HELP! I’ve Been Blessed! How to stop God’s blessings from becoming curses. JULIAN ARCHER Help! I’ve Been Blessed! © 2014 Julian Archer 2nd edition 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owner and publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 percent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New Interna- tional Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trade- marks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by Permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.” Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. New Living, NLT, and the New Living Translation logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers. Cover Concept: Ray and Ethan Archer Cover Illustrations: Andrew Millist, Pencil Rebellion Edited by Andy Butcher Cover and Interior Design by Suzanne Lawing ISBN: 978-1-940262-12-3 DISCLAIMER This book is not intended to provide specific financial advice to readers. The author is not a trained, professional financial advisor. The author has not taken into account any particular person's financial objectives, financial situation or needs. Readers should, before acting on any of this book’s recommendations, consider the appropriateness of it for their personal situation. The author rec- ommends that readers obtain professional financial advice specific to their situation before making any financial decisions. Dedication To God from whom ALL blessings flow. On My Heart All who have been blessed beyond their immediate needs and who don’t want those blessings to become curses in their relationship with God and others. My prayer is that God will not let you be blessed beyond what you can bear. And when you are blessed, that He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Thank You Melinda—you’re my sweetest blessing. I’m eternally yours. Ethan & Jaeth—my sons, my friends, my legacy. I’ll always love you guys. Stand firm. Ray & Delphine—you are generosity in human form. Thank you. David Bussau, Owen & Jian Cox, Allan & Deirdre Lindsay, Dave & Cindy Swannell—your gentle fingerprints can be seen all over this manuscript. Thank you for touching my journey. All my ‘Scribbler’ friends around the world who so generously gave of your time to let me know whether publishing these pages was a worthy project—or just a temporary madness! Thank you. Contents The Backstory: Why this book? .........................7 Skipping Stones ......................................13 Living the Half-Life. 17 Release the Dam .....................................21 Shovel It ............................................25 One-Eyed Wealth ....................................31 The 1% Club .........................................37 So What’s the Curse? .................................43 Beyond the 15th Hole. 49 Doorstops ...........................................55 Down for the Count ..................................61 Blessillionaires .......................................65 Blessed Curses .......................................69 Riding High; Feeling Low .............................73 Tie Me to the Mast ...................................77 To Have and To Hold .................................83 Totally Nuts .........................................87 Stupid is as Stupid Does ..............................97 Acknowledge Your Sources ...........................101 You’re So Talented ...................................107 Get Down ..........................................111 The World’s First Trillionaire. .115 The Whole Duty ....................................121 Under the Sun ......................................125 The Promised Land ..................................129 Bathing in Milk and Honey ...........................137 BC After Calvary? ...................................141 Left Hand, Right Hand. 149 Dangerous Desires ..................................155 Pornography for Capitalists ...........................163 The Economics of Enough ............................167 Manure in My Wallet ................................171 Sky-Banking ........................................177 Bucket Lists ........................................179 Send It On Ahead ...................................183 Bruised Camels .....................................187 Sacrifice Vultures ....................................195 The Teresa/Gekko Scale ..............................199 The Road Toward Poverty ............................203 The Rich Young Ruler(s) .............................211 Help! I’ve Got Kids Too! ..............................217 Passing It On, Or Not. .225 Family Ties .........................................231 Antivenom .........................................237 First Aid ...........................................241 Heart Attack! .......................................249 It’s Tough. Deal With It. ..............................253 An Invitation .......................................257 The Story Behind the Overflowing Cup. .259 Index ..............................................262 Scripture Index .....................................265 Notes ..............................................267 “In this world there are only two tragedies: One is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it.” – Oscar Wilde Discover More Online Video Clips on key chapters: thought-provoking anecdotes filmed on-location in Jerusalem, Zurich, Geneva, Copenhagen, Turkey, Australia and the Flossenburg Death Camp. PLUS … Discussion Sheets mp3 Audio Book Newsletters Appendices for this book www.faith-vs-finance.org THE BACKSTORY: WHY THIS BOOK? The Backstory: Why this book? “The fact is, the moment financial stability is assured, spiritual bankruptcy is also assured.” – Mahatma Gandhi he preacher launched forth in his persuasive, but compassionate Ttone. “We all face daily struggles with broken relationships, lack of money, insecurities, or poor health. Today I want to share seven simple steps to help you through the coming week. Turn with me to Psalms chapter...” His voice faded as I reached for my Bible—hoping to find something more relevant. In my twenties and thirties, I sat through hours of sermons and dis- cussions about how God can help us deal with life’s struggles—how we can stay on top when circumstances are dragging us down. Christian bookstores were, and still are, overflowing with books for struggling people. They’re excellent, much-needed books that often carry the label “bestseller.” And so they should, because it’s in the seasons of sadness that we most often search for guidance and hope. But, to be perfectly honest, I rarely needed that sort of encourage- ment. My challenges at the time were not physical, or financial, or rela- tional, they were spiritual, and the source of my struggles came from the most unexpected of places, my blessings. You see, God had blessed me abundantly. I was living in one of the safest, most peaceful countries on earth. I had a great job, healthy bank accounts, a beautiful marriage, a wonderful family, easygoing colleagues, a healthy self-esteem, and a fit body. I was in my indestructible years. In my mind’s eye my future was so bright it made me squint. I looked at life through rose-colored glasses—and it smiled back. I certainly didn’t need to be encouraged. If anything, a bit of discour- 7 HELP! I’VE BEEN BLESSED! agement might have helped: I needed to be put back in touch with reality. Or did I? Wasn’t my reality, albeit a very blessed one, just as valid as anyone else’s? Looking back, what I was really crying out for was an education of sorts. I needed to learn how to manage God’s gifts of excessive bless- ings—especially the material ones—without becoming self-centered, proud, and self-righteous. And I needed to learn how to avoid loving the gifts more than the Giver. So I searched. Over the years I searched high and low, on my knees, on the streets, and in libraries. I Googled for key words, read blogs until my eyes burned, and spent hours reading every book spine in Christian book- stores—looking for anything that might help me. There must be something, I thought. There were plenty of great arguments written by passionate, counter- cultural young people. They vociferously advocated a more even distri- bution of global wealth, rallying against the corporate sins of capitalism and the hypocrisy of rich Christians. I heard them loud and clear. Indeed, I used to preach those messages too—when I was twenty-three—but then God flooded me with blessings, and I became