In this episode, Jeff and Mike discuss:

• Witnessing generosity from a young age.
• Beginning a career, being made owner, merging, and selling a company.
• Mike’s personal 9/11 and pivotal life moments.
• Giving God-honoring gifts.

Key Takeaways: 

• God can work miracles in our lives. He wants to bless us and He wants us to help build His kingdom.
• After we receive our miracles, God often tests us. It is up to us to hold to the promises that we make Him.
• Taken to excess, all good things can get in the way of what is truly important - family and God.
• You need to take the time to connect with God. He will guide you, He will tell you what you need to do, but you have to listen to Him.

"My goal is to give generously of my life, and that is categorized as time, talents, and treasure, by investing in family, friends, and people in crisis." —  Mike Richter

About Mike Richter: 

Mike Richter has over 20 years of industry experience. Mike is also a certified public accountant (CPA) license and graduated from Texas A&M University with his B.B.A. in Accounting.

Connect with Mike Richter:

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/mike-richter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-richter-a60b2712/

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Sam discuss: 

• Sam’s interesting background growing up Christian in Sri Lanka. 
• The unique gifts that God has given to each of us. 
• God’s hand in the peaks and valleys of our lives. 
• Generosity beyond monetary generosity. 
• The scalability of stewardship. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Your network should be bigger than your net worth. God is the ultimate networker and will work through us to accomplish His goals. 
• Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. Think and lead with empathy. Take care of those around you.  
• Everybody eats. When we succeed, we are able to create ecosystems around us to feed more than we thought possible. 
• Faith is about relationships. Build the relationships first, then, from that relationship, share Christ. 

"Start with what you have. Everything that has to be created has already been created. God is gonna take something that He has already put in front of us as a way to build the next thing." —  Sam Thevanayagam

Connect with Sam Thevanayagam:

Website: https://www.partslifeinc.com/

Website: https://www.samtnetwork.com/

Book: https://www.samtnetwork.com/book

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv0xOLVIPw4P9Abp-6lwGIQ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samthevanayagam/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTNetwork/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamTNetwork/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samtnetwork/

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Ed discuss: 

• The God hugs in our life.
• God’s hand in all things in our lives. 
• Principles that all business people need to hear. 
• Focusing on eternity. 

Key Takeaways: 

• God has His hand in all aspects of our lives. If He says something will work, it will. He is the deliverer of all things. 
• The Word of God can spread through any good thing. 
• It’s not a matter of money - that should not be the focus. It is all God’s and it is all about what brings Him glory. 
• Use your LIFE (Labor, Influence, Finances, Expertise) for Christ.   

"Don't focus on things. Don't focus on possessions. Focus on what God wants you to use that money for. As it says in Luke, our focus should be on the eternal things of souls of men and women." —  Ed Thomas

About Ed Thomas: Ed is an entrepreneurial owner of several businesses with his 2 sons (Stephen and Paul), in healthcare, real estate, and water management. Wanda, his wife of 55 years recently went Home to Heaven. In addition to his 2 sons, he has a daughter (Suzanne Werlein) and 8 grandchildren. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. degree in accounting and played NCAA football while there.  Ed has been and is actively involved in several Christ-centered activities and has been on several ministry boards. Currently, Ed is involved on the Board of Directors of the Great Commission (CRU) Foundation, on the executive council of History’s Handful, and on the Advisory Board (and one of the founders) of the National Christian Foundation-Houston. Ed has taught business, home, and church Bible studies (for over 30 years) and has traveled (often in public speaking and mission roles) to every US state and 93 countries. He recently released his published book on Amazon, “Life Journey With God”.

Connect with Ed Thomas:

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Journey-God-Edwin-Thomas-ebook/dp/B0BL1VLHXJ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-thomas-b681457/

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff, Jeff, and Greg discuss: 

• What he learned about God and Money at Harvard Business School. 
• Utilizing our successes for God’s purposes. 
• Where to find your true value. 
• Anchoring transparency around money in gratitude and celebration. 

Key Takeaways: 

• There are 2350 verses about money in the Bible. 
• Everything we have truly belongs to God. This is a point of divergence between practice and belief. 
• “How much do I get to keep?” is a more accurate question than “How much do I need?” because God is a generous God and wants to bless us with more than we know. 
• Giving is a joyful act of worship, not a rulebook or rote formula. It is an opportunity to recognize God’s character as lavishly generous and reflect that character back to Him.

"One of the biggest benefits of this financial finish line is that it does allow us to give more, and that's great, but more so it protects our heart from the damage that happens over multi-decades being surrounded by our culture's worship of Mammon." —  Greg Baumer

About Greg Baumer: Greg Baumer is co-author of the books God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School and True Riches: What Jesus Really Said About Money and Your Heart. Greg and his co-author John Cortines are passionate about helping individuals and families experience more wholehearted life in Christ by better understanding the generosity of God and His invitation for us to live generously. Greg also serves on the Board of Generous Giving, a nonprofit that exists to spread the message of biblical generosity, as well as BibleProject and the Nashville chapters of The Signatry and Generous.Life. Greg and his wife Alison live in Nashville, TN where they are raising four beautiful children aged eight years to five months. His day job is focused on investing in and building startups in the healthcare space.

Connect with Greg Baumer:

Generous Giving Website: https://generousgiving.org/

Website: https://navihealth.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorybaumer/

God and Money Book: http://www.godandmoney.net/

True Riches: What Jesus Really Said About Money and Your Heart Book: https://www.amazon.com/True-Riches-Jesus-Really-About/dp/140020853X

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Alan discuss: 

• Rejecting the standard estate planning template for more charitable giving.
• The dangers in the supposed blessing of a lot of money. 
• Ownership of money, leaving an inheritance and doing what’s best for your family. 
• Bringing your kids into your giving from an early age. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Jesus warned about money more than he did about anything else. 
• Make your decisions and draw your giving lines at the beginning and you won’t have to make the decisions every day or every year. 
• There is a gift in the struggle. It is a flawed parenting strategy when you try to eliminate all pain and struggle for your kids.
• Protecting your children from the dangers of wealth, and don’t shelter them from the struggles of life. That is the best thing you can do for your children. 

"Putting Godly constraints in your life leads to freedom. Living a life without constraints sounds like freedom, but it leads to bondage in almost any area of your life. We are serving a loving Heavenly Father that wants to give us a rich, abundant life." —  Alan Barnhart

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Alan discuss: 

• Giving personally and as a company. 
• Deciding where to give, who is involved, and how to structure your giving. 
• Serving where you can and serving well in that space. 
• Responsive versus strategic giving. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Be as strategic in your giving as you are in your business. 
• As you are strategic in your giving, God will continue to provide resources for you to give. 
• Every time you create a strategy, you are eliminating things that do not fit that strategy. 
• Connect with other givers. Giving as a group is beneficial to you and to those you are giving to. 

"It is not about us. We are trying to be stewards, distributing the funds that God has given us try to be a good conduit. We’ve never given away a nickel that God didn't provide us. We want to take the money that God is bringing in and use it to advance His work." —  Alan Barnhart

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff, Alan, and David discuss: 

• How God’s providence has shown up in his life and career. 
• Modeling generous giving and encouraging your family. 
• Deciding how to give. 
• Being intentional in your busy life. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Find somebody that you can mentor under, regardless of what you do. Learn from them, learn what work is about, learn how to do things with excellence and integrity. 
• You can minister wherever you are at, whatever your business, and whatever your circumstances. Lift where you stand. 
• God gives us a lot of experiences. He will put things in our path that are for us to support tht matter to us. 
• Step out in faith. If it is for a good cause, step out, even if you are uncomfortable, because that is where the impact will be found. 

"The most impactful things that I've been a part of, were some of the most uncomfortable things I've ever done." —  David Oelfke

About David Oelfke: David K. Oelfke is a co-founder and managing principal of Marble Capital, LP. In this role, he helps manage all aspects of investment activities for Marble, including capital raising, deal sourcing, and investment management for the company’s various funds. David has been in the multifamily investment business since 1986, receiving nationwide recognition for his performance in the apartment market throughout the United States. David has been integrally involved in over $15B in multifamily advisory assignments, working on behalf of the world’s leading owners. After growing ARA (now Newmark) to over 25 offices nationally, he executed the sale of ARA to BGC Partners (ticker: BGC) in December 2014. David is also a founding principal and owner in PinPoint Commercial, L.P., a Houston-based commercial real estate investor. At PinPoint, David has been involved in the ownership of over 6,000 multifamily units, the development of 13 assisted living facilities, 850 acres of land and over 500,000 sf of industrial space with a total value of over $1B. David was a co-founder of Apartment Life (www.apartmentlife.org), a 501(c)(3) corporation committed to enhancing the lives of residents in over 400 apartment communities across the nation by connecting residents to one another through the CARES program. He is also active in other non-profit organizations such as The College of Biblical Studies, Stoney Creek Ranch, On Every Word, The Toolbox Lunches, The UT System Chancellor’s Council and Second Baptist Church. David holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from The University Texas at Austin.

Connect with David Oelfke:   

Website: https://marblecapitallp.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-oelfke-40230b19a/

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Denny discuss: 

• Narrowing your niche to stand out in your industry.  
• All things work for God’s purposes. 
• Giving of yourself and your time. 
• Preparing for transitions and focusing on encouragement. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Do your actions support what you say your values are? 
• There is a difference between a checklist and a relationship. You do not want to treat your family like they are just an item on your to do list. 
• Your team needs your emotional support, not just your money. 
• It is easier to ask for money or to fail than to change. But change is where you will find happiness and growth. 

"Don’t just give your money. Give your time and your wisdom." —  Denny McGuire

About Denny McGuire: 

Dennis “Denny” McGuire, The Woodlands, TX

Entrepreneur, Impact Investor, and Mentor

After a successful initial career with State Farm, Andersen Consulting (Accenture), and Andrews & Kurth, followed by a very humbling bankruptcy, Denny co-founded TPI, an outsourcing advisory firm serving global 1000 corporations. Starting with only the float on an American Express Card, for almost 20 years he led the firm’s development of new service offerings, global expansion, and $170M+ revenue growth. In 2007, TPI was acquired and Denny expanded his focus with non-profits, impact investing, and mentoring. He is currently on the Boards of Child Legacy International, an organization working to redefine “Possible” in Malawi, Africa, and Panther Creek Inspiration Ranch, an organization partnering horses with people to transform lives. He has also served on the Boards of Star of Hope, Living Water International, HBU, and UMMEED a Mumbai, India-based organization serving children with developmental disabilities.

Denny and his wife, Marty, have been married for 49 years. They live in The Woodlands, TX  near their two daughters, seven granddaughters, and one grandson. Denny is a former Army officer and Vietnam veteran.

Connect with Denny McGuire:

Child Legacy International: https://www.childlegacy.org/

Clean Water Climb: https://www.cleanwaterclimb.net/

Inspiration Ranch:  https://www.inspirationranch.org/ 

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Denny discuss: 

• How Denny’s time in the military changed his life.  
• The power of kindness through all hard things. 
• Blessings of tithing and joy in generosity. 
• Lessons in encouragement. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Live life on the principle that everybody makes it to the top, whatever it takes, and nobody gets left behind. 
• When all things have been exhausted, God will provide and take care of you if you have been faithful in your giving. 
• God has unique messages for each of us and they are all given in His time. 
• God allows things to happen in your life that will allow Him to use it for good to a greater level than you could do alone. 

"You can’t always help, but you can always be an encourager." —  Denny McGuire

About Denny McGuire: 

Dennis “Denny” McGuire, The Woodlands, TX

Entrepreneur, Impact Investor, and Mentor

After a successful initial career with State Farm, Andersen Consulting (Accenture), and Andrews & Kurth, followed by a very humbling bankruptcy, Denny co-founded TPI, an outsourcing advisory firm serving global 1000 corporations. Starting with only the float on an American Express Card, for almost 20 years he led the firm’s development of new service offerings, global expansion, and $170M+ revenue growth. In 2007, TPI was acquired and Denny expanded his focus with non-profits, impact investing, and mentoring. He is currently on the Boards of Child Legacy International, an organization working to redefine “Possible” in Malawi, Africa, and Panther Creek Inspiration Ranch, an organization partnering horses with people to transform lives. He has also served on the Boards of Star of Hope, Living Water International, HBU, and UMMEED a Mumbai, India-based organization serving children with developmental disabilities.

Denny and his wife, Marty, have been married for 49 years. They live in The Woodlands, TX  near their two daughters, seven granddaughters, and one grandson. Denny is a former Army officer and Vietnam veteran.

Connect with Denny McGuire:

Child Legacy International: https://www.childlegacy.org/

Clean Water Climb: https://www.cleanwaterclimb.net/

Inspiration Ranch:  https://www.inspirationranch.org/ 

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/

In this episode, Jeff and Micah discuss: 

• How your personal journey becomes your story as you find your success.
• How Micah and his company weathered the 2008-2009 storm.
• Creating a model that works for your investors and everyone succeeds.
• Dedicating part of your business to philanthropy.

Key Takeaways: 

• It is easy to say you don’t care about money when you have it. When it is taken away, that is really how you know your relationship with money.
• Remember, you are working hard so that someone who does not have the means can be blessed.
• Learn the stories of those who are generous and figure out where you can start being generous and go from there.
• Just start somewhere, it doesn’t matter how big or how small.

"God gave me this platform, and I'm going to use it to help other people and it doesn't flow through me anymore. It flows straight out through the businesses that we have." —  Micah Lacher

Episode Reference: 

Generous Business Owner Podcast Episode: Lloyd Reeb: Roadmap to a Joyous, Generous Life

About Micah Lacher: 

Micah is the President and Founder of Anchor Investments (www.anchorinv.com). Micah focuses on identifying and underwriting real estate investment opportunities for Anchor and leading our team. He is also the founder of Mission Hotels (www.missionhotels.com) which is the only hotel brand in America that gives away the majority of its profits to underserved communities.  Prior to forming the company, he was a local partner in regional development and brokerage firm as a developer of new retail facilities and residential communities. Along with a local partner, Micah founded and ran the Nashville office. Prior to that partnership, he had several successful years in brokerage in the Nashville office of Colliers Turley Martin Tucker, which is now Cushman & Wakefield. Over the course of the last twelve years, Micah has been involved in over $250 million of transactions as a principal including the acquisition and development of close to 2 million square feet of commercial real estate.  

Micah stays extremely involved in his community through his board and volunteer positions with the Nashville House Foundation for Young Life, The Legacy Center, Halftime Nashville, Team Chad and Pursue Ministries. He is also a past board member of the Davidson County Chapter of the University of Tennessee Alumni Association and the Ronald McDonald House. He has also served as a Young Life leader at John Overton High School. Micah is one of the founders of Team Chad (www.teamchad.us), a non-profit that raises money to support leukemia-based charities. Since its founding in the fall of 2007, Team Chad has raised over $1.5 million. Mr. Lacher holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Tennessee, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Most importantly, Micah is the proud husband of Brit and has 3 amazing young children (Lizzie 5, Rosie 3, and Eli 1). 

Connect with Micah Lacher:

Website: https://www.anchorinv.com/

Website: https://missionhotels.com/

Connect with Jeff Thomas: 

Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/

Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/