Utah's Hope

The struggle to give our kids a biblical education is real. Kori Pennypacker shares how her ministry, Bible2School, provides free Bible programs to help young students grow their faith in public school. Tune in to hear her explain how to develop Christian values in our kids from an early age! Then, every couple asks the question: How can we manage our money to invest in the things that truly matter? With work, family, and school, it can be hard to find balance. Russ Crosson has over 40 years of experience managing money from a Christian perspective. He gives helpful tips for “using your money to buy time” to invest in your family – whatever stage of life you are in!
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From the very beginning, women have played a vital role in advancing the gospel. In Romans 16, Paul introduces Phoebe—a trusted partner and gospel patron whose generosity, influence, and service helped further his ministry. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and John Rinehart explore Phoebe’s example. Then, it's on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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Topics:

Fighting At Chucky Cheese, Sandwich Generation, Ask God To Be Teacher, Breaking Up, Burning Man, C.S. Lewis, Days of Thunder, NFL, Should Be Outlawed, Worry


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Quotes:

"You have no control when you're staring at your phone."

"Worrying is fake control over the future."

"Always pivot to thankfulness."

"We have different visions for life."

"Contentment is learned."
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Women have played a vital role in advancing the gospel from the very beginning.

In Romans 16, the Apostle Paul introduces us to Phoebe—a trusted partner whose generosity, influence, and service helped further his ministry. Her story offers a compelling picture of what it means to use the resources God has entrusted to us to advance the gospel.

John Rinehart, founder and CEO of Gospel Patrons, has spent years studying and telling the stories of men and women who have supported gospel ministry throughout history. He says Phoebe is one of the clearest biblical examples of what he calls a gospel patron.

A gospel patron is someone who comes alongside those proclaiming the gospel and supports their work through relationships, influence, financial resources, and other practical means.

These partnerships have existed since the earliest days of Christianity.

Luke 8 tells us that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and other women supported Jesus and His disciples “out of their means.” They were using what God had given them to help make ministry possible.

Throughout church history, the names of gospel patrons have often appeared in the background. They may not have been the ones preaching sermons, translating Bibles, planting churches, or leading missionary movements, but their generosity helped make those ministries possible.

As Rinehart explains, behind many gospel proclaimers throughout history have been faithful men and women helping fuel the work.

Phoebe was one of them.

Romans is one of the most significant theological writings in the New Testament. Yet when Paul reaches the final chapter, the first person he mentions is Phoebe. Paul writes:

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself.” —Romans 16:1–2

Phoebe was apparently someone Paul trusted deeply. She is widely understood to have carried Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome—a significant responsibility involving a long and difficult journey.

Paul also describes her as his own patron.

We do not know exactly what Phoebe's financial support provided. She may have helped cover Paul's travel, living expenses, ministry costs, or even expenses associated with producing and distributing letters. Scripture does not tell us.

What it does tell us is significant enough: Phoebe was an important partner in Paul's ministry, and her resources were being used in service to the gospel.

Her example reminds us that faith and finances were never intended to occupy separate parts of our lives.

Christians can sometimes struggle with how to think about money. We may begin to view wealth as something inherently worldly while treating faith as something private and spiritual.

Scripture gives us a much more integrated picture.

What we do with the resources God entrusts to us can itself become an act of worship. Money can be used to care for people in need, support missionaries, serve widows and orphans, strengthen ministries, and help spread the gospel.

The important question is not merely, “How much wealth do I have?” It is, “How can I faithfully use what God has entrusted to me?”

Phoebe understood that her resources carried Kingdom possibilities.

That lesson may be particularly significant in the years ahead as enormous amounts of wealth change hands and women become increasingly influential stewards of financial resources. Phoebe offers a biblical picture of what can happen when financial influence is placed at God's disposal.

Wouldn’t it be a remarkable world if everyone tried to out-give one another? If we saw someone in need, we automatically took care of it. We were always looking for ways to help. But we don’t live in a culture of givers, it seems like we live in a culture of takers. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us see how a spirit of generosity is part of the prescription for living a more meaningful life. We’re considering the Apostle Paul’s counsel about living in a way that honors God.

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You joined a family hoping to love your stepkids well. But what if they don’t exactly love you back? Cheryl Shumake, author of Waiting to Be Wanted, gets painfully practical about how to be a good stepparent without auditioning for acceptance—and maybe when those kids don't love you back. How do you stop competing for your place, love without keeping score, and know what’s actually yours to do when the blended-family dream gets decidedly less dreamy?

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As a secret service agent, Darin Kinder was trained to handle emergencies. As a Christian, he was gifted with compassion for others. Hear his eyewitness account of the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City on 9/11/2001 and how he was able to serve other people and make it out alive.

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