Bountiful: The Heart of Money Management

You may have heard the term “work / life balance” but what is it and is it something Christians should think about? In this episode, Gary and Christy talk with Jonathan Medley on this subject. Jonathan serves as a deacon with the Willow Avenue church of Christ in Cookeville, TN. He’s also an engineer, CPA, banker, and blogger on Perspectives of a Bondservant. Listen in to hear Jonathan share his insight on how he balances his responsibilities with his family, the church, his job, and other things all while keeping a Christ-centered focus.

Episode Resources

• https://ofabondservant.com — link to Perspectives of a Bondservant blog
• https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247563

In this episode, recorded live at Polishing the Pulpit, Gary and Christy talk with Dale Hubbert about starting a financial roadmap. Dale has worked in financial services for several years, and he is currently employed by a wealth management firm in Madison, AL. Dale is a father of three children and grandfather of five. He previously worked as a pulpit minister, and he has helped charitable organizations, including brotherhood works, with their finances. At PTP in 2019, Dale presented lessons on Ten Verses I Read Every Morning and Financial Questions: Should Christians Purchase Insurance?  Some topics covered in this episode include: 

• Should you have a financial advisor?
• Assessing your financial circumstances
• The benefits of document organization
• How to broach the topic of financial matters with family
• What types of insurance do you need?

Dale also visits congregations to present lessons with the theme “Stewardship Sunday.” Dale can be reached via email: [email protected].

We know our earthly possessions aren’t eternal, but we can still get a skewed perspective on material things, like when we intend to trade them up. We buy a “starter house” because we plan on moving into a larger house. We shop for automobiles that are bigger or better than our current vehicles. We buy clothes because they’re trendy even though our closets are already full.
In this episode, Gary and Christy talk about starving for more things – the temptation of wanting more simply because it feels good to have more. What causes us to want more? What does starving for more look like? Is this a big deal, and if so, what can we do about it?

Episode Resources

• https://www.verywellmind.com/hedonic-adaptation-4156926
• https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hedonic-treadmill.asp
• https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/oprah-winfrey-says-1-decision-separates-people-who-find-success-and-happiness-from-those-who-only-dream.html

Is your identity wrapped up in your career? Do you put more effort into being a faithful employee or into being a faithful Christian? Do you treat another person based on whether or not they have a job or based on what type of job they have? In this episode, Gary and Christy look into how to determine whether our jobs have taken priority over our faith and, if so, what can be done about it.

Episode Resources

• https://www.verywellmind.com/small-talk-topics-3024421

It is rare to hear someone say, “My employer pays me too much.” It’s more common to hear, “I should be paid more.” In this episode, Gary and Christy tackle the question, “Do I deserve a raise?” by reviewing some valid reasons to be paid more, invalid reasons to want more money, and then some principles to keep in mind if we do ask for a raise.

Episode Resources

• https://www.christianpost.com/news/ask-chuck-godly-advice-on-asking-for-a-raise.html
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/02/19/five-reasons-you-deserve-a-pay-raise-and-five-you-dont/#19ebee524f45
• https://www.businessinsider.com/top-signs-youre-underpaid-2015-11#prepare-a-data-heavy-case-17

One of the trends in personal finance is called “FIRE” (Financial Independence, Retire Early). In this episode, Gary & Christy talk about the components of FIRE, discuss a little bit of its background and what it involves, and then consider what our response as Christians ought to be to this lifestyle trend.

Episode Resources

• Bountiful episode about minimalism – https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls2e1/
• Other resources considered for this episode:
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIRE_movement
  • https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-independence-retire-early-fire.asp
  • https://www.playingwithfire.co/whatisfire
  • http://www.mrmoneymustache.com
  • https://www.choosefi.com
  • https://www.madfientist.com

The title for this episode comes from Malachi 3:8 – “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.” The book of Malachi is focused on waking up God’s people up because they seemed unaware of their religious apathy. The prophet points out their lack of effort, their unwillingness to sacrifice, their lack of commitment, and their refusal to give their tithe to the Lord. We’re focusing on the phrase “Will a man rob God?” Obviously, the context is about giving contributions to the Lord, but in addition to discussing that point, we’ll talk about other ways Christians today could fall short in our responsibility to God.

Episode Resources

• Jeff Randolph “Will a Man Rob God?” http://www.salinechurchofchrist.org/sermons/view/2008/09/Will_a_Man_Rob_God
• Jack Wilkie “Sacrifice Our Time” https://www.focuspress.org/2018/10/11/the-biggest-way-we-rob-god/

Do you view taking care of yourself as a necessity or a luxury? Is self-care a priority in your life, or do you view it as a selfish indulgence? In this episode, Gary and Christy talk about self-care, what it is, what the Bible says about it, and why it’s a subject for a personal finance podcast.

Episode Resources

Sermons by Melvin Otey “Jesus Grew and We Should, Too.”

• Jesus Grew – https://player.fm/series/jesus-grew-and-we-should-too-melvin-otey/jesus-grew
• Jesus Grew Physically – https://player.fm/series/jesus-grew-and-we-should-too-melvin-otey/jesus-grew-physically-and-we-should-too
• Jesus Grew Mentally – https://player.fm/series/jesus-grew-and-we-should-too-melvin-otey/jesus-grew-mentally-and-we-should-too
• Jesus Grew Socially – https://player.fm/series/jesus-grew-and-we-should-too-melvin-otey/jesus-grew-socially-and-we-should-too
• Jesus Grew Spiritually – https://player.fm/series/jesus-grew-and-we-should-too-melvin-otey/jesus-grew-spiritually-and-we-should-too
• https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/be-active/physical-activity-guidelines-for-americans/index.html
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/payout/2017/09/19/practicing-self-care-is-important-10-easy-habits-to-get-you-started/#75677ac7283a
• https://www.moneycrashers.com/self-care-definition-tips-ideas/
• Link to purchase No Limits by John Maxwell on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/No-Limits-Blow-Your-Capacity/dp/1455548286
• Link to purchase No Sweat by Michelle Segar on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/No-Sweat-Science-Motivation-Lifetime/dp/0814434851

‘Tis the season for graduations. For many graduates, they receive a diploma, degree, or other type of certificate, but they haven’t been taught how to live on their own financially. In this episode, Gary & Christy provide 5 money tips that can help recent graduates as well as those who are living on their own already. Toward the end, there’s bonus material where these five tips are applied to five components of an important aspect of our financial lives.

Episode Resources

Previous episodes that relate to this topic:

• “What To Know Before Moving Out On Your Own” episode – https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls4e7/
• “Credit Score Basics” episode – https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls3e13/
• “Credit Cards: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” episode – https://thelightnetwork.tv/bs2e3/

Booklet about FICO Scores – https://www.myfico.com/Downloads/Files/myFICO_UYFS_Booklet.pdf Article about Warren Buffet’s car analogy – https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/billionaire-warren-buffett-greatest-advice-to-millennials-the-1-thing-in-life-you-need-to-prioritize.html
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/slideshows/7-good-reasons-generation-z-is-opting-out-of-college/?all https://www.moneytalksnews.com/you-cant-financially-secure-without-these-10-products/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%279+Things+Everyone+Needs+to+Achieve+Lifelong+Financial+Stability%27+and+more…
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/4-secrets-of-people-who-save-more-than-20-of-their-income/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%277+Costly+Health+Problems+That+Strike+After+Age+50%27+and+more…
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/5-tips-to-help-college-grads-build-credit/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%27Cash+In+on+These+21+Thrift+Store+Treasures%27+and+more…
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/10-dumb-deals-all-fall-for/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Popular%3A+%275+Things+You+Should+Stop+Buying+This+Year%27+and+more…
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/10-bad-money-habits-that-rob-you-blind-and-how-quit-them/2/

https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/money-advice-new-grads-old-school-wisdom

Financial embarrassment happens when someone feels self-conscious about their personal finances. For example, you might experience this when people are talking about their finances, but their situation is significantly different than yours. Embarrassment or awkwardness are subjective feelings; not everyone feels embarrassed about the same things. Also, our feelings have to be tempered with knowledge. If our emotions are left to run wild, they can misguide us into thinking something that is not true. In this episode, Gary and Christy talk about what we can do when we’re feeling particularly awkward or self-conscious about our finances. Then, they provide different scenarios that could result in financial embarrassment with suggestions on how to overcome this.

Episode Resources

• Quote we mentioned on the episode: “The best method for paying off credit card debt is the one you stick with.” from https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/credit-card-debt-psychology-2018/
• https://thecollegeinvestor.com/21208/dont-embarrassed-finances/
• https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/news/5-embarrassing-money-situations-and-how-to-handle-them1105064508/
• https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-cards/how-to-rebuild-your-life-after-credit-card-fraud/
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950