Utah's Hope

Jen Babakhan experienced the painful journey of navigating her mom’s terminal illness — and found God’s comfort and peace along the way. She offers practical and godly insights about discovering joy in sorrow, helping children deal with grief, and anticipating a glorious reunion in Heaven!

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A Godly Perspective on End of Life Decisions -- Find comfort, wisdom, and biblical guidance in this free 7-part series. You'll learn biblical principles for end-of-life care, how to navigate difficult medical decisions, and how to experience God's peace when it's time to say goodbye.

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After years of searching, hundreds of auditions, and much prayer, Adventures in Odyssey has a new voice for John Avery Whittaker. Phil Crowley joins executive producer Christopher Diehl and showrunner Marshal Younger to talk about stepping into Odyssey’s important role.

When you think about leaving an inheritance, you probably picture children or grandchildren. But what if your next steward isn't a person at all?

For many Christians, leaving a gift to a church, ministry, or nonprofit organization can be a meaningful way to extend their generosity beyond their lifetime. But deciding where, when, and how to give deserves the same thoughtful preparation we would give to an individual heir.

Sharon Epps, President of Kingdom Advisors and a contributor to FaithFi's new field guide, How Do I Prepare the Next Steward?, joined us today to discuss how believers can make these decisions wisely.

Her central encouragement is simple: Choosing a ministry as your next steward is about more than deciding who receives your money. It's about considering what those resources might accomplish after you're gone.

Before deciding how much to leave a ministry, consider what you hope your gift will accomplish.

What needs are particularly meaningful to you? What kinds of ministry have shaped your life or strengthened your faith? How would you like the resources God has entrusted to you to continue serving others?

Sharon encourages believers to begin with these questions rather than immediately settling on a dollar amount.

Once you've identified your priorities, look for organizations whose missions align with them. Consider whom they serve, how they carry out their work, and whether their approach reflects the purposes behind your generosity.

For example, someone whose family has been blessed through adoption may feel a particular desire to support foster care and adoption ministries. Someone who has benefited from Christian financial discipleship might want to help make those resources available to future generations.

Your own experiences, including seasons of difficulty, may help you recognize opportunities to serve others in meaningful ways.

Finding an organization whose mission resonates with you is important, but it's only the beginning.

Just as you would consider an individual heir's character and readiness to manage an inheritance, it's wise to evaluate how a ministry currently handles the resources entrusted to it. Sharon recommends asking several important questions:

• Does the organization demonstrate integrity and accountability in its leadership?
• Is it transparent about its finances?
• Does it have a healthy governance structure and an engaged board?
• How does it measure and communicate the impact of its work?
• What happens when its current leadership changes?

These questions aren't intended to create suspicion. They're part of understanding the ministry well enough to support its work confidently.

Whenever possible, build relationships with its leadership, observe its work firsthand, and learn how it makes decisions.

Approach these conversations with a servant's heart. Rather than simply evaluating whether a ministry deserves your gift, seek to understand how you can help advance the work it's already doing.

A ministry can do wonderful work without being equipped to manage a substantial financial gift. This is especially true for smaller or local organizations with limited staff and administrative resources.

A contribution that dramatically increases a ministry's annual budget may sound like an extraordinary blessing. But if the organization lacks the systems, personnel, or infrastructure to manage that growth, the gift could unintentionally create new challenges.

A significant contribution could also affect existing fundraising

Jesus didn’t tell us to argue someone into the kingdom . . . or to protest our culture into the faith . . . or even to isolate ourselves from those who don’t believe. Pastor Greg Laurie has said we’re not to isolate, but infiltrate. We’re to be salt and light in a culture that needs the hope of the Gospel. Well today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg helps us set a course for taking this life-saving message to those whose eternal lives hang in the balance. It’s the very reason we’re here.

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Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

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The photo. The place. The date on the calendar. Grief has a way of turning ordinary things into places you’d rather not go. So how do you deal with grief without spending your life dodging the roar? Pastor and author Levi Lusko and his wife, Jennie, join Dave and Ann Wilson on FamilyLife Today to talk about facing what hurts—and why sometimes the way forward runs straight toward it.

Show Notes and Resources

• Through the Eyes of a Lion.

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Loss can change the way we see almost everything—including money. After being widowed twice, Rachel Faulkner Brown knows firsthand how grief can affect our emotions, our decisions, and even our finances. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rachel joins Rob West to share how financial mistakes and painful losses ultimately taught her a deeper lesson about stewardship, trust, and letting go of control. Then, it’s on to calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio.  To join our team of supporters, click here.

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Losing a spouse changes almost everything. Beyond the emotional weight of grief, there are practical responsibilities that can suddenly feel overwhelming. Bills still need to be paid, accounts need attention, and financial decisions that once seemed routine may now feel impossible.

For widows, navigating those responsibilities can be especially difficult when grief affects their ability to think clearly, make decisions, and plan for the future.

Rachel Faulkner Brown understands this firsthand. Widowed twice by the age of 31, she has experienced profound loss, financial mistakes, and unexpected challenges. Today, as the Founder and Executive Director of Never Alone Widows, she helps women find hope, healing, and community after losing a spouse.

Rachel joined the show today to share what those experiences taught her about stewardship, financial vulnerability, and learning to trust God when life feels out of control.

"The day after Blair died, I threw away the Dave Ramsey envelopes."

That striking statement from Rachel's article in Faithful Steward magazine captures how dramatically grief can reshape a person's relationship with money.

Before losing her husband, Rachel had been committed to careful budgeting. At 21, she attended a Dave Ramsey conference, embraced its financial principles, and worked with her husband to manage their resources responsibly. But after his death, something changed.

"I knew that feeding my children was much more important than getting the envelopes right," she explained.

For Rachel, abandoning the envelope system wasn't necessarily about rejecting financial discipline. It was about recognizing that her circumstances had changed and the system she once relied on no longer served her immediate needs.

Grief can force us to reconsider our priorities. And sometimes, wise stewardship means adjusting our financial practices to reflect the realities of a new season.

One of the most important lessons Rachel learned was the value of patience when making major financial decisions after a loss.

She remembers meeting with a financial planner in Atlanta shortly after becoming a widow. Although she felt pressure to make investment decisions, something didn't seem right.

She ultimately chose not to move forward. The year was 2008, just before the financial crisis devastated investment portfolios across the country. Looking back, Rachel is grateful she resisted the pressure to act before she was ready.

Her experience highlights an important principle: Not every financial decision needs to be made immediately.

Grief can affect memory, concentration, and emotional well-being. Decisions that would ordinarily be straightforward may become much more difficult.

Some responsibilities, however, cannot wait. Household bills, insurance matters, and essential account management may require immediate attention. But major investments, significant purchases, and other long-term commitments can often wait until things are clearer.

Patience can be a form of wisdom, especially when circumstances make us vulnerable to pressure or manipulation.

When Blair died unexpectedly, Rachel discovered just how much of their financial life he had managed. She didn't have account passwords or ready access to important financial information. Even gathering the necessary documents felt overwhelming.

Fortunately, two close friends stepped in. They contacted financial institutions, organized investment information, and assembled a notebook containing the details Rach