76: Discipling Believers in Lane 3
The Faithful Steward
In our last podcast, we addressed the stewardship conversation with two segments of our congregations: those in financial crisis (Lane 1) and those who are making ends meet but not making real financial progress (Lane 2). We identified their needs for stability and clarity and discussed how we might disciple them toward those goals. The stewardship conversation with folks in Lane 3 looks very different than the other two conversations, and it can be a bit daunting. Often as pastors and leaders, we fall into one of two patterns around engaging our Lane 3 believers with the stewardship...
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75: Discipling Believers in Lanes 1 & 2
The Faithful Steward
Leading the stewardship conversation in church can be difficult. It can come across as self-serving ("the church just wants me to give more"). Or we can miss the mark by focusing on one financial condition ("I'm not in debt, so this doesn't apply to me"). Biblical principles apply across all financial conditions. Principles of God's ownership, and values like generosity, gratitude, and contentment are relevant regardless of income and wealth. Big ideas - like being a faithful steward, a diligent earner, a prudent spender, a generous giver, a wise saver, and a cautious debtor - connect with our...
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74: Faith, Fear, and Finances
The Faithful Steward
Fear of missing out. Fear of rejection, of not fitting in. Fear of not having enough. These and other worries drive much of our behavior. Marketers and media know this. So they play on our fears to manipulate our decisions or pique our interest. And we find ourselves driven by the things that other people tell us we need to be afraid of. This can lead to bad stewardship decisions. We fear loss, so we invest too conservatively and miss out on opportunities to multiply rfdesources. We fear not having enough, so we overwork and oversave - at the expense of relationships with others and with God....
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73: Intentional Retirement, pt. 2: Transition
The Faithful Steward
In our last episode, we talked about preparing for retirement. We highlighted the importance of planning beyond the finances and balancing pleasure with purpose. But what happens when we get there? Suddenly, the career is over and the demands of the job are gone - as is the paycheck! How do we handle this important time of transition? Three major areas of focus are finances, health, and lifestyle - and they're all connected. The key at the beginning is to understand our position and plan well enough to enter retirement with confidence. As we develop that understanding, we enable ourselves to...
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72: Intentional Retirement, pt. 1: Preparation
The Faithful Steward
Most of us who haven't reached retirement yet are looking forward to getting there. But how much have we thought about what retirement actually looks like? If all we're thinking about is what we're retiring from, we're not ready to maximize what we're retiring to. Many people find after some time that the "permanent Saturday" they were dreaming about doesn't bring fulfillment. It lacks purpose and meaning. The Teacher warns us about the meaninglessness of pursuing nothing but pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). At the same time, many of us are consumed with planning for retirement financially but...
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71: Financial Freedom Includes Responsibility
The Faithful Steward
Is the pursuit of financial freedom a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on your definition. The world's definition and the Biblical definition are very different. In the eyes of the world, financial freedom means being free to spend on whatever we want without worrying. This tends to take one of two forms: either spending recklessly (like the Prodigal Son) or accumulating obsessively to get to the point where we can take life easy (like the Rich Fool in Luke 12). The problem is that both of these definitions are actually slavery. In the first case, the one who thinks he is free is...
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70: Midpoint Stewardship Check-in
The Faithful Steward
Each quarter, we discuss the key financial rhythm of a quarterly stewardship check-in. This is where we look at where we are financially versus where we planned to be and identify areas where adjustments might need to be made. Quarterly check-ins are an important rhythm because they give us a longer view than monthly Spending Plan reviews and help us to understand trends. And the mid-year check-in is important because there's still time in the year to make the adjustments we need to make if we can identify them. Check out our from last year for details. But often we find that quarter after...
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69: The Enneagram and Stewardship: Types 8-9-1
The Faithful Steward
This episode concludes our 3-part series on the Enneagram and Stewardship by looking at the "gut" grouping - the three Enneagram types motivated by anger. These three types include: The Challenger or Activist (type 8), who focuses anger outward. These are the big personalities, who tend to take over a conversation and dominate a room. They're not constantly expressing anger, but when they do, it's loud and domineering. The Peacemaker (type 9), who tends to mask anger by focusing on harmony. These are the people who readily see others' points of view but struggle to express their own...
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68: Enneagram and Stewardship: Types 5-6-7
The Faithful Steward
Last time, we began our 3-part series on the Enneagram and Stewardship by looking at the "heart" grouping - the three Enneagram types motivated by shame. This episode, we're looking at the "head" grouping - the three types that are motivated primarily by fear: The Investigator (type 5) deals with fear by focusing inward, withdrawing from people. This person tends to come across as an introvert, preferring to process emotions internally rather than externally. The Loyalist (type 6) deals with fear through planning and control. This person cares deeply about relationships, but more from an...
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67: Enneagram and Stewardship: Types 2-3-4
The Faithful Steward
This episode begins a 3-part series on the Enneagram, a popular personality profile tool. The Enneagram identifies nine different personality types in three groupings and we'll tackle one grouping each episode. What's different about the Enneagram from most other personality tests is that it acknowledges that within each personality type, there are healthy and unhealthy traits. People of any personality type are on a spectrum from unhealthy to healthy, and the explanations identify ways to move more toward the healthy end of the spectrum for each type. We'll look at what these personality...
info_outlineWe can only spend a dollar one time. But there are so many things we want to do with it! In our culture, we're not used to "either/or" - we want "both/and". And to get that, we make all kinds of unwise financial decisions.
When we realize that we have to make some adjustments, we tend to start with the assumption that our bills are all non-negotiables. But are they really? Some of our bills - even the fixed expenses - are actually discretionary; we can choose whether we want to continue them. And some of our variable expenses - like groceries and clothes - are not discretionary; we have to have them, though we might have opportunities for savings or even for postponement of some expenses in order to straighten out our cash flow.
Sometimes, making a spending plan work is a simple matter of a few minor adjustments. But some of us find ourselves in a position where small tweaks aren't going to get us where we need to be. Instead, we need major life changes - like a different job or a less expensive house or car.
Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us work through what kinds of changes we need to make in order to make life work financially. "Either/or" doesn't have to mean that we forgo all enjoyment. It means we make choices according to what we value most.
To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org
Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org
You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.