Rick Warren interviewd at MSNBC.. 90%!!???!!!
Friday, December 16, 2005
How do you have time? Hasn’t the success of “The Purpose-Driven Life” made activities like that more difficult?
It brought in ton of money and a ton of attention. But my wife, Kay, and I still live in the same house, and I still drive the same old truck. We had to think about how to handle the stewardship of affluence and influence.
What did you decide?
First, we decided that we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We don’t really spend money on ourselves. I stopped taking a salary from the church three years ago, and then I added up all that the church had paid me over the years and I gave it back.
Why?
I didn’t want anyone to think we did it for the money. I knew I was being raised into the spotlight, and I didn’t want anyone to question my motives. I was able to say, I’ve served my church for free for 25 years.
What else did you do with the money you earned from the book sales?
We set up three different foundations: Acts of Mercy, which helps those infected with AIDS; Equipping the Church, which trains church leaders in developing countries, and the Global PEACE Fund, which fights poverty, disease and illiteracy. Then we became reverse tithers ... We give away 90 percent and live on 10 percent. It’s fun to give it away. The harder part was not what to do with the affluence, but with the influence.
Read rest of interview here.
It brought in ton of money and a ton of attention. But my wife, Kay, and I still live in the same house, and I still drive the same old truck. We had to think about how to handle the stewardship of affluence and influence.
What did you decide?
First, we decided that we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We don’t really spend money on ourselves. I stopped taking a salary from the church three years ago, and then I added up all that the church had paid me over the years and I gave it back.
Why?
I didn’t want anyone to think we did it for the money. I knew I was being raised into the spotlight, and I didn’t want anyone to question my motives. I was able to say, I’ve served my church for free for 25 years.
What else did you do with the money you earned from the book sales?
We set up three different foundations: Acts of Mercy, which helps those infected with AIDS; Equipping the Church, which trains church leaders in developing countries, and the Global PEACE Fund, which fights poverty, disease and illiteracy. Then we became reverse tithers ... We give away 90 percent and live on 10 percent. It’s fun to give it away. The harder part was not what to do with the affluence, but with the influence.
Read rest of interview here.