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You are on.

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Good.

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Did you like that?

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Did you hear about, just told me I'm on.

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As you might have realized,
everyone, good evening and we are

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in a brand new studio tonight.

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As you can see, this is
our whole new Crowd set up.

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So yeah, we're still getting used to it.

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So you might have to just like
bear with us a little bit.

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Like if I'm Matt's going, guys, you're
on camera, like, oh yeah, right.

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That's why.

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Okay.

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So just bear with us a bit tonight,
but it is a very nice new environment

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we're in, so we hope you like it.

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We're excited.

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I'm joined tonight by Dave.

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Hi Dave.

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Say hi.

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Great to see you all.

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Um, tonight is also
International Women's Day.

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Well, it's been international Women's
day all day, so I just wanted to

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give a shout out to all the women
out there that are listening as well.

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Yeah,

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absolutely.

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Um, because yeah, great species,

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they're supposed to laugh at
that mark isn't what wants

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say they're great species that

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I surrounded by two men here.

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I just, I'm just gonna, I was
gonna say something more, but

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I'm just gonna move it along.

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Um, yeah.

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So,

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sorry, I just wasn't expecting
you to say great species.

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That's my, that's just.

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Great gender, the, the greater species.

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Well of course it was a really good quote

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to say that.

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Yeah.

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Well thanks anyway, that, that
whole six minute is now ruined.

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So we'll just move on.

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Um, so yeah, tonight, welcome to Crowd and
we're, um, just carrying on our series.

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So Matt's here tonight to chat
to us a little bit about the

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theme of giving and grace, which
I'm really looking forward to.

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Mm-hmm.

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Um, so I think without further ado, as
he stolen my thunder, I'm just gonna

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move over to that and then we'll come
back in a bit and, um, do some questions.

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So myself and Dave will be picking up
questions, so if you've got any Matt's

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talking, please do send them through.

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Um, post them on the feed and
we'll endeavor to pick them up.

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Fantastic.

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So let's get into it.

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We're talking about generosity tonight.

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It's really cool to be in this little new,
well, I say little, it's not exactly tiny.

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Uh, the studio You Creek,
did you drop your phone?

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Okay.

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Uh, so it's great to be with you.

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So grab your Bibles.

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Now, I remember, um, sitting in a
church and the offering plate came

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round and I had no money at the time.

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Uh, zip nada, no money whatsoever, but
I really felt like I wanted to give.

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So what I did was I took off my
watch, which I absolutely loved.

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By the way, this one's okay.

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I mean, it's not brilliant, but it's okay.

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But I, off, I added it to
the, uh, offering plate.

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I didn't have to, I just for
whatever reason really wanted to.

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And I have these sort of times where I'm
in this zone of freedom to give, and I do

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it, you know, sort of gladly and joyfully.

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But then there are times, uh, where
I'm not so joyful about giving.

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And I think most of us know that
feeling and that tension, right?

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And it doesn't have to be, uh, in
anything big or dramatic either.

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For instance, uh, my default
at the self-service checkouts.

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You know, when they ask you to give a
few extra pennies, um, uh, and to give

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it for charity, it's just to go no.

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Uh, and I tell myself, you know, things
like I already give, but then there is

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this niggle in my mind and sometimes
it's guilt and sometimes it's conviction.

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So what is it then about generosity
that does this to us and why does

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talking about it cause us to tense
up, you know, and to address the,

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uh, elephant in the room early.

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There are some genuine concerns that the
church is just after your money, and I

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get it, but why single out the church?

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Everyone, every institution, the corner
shop, the government, they all want

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your money in some shape or form.

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And of course, the Bible has
a lot to say about money.

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And Pete Farrington did a great job,
uh, a couple weeks ago unpacking this

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idea that money is not a neutral tool.

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And how, uh, we should see ourselves
as stewards rather than owners of

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everything that we hold, right?

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So despite the tension, uh, and you
know, the church is just talking about

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money again, if I'm honest with you.

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Uh, how long have we been doing Crowd now?

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I don't know, six years.

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This is the first time in six
years we've, we've really done a

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few talks on money, so we're okay.

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Um, so let's have an honest conversation
about giving because honestly, there

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is a freedom and a joy and generosity.

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That is pretty life transforming.

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So to unpack it, uh, we will look
at why giving can feel like losing.

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We're gonna ask, is generosity
actually just about money?

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And finally, I wanna look at the,
this sort of freedom that I found in

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church that day where I give my watch,
um, and see how we can become people

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who give with joy and not guilt.

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So let's start, start, uh, by unpacking
this idea and asking the question.

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W. Why can giving feel like we're losing?

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And if I'm honest with you, I
think the answer lies in the idea

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that money feels very finite.

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You know, like it's a scarce resource
that we seem to have less and less

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of it at the moment, don't we?

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Uh, and once it's gone,
once it's spent, it's gone.

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So giving it away can feel
a little bit bizarre.

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And charities in the UK especially
have spotted this downward trends.

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There are roughly 4 million fewer donors
now than 10 years ago, which is a huge

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section of the population in the UK.

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And it's not surprising
because we've become.

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Uh, that we'd become less generous because
80% of us now cite finances as one of

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the key sources of anxiety in life.

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That's a lot of people.

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Of course, the irony here
is not lost on us, is it?

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Because often to cope with this
anxiety, uh, of finance, we do

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something called self-directed spending.

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So we say things like, oh, I
can't afford the house, but

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what I can do is buy this latte.

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Um, and most, so, most of us have no
problem treating ourselves every week.

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And another thing, uh, for me when
I is this, uh, I dunno if you guys

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have had, it's the, uh, when I
have more, I'll give more thinking.

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Right.

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Um, it's called the security
stockpile, proper posh name for it.

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Um, and it's the idea that I'll
give, uh, when I get a pay rise or.

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For a lot of Christians I'll give when I
win the lottery, which I think is a good

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one because people, a lot of Christians
use that as an excuse to play the

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lottery, praying, God help me to win it.

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And I'll give the majority
of the winnings to charity.

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I find that incredible by the way.

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Uh, and I, I certainly am not
promoting that, but it is incredible

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how we think like that, right?

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So we have these different, um, these
different ideas, these different things

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to think about when it comes to money.

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And I just wanna pause there.

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Just wanna stop.

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Have you guys ever had that?

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Uh, when I, uh, earn more,
I'll give more thinking.

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Or have you just been like
straight down the line?

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Give all the time.

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Never thought.

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Never ever thought that.

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Really?

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Never.

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How come?

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I think it should always cost you to give.

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Yeah.

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I think it should always cost
you to give and God asks you.

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To give outta what you
have, where you are.

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Mm.

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So it's never been a, a, a
difficult thing in my thinking.

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I, I think I have had that mentality
at points, like, particularly when I

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was younger, like when I was a student.

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Um, like, and I didn't necessarily
have a regular income and any income

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I was living on was borrowed money.

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It was on my student loan or whatever,
or you know, money from parents.

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So I didn't really have, I
wasn't earning anything as such.

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I didn't feel necessarily that I needed
to tithe like, out of my income because

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I didn't really have any income.

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But, you know, arguably looking
at now anything, you have

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to explain what tithe means now,

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like giving 10% of your income,
your salaried income, um, back

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to God, like through the church,
uh, into ministry and stuff.

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Um, but I think the principle of
giving, um, yeah, I look back at

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it now and think, well, I kind of
used my student loan like it was.

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My own money.

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Yeah.

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So maybe I should have done that.

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Um, yeah, so I, but I think, yeah, so
I think at the time it felt like it was

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justifiable, but I think it sometimes as
you grow as a Christian, it's like, it's

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not what I can get away with in rules.

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Like I could get away with not paying.

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It's technically I'm not earning it.

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Yeah, yeah.

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But actually now I look at it much more as
like, what can I give and how can I tithe?

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But also just give above and
beyond that and be generous.

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Yeah.

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That's it.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I'd agree.

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I think that, um, it's an
interesting one, isn't it?

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And financial security is one of
those things that, um, they say that

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financial security is a horizon,
so we never actually reach it.

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And so this thinking about generosity
and giving is a really interesting one.

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And there's this great analogy, you
know, when being tight with money,

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um, the good old Yorkshiremen, you
know, being our fist stay closed and

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there's a bit of Victorian folklore
that tells us how we can catch monkeys.

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And we catch them with
a hollowed out coconut.

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And you chain the coconut to a tree
and you make sure that in that coconut

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there is a hole just big enough
for the monkey's hand to slip in.

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But it's too small,
uh, for it to come out.

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When it grabs the peanuts inside the
coconut, it puts its hand in, grabs a

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peanuts, and he can't get its hand out.

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So the monkey, uh, it becomes trapped
by its, um, by these peanuts, right?

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And so once it's reached and grabbed
them, grabbed as much of its can.

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It's fist is too big to
take out and it's trapped.

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But of course, the monkey is not
trapped by the coconut, is it?

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It's trapped by its own refusal
to let go of what it's holding.

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See, a closed fist, uh, traps us
in many ways, but it's the very act

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of letting go that sets us free.

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And the monkey should learn this.

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So.

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Let's go a little bit deeper,
is generosity just about money.

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Now in the Bible, uh,
we have a few letters.

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Um, Paul wrote to a church
in a place called Corinth.

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And Corinth was a trade city.

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It's a lot like Liverpool or Chicago,
not really the capital, but doing

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all right for itself and, you know,
prospering and, and having a lot of trade.

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And Paul is organizing a financial gift
from the non-Jewish churches in Corinth.

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Uh, and he's raising money for the Jewish
church in Jerusalem who were facing

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some serious hardship, uh, at the time.

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Now, the Jewish believers in Jerusalem
had sent out the good news and Paul

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wanted the non-Jewish believers
then to respond by sharing their

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resources back, which was money.

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And in Paul's mind, this gift back is a
living picture of what he called grace.

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And it's a word that we
see a lot in the Bible.

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And it's a word that Paul uses
a lot when talking about giving.

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So grace is simply when someone
gives you something you didn't

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earn and you can't repay.

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Grace is when someone gives you something
that you didn't earn and you can't repay.

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So when we experienced God's grace,
uh, we experienced God's grace, right?

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Mm-hmm.

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Through the work of Christ.

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He gives us abundant life and it
wasn't something that we earned.

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And we can never, ever,
uh, repay that gift.

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But on a micro level, then grace might
be a complete stranger, uh, walking

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into the restaurant where you are
eating and they pay your bill for

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no apparent reason and then get off
so you can't pay them back, right?

233
00:12:12,330 --> 00:12:12,520
And so.

234
00:12:14,204 --> 00:12:19,155
This is a beautiful, uh, picture of grace.

235
00:12:19,425 --> 00:12:26,834
So Paul shows us this really beautiful
cycle of how generosity is about grace

236
00:12:26,925 --> 00:12:29,594
and how grace is about generosity.

237
00:12:29,594 --> 00:12:31,364
And it's this cycle that goes around.

238
00:12:31,515 --> 00:12:33,974
And, you know, over the
years I have done and.

239
00:12:34,860 --> 00:12:39,630
Maybe you've not done them, but I've
definitely done every, uh, wrong kind of

240
00:12:39,630 --> 00:12:42,360
giving because grace was absent, right?

241
00:12:42,660 --> 00:12:46,920
There was a season where I
basically tipped God, there you go.

242
00:12:47,370 --> 00:12:50,850
Um, then I went through a phase of
every gift felt like a deal, you

243
00:12:50,850 --> 00:12:53,580
know, I gave, so where's my blessing?

244
00:12:53,910 --> 00:12:59,850
Uh, and honestly, there was also a stretch
when my church giving was basically a

245
00:12:59,850 --> 00:13:04,980
membership fee and I would only keep
giving it if the church church sort of met

246
00:13:04,980 --> 00:13:11,130
my needs because none of this is what Paul
is describing when he talks about Grace.

247
00:13:11,550 --> 00:13:15,275
Um, instead what he actually does,
he gives an example of the Macedonian

248
00:13:15,295 --> 00:13:17,755
Church now, the Macedonian Church.

249
00:13:18,495 --> 00:13:21,135
Was, uh, a very different town to Corinth.

250
00:13:21,375 --> 00:13:25,125
Um, and it was full of
people in extreme poverty.

251
00:13:25,724 --> 00:13:30,555
Uh, in second Corinthians chapter eight,
Paul says, we want you to know brothers

252
00:13:30,915 --> 00:13:36,045
about the grace of God that has been
given among the churches of Macedonia.

253
00:13:36,045 --> 00:13:40,574
So there's that word, grace again, this
abundant, uh, favor that's been given

254
00:13:40,724 --> 00:13:47,265
to the churches in Macedonia for, in a
severe test of affliction, their abundance

255
00:13:47,324 --> 00:13:50,535
of joy and their extreme poverty.

256
00:13:50,564 --> 00:13:52,785
I mean, that's a
juxtaposition right there.

257
00:13:53,025 --> 00:13:54,344
Abundance of joy.

258
00:13:54,344 --> 00:14:00,375
But extreme poverty, um, has
overflowed in a wealth of generosity.

259
00:14:00,729 --> 00:14:01,660
On their part.

260
00:14:01,660 --> 00:14:03,520
It's a really astounding scripture.

261
00:14:03,910 --> 00:14:07,479
So imagine being a
Macedonian believer, right?

262
00:14:07,540 --> 00:14:13,390
Having to choose between this idea
of feeding your children and sending

263
00:14:13,390 --> 00:14:17,829
money to strangers in Jerusalem
and choosing to send the money

264
00:14:17,829 --> 00:14:19,000
to the strangers in Jerusalem.

265
00:14:19,209 --> 00:14:23,709
Not because you are reckless, but
because you have experienced God's grace.

266
00:14:23,890 --> 00:14:27,010
And grace changes how you count.

267
00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:31,689
Grace opens a fist because a
closed fist cannot receive, right?

268
00:14:32,290 --> 00:14:34,875
One of the most beautiful stories
in the Bible, uh, about giving.

269
00:14:36,224 --> 00:14:41,084
Is where Jesus, um, is sat in front
of the offering box in the synagogue.

270
00:14:41,355 --> 00:14:44,895
Now this box that Jesus sat in
front of at the synagogue was

271
00:14:44,895 --> 00:14:46,485
shaped a little bit like a trumpet.

272
00:14:46,485 --> 00:14:50,685
So there was a box, and then out of
the top came this sort of trumpet

273
00:14:50,805 --> 00:14:53,324
and it was long, um, and narrow.

274
00:14:53,745 --> 00:14:57,165
Uh, and it, but it opened at the top and
sort of narrowed down so you couldn't get

275
00:14:57,165 --> 00:14:59,055
your hand in to steal the offering, right?

276
00:14:59,324 --> 00:15:03,224
But this was made out of metal.

277
00:15:03,405 --> 00:15:03,855
Okay?

278
00:15:04,305 --> 00:15:07,094
So what was interesting here.

279
00:15:07,950 --> 00:15:11,940
Is when you put the coins in,
they made this huge noise, right?

280
00:15:11,940 --> 00:15:15,000
Like, um, you know the change
machines you get in the arcade?

281
00:15:15,060 --> 00:15:15,210
Yeah.

282
00:15:15,420 --> 00:15:19,410
Uh, and so the more you
gave, the more noise it made.

283
00:15:19,620 --> 00:15:24,120
So the wealthy givers made a lot of
noise and they looked really generous.

284
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,590
And so in Luke chapter 21, uh, it says
that when Jesus was in the temple,

285
00:15:28,890 --> 00:15:34,860
he watched these rich people dropping
their gifts in the collection box

286
00:15:34,860 --> 00:15:36,090
and he would've heard it as well.

287
00:15:36,270 --> 00:15:41,340
And then along comes a poor
widow who dropped in two

288
00:15:41,340 --> 00:15:44,340
small coins and Jesus watches.

289
00:15:44,970 --> 00:15:47,970
But like I say, he can also hear,
I think he would've hardly heard

290
00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:51,360
anything from what the widow put in.

291
00:15:51,870 --> 00:15:55,440
The rich made a lot of noise and
the world knew what they gave.

292
00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:56,310
But the poor widow.

293
00:15:58,605 --> 00:15:59,895
Not a whole lot of noise.

294
00:15:59,925 --> 00:16:02,325
Um, and Jesus makes this
really incredible statement.

295
00:16:02,325 --> 00:16:05,595
He says, right, I tell you the truth.

296
00:16:05,865 --> 00:16:09,015
When Jesus ever starts a sentence with,
I tell you the truth, I'm always paying

297
00:16:09,015 --> 00:16:11,295
attention because he is the truth, right?

298
00:16:11,325 --> 00:16:12,465
I mean, why would you start?

299
00:16:12,915 --> 00:16:13,755
I'm telling you the truth.

300
00:16:14,775 --> 00:16:16,665
So he wants you to get this point right?

301
00:16:16,725 --> 00:16:22,575
And he says, this poor widow has given
more than all the rest of them for,

302
00:16:22,575 --> 00:16:28,995
they have given a tiny part of their
surplus, but she poor as she is, has

303
00:16:28,995 --> 00:16:33,195
given everything she has, and that is.

304
00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:34,980
Beautiful in so many ways.

305
00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,160
And I have to be honest with you,
I don't think Jesus whispers this.

306
00:16:38,460 --> 00:16:42,840
Uh, I think everybody would've
heard Jesus say this because I think

307
00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:48,270
for Jesus giving has never been
about the total amount, the sum.

308
00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:51,960
I think in God's kingdom, the
beautiful thing is two small

309
00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:55,410
coins can mean more than millions.

310
00:16:55,710 --> 00:16:58,949
And I know that sounds like the
maths doesn't really add up, but

311
00:16:58,949 --> 00:17:03,060
I think Jesus measures something
differently from quantity.

312
00:17:03,420 --> 00:17:09,690
And that's powerful and liberating, but
it's also deeply challenging, right?

313
00:17:10,079 --> 00:17:12,359
So heaven's accounting
doesn't measure amount.

314
00:17:12,389 --> 00:17:15,329
I think it measures sacrifice, right?

315
00:17:15,329 --> 00:17:19,109
And Paul put it this way, in his
letter, uh, carrying on, he's carrying on.

316
00:17:19,109 --> 00:17:23,760
In second Corinthians a few verses
down, he says, each one of us must give.

317
00:17:24,149 --> 00:17:28,079
As we have decided in our
hearts, not reluctantly.

318
00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:30,120
That's always a challenge, right?

319
00:17:30,210 --> 00:17:36,240
Uh, or under compulsion for
God loves a cheerful giver.

320
00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:42,570
And so I wonder if that widow was
cheerful when she gave, I kind

321
00:17:42,570 --> 00:17:44,010
of think she was, in many ways.

322
00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:48,419
Maybe she gave because she had guilt.

323
00:17:48,510 --> 00:17:50,340
Uh, maybe it was out of a sense of guilt.

324
00:17:50,340 --> 00:17:54,389
Maybe she felt like she had to, but I,
I dunno, it doesn't feel right to me.

325
00:17:54,389 --> 00:17:56,250
I somehow doubt it.

326
00:17:56,250 --> 00:18:00,899
I kind of think the lady had caught
something about God, just like the

327
00:18:00,899 --> 00:18:06,450
church in Macedonia had caught something
about giving these small amounts.

328
00:18:06,510 --> 00:18:10,770
And Jesus noticed it because
it's wrapped up in grace.

329
00:18:12,030 --> 00:18:16,290
So some of you may be thinking, you
know, this is great, Matt, what's.

330
00:18:16,679 --> 00:18:19,620
About the tithe, the thing
that Anna mentioned, which

331
00:18:19,620 --> 00:18:20,760
I think is a fair question.

332
00:18:21,149 --> 00:18:24,840
Um, and just to echo, if you dunno what
tithing is, it's where you give a portion

333
00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:30,090
of your income usually to the church,
and depending on what your theology is,

334
00:18:30,090 --> 00:18:33,750
that will range between 10% and 23%.

335
00:18:34,139 --> 00:18:38,820
Uh, and I believe that regular
proportional giving is important

336
00:18:38,850 --> 00:18:43,740
and is a good thing to do, but I
didn't wanna spend time on that.

337
00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:47,100
I wanted to get it right, uh, here because
I think you've gotta get the grace thing,

338
00:18:47,100 --> 00:18:50,189
you've gotta get your heart right, right?

339
00:18:50,189 --> 00:18:54,780
Because you can tithe and
still have a closed fist.

340
00:18:55,139 --> 00:18:58,080
Uh, which is why Grace, I think,
has to be the foundation of your

341
00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,840
giving and definitely not legalism.

342
00:19:02,189 --> 00:19:06,300
Now, I know that many will genuinely
struggle with this, and I, I know

343
00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:09,270
that quite a few of, um, people
listening to this will be struggling

344
00:19:09,270 --> 00:19:10,949
to pay their bills every month.

345
00:19:11,310 --> 00:19:14,699
And so, hear me clearly, this is
not a sermon asking you to give.

346
00:19:15,344 --> 00:19:19,814
Um, like instead of paying your gas bill
or whatever, God knows your situation.

347
00:19:20,294 --> 00:19:24,314
But early on in my Christian walk,
I had gone a bit crazy with money

348
00:19:24,314 --> 00:19:29,504
thinking God would give me money if
I asked, rather than waiting on God.

349
00:19:29,955 --> 00:19:31,544
I got friendly with my credit card.

350
00:19:31,574 --> 00:19:34,814
Oh yes, sometimes I had to
use it just to buy food.

351
00:19:35,235 --> 00:19:39,284
Uh, but most of the time I
just used it 'cause I wanted to

352
00:19:39,614 --> 00:19:41,385
thinking God will just pay it off.

353
00:19:41,415 --> 00:19:43,754
'cause God meets all my needs
according to his riches in glory.

354
00:19:43,754 --> 00:19:44,564
The Bible tells us.

355
00:19:44,985 --> 00:19:49,185
So what happened was my wrong thinking
produced a wrong outcome, and I was tens

356
00:19:49,185 --> 00:19:51,135
of thousands in debt before I realized.

357
00:19:51,435 --> 00:19:55,395
And my wife, who is next to me here on
the comments, uh, married me and my debts.

358
00:19:55,395 --> 00:19:55,665
Right babe,

359
00:20:00,330 --> 00:20:01,350
that's a great tack.

360
00:20:04,544 --> 00:20:06,435
I don't recommend the debt in marriage.

361
00:20:06,435 --> 00:20:11,294
But anyway, um, it was in that
place that I knew I had to get my

362
00:20:11,294 --> 00:20:14,024
handle, uh, had to get a handle on.

363
00:20:14,375 --> 00:20:19,504
Finances, which for me meant
understanding not just what I should

364
00:20:19,504 --> 00:20:24,215
give, but why, why should I give?

365
00:20:24,395 --> 00:20:24,784
Okay.

366
00:20:25,024 --> 00:20:27,784
I want it to be more like
the widow than the Pharisees.

367
00:20:27,935 --> 00:20:30,905
Um, and it's not always easy when
there are so many of the things that

368
00:20:30,905 --> 00:20:32,465
we can do with our money, right?

369
00:20:32,465 --> 00:20:40,054
So yes, a closed fist cannot receive,
but it's also hard to keep that

370
00:20:40,054 --> 00:20:42,754
hand open once you've got it open.

371
00:20:42,875 --> 00:20:46,774
I dunno if you've ever played that game
where you put a coin in your hand, right?

372
00:20:47,074 --> 00:20:50,074
And someone has to grab it before
you close it, just like that.

373
00:20:50,554 --> 00:20:52,534
It can be a bit like that with
God, I've found, you know?

374
00:20:52,655 --> 00:20:52,774
Yeah.

375
00:20:52,774 --> 00:20:55,834
God, I've got an open hand and you
just close it real quick again.

376
00:20:56,435 --> 00:21:00,034
Um, but then I'm reminded,
uh, of what else Paul said.

377
00:21:00,125 --> 00:21:01,949
Uh, in Corinthians, he says, for you know,

378
00:21:02,685 --> 00:21:04,665
It's one of the most astounding
verses in scripture.

379
00:21:04,995 --> 00:21:10,875
You know, the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that though he was rich, yet

380
00:21:10,875 --> 00:21:19,365
for your sake, he became poor so that
you by his poverty might become rich.

381
00:21:19,605 --> 00:21:24,105
And this is the entire
engine of all of this.

382
00:21:24,105 --> 00:21:28,995
You don't need to give to get blessed
because you are already blessed.

383
00:21:29,535 --> 00:21:32,955
Uh, you have already been
given everything that matters.

384
00:21:33,254 --> 00:21:35,565
You were made in the image of God.

385
00:21:35,835 --> 00:21:38,115
And God is a generous God.

386
00:21:38,115 --> 00:21:44,265
So living generously aligns with
who I think we're meant to be.

387
00:21:45,675 --> 00:21:49,425
So we don't need to open our hands
and then snap them shut again.

388
00:21:49,485 --> 00:21:52,215
Although we probably will
on time and occasion.

389
00:21:52,754 --> 00:21:56,535
Um, but we can remember again two
Corinthians nine verse eight, so many

390
00:21:56,535 --> 00:21:58,045
great verses in two cor nine, eight.

391
00:21:58,665 --> 00:21:59,655
God is able.

392
00:22:00,150 --> 00:22:02,550
To make all grace abound towards you.

393
00:22:02,550 --> 00:22:03,360
There's that word again.

394
00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:07,920
God is able to make this grace abound
towards you so that you, having all

395
00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:15,690
sufficiency in all things at all
times may abound in every good work.

396
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,050
That sounds like God wants to
get some stuff to us to give

397
00:22:19,050 --> 00:22:21,930
stuff for every good work.

398
00:22:23,250 --> 00:22:25,530
Now, God can make this
grace abound towards you.

399
00:22:25,530 --> 00:22:26,490
I love that phrase.

400
00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:31,260
Um, I think that's how much he wants
us to be, people who are generous.

401
00:22:31,530 --> 00:22:34,080
And that's why I put my watch
in the offering that day.

402
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,180
Not because I had to,
but because I wanted to.

403
00:22:36,750 --> 00:22:40,650
And that point, right at that point,
I still remember it really clearly.

404
00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:42,480
I was a cheerful giver.

405
00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:43,350
And you know what?

406
00:22:43,350 --> 00:22:44,940
It was really, really freeing.

407
00:22:45,420 --> 00:22:50,970
So maybe like me, I dunno, you need to
know that it's okay to open your hand

408
00:22:51,390 --> 00:22:56,220
and if you really want to challenge this
week, maybe give something that costs.

409
00:22:57,659 --> 00:23:00,330
But do it because of grace,
not because of guilt.

410
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:06,780
Give something that makes your hand open
even slightly and notice what happens,

411
00:23:07,050 --> 00:23:09,870
not just to your bank balance, but to you.

412
00:23:10,229 --> 00:23:13,649
If you do the research, you'll
find actually there are some

413
00:23:13,649 --> 00:23:16,290
really good mental health benefits
to being a generous person.

414
00:23:16,290 --> 00:23:16,800
Absolutely.

415
00:23:16,919 --> 00:23:19,199
Um, but that's an aside.

416
00:23:19,350 --> 00:23:22,229
Uh, but give something, right,
give something that costs you.

417
00:23:22,229 --> 00:23:24,659
And if it can't be money,
find something else.

418
00:23:24,899 --> 00:23:30,179
But if it can be money, give
that everything God has for you.

419
00:23:30,179 --> 00:23:36,419
Every grace, every joy, every
bit of freedom, uh, is awesome.

420
00:23:36,419 --> 00:23:41,939
And Grace frees you from money's grip
and it flows through an open hand.

421
00:23:42,179 --> 00:23:42,629
Okay.

422
00:23:43,155 --> 00:23:47,534
Because a clenched fist cannot
hold what God is offering.

423
00:23:47,625 --> 00:23:47,655
Mm.

424
00:23:47,685 --> 00:23:49,455
It's this really interesting paradox.

425
00:23:49,784 --> 00:23:52,814
So imagine giving and
feeling joy instead of loss.

426
00:23:52,814 --> 00:23:56,385
Imagine being the kind of person
who holds everything loosely.

427
00:23:56,385 --> 00:24:01,695
I do not because I don't care, not because
I'm reckless, but because I've received

428
00:24:01,695 --> 00:24:04,485
something that's made me rich already.

429
00:24:04,485 --> 00:24:06,675
I don't, I'm not talking
about my bank balance.

430
00:24:06,705 --> 00:24:12,105
I'm just rich in grace and I think
that's available not through will, uh,

431
00:24:12,105 --> 00:24:19,725
willpower, but just understanding what
you have been given through Christ.

432
00:24:19,725 --> 00:24:25,754
Lord, I just pray that you help us all
open our hands more to you this week.

433
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:26,530
Amen.

434
00:24:26,534 --> 00:24:26,655
Amen.

435
00:24:28,159 --> 00:24:28,449
Amen.

436
00:24:30,195 --> 00:24:30,645
Wonderful.

437
00:24:30,645 --> 00:24:31,245
Thanks Matt.

438
00:24:31,245 --> 00:24:32,415
That was great.

439
00:24:32,564 --> 00:24:36,195
Lots of content in there that
I'm sure we're keen to discuss.

440
00:24:36,284 --> 00:24:36,855
Um.

441
00:24:37,590 --> 00:24:37,889
Yeah.

442
00:24:37,950 --> 00:24:38,850
Dave, any thoughts from

443
00:24:39,899 --> 00:24:40,050
you?

444
00:24:40,050 --> 00:24:41,760
It's one of my favorite topics.

445
00:24:41,820 --> 00:24:47,730
Um, not because it's about money,
I think because it's about, um,

446
00:24:47,790 --> 00:24:54,780
generosity and for me it's about the
condition of our hearts, you know?

447
00:24:54,870 --> 00:25:02,129
Um, whether we have much or whether we
have little, it's what it's our, our

448
00:25:02,129 --> 00:25:04,800
heart, um, and what we do with that.

449
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,620
And we want, you know, for me,
I believe the Bible talks about

450
00:25:08,070 --> 00:25:10,770
that we're generous and we're only
stewards, I think Matt mentioned.

451
00:25:10,774 --> 00:25:10,865
Yeah.

452
00:25:11,100 --> 00:25:11,190
Yeah.

453
00:25:11,190 --> 00:25:13,440
Or whatever we have,
we're only stewards of it.

454
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:13,500
Yeah.

455
00:25:13,620 --> 00:25:13,860
Yeah.

456
00:25:15,389 --> 00:25:19,950
I wondered if anyone had got any practical
examples of like when you've given,

457
00:25:19,980 --> 00:25:24,570
um, kind of the impact that had on you,
because when at the end there, Matt, when

458
00:25:24,570 --> 00:25:26,580
you were talking about kind of giving.

459
00:25:27,345 --> 00:25:30,915
How giving like when you've got
closed hand giving like opens your

460
00:25:30,915 --> 00:25:35,175
hand and it sort of, it almost does
more to us and our hearts doesn't it?

461
00:25:35,175 --> 00:25:35,535
Yeah.

462
00:25:35,535 --> 00:25:38,385
Than it actually does to our finances.

463
00:25:38,445 --> 00:25:38,565
Yeah.

464
00:25:38,595 --> 00:25:44,385
Like I had, uh, one example when I was
in, um, our church sort of did a gap year.

465
00:25:44,475 --> 00:25:48,014
I used to do a gap year and so
that, that was a year where I kind

466
00:25:48,014 --> 00:25:51,495
of gave nine months up to kind of
work for the church and I wasn't

467
00:25:51,495 --> 00:25:52,965
earning any income at the time.

468
00:25:53,385 --> 00:25:59,774
Um, and so I was kind of what Christians
call living by Faith, which basically

469
00:25:59,774 --> 00:26:03,764
means like earning a bit of money
before and after and kind of praying

470
00:26:03,795 --> 00:26:05,205
lots and hoping for the best really.

471
00:26:05,205 --> 00:26:05,264
Yeah.

472
00:26:05,300 --> 00:26:05,420
Yeah.

473
00:26:05,535 --> 00:26:07,095
Doing bits of work here
and there in between.

474
00:26:07,605 --> 00:26:11,745
Um, but yeah, during that season,
like obviously money was particularly

475
00:26:11,745 --> 00:26:15,705
tight in that season 'cause it wasn't
working and I think it's really hard

476
00:26:15,705 --> 00:26:20,115
sometimes to learn about generosity
when, when you are really skin.

477
00:26:20,325 --> 00:26:20,415
Yeah.

478
00:26:20,415 --> 00:26:21,375
Like it's a lot harder.

479
00:26:21,375 --> 00:26:24,735
I find it easy to give now
relatively easily because.

480
00:26:25,304 --> 00:26:25,695
And No.

481
00:26:25,695 --> 00:26:26,385
Quite enough.

482
00:26:26,385 --> 00:26:27,405
'cause you had enough,
I've got enough to give.

483
00:26:27,645 --> 00:26:27,794
Yeah.

484
00:26:27,810 --> 00:26:30,764
But in that seasonal life, I really
didn't have anything to give.

485
00:26:30,885 --> 00:26:30,975
Mm-hmm.

486
00:26:31,905 --> 00:26:36,915
So, but I remember like, like the fear of
not having enough had quite a hold on me.

487
00:26:36,975 --> 00:26:40,845
And I went to church one day and somebody
prayed with me and they said, and that

488
00:26:40,905 --> 00:26:43,965
it wasn't about money, but they said,
I just feel like you need to give.

489
00:26:44,054 --> 00:26:44,294
Yeah.

490
00:26:44,355 --> 00:26:47,415
Like, and it wasn't even a, do you
think it was even praying about money?

491
00:26:47,415 --> 00:26:48,254
It was something else.

492
00:26:48,254 --> 00:26:52,125
But she said, I just feel like you
should go and test this, but feel like

493
00:26:52,125 --> 00:26:53,504
God wants you to give some money away.

494
00:26:53,534 --> 00:26:53,804
Yeah.

495
00:26:53,865 --> 00:26:57,645
And I was like, I've got like 160
quid in my bank account, that's it.

496
00:26:57,705 --> 00:27:00,705
To like live on, to pay my rent,
to pay my feed bills, whatever.

497
00:27:01,215 --> 00:27:02,264
This was 20 years ago.

498
00:27:02,264 --> 00:27:04,550
So it would've gone a bit
further than it does now, but

499
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:06,105
still not a lot of money really.

500
00:27:06,465 --> 00:27:10,155
And, um, and I just, I sat with
it and I thought, now fair, fair

501
00:27:10,155 --> 00:27:11,445
Money's got a real grip on me.

502
00:27:11,450 --> 00:27:11,590
Mm-hmm.

503
00:27:11,595 --> 00:27:15,705
So I'm just gonna have a go, like, I
know I'm not good in this area of my life.

504
00:27:15,705 --> 00:27:20,080
And so I gave like something, like a whole
chunk of it, like a hundred quid of that.

505
00:27:20,804 --> 00:27:24,344
Away to another person that I
knew needed some money, um, who

506
00:27:24,344 --> 00:27:25,695
happens to be on my team as well.

507
00:27:25,754 --> 00:27:27,885
I did it, you know, kind of anonymously.

508
00:27:27,885 --> 00:27:30,705
Didn't know it was from me, I
just left them the cash and I just

509
00:27:30,705 --> 00:27:34,365
thought, if nothing else break
the fear of money on my life.

510
00:27:34,425 --> 00:27:35,955
And I prayed about it and I did it.

511
00:27:36,344 --> 00:27:40,185
God sort of dropped to somebody
in my mind to give it to.

512
00:27:40,455 --> 00:27:44,625
So I did that and the next day
I got up and there was like.

513
00:27:44,970 --> 00:27:46,380
Basically like money through my door.

514
00:27:46,380 --> 00:27:46,680
Wow.

515
00:27:46,740 --> 00:27:48,420
And it was the exact
amount I'd given away.

516
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:48,900
Wow.

517
00:27:48,990 --> 00:27:51,875
And I just thought, in a way, I was
like, well, what was the point of that?

518
00:27:51,875 --> 00:27:54,720
God, I just like that
money's just gone in circles.

519
00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,120
But I felt like it really,
it did do something.

520
00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:00,390
It wasn't about the money, it wasn't
about having more or less, it was

521
00:28:00,390 --> 00:28:02,430
about breaking that hold of fear.

522
00:28:02,430 --> 00:28:03,030
Money on my life.

523
00:28:03,450 --> 00:28:03,840
Absolutely.

524
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:04,140
That's powerful.

525
00:28:04,835 --> 00:28:08,250
I was just like, well, you can't out-
give God whatever you give, he'll give.

526
00:28:08,430 --> 00:28:09,690
He can give back to you.

527
00:28:09,690 --> 00:28:10,155
But mm-hmm.

528
00:28:10,380 --> 00:28:10,560
Yeah.

529
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:14,820
Just that it wasn't about the money,
it was about changing my heart.

530
00:28:14,820 --> 00:28:14,880
Yeah.

531
00:28:15,060 --> 00:28:18,120
And that fear and the grip that money
can have when you hold onto it tight.

532
00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:20,220
So I, I really resonated with that.

533
00:28:20,220 --> 00:28:21,300
It just reminded me.

534
00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:22,260
But yeah.

535
00:28:22,260 --> 00:28:24,990
Has anyone else got any
good examples of,

536
00:28:25,555 --> 00:28:27,870
I mean, I thought, I, I
think that's a great story.

537
00:28:27,870 --> 00:28:30,180
And it, it's actually tied in
what you were saying before.

538
00:28:30,660 --> 00:28:36,715
Um, you know about not, you know, like not
tithing and not giving whatever, but you,

539
00:28:36,715 --> 00:28:39,300
you, you did what you did outta obedience.

540
00:28:39,300 --> 00:28:39,390
Mm-hmm.

541
00:28:39,780 --> 00:28:40,300
And whenever we.

542
00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:42,990
Do anything outta obedience.

543
00:28:43,050 --> 00:28:44,639
Again, that word cost comes in.

544
00:28:44,730 --> 00:28:45,120
Mm-hmm.

545
00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:49,560
But, you know, as a student, um,
you know, I think sometimes we think

546
00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,590
it's always about money and quite
often obviously money's involved.

547
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:57,300
But, and, and when you are on the
year team, you gave what you had.

548
00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:58,710
What, what do we have?

549
00:28:58,710 --> 00:28:59,760
We have our time.

550
00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:00,210
Mm-hmm.

551
00:29:00,330 --> 00:29:02,160
Once you spend that,
you don't get that back.

552
00:29:02,220 --> 00:29:02,490
Yeah.

553
00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:02,550
Mm.

554
00:29:02,700 --> 00:29:04,889
That's the most valuable thing
we have when we give that.

555
00:29:04,889 --> 00:29:05,220
Yeah.

556
00:29:05,250 --> 00:29:09,450
You served, you know, um, there's
so many, you know, you engage with

557
00:29:09,450 --> 00:29:12,540
different things that were going
on and all those things cost us.

558
00:29:12,540 --> 00:29:15,629
So whilst money, we quite often
make to be the main thing.

559
00:29:15,930 --> 00:29:19,260
It's all those other things,
but it's the obedience.

560
00:29:19,260 --> 00:29:23,670
So I think that's, I think it's great task
as we like to say, you know, is that when

561
00:29:23,670 --> 00:29:27,360
we step out in obedience, and I'm sure you
would've been, I'm sure you were blessed

562
00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:28,950
that, you know, some money came in.

563
00:29:29,010 --> 00:29:29,160
Mm-hmm.

564
00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,970
But I'm sure that you would've still
been blessed if it hadn't, because.

565
00:29:33,045 --> 00:29:35,175
But you're never left. No.

566
00:29:35,205 --> 00:29:36,885
With a void when we're obedient.

567
00:29:36,885 --> 00:29:36,945
No.

568
00:29:37,155 --> 00:29:39,315
There's just something
so amazing about that.

569
00:29:39,525 --> 00:29:41,895
And actually the blessing
isn't in that situation.

570
00:29:41,895 --> 00:29:44,715
It wasn't about the money or
the amount, although it kind of

571
00:29:44,715 --> 00:29:46,185
taught me that God had it covered.

572
00:29:46,185 --> 00:29:48,585
Um, but it wasn't even about that.

573
00:29:48,585 --> 00:29:52,635
It was about, the blessing was
in learning that money didn't

574
00:29:52,635 --> 00:29:53,410
need to have a hold on me.

575
00:29:53,410 --> 00:29:53,690
Yes, absolutely.

576
00:29:53,695 --> 00:29:55,845
It already was blessing, wasn't it?

577
00:29:55,845 --> 00:29:55,855
Yeah.

578
00:29:55,855 --> 00:29:57,405
So, yeah, I, it's interesting.

579
00:29:57,405 --> 00:29:57,465
Hmm.

580
00:29:58,155 --> 00:30:01,605
Um, I, I really like the question
that Matt raised earlier though.

581
00:30:01,665 --> 00:30:03,945
Um, like is generosity just about money?

582
00:30:04,035 --> 00:30:04,095
Yeah.

583
00:30:04,755 --> 00:30:09,765
Um, 'cause I, I think you are right
Dave, isn't it, it's about your time.

584
00:30:09,765 --> 00:30:13,395
It's about hospitality, how
generous you are with your things.

585
00:30:13,845 --> 00:30:17,955
I think we should be generous with money
because money can have a real hold on us.

586
00:30:17,955 --> 00:30:18,465
Absolutely.

587
00:30:18,495 --> 00:30:20,655
We can be generous there
so many other ways as

588
00:30:20,655 --> 00:30:21,075
well.

589
00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:21,530
Yeah, yeah.

590
00:30:21,535 --> 00:30:22,065
Yeah.

591
00:30:22,095 --> 00:30:25,215
And this, Peter and John, isn't it, now
when they go into the temple and

592
00:30:25,215 --> 00:30:28,935
they see the guy who's begging,
the guy who's begging, doesn't even

593
00:30:28,935 --> 00:30:30,765
look at them in the best place.

594
00:30:30,795 --> 00:30:31,035
Mm.

595
00:30:31,485 --> 00:30:33,764
He just puts his hand
out, ask him for a gift.

596
00:30:33,915 --> 00:30:34,095
Mm-hmm.

597
00:30:34,845 --> 00:30:35,865
But they look at him.

598
00:30:36,135 --> 00:30:36,405
Mm-hmm.

599
00:30:36,675 --> 00:30:39,945
They literally, they look at him,
they say, silver and gold have I none.

600
00:30:40,155 --> 00:30:40,395
Mm-hmm.

601
00:30:40,935 --> 00:30:44,625
You know, but what I do have, I
give. So in that case, you

602
00:30:44,625 --> 00:30:48,495
know, for me it's about getting
down and connecting with people.

603
00:30:48,675 --> 00:30:53,475
There's a guy I see a lot at Tesco, um,
that's my little mission field, and he,

604
00:30:53,475 --> 00:30:57,465
and he, he's there begging and he's got
a drug history and his name's peace and

605
00:30:57,735 --> 00:31:00,975
been on a journey with him for the last
few years, you know, talking with him.

606
00:31:01,514 --> 00:31:06,195
And he's always amazed that I, I
say coronation chicken and a latte

607
00:31:06,195 --> 00:31:10,245
say now that a few years ago he
couldn't have, and he goes, I, why

608
00:31:10,245 --> 00:31:12,014
do you bother remembering my name?

609
00:31:12,555 --> 00:31:12,915
You know?

610
00:31:12,945 --> 00:31:14,175
And I'm like, well, I want to.

611
00:31:14,685 --> 00:31:18,945
And I think, you know, God does,
when these things don't have

612
00:31:18,945 --> 00:31:21,105
control over us, God does something.

613
00:31:21,105 --> 00:31:22,274
So for me, it's about time.

614
00:31:22,485 --> 00:31:24,555
I keep saying to him, let
me take you for a coffee.

615
00:31:24,945 --> 00:31:26,445
And he's like, oh, you
don't want to do that.

616
00:31:26,475 --> 00:31:27,495
You know, I'm bit, I'm like.

617
00:31:28,350 --> 00:31:29,040
Yeah, I do.

618
00:31:29,220 --> 00:31:29,429
Mm-hmm.

619
00:31:29,490 --> 00:31:31,470
You know, I haven't
taken him for a coffee.

620
00:31:31,470 --> 00:31:33,990
I've taken coffee and sandwiches to him.

621
00:31:34,350 --> 00:31:38,909
Um, and my goal is actually
to get him to come with me.

622
00:31:39,030 --> 00:31:39,360
Yeah.

623
00:31:39,389 --> 00:31:41,310
Because time is really important.

624
00:31:41,399 --> 00:31:41,550
Yeah.

625
00:31:41,550 --> 00:31:45,480
And he needs to know that he's valued
as we are generous with our time.

626
00:31:45,810 --> 00:31:48,389
That means going a little bit
earlier somewhere, so you've

627
00:31:48,389 --> 00:31:49,860
got time to do these things.

628
00:31:49,919 --> 00:31:50,280
Yeah.

629
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:51,210
Yeah.

630
00:31:51,389 --> 00:31:57,689
Alicia has put in the comments, um, the
time is what I have most trouble giving

631
00:31:57,929 --> 00:31:59,730
when it comes to my sense of comfort.

632
00:31:59,879 --> 00:32:00,240
Yeah.

633
00:32:00,330 --> 00:32:04,919
Um, because I'm an introvert and after
giving a lot of myself, I feel depleted.

634
00:32:04,980 --> 00:32:05,189
Yeah.

635
00:32:05,429 --> 00:32:07,679
Which is not good for
creative, but it's very true.

636
00:32:07,685 --> 00:32:07,855
Yeah.

637
00:32:07,980 --> 00:32:08,220
Yeah.

638
00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:12,389
Um, and it is, it's, it's,
I I I, I love this lesson.

639
00:32:12,419 --> 00:32:12,510
Yeah.

640
00:32:12,510 --> 00:32:14,639
You know, your time, your
treasure, your talent.

641
00:32:15,210 --> 00:32:15,330
Mm-hmm.

642
00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:16,350
All your tongue.

643
00:32:16,679 --> 00:32:16,830
Yeah.

644
00:32:16,835 --> 00:32:16,855
Um.

645
00:32:17,805 --> 00:32:20,415
All of these things are, are
really important things to learn,

646
00:32:20,415 --> 00:32:21,735
to be generous with, isn't it?

647
00:32:21,735 --> 00:32:25,545
It's not just, I think a lot of
Christians, what tends to happen is,

648
00:32:25,725 --> 00:32:30,075
um, and Dave, maybe you've seen this
more than I have, but, uh, you go to

649
00:32:30,075 --> 00:32:32,835
church, you know, I, I joined when I
was 18, didn't really have any money.

650
00:32:32,835 --> 00:32:35,865
It was exciting, you know, and yeah,
and you, you're learning this whole

651
00:32:35,865 --> 00:32:38,955
thing about living by faith and
God's doing some really great stuff.

652
00:32:39,015 --> 00:32:44,115
Then you get a job, um, and you start,
you go through this shift of seeing your

653
00:32:44,115 --> 00:32:46,575
employer as your provider rather than God.

654
00:32:46,575 --> 00:32:46,755
Right.

655
00:32:46,755 --> 00:32:49,245
I mean, I felt really challenged, but I
think I mentioned it a couple weeks ago.

656
00:32:49,875 --> 00:32:55,185
Um, but you, you tithe, you give,
you give your 10% and occasionally

657
00:32:55,185 --> 00:32:57,975
you'll give to the, you know, a
special offering or a missionary

658
00:32:57,975 --> 00:32:59,085
or something that comes through.

659
00:32:59,865 --> 00:33:06,615
Um, but it's, it's like we've
lost that element of faith.

660
00:33:06,675 --> 00:33:07,035
Do you know what I mean?

661
00:33:07,035 --> 00:33:09,045
Because we've got comfortable
a little bit with it.

662
00:33:09,045 --> 00:33:09,255
Yeah.

663
00:33:09,260 --> 00:33:09,350
Yeah.

664
00:33:09,945 --> 00:33:11,550
Um, and so then I.

665
00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,950
We can look at other areas like
hospitality, like time, like

666
00:33:16,950 --> 00:33:19,020
generosity in, in those areas.

667
00:33:19,770 --> 00:33:22,260
But it's, I think it's easy to
become comfortable and we, we

668
00:33:22,260 --> 00:33:24,420
operate within our, our boundaries.

669
00:33:25,050 --> 00:33:28,380
What always, always, one of the things
that came out when I was doing uh,

670
00:33:28,380 --> 00:33:33,600
research on the talk was that, um, the
poorest continent on the world, uh,

671
00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:40,140
Africa gives proportionately over pretty
much double what we give in Europe.

672
00:33:40,170 --> 00:33:40,380
Yeah.

673
00:33:40,710 --> 00:33:41,010
Right.

674
00:33:41,010 --> 00:33:44,820
So as a percentage of its income,
Africa is twice as generous as

675
00:33:44,820 --> 00:33:47,460
Europe where we're, you know,
super wealthy and got everything.

676
00:33:47,850 --> 00:33:51,900
And there's something about a lot
of people's stories about giving

677
00:33:52,170 --> 00:33:55,830
and God doing something is when
they didn't have something to give.

678
00:33:56,220 --> 00:33:57,300
Do you see what I mean?

679
00:33:57,300 --> 00:33:57,600
Totally.

680
00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:57,780
Yeah.

681
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:02,070
Um, and you don't, I think
it's a shame in many ways.

682
00:34:02,070 --> 00:34:06,690
We don't hear many stories of
people who are comfortable.

683
00:34:07,544 --> 00:34:08,594
Um, in life.

684
00:34:08,594 --> 00:34:08,685
Yeah.

685
00:34:08,745 --> 00:34:08,835
Mm-hmm.

686
00:34:08,835 --> 00:34:12,884
Because, I don't know, I just wonder
if we've lost the, the faith is the

687
00:34:12,884 --> 00:34:16,844
wrong word, but maybe the belief
that, um, or the, the willing to

688
00:34:16,844 --> 00:34:18,375
risk or the wanting the adventure.

689
00:34:18,554 --> 00:34:18,645
Mm-hmm.

690
00:34:18,915 --> 00:34:19,514
Do you see what I mean?

691
00:34:19,725 --> 00:34:20,745
Well, we live in a world, don't we?

692
00:34:20,745 --> 00:34:23,714
We are all individuals and
we all like our own space.

693
00:34:24,014 --> 00:34:27,014
And I, I don't want, I don't want
to invade your space and, you

694
00:34:27,014 --> 00:34:28,935
know, I don't, I don't wanna put
you under pressure, you know?

695
00:34:28,935 --> 00:34:30,020
I'm sure you know, and, and.

696
00:34:31,155 --> 00:34:34,034
So we almost get to a place
where we don't need each other.

697
00:34:34,155 --> 00:34:34,395
Mm-hmm.

698
00:34:34,485 --> 00:34:36,945
And we're certainly not gonna
say, can I give you this?

699
00:34:36,945 --> 00:34:38,115
Can or can I do that?

700
00:34:38,475 --> 00:34:40,905
Um, because it's like we're intruding.

701
00:34:41,025 --> 00:34:41,205
Mm-hmm.

702
00:34:41,295 --> 00:34:42,495
And I think that's what we need.

703
00:34:42,495 --> 00:34:45,975
We need to lose some of that, where
we actually dare to say, look, can I

704
00:34:45,975 --> 00:34:47,565
just do, I don't want anything off you.

705
00:34:47,685 --> 00:34:47,955
Mm.

706
00:34:48,014 --> 00:34:52,395
You know, because when you do give
things to people, um, it's, it's

707
00:34:52,395 --> 00:34:53,775
almost, well, what you want from me?

708
00:34:54,014 --> 00:34:54,975
Absolutely nothing.

709
00:34:55,635 --> 00:34:58,335
Just when I say You're
precious, I love you.

710
00:34:58,605 --> 00:35:00,555
At this stage, you're precious to God.

711
00:35:00,675 --> 00:35:01,275
Here you go.

712
00:35:01,395 --> 00:35:01,635
Yeah.

713
00:35:01,635 --> 00:35:05,025
And that may lead to, you know, two other
things, but did you say it was Alicia?

714
00:35:05,025 --> 00:35:06,105
Who, who said that first?

715
00:35:06,180 --> 00:35:06,600
Alicia.

716
00:35:06,900 --> 00:35:07,320
Alicia.

717
00:35:07,325 --> 00:35:07,485
Alicia.

718
00:35:08,205 --> 00:35:12,855
I would, I would encourage you,
you know, um, it does cost us,

719
00:35:13,155 --> 00:35:15,345
um, you know, um, with our time.

720
00:35:15,735 --> 00:35:17,595
And do it joyfully.

721
00:35:17,985 --> 00:35:21,735
And you know, you said
that you feel depleted.

722
00:35:21,735 --> 00:35:26,205
Maybe that's part of the cost that you
pay, but you know, God always, always,

723
00:35:26,205 --> 00:35:29,625
always, always honors our obedience.

724
00:35:29,715 --> 00:35:29,835
Mm-hmm.

725
00:35:29,895 --> 00:35:33,675
So I'd encourage you to have a go
and, and let us know you get on.

726
00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:33,730
Mm-hmm.

727
00:35:35,145 --> 00:35:35,385
Yeah.

728
00:35:36,405 --> 00:35:36,615
Yeah.

729
00:35:36,735 --> 00:35:37,425
That's a good point.

730
00:35:37,875 --> 00:35:39,705
I think it's a really
interesting thing, isn't it?

731
00:35:39,705 --> 00:35:42,405
It's like, God, where can I
give, where can I be generous?

732
00:35:43,095 --> 00:35:43,185
Mm-hmm.

733
00:35:43,185 --> 00:35:43,935
May be money.

734
00:35:43,935 --> 00:35:45,015
That may be time.

735
00:35:45,975 --> 00:35:51,975
It tends to be in an area where, um, I
find God challenges you in areas where you

736
00:35:51,975 --> 00:35:55,035
probably don't have, like I said, as much.

737
00:35:55,125 --> 00:35:55,365
Mm.

738
00:35:55,365 --> 00:35:56,295
And so it's harder to give.

739
00:35:56,300 --> 00:35:56,520
Mm-hmm.

740
00:35:56,925 --> 00:36:00,675
Um, but yeah, I, I think that, you
know, God, where can I, so where can

741
00:36:00,675 --> 00:36:07,755
I give, um, that adventure that it's,
I, I mentioned it, um, before, but

742
00:36:07,755 --> 00:36:12,285
neuroscientists are finally caught up
with God or caught up with the apostle.

743
00:36:13,125 --> 00:36:17,595
When you spend money on yourself, you
know, retail therapy, the happiness fades.

744
00:36:18,675 --> 00:36:19,545
It doesn't last very long.

745
00:36:19,545 --> 00:36:22,305
Some of you, you may know this
from, you know, from your own

746
00:36:22,305 --> 00:36:25,785
experiences, but it doesn't last very
long and the happiness does fade.

747
00:36:27,405 --> 00:36:32,115
But when you give and you are
generous, that happiness remains.

748
00:36:32,265 --> 00:36:32,565
Yeah.

749
00:36:32,835 --> 00:36:34,634
Um, which is quite an extraordinary thing.

750
00:36:34,634 --> 00:36:36,825
Isn't I'm feeling down,
therefore I should go and give.

751
00:36:36,975 --> 00:36:37,215
Mm.

752
00:36:37,305 --> 00:36:40,245
Um, it's not, it doesn't
just roll off the tongue.

753
00:36:40,275 --> 00:36:40,455
Yeah.

754
00:36:40,515 --> 00:36:44,145
Um, but there's just something
deeply powerful about going, I

755
00:36:44,145 --> 00:36:45,735
am just, I just need to do this.

756
00:36:45,765 --> 00:36:46,065
Yeah.

757
00:36:46,070 --> 00:36:46,280
Mm-hmm.

758
00:36:46,545 --> 00:36:46,755
Yeah.

759
00:36:47,925 --> 00:36:48,165
Yeah.

760
00:36:48,165 --> 00:36:51,825
It's almost like a, a heart thing more
than a proportionality thing, isn't it?

761
00:36:52,395 --> 00:36:56,715
I like, like the, um, going back to
the widow you talked about, and I

762
00:36:56,820 --> 00:37:00,255
was just thinking about that example
you gave of Africa as a continent.

763
00:37:00,255 --> 00:37:04,965
Proportionately give more than
we do in the rich West and Yeah.

764
00:37:04,965 --> 00:37:08,325
You just sort of think it, it reminded
me again of that story told about the

765
00:37:08,325 --> 00:37:11,565
widow, Matt, that like, it's not about.

766
00:37:11,985 --> 00:37:13,605
The proportionality of our giving.

767
00:37:13,605 --> 00:37:15,345
It's about the heart
behind our, our giving.

768
00:37:15,350 --> 00:37:15,529
Absolutely.

769
00:37:16,095 --> 00:37:16,424
Absolutely.

770
00:37:16,424 --> 00:37:18,345
God's always, always, always
after our heart, isn't he?

771
00:37:18,350 --> 00:37:18,610
Yeah.

772
00:37:18,610 --> 00:37:21,945
He, he's after he, he
doesn't need our money.

773
00:37:21,945 --> 00:37:23,265
Like he doesn't need our giving.

774
00:37:23,415 --> 00:37:24,290
God has all the,

775
00:37:24,850 --> 00:37:25,049
absolutely,

776
00:37:25,190 --> 00:37:26,505
all the resources in the world.

777
00:37:26,505 --> 00:37:26,865
Right?

778
00:37:26,895 --> 00:37:29,265
He like, he needs us to give forward.

779
00:37:29,265 --> 00:37:31,185
It does to us, not for him.

780
00:37:31,515 --> 00:37:37,005
Like, so it is about that kind of
proportionality and if something's costly

781
00:37:37,665 --> 00:37:40,605
for you to give, then that's probably
the thing you should be giving, I guess.

782
00:37:40,725 --> 00:37:40,845
Yeah.

783
00:37:40,904 --> 00:37:45,015
Whether that's money, which does have a
grip on a lot of us, but it may well be

784
00:37:45,015 --> 00:37:46,485
something else like your time or whatever.

785
00:37:46,485 --> 00:37:50,055
Well, that, that ties in beautifully
with, uh, Ellis's question here.

786
00:37:50,055 --> 00:37:56,445
Should we give a proportionately flat fee
or should we give a higher percentage?

787
00:37:56,475 --> 00:37:57,795
If we earn more?

788
00:37:59,384 --> 00:38:00,674
It really doesn't matter.

789
00:38:00,825 --> 00:38:05,565
I mean, I think that's a question
lots of people in church, um, ask.

790
00:38:05,625 --> 00:38:07,545
I've asked me over the
years and I would just say.

791
00:38:08,130 --> 00:38:11,220
I have never given that
more than a second thought.

792
00:38:11,490 --> 00:38:16,260
Purely because you give what is on your
heart to give and give it joyfully.

793
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:19,770
You know, people say, do I give, you
know, before tax or do I give after tax?

794
00:38:20,190 --> 00:38:22,410
Tithing is a starting point.

795
00:38:22,470 --> 00:38:25,470
It's, it's a principle that
they use in the Old Testament.

796
00:38:25,860 --> 00:38:30,300
You know, you give what God has laid on
your heart and I always think a tithe's

797
00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:32,250
a great place to start with generosity.

798
00:38:32,250 --> 00:38:32,370
Yeah.

799
00:38:32,730 --> 00:38:34,290
Never thinks about volume.

800
00:38:34,530 --> 00:38:37,500
You know, he never thinks,
oh, I'll give, you know, 200

801
00:38:37,500 --> 00:38:39,000
pound this month or whatever.

802
00:38:39,300 --> 00:38:43,800
It just gives, and you know, in
church, you know, people give

803
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:47,280
regularly towards the work,
towards the support of the church.

804
00:38:47,310 --> 00:38:49,710
'cause obviously you have to
keep the lights on, et cetera.

805
00:38:50,130 --> 00:38:51,600
But it, it's beyond that.

806
00:38:51,990 --> 00:38:55,050
Um, and I, I would just encourage
you, don't overthink it.

807
00:38:55,410 --> 00:38:57,090
Just go, just say God.

808
00:38:58,215 --> 00:38:59,145
Touch my heart.

809
00:38:59,175 --> 00:39:05,145
And, um, I know for, for Julie and I, um,
and I remember very quickly when we first

810
00:39:05,145 --> 00:39:08,985
got married, being in a meeting and a
little bit like Matt, um, with the watch.

811
00:39:09,375 --> 00:39:13,545
And Julie said to me, um, I
was nursing and we, we did get

812
00:39:13,545 --> 00:39:14,655
a whole lot of money down it.

813
00:39:14,655 --> 00:39:18,675
I think Julie, uh, we just
had our first baby, I think.

814
00:39:18,705 --> 00:39:19,695
Um, can't remember.

815
00:39:20,055 --> 00:39:25,485
And um, and I remember Julie
saying, um, I think, I think we

816
00:39:25,545 --> 00:39:26,985
need just to empty our bank account.

817
00:39:26,985 --> 00:39:28,425
And I'm thinking, well,
that's not gonna be hard.

818
00:39:30,435 --> 00:39:33,855
But what I did know that we'd only
been paid maybe one week before.

819
00:39:33,915 --> 00:39:36,135
We were gonna have like three
weeks where we had nothing.

820
00:39:37,215 --> 00:39:41,175
And I'm like, well, have you really
thought about this? Have you?

821
00:39:41,265 --> 00:39:42,585
Have you really thought this through?

822
00:39:42,915 --> 00:39:44,325
You know, God's man of faith and power?

823
00:39:44,385 --> 00:39:44,535
No.

824
00:39:45,060 --> 00:39:49,215
Um, but it was something that Julie
really thought we should do, so we did it.

825
00:39:49,455 --> 00:39:53,205
And I remember I was saying, look, we're
not gonna say anything to anybody, I

826
00:39:53,205 --> 00:39:55,125
think must live on the credit card again.

827
00:39:56,265 --> 00:40:00,615
And, um, you know what, it was quite
amazing because God was speaking

828
00:40:00,615 --> 00:40:04,875
to people at the evening and we
would, I remember arriving home, I

829
00:40:04,875 --> 00:40:09,045
think it was Monday evening from my
shift, and there was food, there was

830
00:40:09,045 --> 00:40:11,565
like a bag of food on the doorstep.

831
00:40:11,805 --> 00:40:15,495
And that happened numerous
times during this time.

832
00:40:15,855 --> 00:40:21,165
And I'm not, I can't remember us ever
telling anybody about it, you know, but

833
00:40:21,165 --> 00:40:23,145
when God knows about it, he makes a way.

834
00:40:23,325 --> 00:40:23,835
Yeah, he does.

835
00:40:23,865 --> 00:40:27,255
You know, and it, it really
is about, um, just trust him.

836
00:40:27,255 --> 00:40:27,975
And, you know what?

837
00:40:28,065 --> 00:40:33,045
If he hadn't, I think we would've
survived going while without,

838
00:40:33,465 --> 00:40:34,365
it's interesting, isn't it?

839
00:40:34,365 --> 00:40:39,975
Because I think I, there are
stories where people, um, will

840
00:40:39,975 --> 00:40:41,595
say, oh, we give away a car.

841
00:40:42,165 --> 00:40:43,815
Um, and then God gave us a brand new car.

842
00:40:44,895 --> 00:40:47,055
Or we give away a house
and God give us a house.

843
00:40:47,055 --> 00:40:49,245
So you sit there and you listen to
that and go, well, I want a new house.

844
00:40:49,245 --> 00:40:49,665
Yeah.

845
00:40:49,995 --> 00:40:51,855
So I'm gonna give my house
away and God's gonna give me a

846
00:40:51,855 --> 00:40:53,025
house and you end up homeless.

847
00:40:53,055 --> 00:40:53,265
Yeah.

848
00:40:53,535 --> 00:40:55,005
It's a really interesting thing, isn't it?

849
00:40:56,115 --> 00:41:00,585
But at the same time, I think if
you sow pineapple seeds, guess what?

850
00:41:00,585 --> 00:41:01,005
You grow.

851
00:41:01,215 --> 00:41:01,305
Mm.

852
00:41:02,895 --> 00:41:09,855
And I would venture to say if there's
an area in life that you want to

853
00:41:09,885 --> 00:41:13,425
grow in, that you want to develop in,
that you feel like God's challenging

854
00:41:13,425 --> 00:41:16,635
you in, start giving into that area.

855
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:16,700
Yeah.

856
00:41:16,700 --> 00:41:16,900
Mm-hmm.

857
00:41:17,085 --> 00:41:17,325
Yeah.

858
00:41:17,325 --> 00:41:19,365
And start sowing seeds into that area.

859
00:41:19,365 --> 00:41:19,425
Yeah.

860
00:41:20,265 --> 00:41:26,505
Um, if you, if you do that, you'll
be amazed at what starts to happen.

861
00:41:26,535 --> 00:41:26,805
Yeah.

862
00:41:26,805 --> 00:41:26,895
Mm-hmm.

863
00:41:26,895 --> 00:41:27,255
Right?

864
00:41:27,945 --> 00:41:32,415
Um, and just, you know, you cast
your bread on many waters, don't you?

865
00:41:32,420 --> 00:41:32,670
Mm-hmm.

866
00:41:32,675 --> 00:41:37,005
And, and I, and I think it's really
interesting when, when you do that, God

867
00:41:37,005 --> 00:41:39,525
starts to prove himself in that situation.

868
00:41:40,275 --> 00:41:40,725
Um.

869
00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:40,950
And so,

870
00:41:41,580 --> 00:41:44,460
but at the same time, you
shouldn't give with, with like

871
00:41:44,460 --> 00:41:45,900
that kind of intention in mind.

872
00:41:45,900 --> 00:41:49,620
Like, you know, like that idea of
giving so you get a new house, a bigger

873
00:41:49,620 --> 00:41:51,060
house, or a better this or better that.

874
00:41:51,060 --> 00:41:53,850
Like if I, if I bless someone
else, God will bless me back.

875
00:41:53,850 --> 00:41:54,825
So I'm gonna do it like, yeah.

876
00:41:55,455 --> 00:41:58,995
To me it's a, again, what you're saying
there is, it's about the heart state.

877
00:41:58,995 --> 00:41:59,265
Absolutely.

878
00:41:59,295 --> 00:42:01,770
Because like you, if you, you can't,

879
00:42:01,790 --> 00:42:02,010
yes.

880
00:42:02,415 --> 00:42:04,395
You can't do something
expecting to get something back.

881
00:42:04,395 --> 00:42:05,895
'cause that's the wrong motive to give with.

882
00:42:05,955 --> 00:42:06,045
Mm-hmm.

883
00:42:06,045 --> 00:42:08,955
So, well you can do it, but
it's probably not a good idea.

884
00:42:09,285 --> 00:42:10,705
It's like the heart thing, isn't it?

885
00:42:10,935 --> 00:42:11,325
It is.

886
00:42:11,325 --> 00:42:13,155
But if you give, God's
gonna give back now.

887
00:42:13,155 --> 00:42:17,745
He, he's, he's your timeframe and, and
your expectations are probably gonna be

888
00:42:17,745 --> 00:42:18,165
questioned.

889
00:42:18,345 --> 00:42:18,585
Right?

890
00:42:18,585 --> 00:42:18,595
Yeah.

891
00:42:18,595 --> 00:42:19,130
And there's no formula to it.

892
00:42:19,130 --> 00:42:19,290
Right.

893
00:42:19,550 --> 00:42:19,810
No formula.

894
00:42:19,810 --> 00:42:20,610
Like you can formula, you can't tell God

895
00:42:20,610 --> 00:42:21,370
what to give you formula.

896
00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:22,370
It's all about the heart.

897
00:42:22,755 --> 00:42:23,055
Yeah.

898
00:42:23,055 --> 00:42:23,325
Isn't it?

899
00:42:23,325 --> 00:42:25,995
You know, so they can
have two different people.

900
00:42:25,995 --> 00:42:29,025
I, I agree with that totally, Anna, that
I, I remember many years ago,

901
00:42:29,025 --> 00:42:32,955
frontline, a guy coming in, he was
saying, um, I, I, I prayed for a car

902
00:42:33,015 --> 00:42:34,425
and God gave me this brand new car.

903
00:42:34,695 --> 00:42:39,585
And then I saw this car go past and he
said, you know what, I, I went and I

904
00:42:39,585 --> 00:42:41,895
gave my car away and I got that car.

905
00:42:42,135 --> 00:42:44,565
And I'm thinking, well, what's your idol?

906
00:42:44,865 --> 00:42:45,045
Yeah.

907
00:42:45,045 --> 00:42:45,165
Yes.

908
00:42:45,165 --> 00:42:48,825
It may sound judgmental to you,
but you know, this story just went

909
00:42:48,825 --> 00:42:50,355
on and it happened with houses.

910
00:42:50,655 --> 00:42:52,185
And I'm just like, you know what we.

911
00:42:53,730 --> 00:42:57,240
In the real world, we need to
know what it is to be at peace

912
00:42:57,240 --> 00:42:59,520
with God, with much, with Yeah.

913
00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:00,330
And with plenty.

914
00:43:00,569 --> 00:43:00,660
Mm-hmm.

915
00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:05,250
And I think, you know, um, it,
it's, it is all about the heart.

916
00:43:05,250 --> 00:43:06,359
God knows our heart.

917
00:43:06,509 --> 00:43:06,629
Mm-hmm.

918
00:43:06,629 --> 00:43:08,430
You know, we think where will be happier?

919
00:43:08,669 --> 00:43:13,109
We'll be more fulfilled with a bigger car
or a better house, or blah, blah, blah.

920
00:43:13,319 --> 00:43:14,339
Where does that stop?

921
00:43:14,549 --> 00:43:17,190
'cause we know in the real world
it doesn't, does it. It just happens.

922
00:43:17,250 --> 00:43:20,100
It then becomes let's exchange the wife.

923
00:43:20,190 --> 00:43:20,580
Yeah.

924
00:43:20,580 --> 00:43:22,109
You know, that's the sad reality of it.

925
00:43:22,140 --> 00:43:22,350
Yeah.

926
00:43:22,350 --> 00:43:23,940
Everything becomes temporary.

927
00:43:24,089 --> 00:43:24,299
Yeah.

928
00:43:24,629 --> 00:43:26,520
You know, and, and I think,

929
00:43:26,609 --> 00:43:27,060
and it's a real

930
00:43:27,060 --> 00:43:27,270
shame.

931
00:43:27,270 --> 00:43:28,379
It does start with one.

932
00:43:28,529 --> 00:43:31,859
And I think that, I generally think
there is a progression, but I think

933
00:43:31,859 --> 00:43:33,450
it, I think that is a good point.

934
00:43:33,660 --> 00:43:36,930
If you have something on your
heart, it is good to sow into that.

935
00:43:36,990 --> 00:43:37,109
Yeah.

936
00:43:37,109 --> 00:43:37,350
It is.

937
00:43:37,350 --> 00:43:37,680
Yeah.

938
00:43:37,740 --> 00:43:37,919
You

939
00:43:37,919 --> 00:43:40,410
know, it is like if you're the
whole thing it is, it is key.

940
00:43:40,410 --> 00:43:41,500
Because Paul says, mm-hmm.

941
00:43:42,090 --> 00:43:45,180
I've learned what it is to, like you said,
I've learned, learned to have plenty and

942
00:43:45,180 --> 00:43:46,380
I've learned what it is to be in need.

943
00:43:46,380 --> 00:43:48,540
But in every situation
I've learned to be content.

944
00:43:48,545 --> 00:43:48,755
Yeah.

945
00:43:48,930 --> 00:43:49,080
Yeah.

946
00:43:49,080 --> 00:43:52,410
The word content just means independent
of circumstance, which I love.

947
00:43:52,470 --> 00:43:52,770
Yeah.

948
00:43:52,830 --> 00:43:53,009
Right.

949
00:43:53,009 --> 00:43:54,900
Paul's like, I don't care
whether I'm rich or poor.

950
00:43:54,930 --> 00:43:55,110
Yeah.

951
00:43:55,350 --> 00:43:56,520
I've just got God's grace.

952
00:43:57,060 --> 00:43:59,460
But I tell you, one of the
magical, going back to you,

953
00:43:59,610 --> 00:44:01,290
you know, saying breaking fear.

954
00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:06,300
I think if there's a fear,
you break it by, by giving.

955
00:44:06,300 --> 00:44:07,515
If there's an idol, you absolutely.

956
00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:08,070
You break it by.

957
00:44:08,070 --> 00:44:09,330
You can't give your God away.

958
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:09,660
Yeah.

959
00:44:09,750 --> 00:44:09,990
Right.

960
00:44:09,990 --> 00:44:12,450
If, if, if money is your
God, you can't give it away.

961
00:44:12,450 --> 00:44:12,720
Yeah.

962
00:44:13,140 --> 00:44:14,460
So how do you know money is not your God?

963
00:44:14,460 --> 00:44:15,390
Well, you can give it away.

964
00:44:15,390 --> 00:44:16,620
Mm-hmm.

965
00:44:16,621 --> 00:44:21,240
Um, so if, if you are struggling,
you know, and you kind of, with

966
00:44:21,240 --> 00:44:22,320
housing, you're like, gotta.

967
00:44:23,069 --> 00:44:24,660
I need, I need some breakthrough here.

968
00:44:24,839 --> 00:44:24,930
Mm-hmm.

969
00:44:25,170 --> 00:44:26,399
I would genuinely be going, right.

970
00:44:26,399 --> 00:44:27,359
Where can I give not

971
00:44:27,390 --> 00:44:27,660
mm-hmm.

972
00:44:27,870 --> 00:44:30,810
Not give away your, you know, your
deposits and all that sort of, you've

973
00:44:30,810 --> 00:44:32,160
gotta do what God tells you to do.

974
00:44:32,190 --> 00:44:32,490
Yeah.

975
00:44:32,549 --> 00:44:34,815
Just inviting people around,
just being hospitable, absolutely right?

976
00:44:34,815 --> 00:44:35,095
Mm-hmm.

977
00:44:35,100 --> 00:44:35,190
Yeah.

978
00:44:35,190 --> 00:44:35,370
Yeah.

979
00:44:35,370 --> 00:44:36,654
Just, just bring people in.

980
00:44:36,654 --> 00:44:36,815
Yeah.

981
00:44:36,815 --> 00:44:37,350
And it in

982
00:44:37,350 --> 00:44:40,410
that area, and it applies in every area
of life, doesn't it. It always strikes me

983
00:44:40,410 --> 00:44:44,279
because as much as you can give a small
amount like the widow, when you only

984
00:44:44,279 --> 00:44:47,490
have a small amount proportionally,
and that like matters to God.

985
00:44:47,609 --> 00:44:47,850
Yeah.

986
00:44:47,879 --> 00:44:48,899
Equally, when you've got like.

987
00:44:49,380 --> 00:44:52,770
I used to have people around when I
had a flat share with other mates and

988
00:44:52,770 --> 00:44:54,330
I didn't even own my own property.

989
00:44:54,360 --> 00:44:54,450
Yeah.

990
00:44:54,870 --> 00:44:57,480
And now I still like to have people
around our dining room table.

991
00:44:57,480 --> 00:44:59,279
Now I own my own family house.

992
00:44:59,279 --> 00:45:01,740
But you don't start when
you get the bigger house.

993
00:45:01,740 --> 00:45:04,500
When you get the perfect house,
just start where you are.

994
00:45:04,500 --> 00:45:06,150
Even if it's just like a shed.

995
00:45:06,150 --> 00:45:09,210
So, and a couple of like
dial out pizzas, you know?

996
00:45:09,215 --> 00:45:09,765
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

997
00:45:09,785 --> 00:45:10,965
But you don't, yeah.

998
00:45:11,250 --> 00:45:12,165
You start with where you're at.

999
00:45:12,345 --> 00:45:12,645
You do.

1000
00:45:12,645 --> 00:45:12,805
And

1001
00:45:12,805 --> 00:45:13,285
use what

1002
00:45:13,285 --> 00:45:13,565
you've got.

1003
00:45:14,069 --> 00:45:16,710
And you'll notice everything
that God tells us to do.

1004
00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:18,150
To be hospitable.

1005
00:45:18,180 --> 00:45:18,360
Yeah.

1006
00:45:18,360 --> 00:45:19,470
To pray for somebody.

1007
00:45:19,529 --> 00:45:19,830
Absolutely.

1008
00:45:20,384 --> 00:45:24,810
To, to, to listen to, to grieve with those
who grieve, to rejoice with those who rejoice.

1009
00:45:24,810 --> 00:45:26,100
And guess what all that requires.

1010
00:45:26,220 --> 00:45:26,400
Yeah.

1011
00:45:26,490 --> 00:45:27,090
You to give.

1012
00:45:27,240 --> 00:45:27,509
Yeah.

1013
00:45:27,509 --> 00:45:28,380
Something.

1014
00:45:28,830 --> 00:45:32,640
The whole thing, for God so loved
the world that he gave, the whole

1015
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:34,980
gospel is built on God's generosity.

1016
00:45:34,980 --> 00:45:35,220
Right.

1017
00:45:35,225 --> 00:45:35,404
Yeah.

1018
00:45:35,424 --> 00:45:38,670
And I think, you know, you just said
there and something that is a value that

1019
00:45:38,670 --> 00:45:43,259
we all have in common about, you know,
hospitality, sharing our homes, you know.

1020
00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:47,910
Um, I mean that's something that o
over the decades we've done freely like

1021
00:45:47,910 --> 00:45:53,490
Sundays, you know, Sunday lunches to think
how many, hundreds and hundreds opening

1022
00:45:53,490 --> 00:45:57,960
up our homes for people to come and live
with us, you know, share, just sharing

1023
00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:00,150
what we have and it's holding it lightly.

1024
00:46:00,270 --> 00:46:04,680
It's not that they're not precious,
we hold them lightly, 'cause we all

1025
00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,870
received from those things ourselves.

1026
00:46:06,875 --> 00:46:07,319
Yeah, yeah.

1027
00:46:07,319 --> 00:46:10,710
You know, whether we have, um,
just people around on a Sunday or

1028
00:46:10,710 --> 00:46:14,460
whether we're having people come
and share, share our homes with us.

1029
00:46:15,060 --> 00:46:15,210
Yeah.

1030
00:46:15,299 --> 00:46:17,220
I can't think about how many people, I

1031
00:46:17,220 --> 00:46:20,580
mean I think you and Julie, but obviously
you and Sharon as well, mark, like

1032
00:46:20,580 --> 00:46:24,240
you're both great at your people I
think of who are great at having people

1033
00:46:24,240 --> 00:46:26,009
around, having people live with you.

1034
00:46:26,009 --> 00:46:28,410
Like that is the real lifestyle choice.

1035
00:46:28,410 --> 00:46:30,540
It's not easy for everyone
to give up their own personal

1036
00:46:30,540 --> 00:46:31,950
family space and do that.

1037
00:46:32,549 --> 00:46:32,790
Amazing.

1038
00:46:32,790 --> 00:46:33,595
And not a natural one for, for me.

1039
00:46:33,835 --> 00:46:37,589
'cause I'm, I'm quite selfish, you know,
and um, and we did it when we had a

1040
00:46:37,589 --> 00:46:39,240
small house and we got a larger house.

1041
00:46:39,645 --> 00:46:43,665
But I always say it's a value that
we really love and every now and

1042
00:46:43,665 --> 00:46:45,945
then we meet people saying, oh, we
really loved it when we live with you.

1043
00:46:45,945 --> 00:46:48,375
And I'm like, did you?

1044
00:46:48,465 --> 00:46:49,425
Where was I?

1045
00:46:49,425 --> 00:46:49,545
You know?

1046
00:46:50,100 --> 00:46:50,960
And uh, did your face

1047
00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:51,240
know?

1048
00:46:51,600 --> 00:46:51,760
Yeah.

1049
00:46:51,900 --> 00:46:54,315
You know, I remember John McOwen and

1050
00:46:54,675 --> 00:46:55,640
Dave was our most, the

1051
00:46:56,220 --> 00:46:58,995
and Tony Ri and they're
saying, we live with you.

1052
00:46:58,995 --> 00:47:02,325
I'm like, did you about any
man living in our house?

1053
00:47:05,730 --> 00:47:06,080
Funny.

1054
00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:08,595
But you, you know, it's,
you hold what you have.

1055
00:47:09,105 --> 00:47:12,045
And, but you know what I love
seeing is that that value that,

1056
00:47:12,105 --> 00:47:13,725
that we have lots of people.

1057
00:47:13,725 --> 00:47:15,585
You, you know, even though
you share it, you know, you

1058
00:47:15,615 --> 00:47:17,355
share, you use what you have.

1059
00:47:17,355 --> 00:47:20,685
And I understand not everybody can
have, you know, people live with them.

1060
00:47:20,685 --> 00:47:22,785
And, and we did it outta obedience.

1061
00:47:22,785 --> 00:47:24,405
I, you know, just did it outta obedience.

1062
00:47:24,405 --> 00:47:29,985
'cause it wasn't a natural thing
initially, but we just loved and, you

1063
00:47:29,985 --> 00:47:32,655
know, it, it was, it's just great to do.

1064
00:47:32,715 --> 00:47:33,015
Yeah.

1065
00:47:33,555 --> 00:47:33,675
You

1066
00:47:33,675 --> 00:47:34,095
know, it is.

1067
00:47:34,095 --> 00:47:35,115
Can highly recommend.

1068
00:47:35,325 --> 00:47:38,775
One more question that
I just had, um, was.

1069
00:47:40,140 --> 00:47:42,810
Because Matt, you talked a little bit
in your talk about kind of when you

1070
00:47:42,810 --> 00:47:46,080
got into some debt on cards and, and,
and went into marriage with debt.

1071
00:47:46,470 --> 00:47:51,240
Like what do you think about giving
while and tithing, I guess, but you

1072
00:47:51,240 --> 00:47:54,745
know, above and beyond tithing as well,
while you are in debt and you, you know,

1073
00:47:54,750 --> 00:47:59,944
you basically owe other people money or
like you touched on it briefly mm-hmm.

1074
00:48:00,024 --> 00:48:03,060
But like, what, like is, you
know, what would you recommend

1075
00:48:03,060 --> 00:48:04,350
people do in that scenario?

1076
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:06,540
I think debt's a really interesting one.

1077
00:48:06,540 --> 00:48:06,629
Mm-hmm.

1078
00:48:06,899 --> 00:48:10,350
Having been in it and having done debt
counseling with people over the years.

1079
00:48:10,680 --> 00:48:17,310
Um, I, I would say that, um,

1080
00:48:19,709 --> 00:48:22,950
for me, when I was in debt, and
this is for me and what we did,

1081
00:48:23,279 --> 00:48:24,720
I doubled down on my giving.

1082
00:48:24,725 --> 00:48:25,015
Mm-hmm.

1083
00:48:25,200 --> 00:48:27,089
I made sure I paid the debt every month.

1084
00:48:27,299 --> 00:48:27,480
Yep.

1085
00:48:27,930 --> 00:48:29,549
And I doubled down on my giving.

1086
00:48:30,330 --> 00:48:37,109
Um, and what that, what that meant was we.

1087
00:48:38,625 --> 00:48:41,055
I couldn't buy the things
that I wanted to buy right.

1088
00:48:41,055 --> 00:48:43,455
In, in essence, you, there
had to be some change.

1089
00:48:44,055 --> 00:48:52,875
Um, but I think in that scenario, I refuse
to let debt and the fear of debt rob me.

1090
00:48:52,980 --> 00:48:53,400
Mm-hmm.

1091
00:48:53,595 --> 00:48:55,905
Um, and the anxiety of it.

1092
00:48:55,905 --> 00:48:59,205
So I'm like, no, I'm gonna make sure
that I give, even if I have to work

1093
00:48:59,535 --> 00:49:02,445
another job, even if I have to do this,
that, and the other, or sell stuff.

1094
00:49:03,105 --> 00:49:05,865
Um, I, and trust me, I had plenty
of nonsense that I bought on the

1095
00:49:05,865 --> 00:49:10,635
credit card that I could sell, but,
um, but we, we also, you know, we

1096
00:49:10,635 --> 00:49:11,925
worked hard to get out of the debt.

1097
00:49:12,405 --> 00:49:14,115
Um, and, and we made some choices.

1098
00:49:14,115 --> 00:49:17,865
And it's not like getting outta
debt is a, is a, happens in a month.

1099
00:49:17,955 --> 00:49:18,195
No.

1100
00:49:18,465 --> 00:49:19,365
It can take years.

1101
00:49:19,455 --> 00:49:19,575
Mm-hmm.

1102
00:49:19,575 --> 00:49:19,935
Right.

1103
00:49:20,625 --> 00:49:25,875
Um, and so now, um, I'm super grateful
we sit here and I don't have any

1104
00:49:25,875 --> 00:49:30,705
debt other than the mortgage on my
house, you know, but we own the car.

1105
00:49:30,705 --> 00:49:32,805
We save for cars, we buy cars, cash.

1106
00:49:32,805 --> 00:49:35,800
We don't, um, we don't.

1107
00:49:37,170 --> 00:49:37,860
Lease them.

1108
00:49:37,860 --> 00:49:40,440
And I know people do, and I'm not,
it's not a judgmental thing for me.

1109
00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:41,640
I wanted to get out of the debt.

1110
00:49:41,730 --> 00:49:41,820
Mm-hmm.

1111
00:49:41,825 --> 00:49:41,925
Yeah.

1112
00:49:42,360 --> 00:49:47,970
Um, you know, I, I think it's good to
get outta the debt, but you have to

1113
00:49:47,970 --> 00:49:49,290
make those lifestyle choices early.

1114
00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:49,410
Mm-hmm.

1115
00:49:49,410 --> 00:49:49,530
Yeah.

1116
00:49:49,530 --> 00:49:49,770
Right.

1117
00:49:50,040 --> 00:49:50,490
Um,

1118
00:49:50,725 --> 00:49:53,520
I, I think as well, what awful
might, you know, you've said, um,

1119
00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:56,310
oh, you've done some debt counseling.

1120
00:49:56,460 --> 00:49:56,730
Mm-hmm.

1121
00:49:57,180 --> 00:50:00,900
Um, we've done quite a bit of that o
over the years and I've seen God just

1122
00:50:00,900 --> 00:50:03,870
do some amazing things because we
were never able to say, here's the

1123
00:50:03,870 --> 00:50:07,200
money, cover your debt and pay us,
but just never had it to do with that.

1124
00:50:07,530 --> 00:50:10,500
But walking through it with people

1125
00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:10,890
mm-hmm.

1126
00:50:11,340 --> 00:50:14,130
Um, I would have to, we would always
say, you know, we'd talk about the debt,

1127
00:50:14,460 --> 00:50:18,090
what you want to do, and some of them
say, we can pay this, blah, blah, blah.

1128
00:50:18,390 --> 00:50:21,270
But we, one of the key things
we have to do is help people

1129
00:50:21,270 --> 00:50:24,000
deconstruct their idea of money.

1130
00:50:24,555 --> 00:50:27,880
Because there's all this input, like
buy now, pay later type of thing.

1131
00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:28,200
Mm-hmm.

1132
00:50:28,580 --> 00:50:32,040
And that has devastating impact
on marriages that mm-hmm.

1133
00:50:32,120 --> 00:50:35,415
Numbers of marriages that break
down because of that is huge.

1134
00:50:35,714 --> 00:50:41,174
So we have to deconstruct the idea
of money, how we use it, and, um,

1135
00:50:41,654 --> 00:50:45,645
but I think, you know, when we are
helping people walk through that, I

1136
00:50:45,645 --> 00:50:47,985
think in that they get some healing.

1137
00:50:48,225 --> 00:50:50,355
They get some input about what money is

1138
00:50:50,475 --> 00:50:50,895
Yeah.

1139
00:50:50,895 --> 00:50:52,214
And how they should use it.

1140
00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:52,600
Mm-hmm.

1141
00:50:52,964 --> 00:50:58,424
It was really interesting when we were
doing the debt counselling that, um, you

1142
00:50:58,424 --> 00:51:02,535
have to, because like you, it's like
you see people and you go, well, I can't

1143
00:51:02,535 --> 00:51:03,570
give you the money to pay your debts.

1144
00:51:04,545 --> 00:51:06,705
But if I could, I probably wouldn't.

1145
00:51:06,705 --> 00:51:07,095
That's right.

1146
00:51:07,515 --> 00:51:07,785
Right?

1147
00:51:07,790 --> 00:51:08,020
That's right.

1148
00:51:08,200 --> 00:51:09,475
And, and it's a really interesting thing.

1149
00:51:09,475 --> 00:51:09,884
Thing that's Yeah.

1150
00:51:09,884 --> 00:51:12,795
Was there was this really odd
phenomenon that I noticed.

1151
00:51:12,795 --> 00:51:15,015
They, they called it the
debt consolidation loan.

1152
00:51:15,015 --> 00:51:19,035
I dunno if they still do, but this was
the idea whereby you'd run a, you know,

1153
00:51:19,035 --> 00:51:20,444
four or five different credit cards.

1154
00:51:20,444 --> 00:51:20,455
Mm-hmm.

1155
00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:22,220
And let's say you owed 40 grand mm-hmm.

1156
00:51:22,545 --> 00:51:23,475
Across all your credit cards.

1157
00:51:23,475 --> 00:51:27,315
So you consolidated that
debt into one payment Yeah.

1158
00:51:27,315 --> 00:51:27,795
Every month.

1159
00:51:27,825 --> 00:51:31,935
And that payment would've been lower than
the debt payments on all the credit cards.

1160
00:51:31,940 --> 00:51:32,020
Mm-hmm.

1161
00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:35,444
And so you, you, you go, this
makes financial sense because it's

1162
00:51:35,444 --> 00:51:36,735
gonna free up money every month.

1163
00:51:36,735 --> 00:51:38,055
We're not gonna go from hand to mouth.

1164
00:51:38,714 --> 00:51:41,145
And so you, you consolidate
your debts and you start to pay.

1165
00:51:41,145 --> 00:51:43,995
Now, I dunno if you noticed this, but
I noticed when people consolidated

1166
00:51:43,995 --> 00:51:47,115
their debts within 12 months mm-hmm.

1167
00:51:47,116 --> 00:51:49,005
18 months, they were not in
40,000 pounds worth of debt.

1168
00:51:49,005 --> 00:51:50,625
They were in 80,000 pounds worth of debt.

1169
00:51:50,630 --> 00:51:50,819
Mm-hmm.

1170
00:51:50,900 --> 00:51:54,255
Because they, they'd not dealt
with the financial That's right.

1171
00:51:54,495 --> 00:51:56,805
Habits that got them into
debt in the first place.

1172
00:51:56,805 --> 00:51:57,884
Now I'm not.

1173
00:51:58,290 --> 00:52:01,410
It's not, hear me, I'm not saying everyone
in debt, it's their own stupid fault.

1174
00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:05,370
Mm. I'm not saying that at all,
but quite often there are habits.

1175
00:52:05,370 --> 00:52:08,160
I definitely had them
that got me into debt.

1176
00:52:08,250 --> 00:52:08,340
Mm-hmm.

1177
00:52:08,850 --> 00:52:12,060
And if you don't deal with that,
the white knight in shining armour,

1178
00:52:12,480 --> 00:52:15,120
you know, so classic one recently.

1179
00:52:15,900 --> 00:52:16,860
So I had a lot of debt.

1180
00:52:17,040 --> 00:52:20,430
You get redundancy, you get a big
redundancy payout, you pay those debts

1181
00:52:20,430 --> 00:52:24,810
off thinking, well, I'm debt free
two months later, how's the debts?

1182
00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:24,990
Wow.

1183
00:52:25,320 --> 00:52:26,250
They're still low, aren't they?

1184
00:52:26,250 --> 00:52:28,140
And they, they actually,
they're creeping up again.

1185
00:52:28,410 --> 00:52:28,590
Yeah.

1186
00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:32,190
And so, yeah, I think, I think
debt's a really interesting one.

1187
00:52:32,370 --> 00:52:36,570
Um, and having to deal with
those reasons you're in debt.

1188
00:52:37,170 --> 00:52:37,740
Important.

1189
00:52:37,980 --> 00:52:43,320
Um, so Alicia said, uh, well let's
just look at the comments here.

1190
00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:47,850
Uh, lady Beby giving and blessing aren't
necessarily like for, like, for example,

1191
00:52:47,850 --> 00:52:51,150
financial giving doesn't necessarily
mean you'll be blessed financially.

1192
00:52:51,300 --> 00:52:51,510
Right.

1193
00:52:51,930 --> 00:52:54,270
God knows what we need and
blesses us accordingly.

1194
00:52:54,330 --> 00:52:54,630
Mm-hmm.

1195
00:52:55,005 --> 00:52:56,775
Um, I think everyone is agreeing there.

1196
00:52:56,985 --> 00:52:57,015
Mm.

1197
00:52:57,225 --> 00:53:02,805
Uh, Alicia says, I want to reiterate
that God has always been faithful in

1198
00:53:02,805 --> 00:53:06,015
restoring me after I've been depleted.

1199
00:53:06,075 --> 00:53:06,225
Yeah.

1200
00:53:06,225 --> 00:53:08,444
Energetically well done or financially

1201
00:53:08,475 --> 00:53:08,835
well done.

1202
00:53:08,865 --> 00:53:09,075
Yeah.

1203
00:53:09,075 --> 00:53:09,825
That's fantastic.

1204
00:53:10,215 --> 00:53:15,194
It's just, it's often just a matter of
me practicing patience in the interim.

1205
00:53:16,215 --> 00:53:18,285
Um, I would totally agree.

1206
00:53:18,345 --> 00:53:20,625
I think, um, it's like you said, isn't it?

1207
00:53:20,625 --> 00:53:21,645
You can't out-give God.

1208
00:53:22,485 --> 00:53:23,895
God is no man's debtor.

1209
00:53:24,315 --> 00:53:27,345
Um, you know, and it's like,
and it doesn't mean that if you

1210
00:53:27,345 --> 00:53:28,275
give money, you'll get money.

1211
00:53:28,275 --> 00:53:35,174
Like, um, Sonya said it's, but yeah, I
think just the life of being generous

1212
00:53:35,235 --> 00:53:37,215
is really, really good fun, isn't it?

1213
00:53:37,220 --> 00:53:37,390
Yeah.

1214
00:53:38,355 --> 00:53:40,245
Be the first person to pay for dinner.

1215
00:53:40,335 --> 00:53:40,635
Mm-hmm.

1216
00:53:40,640 --> 00:53:41,040
Do you know what I mean?

1217
00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:41,240
Yeah.

1218
00:53:41,340 --> 00:53:42,680
And you know, do those

1219
00:53:43,725 --> 00:53:46,455
so freeing and it also means
that like God knows your needs.

1220
00:53:46,460 --> 00:53:46,560
Mm-hmm.

1221
00:53:46,645 --> 00:53:50,175
You know, like I always think of about,
um, passage of Matthew where he talks

1222
00:53:50,175 --> 00:53:52,365
about look at the birds and Yeah.

1223
00:53:52,635 --> 00:53:54,975
You know, the flowers in the
field, God provides for all of

1224
00:53:54,975 --> 00:53:58,395
nature, doesn't he also know your
needs and we need provide for you.

1225
00:53:58,395 --> 00:54:01,455
And I always think we make it so
complicated sometimes, don't we?

1226
00:54:01,455 --> 00:54:03,015
But like Yeah.

1227
00:54:03,015 --> 00:54:05,535
It's so freeing when we live
generously and God knows our

1228
00:54:05,535 --> 00:54:07,455
needs, so don't worry about it.

1229
00:54:07,460 --> 00:54:07,640
Yeah.

1230
00:54:07,870 --> 00:54:12,525
There's, um, I'm going to, can I tell
the story about our future Inlaws?

1231
00:54:12,525 --> 00:54:13,160
I'm gonna tell it anyway.

1232
00:54:14,380 --> 00:54:15,040
It sounds like

1233
00:54:15,165 --> 00:54:16,185
you just started so

1234
00:54:16,190 --> 00:54:16,480
carry on.

1235
00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:18,280
I just, to my wife permission and Yeah.

1236
00:54:18,860 --> 00:54:19,665
I'm gonna tell her anyway.

1237
00:54:20,115 --> 00:54:23,505
So my eldest son in eight
weeks is getting married.

1238
00:54:24,195 --> 00:54:26,565
Is it less than eight weeks
anyways, getting married soon.

1239
00:54:26,925 --> 00:54:28,635
Um, and

1240
00:54:28,725 --> 00:54:30,165
don't worry, Sharon knows the date.

1241
00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:30,360
Yeah.

1242
00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:30,480
Yeah.

1243
00:54:31,575 --> 00:54:32,085
I'll be there.

1244
00:54:32,085 --> 00:54:32,115
I'll be there.

1245
00:54:32,115 --> 00:54:32,865
So don't panic.

1246
00:54:33,465 --> 00:54:33,885
Um.

1247
00:54:34,275 --> 00:54:38,444
And we, uh, so he's marrying
Abby, who's beautiful.

1248
00:54:38,654 --> 00:54:42,435
Um, Abby's from Indonesia
and her parents were over.

1249
00:54:43,395 --> 00:54:46,365
So we met her parents
and we went out to eat.

1250
00:54:46,665 --> 00:54:51,645
Now, normally when we go out to
eat, I will sneak off at some

1251
00:54:51,645 --> 00:54:54,375
point and pay the food bill.

1252
00:54:54,375 --> 00:54:54,525
Right.

1253
00:54:54,525 --> 00:54:56,505
It's just one of the things in my
head, I'm just trying to be generous.

1254
00:54:56,505 --> 00:54:58,065
I just, I, I try and pay for the food.

1255
00:54:58,785 --> 00:55:03,585
Um, but they got there
before us, didn't they?

1256
00:55:03,705 --> 00:55:04,095
Wow.

1257
00:55:04,125 --> 00:55:07,154
They were like, I went to pay the
bill and they already paid it.

1258
00:55:07,785 --> 00:55:07,845
Wow.

1259
00:55:07,935 --> 00:55:09,975
What did they pay when they, we came in?

1260
00:55:10,065 --> 00:55:10,245
Yeah,

1261
00:55:10,245 --> 00:55:13,424
I Did they call you 20 minutes
before we arrived and said, here's

1262
00:55:13,424 --> 00:55:15,225
my, how did they do that so quick?

1263
00:55:15,615 --> 00:55:18,705
And it got to the point where I just
love being around people like that,

1264
00:55:18,705 --> 00:55:22,634
where you are arguing about who's
gonna pay the bill so much better.

1265
00:55:22,935 --> 00:55:23,835
And so we're like, alright.

1266
00:55:23,955 --> 00:55:24,015
She.

1267
00:55:25,275 --> 00:55:27,825
You, I'm gonna tie you to the table.

1268
00:55:28,515 --> 00:55:30,345
It's my, I need to pay for this.

1269
00:55:30,345 --> 00:55:30,585
Right.

1270
00:55:30,915 --> 00:55:32,745
So it's just really, and they're
like, no, no, no, we'll get it.

1271
00:55:32,745 --> 00:55:34,485
I'm like, I'm gonna break your legs.

1272
00:55:35,325 --> 00:55:36,885
Um, it's just, it's just
the way it's gonna be.

1273
00:55:37,155 --> 00:55:42,435
So I'm not really gonna do that, just,
but it's that competition to be generous.

1274
00:55:43,215 --> 00:55:46,785
I love being around people like that
rather than the people when the check

1275
00:55:46,785 --> 00:55:48,075
comes at dinner and they're all like,

1276
00:55:48,555 --> 00:55:48,885
who paid?

1277
00:55:48,945 --> 00:55:49,605
Who had what?

1278
00:55:50,040 --> 00:55:50,390
50

1279
00:55:50,475 --> 00:55:51,555
50? That's annoying.

1280
00:55:51,585 --> 00:55:55,575
And I, I don't mind, I, I get that people
want to pay that, but even if it's just a

1281
00:55:55,575 --> 00:55:59,625
like, oh, if I leave it long enough, maybe
you'll pay, you know, that kind of thing.

1282
00:55:59,625 --> 00:55:59,955
So.

1283
00:56:00,045 --> 00:56:00,495
Yeah.

1284
00:56:01,005 --> 00:56:03,825
Um, anyway, uh, it's
probably time for us to,

1285
00:56:03,885 --> 00:56:04,575
yeah, we need to wrap up.

1286
00:56:04,770 --> 00:56:04,990
Up.

1287
00:56:05,295 --> 00:56:09,135
Um, I don't actually know what's happening
next week 'cause I've forgot to ask.

1288
00:56:09,135 --> 00:56:11,265
I'm before we went on there,
I'm not, but, um, yeah.

1289
00:56:11,265 --> 00:56:12,015
Matt didn't tell us.

1290
00:56:12,015 --> 00:56:13,815
So tell us what's
happening next week, Matt.

1291
00:56:13,815 --> 00:56:14,565
Just by anyone

1292
00:56:14,565 --> 00:56:14,925
he wants tonight.

1293
00:56:15,375 --> 00:56:15,870
Uh, we have Will.

1294
00:56:15,970 --> 00:56:16,390
So with.

1295
00:56:17,250 --> 00:56:19,170
Uh, with us next week

1296
00:56:19,260 --> 00:56:20,010
talking about

1297
00:56:20,580 --> 00:56:21,930
God's heart for the poor.

1298
00:56:22,500 --> 00:56:25,230
So we're carrying on, uh, well, God's
heart for the rich and poor, actually.

1299
00:56:25,230 --> 00:56:27,180
So we're carrying on a
conversation about money.

1300
00:56:27,180 --> 00:56:28,350
This is money part four.

1301
00:56:28,350 --> 00:56:32,160
So part one was Pete Farrington
talking about stewardship part two.

1302
00:56:32,550 --> 00:56:37,680
Mike Cares last week talked
about work, um, uh, and earning

1303
00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:38,850
money, which was brilliant.

1304
00:56:39,300 --> 00:56:41,700
This week I talked about
grace and generosity.

1305
00:56:41,700 --> 00:56:46,320
Next week is Will talking about
God's heart for the rich and poor.

1306
00:56:46,380 --> 00:56:48,510
And week five is you.

1307
00:56:49,230 --> 00:56:49,680
Is it?

1308
00:56:50,160 --> 00:56:50,580
It is.

1309
00:56:51,120 --> 00:56:52,530
It's all about building a legacy.

1310
00:56:53,430 --> 00:56:56,220
Um, so, uh, did you know that?

1311
00:56:56,580 --> 00:56:56,730
No.

1312
00:56:58,920 --> 00:57:00,480
Better start writing that page.

1313
00:57:01,260 --> 00:57:01,890
I'm ready though.

1314
00:57:05,280 --> 00:57:05,520
I'm done.

1315
00:57:05,520 --> 00:57:06,870
We've had this conversation now

1316
00:57:07,260 --> 00:57:08,040
fine tuning.

1317
00:57:10,350 --> 00:57:13,110
So, um, we need to see why
you're not getting emails anyway.

1318
00:57:13,710 --> 00:57:14,250
Um.

1319
00:57:14,955 --> 00:57:16,125
That's what's coming up.

1320
00:57:16,125 --> 00:57:16,215
Mm-hmm.

1321
00:57:16,485 --> 00:57:20,085
Then we've got Easter, uh, we've
got age sharing with us, and then

1322
00:57:20,085 --> 00:57:22,155
you are talking, aren't you done?

1323
00:57:22,155 --> 00:57:22,165
Mm-hmm.

1324
00:57:23,295 --> 00:57:23,385
Cool.

1325
00:57:23,390 --> 00:57:23,540
Resurrection.

1326
00:57:23,745 --> 00:57:25,275
Resurrection Sunday.

1327
00:57:25,605 --> 00:57:28,455
And then we're getting into,
you didn't ask this and I've

1328
00:57:28,455 --> 00:57:29,385
just started off on one now

1329
00:57:29,595 --> 00:57:29,715
I know.

1330
00:57:29,895 --> 00:57:37,005
And after that we've got a 30 week series
potentially on Jesus the Revolutionary,

1331
00:57:37,095 --> 00:57:38,955
which I'm really looking forward to.

1332
00:57:38,955 --> 00:57:40,020
Yeah, I'm make excited

1333
00:57:40,020 --> 00:57:40,220
about

1334
00:57:40,220 --> 00:57:40,300
that.

1335
00:57:40,335 --> 00:57:41,265
Yeah, it's gonna be great.

1336
00:57:41,265 --> 00:57:43,965
We're just looking at all the
stories of Jesus and uh, and

1337
00:57:43,965 --> 00:57:45,465
how they're so countercultural.

1338
00:57:45,555 --> 00:57:45,795
Yeah.

1339
00:57:46,035 --> 00:57:49,515
Uh, both then and now, um, uh,
which I'm really looking forward to.

1340
00:57:49,515 --> 00:57:50,325
So anyway, that's what's

1341
00:57:50,895 --> 00:57:51,435
happening next week.

1342
00:57:51,435 --> 00:57:51,555
Awesome.

1343
00:57:51,555 --> 00:57:52,005
Sounds good.

1344
00:57:53,025 --> 00:57:53,445
Fab.

1345
00:57:53,505 --> 00:57:56,745
Well, we look forward to having everyone
back next week and just a reminder

1346
00:57:56,745 --> 00:58:00,645
as well that if people wanna stick
around, um, then you can come and

1347
00:58:00,645 --> 00:58:02,355
join us in the live lounge afterwards.

1348
00:58:02,685 --> 00:58:06,495
So we've, um, yeah, we'll
just be around a couple of us.

1349
00:58:06,495 --> 00:58:10,395
If you wanna chat, discuss your questions,
get to know us a bit more, one-to-one.

1350
00:58:10,845 --> 00:58:12,525
There'll be a link somewhere in the chat.

1351
00:58:12,795 --> 00:58:13,155
Is that right?

1352
00:58:13,155 --> 00:58:13,335
Z.

1353
00:58:14,370 --> 00:58:15,815
There's in there apparently.

1354
00:58:15,995 --> 00:58:16,654
Say you're doing the comment.

1355
00:58:17,215 --> 00:58:17,375
Brilliant.

1356
00:58:17,375 --> 00:58:17,575
But

1357
00:58:17,855 --> 00:58:19,175
I was looking at me like, I dunno.

1358
00:58:19,495 --> 00:58:19,895
I dunno.

1359
00:58:21,845 --> 00:58:22,620
It's alright.

1360
00:58:22,620 --> 00:58:23,820
We're all under control.

1361
00:58:23,820 --> 00:58:24,175
It's the,

1362
00:58:24,285 --> 00:58:24,735
it's okay.

1363
00:58:24,795 --> 00:58:27,570
Zoe Cold Sweats.

1364
00:58:27,930 --> 00:58:30,975
Next week we'll have know a bit
more what we're doing in this room

1365
00:58:31,154 --> 00:58:33,215
and format, so it'll be slicker.

1366
00:58:33,215 --> 00:58:33,415
Yeah.

1367
00:58:33,715 --> 00:58:33,935
But

1368
00:58:33,935 --> 00:58:34,055
yeah,

1369
00:58:34,200 --> 00:58:34,800
the slicker,

1370
00:58:35,995 --> 00:58:36,215
I'm

1371
00:58:36,404 --> 00:58:37,215
what Crowd's known for.

1372
00:58:37,395 --> 00:58:40,055
I'm not saying slick, I
just say slightly slicker.

1373
00:58:40,710 --> 00:58:42,029
That's really what we're known for.

1374
00:58:42,420 --> 00:58:43,890
We are like so slick in it.

1375
00:58:44,430 --> 00:58:46,830
Um, but yeah, no, it'd be good
to see you in Live Lounge though.

1376
00:58:46,860 --> 00:58:48,029
So that links in the comments.

1377
00:58:48,029 --> 00:58:48,330
Right.

1378
00:58:48,779 --> 00:58:51,480
Um, it's gonna be a bit low key this
week, but we're gonna get live lounge

1379
00:58:51,480 --> 00:58:55,230
better as the tech, uh, gets a bit more
established in our really slick studio.

1380
00:58:55,350 --> 00:58:55,440
Mm-hmm.

1381
00:58:56,310 --> 00:58:56,790
I love that.

1382
00:58:56,790 --> 00:58:57,450
We're gonna get slicker.

1383
00:58:57,750 --> 00:58:57,990
Yeah.

1384
00:58:58,410 --> 00:58:59,610
There should be a t-shirt slogan.

1385
00:58:59,700 --> 00:59:04,110
Well, we've gotta get going much
more the other direction you,

1386
00:59:08,160 --> 00:59:09,690
anyway, there we are.

1387
00:59:09,779 --> 00:59:11,069
I think that's a wrap, isn't it?

1388
00:59:11,085 --> 00:59:11,430
It is.

1389
00:59:11,430 --> 00:59:13,020
Dave, thank you so much for joining us.

1390
00:59:13,110 --> 00:59:14,790
It's great to be with
you guys a little bit.

1391
00:59:15,270 --> 00:59:16,500
I'll be in two weeks apparently.

1392
00:59:16,500 --> 00:59:18,000
Yeah, you'll be back in a couple weeks.

1393
00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:18,505
So we'll see.

1394
00:59:18,505 --> 00:59:21,825
You see, and uh, Matt, we just
see you every week, so yeah,

1395
00:59:21,825 --> 00:59:22,345
sorry about that.

1396
00:59:23,485 --> 00:59:26,009
But yeah, thanks for joining us,
everyone, and we'll see you soon.