Debt is a topic that has been coming up in conversations quite a bit recently.

My church body has been studying the topic this quarter in a series called: “Managing for the Master: Till He Comes”.

As a Christian financial advisor, I have been excited that this real world topic of debt, along with other financial topics, are being taught from a Biblical perspective. We know that money is important to the heart of God because there are over 2,300 verses pertaining to money in the Bible.

I run a Bible study at my church where we explore what God’s word has to say about finances and managing money.

Inevitably, as the study progresses, one of the most common questions I get is “What does the Bible say about how we should live? Does Jesus want us to sell all that we have and give the money to the poor?”

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!

It’s not uncommon to find tension between different passages of scripture in the Bible. Though it can sometimes feel confusing, this is part of the beauty of the Christian life.

Following Jesus isn’t about following a set of rules, but about giving our lives to the one who laid down His life for us. One of these tensions that we find in Scripture are the many warnings about the dangers of pursuing wealth, but also encouragement to save for the future and to build wealth. This blog post will explore this tension.

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.

Stewardship is a topic that is very dear to my heart. As I’ve studied more on the subject, I first have to ask the question: What is stewardship?

As stewards of what God has given us, it’s our responsibility to manage our finances for the will of the owner.

Scripture tells us in Psalms 24:1 that “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it(NIV).” Thus, the owner of all that we have is God.

Currently, the S&P 500 Index (a popular gauge of health for the US Stock Market) is down in value by approximately 21% for the year as of June 21, 2022. That can be a rude awakening after the S&P 500 has returned 28.9%, 16.3%, and 26.9% over the past three calendar years (2019-2021).

What’s going on? In times like these, it can make an investor question if having money in the stock market is wise or if it’s really just gambling.

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.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, crypto, digital assets, and NFTs are all words that have been overtaking the news and social media for the last few years.

But what are they and what’s the big deal? Most importantly, how should we view and approach this new and emerging asset class?

For the last decade or so there’s been an interesting development in the finance sector that’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. This recent development is decentralized finance, or DeFi for short. This is drastically different from traditional finance that we’ve come to accept as the norm.

When the church (or any group of believers) discusses the intersection of God and money, our role is most commonly conveyed as stewardship.

In the rare instance of Christians discussing money with one another, it is almost inevitable that someone will mention, "I want to be a good steward with what I've been given."

This is absolutely a right and biblical mindset to have, but I fear it has been watered down or lost some of the substance that it is due.

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)

We each make hundreds of decisions daily.  Some of them are small, based mostly out of habit, but occasionally we find ourselves weighing a decision of significance. 

This article is focused on the latter; for instance, they’re important decisions about vocation, location, and education. 

In God's word we find wisdom. James 1:5 (ESV) says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given."

His word reveals Himself leading us to worship Him, and His word reveals how He intended us to live a flourishing life. When the Bible was written there wasn't a stock market; there weren't mutual funds; there wasn't our current concept of retirement. However, we can find solid biblical wisdom to apply to our investment portfolios.

Debt continues to become more and more prevalent in our culture while it’s being increasingly normalized.

Debt is one of the largest reasons why many individuals fail to achieve any true and lasting financial freedom. 

In the financial planning world, there isn’t a topic that gets more press or more discussed than retirement. In fact, retirement is one of the main reasons that people seek financial planning in the first place. Yet, the modern view of retirement is relatively new. There was no concept of retirement back when Jesus lived or the Bible was written. So then, what does the Bible actually say about retirement and how we should live our later years?