The Faithful Steward

What does it look like to actually teach our kids about money? The biggest key is giving them responsibility for managing their own money - and starting early.

When parents tell their kids, "We're not buying that - it's a useless toy that will break as soon as you get it home," kids only learn that their parents make all the decisions. But when kids make those decisions with their own money (an allowance), they experience first-hand the disappointment of having wasted that money - and that's a lesson that lasts.

And it's important for kids to learn these lessons by making five-dollar mistakes, rather than making $5,000 mistakes as they get older. It's like learning to walk. Kids learn to walk by falling - not by parents lecturing them on the theories of walking. And when a toddler falls, it's a fall of six inches - so it doesn't matter much. But if we keep our children in wheelchairs until they're teenagers and then give them an opportunity to walk for the first time, a fall will hurt much more. The same is true with finances.

In this episode of The Faithful Steward, James Lenhoff shows us the importance of enabling our kids to learn financial responsibility and stewardship through their own experiences. James shares practical examples of how to give our children increasing levels of freedom and responsibility in this important area.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Sometimes, the most important things to teach our kids are also the hardest. This is often true when it comes to teaching our kids about money. Maybe we've made some mistakes and don't feel qualified to lead our kids financially. Maybe our parents didn't teach us about money, so we're not sure how to go about it. Or maybe we just think "it's none of their business how we manage our money."

The thing is, our kids are learning about money. They're learning from marketers, from their friends, from culture in general. And none of these sources are teaching stewardship principles. Instead, they're promoting materialism, greed, and a sense of entitlement. If we want our children to become faithful stewards of God's resources, it's up to us to model and teach that.

Jesus teaches us that we have to choose between serving God and serving money. That sounds simple, but it's not always easy. And if it's not easy for us, it won't be easy for our kids.

In this first installment of our three-part series on teaching kids about money, host James Lenhoff shows us the importance of teaching and modeling stewardship principles, exposing them to those who have less, and sharing our own mistakes (even as we make them!) as key elements of discipling our kids in this critical area.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Overspending. We've all done it. We've spent money we didn't have on things we didn't need but that made us feel better in the moment. Or we've lacked intentionality in our finances and ended up spending more than we make just because we weren't paying attention.

But is it possible to go too far the other way? To "underspend"?

In a word, Yes! It is possible to underspend. Underspending may not cause the immediately obvious problems that overspending does, but it can have several negative impacts.

• Underspending can lead to lack of faith, as we rely on money rather than God for our provision and security.
• It can lead to lack of generosity, as in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21)
• The restrictive environment of underspending can cause us to "binge spend" wastefully - much like yo-yo dieting.
• Underspending often leads to lack of joy, which impacts both our relationship with God and the way we reflect on God to others.

Podcast host James Lenhoff outlines the dangers of underspending and argues for a balanced, intentional approach that emphasizes stewardship over ownership, generosity over hoarding, and a sense of abundance over a sense of scarcity.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

It happens. The unexpected medical expense. The sudden car breakdown. That appliance finally wearing out.

These kinds of unpleasant surprises happen to all of us. And, if we're honest, we often look back on how we responded and think, "If only…" Why do we tend to make bad decisions in the midst of financial crisis?

These sorts of crises involve more than just our bank accounts and credit cards. They involve our emotions. And so we tend to respond emotionally rather than rationally when crisis hits. Unfortunately, those decisions often lead us into further financial trouble.

Podcast host James Lenhoff explains that our brains are wired in such a way that our emotional reactions occur much more quickly than our rational thought. This leads us to respond to crisis in ways that address the emotion but may worsen our financial situation.

Join us for a discussion on how to rein in those emotions long enough to enable our rational thought processes to take over. If you're a church leader who interacts with people in crisis, you'll learn some important principles for helping without hurting!

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Last week in episode 31, we admitted that financially, we often do things we don't really want to, and neglect things we want to do. But that isn't the end of the problem. We keep acting this way, bringing the patterns of our past into the future. How can we break free?

First, we need to recognize that the past doesn't determine the future. As Michael Hyatt says, there's a big difference between "I didn't" and "I can't". One is a statement of fact; the other is a limiting belief. Why do we hold these limiting beliefs?

One reason is that we don't analyze the actual decisions we made. We simply wallow in the guilt over them, without understanding what led to those decisions. As a result, we don't equip ourselves to make different decisions in the future.

Another reason is that often these decisions are made without intentionality. They're made based on emotion, and those emotions are based on thoughts that we can't even remember now. So we fall into the same traps over and over again.

How do we break that cycle? The key is stewardship fundamentals, the "blocking and tackling" of managing well the resources that God has put in our possession. It's tracking our earning and spending, understanding our net worth over time, and planning where the money will go.

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us think through why we keep making the same mistakes (or overcorrect and make the opposite ones!) and how to get our stewardship back on track.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Paul lamented that he didn't do the things he wanted to, and did the things he didn't want to (Romans 7). For many of us, that sums up our financial lives. We want to make good decisions, to use our resources in ways that honor God and achieve important purposes. But we don't. Why?

The truth is that most of our decisions don't start with numbers in a spending plan. Those numbers are just the outworking of our realities and our priorities (including both priorities we recognize and those we don't). Most of our decisions are made emotionally, and those emotions are based on our thought life.

We think, "I should have this, because my neighbor has it, or because my family expects it." This thought creates a feeling of inadequacy, which we medicate by buying whatever it is that we think we deserve.

Much of the time, our thoughts and the emotions associated with them are based on outside factors - the efforts of marketers, our experiences growing up, our own money motivations.

If we can recognize the thoughts and resulting emotions that drive much of our financial decision-making, we can begin to take control of them. We can measure them up against Scripture and ask, "Does this reflect what God thinks about me or about His resources?" As we try to think like God does, we naturally become more faithful stewards of what He provides.

Join us as podcast host James Lenhoff helps us think through these key components of our financial decision-making and shows us the importance of bringing these thoughts into captivity for Christ.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Last week in episode 29, we highlighted the importance of responding to financial setbacks from a spiritual perspective - allowing God to stretch and grow us from the difficulties we encounter. Recalling that God is the owner of all the resources he has put in our care, and persevering in our walks with Him.

This week, we look at the next step - responding in practical ways to the very practical challenges that these setbacks present. What are some keys to recovery and getting back on track financially?

The first step is to understand our situation thoroughly. If we lost income, how much did we actually lose? If we took on debt, how much did we take on and what does that mean for monthly payments and cash flow?

Once we understand the financial reality, the next step is to address what that means for our Spending Plan. If we used up our Emergency Fund, what adjustments will be needed elsewhere to free up the money to build that fund back up? If we took on additional debt, how long do we want to take to pay that debt off and what adjustments are needed to make that happen?

Third, we need to know when we've recovered and plan to get back to the financial and life priorities God has given us. If we make spending adjustments to build back up the emergency fund or to pay off new debt, when do we project for that to be completed? And how will we re-adjust so that "emergency mode" doesn't become the new normal?

Host James Lenhoff leads us through a thoughtful consideration of the practical side of responding to financial setbacks.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

It happens to everyone - the disappointment of a financial setback. Maybe it's a medical emergency. Perhaps it's an unexpected repair bill. Maybe it's a decision that didn't work out. We all face financial setbacks. The question isn't "if"; it's "when".

When those setbacks occur, we may be tempted to take one of two paths. Maybe we catastrophize the setback. We give up, thinking that every time we begin to make progress, something bad happens. So we stop trying.

Or maybe we take the opposite path, gritting our teeth and digging in, laboring hard to get back to where we were and to prepare better for any other potential setback.

Both of these responses make it all about us. Maybe it's all about our feelings of disappointment, regret, and even despair. Or maybe it's all about our determination and fortitude.

There's a place for allowing ourselves to feel the disappointment. And there's a place for rolling up our sleeves and digging in. But there's a more important place for slowing down, stepping outside of ourselves, and asking God, "What do you want for me in this situation?"

Join us as host James Lenhoff helps us think through the spiritual side of handling financial setbacks. The setbacks will come. Will they crush us? Will they harden us? Or will we allow God to use them to stretch and grow us?

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Stewardship - like discipleship in general - has some common characteristics across believers. Traits like recognition of God's ownership, gratitude, perseverance, discipline, and a spirit of abundance. And it will embody some common attitudes toward money, like diligent earning, prudent spending, generous giving, wise saving, and caution with debt.

But beyond characteristics like these, stewardship (like discipleship) will look different for different believers. It will look different based on financial conditions, seasons of life, gifts and aptitudes, and other key factors. Like discipleship in general, stewardship is not a cookie-cutter experience.

A key to good stewardship is not to compare ourselves with others but to consistently ask God, "How can I best manage what you have given me" - including finances, possessions, relationships, talents, etc. We fall into a trap when we compare our stewardship with others and say, "If only I could…". This trap keeps us from fully appreciating and stewarding what God has given us.

Similarly, stewardship is not about prescribing how others should manage what God has given them. Their talents, treasures, and lives are in God's hands, not ours; and each one is accountable to the Master for what He has given us, not what He has given others.

Join us as podcast host James Lenhoff outlines some key foundational principles of stewardship, lists some common patterns for faithful stewards, and urges us to be faithful, intentional stewards in the unique places that God has put us.

Related Articles

• Three Indicators of Faithful Stewardship
• The 3 Big Ideas of Christian Stewardship
• Stewardship for God's Glory
• Serve God? Or Serve Money?

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Spring brings newness of life and fills our minds with possibilities. We rejoice in spending more time outdoors. Maybe we get a spring break. We anticipate a summer vacation.

Spring is also a great time to reflect on our practice of stewardship. If we set goals at the beginning of the year, enough time has gone by that we can get an idea of whether we're on track. And if we're a bit off track, enough time remains in the year to make the needed course corrections.

This isn't about beating ourselves up - it's about understanding where we are in terms of stewardship and comparing that with where we wanted to be at this point. If we're not where we wanted to be, then it's about examining our stewardship and understanding the reasons why.

The place to begin is with prayer - expressing gratitude to God for His provision, confessing any areas where we haven't been faithful, asking for wisdom in decisions we will face (both those we know about and those we don't!), and committing our ways to Him.

If your finances could use a bit of a spring cleaning, join us as host James Lenhoff leads us through some key questions and decisions in this episode of The Faithful Steward.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]