Early in my journey of learning about money, I noticed a very odd disconnect. On the one hand, it was obvious that there’s a ton of personal finance advice readily available. Search on any financial question and within seconds you can find answers—sometimes, even credible answers! And yet, lots of people struggle with money. Why is that? [...]
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 Did you know there is a national Quitter’s Day? It’s the second Friday of January because that is the day when most people [...]
We are called to go out into the world and live lives of impact. To live in synch with how God designed us. To be generous with our possessions and time so that we can “be a blessing to others.” "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply [...]
In our side yard a tree has survived ice storms, heavy snows, and howling winds. Several times in the decades we’ve lived here, I thought it would fall. Now I expect it to long outlast me. I’ve taken pictures of my preschool daughters in that tree, and of their children, my grandsons. It has lost [...]
Several years ago I was having coffee with a new friend named Chris when he said something I’ll never forget. He said, “The greatest obstacle between people and Jesus in our culture is money.” “I think I agree with you,” I responded, “but unpack that for me. Why do you believe that?” “That’s easy,” Chris [...]
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” - Matthew 6:27 In December of 2006, as each week brought news of yet another publisher that had decided to take a pass on a book I had poured a year of my life and left a well-paying corporate job to write, [...]
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." – Colossians 3:23-24 I used to think there were just two types of jobs in the world: meaningful jobs and all the rest. [...]
Every day of our lives, we are the unwitting recipients of countless messages designed to foster discontentment. And they work really well, convincing us that we need something more in order to be happy. In order to be worthy of love or respect. According to one study, more than 60 percent of us always have something in [...]
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10 It’s easy to make managing money more complicated than it needs to be. That’s because money isn’t just an objective “means of exchange” as the dictionary defines it. Money is [...]
Of all the things we can do with money, giving it away seems completely, utterly irrational, doesn’t it? After all, we work hard for what we earn. And after paying all the bills and putting a little aside for the future, there just isn’t anything left to give, right? Well, it turns out that generosity [...]
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." – Psalm 46:10 Stillness is devalued and often discouraged in society. All around us, people shout for our attention. Project deadlines press us hard on every side. The pace of life saps both [...]
Churches and ministries need funding to address local needs, aid those in crisis, teach students, and deploy missionaries. As stewards, what should our mindset be in regards to sustaining our resources? The world says, “Resources are scarce. Supply is limited to man’s capacity. So, as a result, you must hoard or store them up to ensure [...]
Financially speaking, what are you trying to change? Are you trying to get out of debt? Earn more? Save more? Part of the process will probably involve gaining some new knowledge. And part of it will involve changing behavior. But getting to a better financial place is not just about knowledge and behavior. It is [...]
I almost titled this post, “You Can’t Automate Financial Wisdom.” But then I realized, you can. A little background I have a love/hate relationship with financial automation. On the one hand, automation can be a wonderful help. In our household, we have some of our bills set up as auto-pay — those that cost the same amount every [...]
It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to. — Bilbo Baggins, “The Lord of the Rings” We were made for adventure. It’s the adventures, the experiences that contain an element of risk [...]
So, they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. – Luke 2:16-18 A few [...]
Typically, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with extended family to enjoy food, fellowship, and perhaps some football. But could it also be a time of sharing life-changing stories from those gathered at our tables? When my wife, Jude, and I became parents, we received some unusually helpful advice from our friend, Sibyl Towner. She [...]
As with most financial topics, there are biblical principles that should guide our investing, but many of the specifics are left to us to figure out, hopefully motivated by a heart to consider how a good steward would invest. To figure out what a biblical approach to investing might look like, think about a spectrum [...]
Helping our kids become wise money managers involves more than simply teaching them what to do. If we want the lessons to stick, we have to get their hearts involved. “Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” – Proverbs 4:23 So many of the messages of our consumer culture are aimed squarely [...]
“God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.” – 1 Corinthians 7:23 I’ll never forget the day my parents invited me home for a little chat. They had started to sense that all was not well, and they were right. I was in financial trouble—deep trouble. My credit card [...]
I have developed a phrase over the last couple of years composed of two questions; “Does it make sense on paper”? and “Does it make sense on purpose”? I use these questions to describe to a potential church borrower how we generally consider their loan application, but I think the same questions could be posed [...]
I had the most remarkable experience the other day. An arborist I had made an appointment with, called to say he was running early and asked whether that was okay. It was. When I met him, he was the nicest guy, and he was clearly very knowledgeable about trees. He quickly alleviated some concerns my wife and […]
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:12-13 […]
“Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?” – Proverbs 17:16 No one wants to be thought of as a fool – not on April first, not at any time. The Bible uses that strong term only a handful of times in regard to [...]