The Faithful Steward

It's a new year. Time for those New Year's resolutions - you know, the ones about losing weight, getting out of debt, etc. Maybe you made some last year; how did that work out?

For most of us, New Year's resolutions fail. They fail for several reasons - they're based on other people's priorities for us rather than our own sense of what's important; they're not realistic given our circumstances; they're not agreed on between spouses, and so on. So sometimes, we give up. But the problem isn't with the idea of setting goals; in fact, it's been said that if we aim at nothing, we're sure to hit it!

One key reason that resolutions fail is that they tend to be destinational without any directional habits supporting them. So we determine to lose 30 pounds but we don't put in place the habits required to do that. We decide to get out of debt but we don't change our spending patterns (and maybe we don't even know what we're spending!).

Podcast host James Lenhoff leads us through a workable and grace-filled process for setting stewardship goals for the coming year. Key elements include a realistic assessment of our current financial patterns and a focus on directional goals for the coming year.

Last week, we talked about reviewing the past year with a stewardship lens. If you haven't yet listened to that episode, check it out on last week's episode blog entry. There, you'll also find a link to download the Good Sense Spending Record to help you track your finances.

Looking for some help planning your finances for the coming year? Check out this week's episode blog entry for our free Spending Plan worksheet.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

As each year draws to a close, many of us take some time to think back over the year. Maybe we identify some things we're thankful for. Perhaps we think through some highlights - experiences, relationships, areas where we grew. Maybe we recognize some difficult, painful moments.

As you think back over this year, how would you evaluate your stewardship? Did you grow in this key area of discipleship? How did you manage the resources God put at your disposal - your time, your energy, your money, your spiritual gifts?

When it comes to stewardship of financial resources, some key questions can help us evaluate the year and prepare us for the coming year. Comparing our expectations in key stewardship areas with where we actually ended up is a great starting point. Evaluating indicators like cash flow, net worth, and generosity can give us additional insight.

Podcast host James Lenhoff explains the importance of evaluating our stewardship and helps us think through key questions to give us an idea of how we did. For those who are married, James offers helpful tips on how to have this conversation in a context of grace and gratitude.

If you're having a hard time evaluating your year, maybe it's because you didn't track your finances. If you want help with this, see our episode blog entry for our free Spending Record resource.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

When most Christians think of stewardship, their minds automatically turn to giving. That's because the Church tends to equate these two terms.

But stewardship is more than just generosity. Stewardship starts with a foundational recognition that all we have belongs to God. As a result, whether we're spending, saving, or giving, we're doing it all with God's resources. God isn't interested only in what goes in the offering plate (physical or virtual).

By conflating stewardship with giving, the Church creates a false dichotomy between what belongs to God and what belongs to us. And by focusing narrowly on giving, we end up challenging our people to give without equipping them with the intentionality of stewardship that can set them up for generosity. We make stewardship about supporting the church's programs rather than about discipleship and growing a heart for God.

Podcast host James Lenhoff challenges church leaders to see and teach stewardship holistically and to frame generosity in the context of a steward's mindset.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Jesus tells us that we have to choose between serving God and serving money. Of course, most of us would say that we serve God rather than money. But in reality, we often end up serving money as a default due to lack of intentionality about how we manage our resources.

Serving money can take many forms. For some, it's hoarding; for others, it's materialism. None of us picture ourselves in these positions, but often our bank accounts or credit card statements tell a different story.

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us recognize some of the signs that we might be serving money and guides us into a more purposeful approach to managing our resources. James further offers counsel for church leaders on the importance of keeping the conversation about stewardship in the foreground for our congregations.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

"What do you want for Christmas?" Every year, we ask our families and friends this question. We run from store to store, often spending money we don't have to buy things people don't need.

And we rack our brains to answer the same question. Most of us have more than we need already, so we struggle to come up with new ideas.

Year after year, we exhaust ourselves in the pursuit of things for ourselves and others, and then deal with the headaches and bills in January.

What if this year, we asked a different question? What if we asked, "What do we want from Christmas?" What do we want to learn, to experience? How do we want to encounter our Savior? How do we want to spread His joy to others?

Join us as host James Lenhoff describes his family's journey from "for" to "from" and helps us imagine a different framework for the annual Christmas conversation.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Faithful Steward host James Lenhoff helps us navigate the sometimes tricky waters of wealth with a balanced, Biblical approach. Learn God's purposes for wealth and pass them on to your congregation!

Contrary to what some teach and believe, wealth isn't evil. Scripture doesn't tell us that money is the root of all evil, but that the love of money lies at the heart of all kinds of evil.

But wealth is deceitful. It can lure us away from following God and lead us into serving money. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus called out wealth as one of the large obstacles in the way of becoming fruitful spiritually. The rich young ruler proved this out, choosing to keep hold of his wealth rather than to give it up to follow Jesus. After encountering Jesus, Scripture tells us that "he went away sad, because he had great wealth."

Wealth deceives us into thinking that it provides security. Paul tells Timothy to warn the wealthy in the congregation at Ephesus not to trust in their wealth but to trust in God. The rich fool in Jesus' parable trusted in his wealth to enable him to take life easy, but never got to enjoy what he had saved up for himself.

Material wealth does have a purpose - but it's not strictly for our own enjoyment. Scripture tells us that much is expected from those who have been given much, and that includes wealth. God gives wealth for a reason, and those who faithfully steward that wealth fulfill God's purposes for it and bring honor to him.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Host James Lenhoff unpacks the foundational nature of stewardship in the life of the believer and shows why the conversation around stewardship should be at the heart of how we disciple our communities.

We've often thought of - and taught - principles of stewardship as though they were an isolated facet of the Christian's life. And we've typically couched stewardship in terms of giving, limiting the scope of financial discipleship to this one important area.

But it turns out that stewardship is more than giving, and it's more than just one aspect of Christian discipleship. In fact, stewardship is at the very heart of Christian discipleship - and holistic discussions and teaching around stewardship can help form Christlike character in our communities.

That's because money sets itself up as the chief rival to God. Jesus pointed this rivalry out when He warned that we have to choose between serving God and serving money, and when he exhorted us to put our treasures in heaven rather than on earth (Matthew 6:20-24). If we don't get our relationship with money right in the context of our relationship with God, we won't be able to follow God wholeheartedly.

Faithful Stewards recognize that God owns it all. This is the foundation of stewardship, and it leads to all kinds of Christlike characteristics - gratitude, contentment, patience, diligence, generosity, faith.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Join us as host James Lenhoff discusses how intentionality is the solution to lifestyle creep.

Are you earning more today than you were at the beginning of your career? Do you know what's happened to all that additional income?

Most people increase their earnings level over the course of their careers; and yet, many still feel like they're falling behind financially - like there's never enough.

We often don't know where the additional money is going for one or both of two primary reasons:

1. We're paying back debt we incurred to live a lifestyle that we couldn't actually afford when we were making less money.
2. Our lifestyle seems to automatically expand to meet whatever level of income we're making.

Two key practices can help us maximize the impact of the increases we receive:

1. Intentionally planning what we're going to do with increase (whether a raise or a windfall like a bonus or tax refund), based on family priorities; and
2. Determining a lifestyle cap that represents all we feel we need in order to be content and live at the level we believe God is leading us to.

Our culture and our economy depend on us being lured into buying and spending more and more as our income increases. But lifestyle creep this is a trap - a treadmill that keeps us from moving toward financial freedom and Biblical stewardship.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

Fights over money - they happen all the time. Disagreements and stress over money are one of the leading causes of divorce. And most of the arguments occur over numbers - disagreements over whether a couple can afford something or not. But numbers aren't usually the problem. Usually the problem is a failure to understand each other's motivations behind how they spend money. For individuals as well as couples, understanding money motivations provides a helpful key to stewarding finances well.

Host James Lenhoff leads us through four major money motivations - love, freedom, power, and security. Each of these motivations has an element of beauty, and each has a downside.

If your primary money motivation is love, you tend to spend on others before yourself. Generosity characterizes your spending decisions, but there may also be a tendency to spend impulsively or to "rescue" others and create dependency.

If your primary motivation is freedom, you likely value experiences over possessions and spending quality time with family and friends is a priority. But again, there may be a tendency to overspend and thus limit resources available for giving and saving.

If your main motivation is power, you spend in a way that enhances your leadership and accomplishes goals. This can be an important characteristic, but it can also lead to manipulation of others.

And if you're mostly motivated by security, you tend to avoid impulse spending and manage money carefully. But you may have a tendency to hoard and may miss opportunities for generosity.

How are you motivated? Check out our episode blog entry for a link to the Money Motivation quiz mentioned in the podcast.

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]

We've looked at the elements of faithful stewardship - earning diligently, spending prudently, giving generously, saving wisely, and approaching debt with caution. We've seen the importance of being intentional with our finances - prioritizing, planning, and tracking where the money goes. But how can we tell if we're on the right track as faithful stewards? In this podcast episode, host James Lenhoff breaks down two key types of indicators of faithful stewardship - spiritual and financial.

Spiritually, faithful stewards are growing in characteristics like perseverance, patience, contentment, and gratitude. These traits safeguard us from selfishness, materialism, and fear. Patience and perseverance protect faithful stewards from "get rich quick" schemes; contentment and gratitude provide freedom from the pull of the culture. Together, these attitudes empower believers to grow closer to God as they manage his resources.

Financially, faithful stewards are limiting their spending in order to give generously and save wisely. They're growing their net worth over time while not relying on that net worth for their security or identity. And they're becoming increasingly generous through limiting their spending and setting aside savings for future generosity opportunities.

Bottom line, faithful stewards realize that all they have comes from God and belongs to Him. And this goes further than money - it includes time, possessions, relationships, career - everything we have. But by consistently choosing to serve God rather than money, faithful stewards open the door for growing in stewardship in all of these areas.

And this is why the church needs to lead this conversation. At heart, faithful stewards are growing disciples - exactly what the church is called to produce. By discipling believers in stewardship, churches are addressing the single key item that most commonly gets believers "stuck" in their walks with God.

For more information on this key topic, see our related blog entry:

Three Indicators of Faithful Stewardship

Check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: [email protected]