⏳Time Freedom

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Dear steward,

I’ve been thinking about money a lot lately.

Not in a sinful way, mind you (hopefully)!

I’m currently working on a new book on stewardship. And while my plan is to focus on stewardship as it pertains to all of life, unsurprisingly, most of the works I’ve come across in my research deal strictly with financial stewardship. So the subject has been on my mind.

Finances are an important part of a productive Christian life.

As Randy Alcorn notes, “The everyday choices I make regarding money and possessions are of eternal consequence.” It’s God’s money, and I’ve been charged with making a good return on that stewardship.

But it seems to me that there is a hole in the way Christians talk about even financial stewardship.

We typically think of financial stewardship in terms of spending less on ourselves so we can give more away. And while that is an important aspect of it, I’ve run into more and more people who are choosing to live extremely frugally. Their aim, however, isn’t about giving away more money, but reducing their expenses so they can work less and have more time.

They don’t want financial freedom, they want time freedom.

But most of the books on stewardship that I’ve come across don’t address this motivation. Most seem to assume that everyone wants to get rich and spend all their money on themselves. So I was intrigued when I stumbled across a since-deleted post on Reddit written by an unbeliever in the U.S. who has chosen to live on $20,000 a year, working only one hour per week.

This person does not claim or seem to be a believer, yet as I read the post I found myself struggling to figure out if his model of frugal living was commendable or something to be avoided by Christians.

It raised all kinds of questions in my mind:

  • Is that laziness or contentment?
  • Is it right for Christians to pursue financial freedom?
  • Is it right to pursue time freedom?
  • How much is enough?

So in this week’s episode of the podcast, I used this person’s post as a sort of case study. And I tried to compare what this young man was doing with what the Scriptures say.

The episode is called Should Christians Pursue Financial Freedom? (35 mins).

If you listen, I’d love to hear your thoughts. These are thorny yet important issues for us to think through. And they directly pertain to how we think about our personal productivity as stewards of God.

But for now, let’s get into the rest of this week’s roundup!

✨ New on Redeeming Productivity

🎙Should Christians Pursue Financial Freedom? (35 mins)

In this episode, we look at a guy who makes just $20k/year working 1-hour per week. Is that laziness or contentment? We also discuss whether or not financial freedom or time freedom are legitimate goals for a Christian to pursue.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the Redeeming Productivity Show so you don’t miss an episode.

🧑‍💻The Roundup

Pouring Yourself Out vs. Wearing Yourself Out (3 mins)

What’s the difference between pouring yourself out (Phil. 2:17) and wearing yourself out?”

I see people citing this verse all the time to justify unsustainable overcommitment in their lives. This article makes some helpful distinctions that just might save you from over-spiritualizing your burnout.

(Greg Phelen / The Gospel Coalition)

5 Ways Pastors Can Equip Their Congregations to Use Social Media (4 mins)

“Because of our sin, we will not stumble into a right relationship with social media.”

Some great insights from Chris Martin.

P.s. I had Chris on the podcast earlier this year to talk about social media and the Christian.

(Chris Martin / Terms of Service).

Vowel Video Conferencing – A New Alternative to Zoom

If you do a lot of video calls, you might be interested in this new video conferencing tool I came across this week.

Vowel is really targeting remote workers with these features: “video conferencing, live meeting transcription, instant recordings, collaborative agendas + notes, and more.”

The Ordinary Christian Life in Retirement (8 mins)

“God’s plans for us don’t end just because we are older. We may have limitations, but we can still have a significant impact during our retirement years…”

(Chris Cagle / Retirement Stewardship)

Is Discipleship More Challenging Today? Five Modern Hurdles to Ministry (6 mins)

“A dear and discouraged friend lamented to me recently, ‘How do we minister in this climate?’ He was referring to the ministry environment of the younger generation in the early 2020s.”

(Matt Reagan / Desiring God)

🖋Quote of the Week

“All things begin with God, are governed by God, are used by God, for the purpose of glorifying God.”

– R.C. Sproul

Resurfaced with Readwise.

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⌛️That’s all for this Week

Hit reply to send me link suggestions for future issues or just to say hey.

I’ll see you next time!

– Reagan

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