We've all had the experience of setting big goals at the beginning of the year and then getting to the end of the year and being disappointed at having fallen short. Maybe the goal was to lose weight. Maybe it was to get out of debt. Or maybe some other really good - but really big - goal. Goals are great for helping us envision the lives we want t…

We've probably all been there. Life just isn't working. Our jobs aren't bringing the satisfaction we thought they'd bring. We're not as happy in that big house as we thought we would be (and the expenses are breaking us). Sometimes, we need to make a change - but change isn't always easy. Change can be hard for any number of reasons: Fear of the un…

We've all had those days at work when we're not at our best. Maybe we're tired, or facing problems at home. Maybe we're even a little burned out. But for some, especially during and since the pandemic, these days have become the norm. The pandemic gave rise to the term "Quiet Quitting", where people show up at their job but don't really add much va…

Do you ever feel guilty when you think of financial success? When you plan for how much you need to save for the future, rather than immediately giving it all away? When you look to take that next step in your career into more responsibility, more authority, and more income? As believers, we can fall into one of two traps when it comes to thinking …

Can money buy happiness? We all know how we're supposed to answer that question. "No, of course not. Money can't buy happiness." And yet we've all experienced those moments of joy and happiness from something we've wanted for a long time and finally bought, or that family experience that we paid for and that created lasting memories. And many of us…

Most of us equate being rich with a high income. If we're earning well into the six figures, we're rich. But cash flow is not the measure of wealth. Wealth is measured in net worth - the difference between what we own and what we owe. And for many high earners, that difference can actually lead to a negative net worth. A HENRY is a High Earner who'…

Summer. Long days, vacations, warm weather, slower pace. Opportunities to relax, spend time with family, take a break from hectic seasons. And a great chance to check in on our stewardship. If we've been tracking our spending against a plan, then this is the perfect time for a checkpoint. Are we over-spending in some areas? Under-spending in others…

Inheritance. For many of us, this represents the largest single sum of money that will come our way. And as a result, it represents the largest opportunity for faithful stewardship - or for wasteful mismanagement. Whether earned or received as a gift, all the resources in our possession ultimately belong to God. So God calls us to manage those reso…

Statistics show that the situation of adult children living with their parents is on the rise. This was true before Covid, was heightened further during the pandemic, and continues to be the trend. There are lots of reasons for this - economic, social, and others. But the question is, as parents, how do we handle this situation? Parents who are dea…

Education loans are the largest financial obstacle facing many recent graduates today. School debt begins to come due at a time when most people will make the least money in their careers, impacting their ability to start a family or make other key decisions. Most graduates got here because of assumptions that were made as they thought about what t…

We've seen some of the keys to teaching our kids about money: Letting them see our mistakes Giving them experience with money of their own Communicating and modeling stewardship principles When our children hit major milestones - like college, moving out, and marriage - the effort we've taken to disciple them in stewardship really begins to pay off…

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 kid…

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 o…

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…

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 mor…

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 Mich…

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…

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 - re…

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 th…

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…

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…

An fruitful stewardship ministry, who can find? It's not easy. As church leaders, we often struggle to embrace the conversation around stewardship. And usually, that's because we've maintained too narrow a focus when it comes to stewardship. To have an effective conversation around stewardship, sometimes we need to "undo" the framework we've been u…

Saving isn't exciting - not nearly as exciting as, say, buying that new car or going on that great vacation. But saving does two key things for us. In the present, it grows us in Biblical characteristics like patience, perseverance, gratitude, and wisdom. And in the future, it positions us for obedience to God's leadings into generosity and other a…

Welcome to the final installment of our three-part series on Marriage and Money. In the last two episodes, we looked at the importance of married couples becoming one financially and at the key step of understanding each other's financial backgrounds and motivations. This week, we'll wrap up the series with a discussion of the significance of share…

In part 2 of our three-part series on Money and Marriage, host James Lenhoff addresses some of the sources of our conflicts over money and offers insight toward building understanding with our spouses. Our financial priorities tend to be a product of several factors, including how our family of origin handled money and our own money motivations. Ja…

We hear it all the time - arguments over money are a leading cause of divorce. But are these arguments really about money? Or are they about something deeper? What's really behind this is that couples are not following the Scriptural principle of becoming one. Sometimes, this is because one or both spouses haven't ever really left their family of o…

Stewardship in the early stages of life is pretty simple - the decisions are simple, the options are limited, and the outcomes are fairly straightforward. That doesn't mean it's always easy - but it is far less complex than it becomes as we move through life. The early career stage provides the best opportunity to establish life-long stewardship pr…

Like many things, our stewardship evolves as we go through the stages of life. And like many things, the earlier we start on this journey, the better prepared we are to continue the journey throughout our lives. Many people struggle with stewardship as adults because they were never taught stewardship principles as children. They never had the oppo…

When people are in trouble, they often turn to the church for help. And many churches are prepared to respond through their benevolence ministries. Serving people in dire financial circumstances is a key way of showing Jesus' love and compassion. But often, these difficult situations are caused by financial habits that will continue to foster crise…

So often, we think of stewardship in the narrow sense of addressing specific financial situations. If we're struggling with debt, then stewardship means being disciplined in our spending and getting out of debt. If we're well-off, then stewardship is all about giving and generosity. And in the church, we tend to separate people in different financi…

Join us as podcast host James Lenhoff paints a wholistic picture of stewardship and invites us to envision and commit to whole-life stewardship in the new year. Stewardship starts with our finances. Jesus taught that we have to choose between serving God and serving money, and this is a lifelong journey. But stewardship doesn't end with finances. A…

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;…

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 stewards…

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 w…

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 mat…

"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 exha…

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 li…

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 …

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 …

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 be…

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 …

Host James Lenhoff navigates the sometimes tricky waters surrounding debt with a grace-filled approach and a balanced stewardship context. Join us and discover keys to understanding and managing debt as a faithful steward. Many believers labor under a load of debt, struggling to make ends meet because of significant monthly payments. They feel hope…

Join us as host James Lenhoff leads us down the path of saving with wisdom. James offers key principles to guide our own saving and to pass on to other believers as they pursue faithful stewardship. Christians are pulled in opposite directions when it comes to saving. Our culture promotes mixed messages - on the one hand, it's all about spending wi…

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. -- 2 Timothy 2:2. Welcome to The Faithful Steward Podcast! Our aim is to equip you to pass on Biblical principles of stewardship to your congregation. Host and author James Lenhoff, a Certified Financial Plan…