The stewardship conversation in a church congregation is difficult. People are in different situations and that means different conversations are needed. For people in Lane 3 - those that are doing well financially and building net worth - it can be difficult to even engage them in the conversation. They may feel like they don't need stewardship teaching because they're doing well.

If stewardship were only about making money and building net worth, they'd be right. But it's about much more than that. When we understand that God owns everything and has entrusted into our care resources to use for his purposes, the importance of the conversation becomes clear.

Lane 3 folks face their own unique challenges and opportunities. Often, living in Lane 3 means making some sacrifices - sacrifices of family time for career advancement, sacrifices of all pleasures for the sake of accumulation. An unbalanced lifestyle like that can lead folks to wrap their identities up in possessions, career, etc.

Another reason it's difficult to talk to Lane 3 folks is that they assume we're talking to them because we want them to give to a certain campaign or increase their overall giving to the church. We make it about our vision for the impact they could have rather than the vision that God is giving them for that impact.

Podcast host James Lenhoff guides church leaders with some important tips about the stewardship conversation in Lane 3. And if you're a Lane 3 person, this podcast will give you some things to think about!

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

We can only spend a dollar one time. But there are so many things we want to do with it! In our culture, we're not used to "either/or" - we want "both/and". And to get that, we make all kinds of unwise financial decisions.

When we realize that we have to make some adjustments, we tend to start with the assumption that our bills are all non-negotiables. But are they really? Some of our bills - even the fixed expenses - are actually discretionary; we can choose whether we want to continue them. And some of our variable expenses - like groceries and clothes - are not discretionary; we have to have them, though we might have opportunities for savings or even for postponement of some expenses in order to straighten out our cash flow.

Sometimes, making a spending plan work is a simple matter of a few minor adjustments. But some of us find ourselves in a position where small tweaks aren't going to get us where we need to be. Instead, we need major life changes - like a different job or a less expensive house or car.

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us work through what kinds of changes we need to make in order to make life work financially. "Either/or" doesn't have to mean that we forgo all enjoyment. It means we make choices according to what we value most.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

People are in different situations financially. That's why one-size-fits all conversations or teachings about finance so often miss the mark. If you're struggling under a load of consumer debt, encouragement to save for retirement isn't going to mean much. On the other hand, if you're debt-free, then cajoling about getting out of debt won't apply.

As we consider the path toward financial freedom, we need to start with understanding where we are. And as we lead those who are on that path, we need to begin with an understanding of their current situation.

These different situations can be summed up broadly into three "lanes". People in the first lane are in trouble and they know it - they're having trouble making ends meet and are struggling under a load of debt. They need to get to a place of stability, but minor tweaks in spending may not get them there. Often, they'll need to make some significant life changes to get where they need to be financially.

People in the second lane are often also in trouble but they don't know it. They're getting their bills paid, making required payments on their credit cards, and are in a generally stable place. But not a growing place. They're not making progress toward financial freedom because they're not prioritizing building net worth. Often, their understanding of their financial picture is limited to monthly cash flow, so they're not prepared for the unexpected and they're certainly not prepared for the later years.

Podcast host James Lenhoff addresses people in both of these lanes - not with guilt or shaming, but with grace and hope. In this episode of The Faithful Steward, James helps set tone and direction for people who need stability and clarity in their financial picture.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

As spring arrives, nature shakes off the slumber of winter. And it's a good time for us to shake off any unproductive habits we may have built up in our stewardship.

Spring is a great time for a deeper dive into our stewardship habits, goals, and progress. Enough time has elapsed since the beginning of the year that we have data to help us understand whether we're on track with the goals we set for the year. And enough time remains to make any course corrections we might need to make.

This is a time to ask some key questions, like:

• If we put holiday spending on credit cards, have we made the progress that we wanted to in paying that off?
• If we created some saving goals, are we on track to meet those goals? (If we're not a quarter of the way there, we need to update either our practices or our goals.)

And it's a great time to review and update our plans:

• If we get a tax refund, what will we do with that?
• If we've planned summer vacations, are we on track to have savings to pay for them?

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us think through these and other key questions as part of a first-quarter review of our stewardship.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

Money is hard. Most of us would accept that as an axiom. There's never enough; we worry if we're handling it well; we have to make difficult spending decisions and income decisions. Balancing a checkbook and balancing a spending plan - both seem beyond us.

It's true that money is hard - but not for the reasons we typically think. The math isn't that difficult - and even if it were, we have calculators and software programs to do the math for us. The concepts aren't esoteric. So why is money hard?

It turns out that money is hard because of what's behind it - our motivations, our insecurities, our envy and discontentment. It's hard because we're looking to money to do what only God can do - provide joy, security, and peace. Maybe this is one of the reasons that Jesus told us we have to choose between serving God and serving money (Matthew 6:24).

Podcast host James Lenhoff takes us through some of the reasons why we really have trouble with money and shows us the road forward to put money in its place and God in his rightful place.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

Buyer's remorse. We've all experienced it. We bought that thing but it didn't meet our expectations. And we may even still be paying for it. We don't remember why we bought it, but we wish we hadn't.

Buyer's remorse results from unintentional spending. And we may not like the feeling of buyer's remorse, but it can be a valuable tool if we'll allow ourselves to learn from it. The key is not wallowing in guilt over spending decisions we regret, but being curious enough to ask ourselves good questions to understand the triggers for unintentional spending and avoid those triggers in the future.

Analyzing the reasons we spend - both internal and external - can help us avoid buyer's remorse in the future. Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us think through some key questions we can ask ourselves to make our spending more intentional.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

Faithful stewards know where their money goes. They can account for their spending, and they understand how they are utilizing God's resources. But, of course, that doesn't happen by itself.

The question is, how do we actually track our spending? While a manual system, such as a spreadsheet, is a good starting point for anyone who hasn't been tracking their finances, it's not ideal over the long run. Manual systems take a while to set up and don't offer guidance for categorization. They don't provide any reporting (unless you create it yourself) and they can be hard to adjust over time (adding categories, etc.). And, perhaps most concerning, they require all transactions to be entered and tracked manually.

So, many people use an automated system - software, a website, or an app that helps with the repetitive tasks, automates transaction entry, and provides some tracking and reporting capabilities. But there are a lot of these systems out there - how do we choose?

Here are a few key considerations:

• Is the system easy enough to use that I will use it consistently over a long time?
• Does the system allow me to track my spending in ways that make sense to me?
• Can the system help me beyond basic budgeting, such as tracking investments and net worth?
• Does the system enable automatic transaction downloads and categorization?

Podcast host James Lenhoff reviews several popular financial systems in light of these and other questions to help you decide which system is right for you.

For further information about different personal financial systems, see the PC Magazine article referred to in the podcast.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

"Buy now - pay later!" Yep. But how many ways do we pay when we're caught in the trap of accumulation? Besides the initial price of the item we buy, there's the cost of interest if we put it on credit. There's the price of space to store the item. There's the price of time and energy to take care of the item. And there's the mental price of clutter created by our overaccumulation.

Buying stuff isn't wrong. Even buying stuff for our own enjoyment isn't wrong. But often, as we continue to accumulate things, our actual happiness decreases. Jesus combines the "worries of this life" and the "deceitfulness of wealth" as the characteristics of the thorny soil in the Parable of the Sower. Often, marketing deceives us into thinking that more things or newer things will make us happier. But in reality, accumulation can become a significant obstacle to walking with God.

Accumulation leads us to think of ourselves as owners rather than as stewards of Someone else's resources. And this leads to worry and discontentment rather than to peace and happiness.

Escaping the trap of accumulation is not about getting rid of all our possessions! Rather, it's about thoughtful spending and intentional simplicity. Podcast host James Lenhoff highlights tactics and thought processes to help us spend and accumulate without falling into the accumulation trap.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Email James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.