“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44

This one sentence parable has been on my mind quite a bit recently. Jesus shares back-to-back parables (this and the pearl of great value) and says that the finder goes and sells all that they have as a result.

Each year our advisors love to collaborate on a group blog post around Advent/Christmas time and address what a specific topic means to us.

This year we chose, “What is Advent and how does it relate to your finances?”

As we progress into the final quarter of the year, it tends to beg the question, “What are the tax advantaged year-end giving opportunities?”

As Christians, we want to make sure we’re maintaining a generous heart but also taking advantage of what the tax code has to offer.

It is my joy to study and discuss what generosity looks like in the life of a believer. You’ll probably notice that several of my authored articles on CFAN discuss some realm of generosity. I was speaking with another Christian advisor recently who shares this passion - seeing the joys of generosity awaken in the lives of his clients. This is typically a long process - finding joy in generosity. It isn’t something that someone just wills to happen overnight because generosity is different than giving.

As we near Christmas, our advisors at the Christian Financial Advisors Network wanted to share how they guide their families through giving and receiving during the Advent season and the faith impact that it has.

Enjoy!

Please visualize a story with me. Put yourself into the narrative as you read this story. Perhaps you are able to envision a time in your life when you have encountered something similar.

It is a Friday night and you are going to celebrate a friend’s birthday. You and several other friends are going to a high end restaurant, followed by a short walk to a new dessert store just down the street in a hopping area of town.

Giving is always one of the most highlighted topics where faith and finance intersect. Often one of the biggest questions among Christians is, “How Much Should I Be Giving?”. It’s a tough one to answer because: it depends. But, this is a question that you should absolutely be able to answer for yourself as a steward of what God’s entrusted to you.

Have you ever known someone who is especially generous? Someone who gets excited about sacrificial giving? And after seeing their excitement and enjoyment of being generous has it made you want to grow in your own generosity?

Seeing the joy of generosity first-hand can be contagious.

But, growing in generosity is not simply just forcing yourself to give away more of your money. You can give away 50%, 60%, 70% of your income and that does not necessarily mean you are a generous person.

Happy New Year! Twenty twenty-one is officially behind us as we embark upon a new adventure in 2022. For many people, a new year is a time to set new goals. One of the things that people always have at the top of their new year's resolution list is getting their finances in order, which is our specialty. 

The Christmas season is such a wonderful time of the year. On the surface level it’s filled with family, friends, food, rest, and gifts.

However, on a spiritual level it’s a time of preparation and celebration through, Advent, as well as the meaningful reflection on what the birth of Christ means to us.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV)

This time of the year is unprecedented when it comes to the amount of resources that Americans disburse for consumption. But if there’s one thing that can slice through the consumerism of our western culture it’s the Gospel.

Normally, the holidays are filled with joyous anticipation. Within a span of three months in the U.S., we move from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s Eve. It is time to celebrate!

And yet, we find ourselves in a very different situation this year.