John Cortines & Gregory Baumer
FOREWORD
I first met John Cortines and Greg Baumer in a phone appointment. They contacted me to ask
my advice on some ideas surrounding their proposed book, which has now become a reality.
I later had the privilege of meeting them at a Generous Giving “Celebration of Generosity”
Conference. Then I heard them speak . . . and absolutely loved what they had to say.
I consider it a privilege to encourage young men who are passionate for Christ and His Word.
When Greg and John told me they’d been touched by my books Money, Possessions, and Eternity
and The Treasure Principle, I was humbled and grateful. But what makes me really excited about
their book is their desire to influence a younger generation concerning generous giving,
challenging their peers to look beyond our unparalleled standard of living to a calling higher than
ourselves.
Like many people, I find there are far more demands on my time than I can accommodate. But
because of my passion for the message of stewarding God’s money, when they asked me to write
the foreword to this book, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I do this gladly, smiling at God’s
gracious work in raising up strategic generous givers in every generation.
Many of us have drawn attention to the fact that it’s older generations who give away larger
portions of their income to God’s work. The younger generation, even those who give more of
their time, often give less of their money. I pray God will use Greg and John to inspire their
millennial generation to take seriously the path of generosity. With the transference of wealth
from one generation to the next, and the rising up of young entrepreneurs and enthusiastic
Christ-centered servants, God is creating a fresh company of people to unleash an outpouring of
generosity. I pray—and fully expect—that God will use God and Money as part of this.
John and Greg realize what everyone should know—that middle-class Americans are among the
richest people in world history. It’s time for Christ-followers to understand that God has bigger
purposes than increasing our standard of living—He wants us to increase our standard of giving.
I long, as do these two young men, to help people understand that glorifying God in how we use
our money isn’t just a duty, it’s a delight! There’s simply no greater joy than giving. All people
seek happiness because that’s how our happy God created us. But that happiness can only be
found in God’s blueprint for living. In the only statement of Jesus in the book of Acts that’s not
in the Gospels, we learn that our Lord said, “It is more blessed [makarios, happy-making] to give
than to receive” (Acts 20:35). There it is. Give, and God will bring you an addictive happiness
that will prompt you to go on giving. Give more and more not only so that you’ll help others and
please God, but so that you’ll be happier than you ever imagined you could be! This isn’t
prosperity theology—it’s pure Jesus-honoring delight!
John and Greg propose principles for Christ-centered generosity, while documenting that this
generosity promotes physical and emotional well-being. Drawing on their surveys and
interviews of wealthy Christians, they present some surprising examples of open-handedness
that honors our Savior and King.
