C.J. Cagle - Reimagine Retirement: Planning and Living for the Glory of God

Copyright 2019 by Carl J. Cagle Jr.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-5359-5417-4

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 306.3

Subject Heading: RETIREES / RETIREMENT / ELDERLY

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Also used: English Standard Version ( esv ). ESV Text Edition: 2016. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Also used: Holman Christian Standard Bible ( hcsb ), copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Matt Lehman. Illustration by Alexander Baidin / Shutterstock.

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Preface

I have always been interested in personal finance. But I became especially interested in personal finance as a christian about 20 years ago, after attending a stewardship class at my church. Since then, I have been learning all I can about it and trying to apply it in my own life.

Eventually, I started ministering to others in various ways in the area of personal finances and stewardship, mainly in the context of my local church. A lot of the folks I have had the privilege to work with were middle-aged or older, so retirement planning is a frequent topic of discussion. I often find that they lack any sort of plan for retirement and would most likely not have the necessary resources to retire when the time comes.

On the other hand, I have seen a lot of older people with a plan for retirement go into it with a limited perspective on what living in retirement as a disciple of Jesus Christ should look like.

Because I wanted to help such people, and also because I was grappling with some of the same questions and concerns as I moved through my 50s and into my 60s, I started reading and studying extensively about retirement. Several years ago, I also started writing about it on a blog called Retirement Stewardship (www.retirementstewardship.com). Many of the books I read about retirement were focused mainly on either the personal aspects (physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual) or the financial areas (planning, saving, investing, and generating income in retirement), but not both. There was a need here.

My thinking has been influenced by writers such as John Piper ( Rethinking Retirement ) and Randy Alcorn ( The Treasure Principle ) who challenge us to reject the worlds messages on retirement and instead look at it through the lens of biblical truth. I also found the many books and other materials from men like the late Larry Burkett, Dave Ramsey, Chris Hogan, Ron Blue, Chuck Bentley, and others who stress practicing wise biblical stewardship to be extremely helpful. The investing philosophies espoused by experts like Austin Pryor, John Templeton, John Bogle and The Bogle Heads, Ben Stein and Phil Demuth, and Paul Merriman were instrumental in forming my perspectives on investing and those that I present in this book. The expertise of others like Dr. Wade D. Pfau, a respected personal finance professor and retirement researcher, and Steve Vernon, FSA, a retired actuary and retirement planning professional, was beneficial as well. But I didnt find a lot of books about retirement that broadly addressed both the spiritual and practical concerns of older Christians as well as those of younger believers who want to wisely plan for the future.

This is why I wrote Reimagine Retirement . In this book, I discuss planning for and living in retirement based on biblical principles while also challenging some of the contemporary societal and cultural norms that can influence Christians in ways that are inconsistent with what Scripture teaches. Rather than envisioning retirement as 20 or 30 years of leisure and recreationa concept that is nowhere to be found in ScriptureI wanted to present a compelling God-glorifying alternative that the reader can apply to their own situation.

That said, I want to make it clear that I dont think that the Bible is opposed to the enjoyment of leisure and recreation during retirementthey are good gifts from God. Instead of falling to the ditch on either side, I want us to think more deeply about how we should live in this stage of life in light of biblical teaching, and adjust our values and priorities accordingly.

I also need to state up-front that I am not, nor have I ever been, a financial professional, and do not consider myself to be a financial/retirement planning guru. I am just a fairly average, financially conservative guy who wants to steward my God-given resources well and who is making a lot of the same critical decisions about retirement that you are. My goal in writing this book is to help others deal with the challenges of planning for and living in retirement from a biblical perspective based on my own study and experience and what I have learned by working with others. I would also note that this book is in no way an exhaustive treatment of the subject. Whole books have been written on the topics of some chapters in this one (such as saving and investing). But I do my best to present a wide range of relevant and useful information in an easily digestible way.

The primary purpose of everything we have been given is to bring glory to God.

My views on stewardship are pretty basic. I believe that the primary purpose of everything we have been given is to bring glory to God, which includes the personal enjoyment that we derive from using some of it for ourselves. I value simplicity over complexity, pragmatism over sophistication, and I believe that money is a gift from God and a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. In Reimagine Retirement , my goal is to lay before you a biblical and actionable vision for what a God-honoring and God-glorifying retirement would look like. I offer practical guidance founded on biblical stewardship principles that will help you reimagine your retirement.

Carl J. (Chris) Cagle Jr.

Charlotte, North Carolina

November 2019

Acknowledgments

I have already acknowledged the many gifted Christian teachers and writers (Piper, Alcorn, Burkett, Ramsey, Blue, and others) who both inspired and informed my thinking on this subject. We are all indebted to them for the broad and deep foundations that they have laid that have benefited Christians all over the world.

To my wife, Joanne, who encouraged me every step of the way, thanks for your example as you faithfully and tirelessly serve our family and church community in so many ways. And also to my grown children, Matt and Melinda, thanks for your constant love and support. I love you all very much.

To my pastor friends who serve in my home churchJeremy Oddy, JJ Psyche, and Joe Lechnerthank you for your encouragement and support. And particularly to my good friend and longtime senior pastor Mickey Connollywho is now in his late 60s and continuing to faithfully serve our church and denominationthank you for your words of encouragement from the very beginning and for the inspiration of your example of a life well-lived for the good of others and the glory of God.

To my fellow deacon and friend, Jeff Hutchinson, who read the original manuscript and provided many helpful suggestions and valuable input, and whose life embodies so many of the principles I discuss in this book.

To the many older Christians that I serve alongside at Crossway Community Church, like my friend and another fellow deacon, Gordon Howe, a retired airline pilot, who works on our church staff without pay as our full-time community outreach leader, thanks for all of the ways you inspire me.