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Foreword to Integrated Generosity for Faith Based Families
Bob Shank, Founder/CEO, The Master's Program
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” Albert Einstein recognized that the best of wisdom is found in the ability to simplify what seems to be, to most, a complicated matter. As long as something remains complicated, it’s unlikely to be practiced. Generosity is such a subject. Why aren’t people more generous, why don’t they give more?
In the confused perceptions of wealth dynamics, generosity is often viewed as ultimate life destination for the privileged few, rather than a lifestyle available to everyone. The mystery of generosity is, in fact, counter-intuitive; instead of it being a practice reserved for the successful, it is rather a foundational strategy for real success and significance.
Grade school students are introduced to the water cycle, learning that Earth’s ecosystem is dependent on the constant replenishing of water—an essential ingredient for life—through the unrestrained progression of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Research led by scientists at Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico—as reported in the journal, Science—has found evidence of water in an unusual, illiquid form, trapped in volcanic magma, 400 miles below the surface. They estimate the quantity to be comparable to that of Earth’s oceans. Fascinating, but functionally irrelevant; unless it’s available for evaporation, it will never play a part in the life-essential water cycle. Evaporation, which at first glance appears to be the loss of control of water, taken from the surface and returned to the atmosphere, is actually the beginning of a cycle. The cycle progresses through rain, as fresh water, which gives life to the earth, people, animals, flora, and fauna along the way. It eventually returns to lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans where the cycle will begin again.
In God’s economy, there is a wealth cycle that is as practical as the water cycle, designed by the same Creator. Wealth that is out of circulation—trapped in the magma of assets, beneath the environment of people and culture—has no practical impact on God’s Kingdom. What impact or real effect does wealth, when only measured and reported on paper, have on people, God’s plans and purposes, or eternity? What evaporation is to water, generosity is to money: it releases the power of resources into God’s economy, allowing the Creator to use it to bring life and vitality to everyone it touches. There is always a temptation to interrupt the cycle out of pride or fear. Pride measures the quantity of collection—of water, or money—to use it as a measure of power or security. Fear questions the reliability of the cycle and the Creator who designed it: if given, will I need it someday, will it come back, and do I have enough? Pride, fear, doubt, and greed interrupt or stifle God’s economy, robbing many of the great, perfect, and awesome things God desires for them.
Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are below sea level; one is fresh and vital, but the other is not. The difference is that the Jordan River drains from the Sea of Galilee, flowing into the Dead Sea, where nothing comes out. The result is a collection of water that is nothing more than stale, briny, and dead. In our current society, growing one’s estate merely for the sake of accumulation, absent prudent family wealth transfer or charitable planning measures, results in wealth hoarding and leads to similar outcomes financially. All too often the result is the payment of too much in income and estate taxes, a less than optimal outcome in the lives of families, and the missed opportunity to impact God’s Kingdom in significant ways during one’s lifetime.
Mark Trewitt understands the money cycle, God’s economy, and the critical part generosity plays in the life of a steward. Educated and trained at the highest levels of contemporary financial planning and wealth management, Mark understands the challenges of navigating through the demands of current lifestyle expenses, future family legacies, and managing governmental intervention through taxation. If finance and medicine were put side by side, financial planning would be to a general practitioner what wealth transfer, estate and charitable planning specialties are to brain surgery. In either field, the application of expertise with the patient is best performed by the few who have the proven capabilities.
Many people who have acquired significant assets—through inheritance, through professional achievement, or some combination of both—celebrate their accomplishment with a desire to give something back from what they now have, with a philanthropic, humanitarian paradigm. Kingdom-impact philanthropy and stewardship goes beyond the basic and current training of the majority in the financial services arena. This gives the opportunity to many who have the capacity for significant or extraordinary Kingdom impact through generosity to pursue it with those who have special expertise, depth, and experience in the area of faith-based giving. This expertise usually is not available at the desired level within most of the existing groups of trusted professional advisors that may be in service to individuals and families, and a faith-based “like-mindedness” is often the critical missing element.
Alongside these critical professional issues, Mark has also become sophisticated in what many Christians would call biblical stewardship: the belief that what they have has been entrusted to them by God to play the part of asset managers in service to His Kingdom purposes. The role of a steward is crucial to any practicing follower of Jesus but becomes increasingly unique as the assets under management increase through time and market cycles.
Kingdom stewardship, performed in a culture that celebrates expanding consumption and increasing balances, is an effort that calls for a world-class coach who understands the game and can direct the player(s) to a winning outcome. If you are going where you have never been, it might be a good idea to take a guide who has done or been where you want to go. Integrated Generosity joins the power of biblical truth and stewardship with the practicalities of modern wealth management and Kingdom-oriented impact giving and philanthropy. In this book—and its suggestions—you will certainly be challenged with fresh thinking and workable strategies that are both innovative and tested.
Perhaps, the biggest questions that will be raised: are you confident in the God who designed the cycle? Will you pursue God’s heart, purpose, and plan for what He desires from you regarding stewardship, giving, and generosity? Finally, will you be open minded and coachable to explore new concepts and strategies to see if they are a fit for you and your family?
Solomon was rich beyond contemporary competition; he remains one of biblical history’s greatest purveyors of wisdom. He captured the concept: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25), and, “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).” Solomon either knew what he was talking about—within the context of unchanging human experience—or, he is an outdated voice whose perspectives don’t make the jump to our modern generation. If you’re wise, you’ll give attention to the counsel of timeless theology that invites generosity as a significant demonstration of faithful stewardship.
Maybe God has something special in store for those who will pursue the mysterious truth, and biblical principle, contained in Acts 20:35: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Bob Shank
Newport Beach, California
August, 2015
In the confused perceptions of wealth dynamics, generosity is often viewed as ultimate life destination for the privileged few, rather than a lifestyle available to everyone. The mystery of generosity is, in fact, counter-intuitive; instead of it being a practice reserved for the successful, it is rather a foundational strategy for real success and significance.
Grade school students are introduced to the water cycle, learning that Earth’s ecosystem is dependent on the constant replenishing of water—an essential ingredient for life—through the unrestrained progression of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Research led by scientists at Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico—as reported in the journal, Science—has found evidence of water in an unusual, illiquid form, trapped in volcanic magma, 400 miles below the surface. They estimate the quantity to be comparable to that of Earth’s oceans. Fascinating, but functionally irrelevant; unless it’s available for evaporation, it will never play a part in the life-essential water cycle. Evaporation, which at first glance appears to be the loss of control of water, taken from the surface and returned to the atmosphere, is actually the beginning of a cycle. The cycle progresses through rain, as fresh water, which gives life to the earth, people, animals, flora, and fauna along the way. It eventually returns to lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans where the cycle will begin again.
In God’s economy, there is a wealth cycle that is as practical as the water cycle, designed by the same Creator. Wealth that is out of circulation—trapped in the magma of assets, beneath the environment of people and culture—has no practical impact on God’s Kingdom. What impact or real effect does wealth, when only measured and reported on paper, have on people, God’s plans and purposes, or eternity? What evaporation is to water, generosity is to money: it releases the power of resources into God’s economy, allowing the Creator to use it to bring life and vitality to everyone it touches. There is always a temptation to interrupt the cycle out of pride or fear. Pride measures the quantity of collection—of water, or money—to use it as a measure of power or security. Fear questions the reliability of the cycle and the Creator who designed it: if given, will I need it someday, will it come back, and do I have enough? Pride, fear, doubt, and greed interrupt or stifle God’s economy, robbing many of the great, perfect, and awesome things God desires for them.
Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are below sea level; one is fresh and vital, but the other is not. The difference is that the Jordan River drains from the Sea of Galilee, flowing into the Dead Sea, where nothing comes out. The result is a collection of water that is nothing more than stale, briny, and dead. In our current society, growing one’s estate merely for the sake of accumulation, absent prudent family wealth transfer or charitable planning measures, results in wealth hoarding and leads to similar outcomes financially. All too often the result is the payment of too much in income and estate taxes, a less than optimal outcome in the lives of families, and the missed opportunity to impact God’s Kingdom in significant ways during one’s lifetime.
Mark Trewitt understands the money cycle, God’s economy, and the critical part generosity plays in the life of a steward. Educated and trained at the highest levels of contemporary financial planning and wealth management, Mark understands the challenges of navigating through the demands of current lifestyle expenses, future family legacies, and managing governmental intervention through taxation. If finance and medicine were put side by side, financial planning would be to a general practitioner what wealth transfer, estate and charitable planning specialties are to brain surgery. In either field, the application of expertise with the patient is best performed by the few who have the proven capabilities.
Many people who have acquired significant assets—through inheritance, through professional achievement, or some combination of both—celebrate their accomplishment with a desire to give something back from what they now have, with a philanthropic, humanitarian paradigm. Kingdom-impact philanthropy and stewardship goes beyond the basic and current training of the majority in the financial services arena. This gives the opportunity to many who have the capacity for significant or extraordinary Kingdom impact through generosity to pursue it with those who have special expertise, depth, and experience in the area of faith-based giving. This expertise usually is not available at the desired level within most of the existing groups of trusted professional advisors that may be in service to individuals and families, and a faith-based “like-mindedness” is often the critical missing element.
Alongside these critical professional issues, Mark has also become sophisticated in what many Christians would call biblical stewardship: the belief that what they have has been entrusted to them by God to play the part of asset managers in service to His Kingdom purposes. The role of a steward is crucial to any practicing follower of Jesus but becomes increasingly unique as the assets under management increase through time and market cycles.
Kingdom stewardship, performed in a culture that celebrates expanding consumption and increasing balances, is an effort that calls for a world-class coach who understands the game and can direct the player(s) to a winning outcome. If you are going where you have never been, it might be a good idea to take a guide who has done or been where you want to go. Integrated Generosity joins the power of biblical truth and stewardship with the practicalities of modern wealth management and Kingdom-oriented impact giving and philanthropy. In this book—and its suggestions—you will certainly be challenged with fresh thinking and workable strategies that are both innovative and tested.
Perhaps, the biggest questions that will be raised: are you confident in the God who designed the cycle? Will you pursue God’s heart, purpose, and plan for what He desires from you regarding stewardship, giving, and generosity? Finally, will you be open minded and coachable to explore new concepts and strategies to see if they are a fit for you and your family?
Solomon was rich beyond contemporary competition; he remains one of biblical history’s greatest purveyors of wisdom. He captured the concept: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25), and, “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).” Solomon either knew what he was talking about—within the context of unchanging human experience—or, he is an outdated voice whose perspectives don’t make the jump to our modern generation. If you’re wise, you’ll give attention to the counsel of timeless theology that invites generosity as a significant demonstration of faithful stewardship.
Maybe God has something special in store for those who will pursue the mysterious truth, and biblical principle, contained in Acts 20:35: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Bob Shank
Newport Beach, California
August, 2015
