepreneurs, risk-takers, and everyday dreamers featured in this book, you will discover that their stories of generosity can easily become your story too. Are you ready to take The Generosity Bet? Start the journey of becoming generous today. The payoff is extraordinary... and it will change your life forever. buy now»