Now before you come at me, I want to preface this article with saying that Dave has helped out millions of people and those people are better off because of him. He’s even helped me early on in my personal finance journey. Despite those things, he still has many things wrong. I actually led a Financial Peace University class years ago and although it was beneficial for my class I did feel it was my duty to “unteach” and correct some things in the curriculum. I do agree with Dave on a handful of things. I totally agree that individuals and couples need some form of a budget, a zero-based budge ..read more

I'd love nothing more than a world where people didn't have to use debt. I dream of it. Could you only imagine? I personally envision what a debt-free life will look like. It’s exciting and exhilarating. For most of us, completely avoiding the use of debt throughout our lives isn't very realistic. There are just situations where we have to borrow. Like I’ve said before, using debt isn't sinful (although it can reveal spiritual deficiencies). Regardless, we should have and maintain a biblical perspective of debt. However, if we must borrow then we should ask ourselves, and reflect on, the 7 que ..read more

Debt isn't ideal. I know that. You know that. Ideally, we'd never have to use it. But that just isn't realistic for most of us. It's something we can rarely avoid, at least early on in our lives, but it should be measured and considered very carefully nonetheless. It's imperative as Christians that we hold a biblical perspective of debt. Why? Because of the dangers that debt pose. *For context, everyone in debt gets there in different ways (whether by choice or not). This article is to shed light on the dangers of debt in general. Please apply what is relevant for your situation. Economic Comp ..read more

Debt. The ugly “D” word. The very thing that keeps many of us from true financial freedom. The thing that often keeps us from fully trusting and focusing on God. The thing about debt is that it causes us to focus on the anxiety created from the financial burden as well as the shame that comes with it. I hate that this is the case. I hate that many individuals will be shackled and hamstrung for most, if not all, of their lives because of debt. Don’t get me wrong. Nothing is outside redemption, especially for the God and His abundant grace. He can redeem anything. The question is if we’ll let Hi ..read more

Fasting is the process of abstaining from food for a specific purpose such as: grieving, seeking God’s wisdom, repentance, worship, etc. I used to think fasting could only be done with food. After all, it's really the only example we see in scripture (i.e. Jesus fasting for 40 days in the wilderness). I also thought it was only to be done during Lent, the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter that’s dedicated towards reflection and preparation of Christ’s death and resurrection.  As I’ve grown, I learned a couple of things. The original fast was done with food but it’s since expanded to ..read more

“If only I had more time,” “I’ve just been so busy,” and “There’s not enough time in the day” are all phrases we hear in our culture when it comes to not having enough time. Time is worth talking about because it’s more finite than money and so much more precious. We all have the same amount of time in the day and we’re all trying to balance time and money. We typically only ever view time in one context, a quantitative one. The Greek word for this is chronos. Chronos represents time in a sequential manner (think seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, etc.), pretty much the default whenever we ..read more

What if I told you that you already possess two of the most powerful tools that will get you to financial freedom. They may be a little rusty but they are there. Deeply seeded within your soul lies gratitude and contentment. Yes, they’re there and everybody has the ability to unlock them. It’s just a matter of choice. Out of all the financial knowledge I’ve amassed, this immutable truth has been one of the most powerful. It also largely correlates to how successful someone will be with money and stewarding. So why is it so hard to deploy these tools? Well we’re a forgetful people along with ou ..read more

We’ve talked about what biblical stewardship is and why biblical stewardship is important. So how do we know if we’re doing it right? I think the best way to reflect on the quality of our stewardship is to look at the results. Do note that faithful stewardship can’t be faked. The way we manage God’s resources is evident and reflects the real priorities and values in our lives. Every spending and financial decision is a spiritual decision since none of it belongs to us. In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells us that we can learn about a person by looking at the fruit that they produce. "'Beware o ..read more

Asking “Why” is important when challenging or evaluating what we believe. It’s really the only way to reveal the truth that we’re seeking to find. So why is biblical stewardship important then? First, it’s important to understand that what we’ve been entrusted to manage isn’t ours. And because it’s been entrusted to us, we’re ultimately responsible for how it’s cared for and used. Spiritual Maturity Our role as stewards is also important because it has a direct correlation to our spiritual health and spiritual maturity. I’ve yet to see a poor steward that’s walking in the Spirit and on the con ..read more

Steward. Stewarding. Stewardship. These words get thrown around quite often within the Christian community and the Church in general. Personally, I know I use these words abundantly. But as Christians, I think it’s important that we actually know what they mean. Defined In short, a steward (n) is a person that manages or looks after the property of someone else. Stewarding (v) is the act of managing the property of someone else. Stewardship (n) is the actual role of managing the property of someone else. In Action A couple things come to mind when I hear a variation of the word “steward”. Bear ..read more