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Imagine you begin to exhibit health concerns. You present various symptoms that give rise to concern. One response you could make would be to consult the information superhighway, which will give a broad range of possible illnesses from one end of the spectrum to the other. Another response would be to consult a physician.
Read MoreWe've all heard the statistics. Money issues and arguments are one of the leading causes of marital stress and divorce. And this isn't true just outside the church - it's true in our congregations as well. Discussions about money surface all kinds of emotions, and many couples aren't equipped to deal effectively with the topic.
Read MoreIt’s no easy task trying to get people to understand the beauty of giving and generosity. Giving is an expression of worship, an invitation to partner with God in everything. It requires you to “place your bet” on the work of God over the physical comfort of predictability. Many of us have felt the discomfort of calculating the amount of money God has deemed his tithe and tried to do the math on how that would impact our wallet.
Read MoreHaving financial goals is important; without goals, it's hard to know if we're on track when it comes to Biblical stewardship. But goals themselves aren't enough - we also need to instill the habits necessary to reach them. It's great to have a goal to pay off our credit cards, but if we don't put in place the disciplines needed to get there, the goal itself doesn't help us.
Read MoreAt some point in our Christian walk, many of us come to a fork in the spiritual road where the Lord makes us aware that we’ve been asking Him to join us in what we are doing, rather than us joining Him in what He is doing. That’s often the uncomfortable bottom-line of the choice we have as Christians when making decisions.
Read MorePerhaps you've heard the tale of the three bricklayers working on a project. When asked what they were making, the first said, "$18 an hour." The next replied, "We're making a wall to help support the roof." But the third said, "We're building a cathedral for worshipping God!" They were all engaged in the same task, but only one caught the bigger vision.
Read MoreHere at the Christian Stewardship Network, we believe that God is the provider of all things, and it is He who gives us the power to create wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) and the direction and wisdom we are to manage that wealth. Because the world's ways of handling money are contrary to God's ways, causing people to fall into financial and spiritual bondage, our mission is to train church leaders in God's financial principles and equip them to teach them to their congregations.
Read MoreGrowing up, I recall the Christmas season being about giving. Everyone focused on buying something for their loved ones. Somewhere along the way, the notion that we should also treat ourselves to something special got thrown into the mix.
Read MoreI've been fascinated by the many new and creative ways people are making a living these days. By using platforms like Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube, to name just a few, many people are ditching the 9-5, climbing the corporate ladder, way of making a living. These solopreneurs, mostly the younger generation, are seeking something that the standard career paths cannot provide.
Read MoreOur world is out to get us when it comes to having nice things. The aggression at which we are convinced to buy items reminds me of 1 Peter 5:8: 'Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. '
Read MoreWhen it comes to giving, a minority of churchgoers are still financially supporting a majority of church ministry. Usually less than 20 percent of churchgoers contribute regularly to their church. This is discouraging, first, because of the lack of resources for the church. Second, because of what it reveals; a lack of trust in God concerning money.
Read MoreOver the past 20 years, I have seen the language and terminology in the Church around the topic of money change. Truthfully, I've even participated in this by trying to appeal to the people in our Church. As a person who is passionate about seeing people financially free, I've gone to great lengths to improve my communication about money to ensure people understand the information as well as my motivation behind it.
Read MoreBuilding a generous church is hard. It may even feel impossible at times. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In just a few short weeks, the CSN Team is heading to Augusta, Georgia to attend Give Conference!
Read MoreImagine you’ve been making all the right financial moves for a long time. You estimated your future needs, diligently set aside a portion of every paycheck, invested the money according to a trustworthy strategy, bought proper insurance for your family, stocked an emergency fund, made sure your paperwork is in order (wills, trusts, living wills, power-of-attorney documents), and everything else. If you’ve done all that, congratulations — you’re in far better shape than most people! Now imagine today is your last day alive.
Read MoreThere's a misunderstanding in Christianity about serving in ministry. Many people believe that serving in ministry is a full-time pastor position at a church or a missionary to a specific region or group. Unless you fit into one of these roles, you're not really in ministry.
Read MoreDoing what’s right is a struggle for us in most areas of life. Because following God’s commandments goes against our fallen, sinful nature, our attempts to do it right can often take the form of tasks we perform. We do so to prove to God, or perhaps more to ourselves, that we are Christ-like, that we’re doing what’s right.
Read MoreAs the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the investing world grappled with its own upheavals. If you had money in the markets, you’ll likely long remember the period from mid-February to mid-March when the U.S. stock market fell 35% in just 16 trading days. Never before had the market so quickly switched gears from an all-time high to a bear market.
Read MoreJesus met a lot of people throughout his earthly ministry. He dined with the sinful. He met and healed many crippled, disabled, and diseased desperate for his touch. He came to the defense of a woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:2-11) and shared a deep conversation with the outcast Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). He even met with the man notorious for his demonic possession among the tombs of the Gerasenes (Mark 5:1-20). In all of his encounters, he never indicates their qualification to be welcomed into God’s kingdom.
Read MoreI remember when it wasn't uncommon for Christians to believe saving meant you lacked faith and that it was unspiritual to save money. Perhaps the reason so many Christians embraced this point of view is because it sounded so spiritual, but it's false, especially when you take into account what the Bible has to say about it.
Read MoreThere is not one book, one teaching, one study that will fully disciple people in finances. Financial discipleship is a journey of a lifetime going ever deeper into learning and applying God's principles of managing money and wealth. That's why it takes different types of teaching and curriculum to move people along the journey.
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