Bountiful: The Heart of Money Management

What is the faithfulness or reliability of money? We use money every day in exchange for our needs and some things we want. But is money in it for the long haul? In this episode, Gary & Christy discuss what the Bible says about the faithfulness of material wealth. Then, they outline how we can draw the line between utilizing money and depending on it. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The good life may look different for you than for me, and how we define happiness or success has a huge impact on our perspective of what “the good life” means. In this episode, Gary & Christy compare a worldly viewpoint and a spiritual viewpoint of the good life. The worldly viewpoint of the good life involves being self-sufficient, self-centered, and focusing on physical blessings we want. T...

Kindness is part of our stewardship. A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself (Proverbs 11:17). We can be kind just as effectively at no expense as we can at medium expense or high expense. But since this is a podcast about money management, this episode focuses on how we can use our money in the work of kindness. As faithful stewards of God’s blessings, let’s remember: Th...

The Bible encourages us to be patient (Romans 12:12; Galatians 6:9). There are familiar quotes about patience, like “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And even when it comes to our personal finances, patience is vital because our savings don’t grow overnight just like our debts don’t disappear overnight. But what about being patient with ourselves? Do we give ourselves grace when we make financial mist...

Jesus talked about financial stewardship a lot. Two of his parables are the backbone for this episode and inspiration for its title. Do we use the strategy of the rich fool by tearing down our barns and building larger ones? Or do we use the strategy of the one-talent man by hiding our abilities instead of using them for God’s glory? Episode Resources “Run With the Horses” book which quoted Pliny...

Even though some stress is good, trying to live through constant levels of high stress is very challenging. When it comes to our financial situation, if our money isn’t adding up like we expected, that can be tough to deal with. Add on something like unemployment or a big expense, and our finances can become a major struggle. In this episode, we discuss some reasons why money may stress us out. Th...

The word “joy” in Galatians 5:22 means “calm delight; gladness”. Therefore, when we talk about joy from a spiritual perspective, it’s different than the joy the world offers. God’s joy involves a steady flow rather than a sudden spike of delight. Joy applies to our financial lives, but how can we have joy in all financial circumstances? In this episode, Gary & Christy talk about having joy whe...

Because we interact with money daily (using electricity, eating, driving, etc) we have some sort of relationship with it. Sometimes we’re tempted to love money – to obsess about our account balances or allowing my financial situation to determine my mood. Other times we may hate money – ignoring our situation hoping we’ll never have to deal with it or avoiding the topic of personal finance altoget...

What are some ways we can save money during the summer? In this episode, we mention a few methods we could trim costs from our utilities and our entertainment. Episode Resources https://www.northcountrysavings.bank/blog-article/6-summer-savings-tips-tricks-make-most-season https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-have-a-fun-summer-when-your-finances-fall-short https://www.mystayathomeadve...

In many ways, owning a pet is an investment of time and money. While having a pet can be very enjoyable, we must consider their cost before bringing them to our family. In this episode, we discuss some financial line items associated with pet ownership – both up-front and on-going. Episode Resources https://blog.umb.com/personal-banking-tips-financial-considerations-before-adopting-a-pet/ https://...

In this episode, we discuss common tactics used by retailers, online stores, and grocery stores to sell us things. Then, we note a few things we can do to make sure we’re making the right purchases for us. Episode Resources https://money.com/deal-alert-online-shopping-tricks-saving/ https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/everyday-shopping/supermarkets/articles/supermarket-sales-tricks https://www.wise...

To be generous or to be stingy is a choice we all make, sometimes daily. Do we examine ourselves as we should (2 Corinthians 13:5) to make sure our actions reflect a heart of generosity? Or do we excuse our stinginess as “just who we are”? In this episode, Gary & Christy discuss stinginess, how it is similar to covetousness, and three ways it could sneak into our lives undetected. ★ Support th...

Plenty of people were and are wealthy and faithful, but that does not mean everyone could be or should be. In this episode, we discuss how some are faithful with wealth, some are faithful without wealth, and some are faithful because of wealth. Episode Resource Bountiful episode “is It Wrong to be Rich?” https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls1e16/ ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Even though we know all about how we should be patient, it can be a struggle to practice patience when our savings are low, our debts are high, or when we can’t afford something. In this episode, we talk about how we can practice patience relative to our income, our expenses, and our choices. Proverbs 13:11 – Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it...

Are great weeks born or made? In this episode, we talk about how our attitude can help determine the outcome of our lives, even down to the workweek or schoolweek. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

An investment is something into which you put effort so that out of it you receive a benefit. To invest is to effectively use the benefits God blesses us with in order to make more. The Parable of the Talents would be an example of this as the two faithful servants invested with what their master provided. In this episode, we discuss investing with our money, our minds, our bodies, and our souls....

Communication takes practice. Talking about money probably takes even more practice. In this episode, we provide some tips on how to bring up the topic of money to those who are important to you. Having tough conversations can be valuable, especially when we keep God’s words in our hearts (Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:6; Luke 6:45). Episode Resources Bountiful episode – “Communicating About Money”...

The world offers us several ways to determine our value, like our careers, appearance, talents, family, and wealth. But are these effective ways to appraise our self-worth, or is there a better way to appraise our value? Episode Resources Bountiful episode: Net Worth Is Not the Basis for Self Worth https://thelightnetwork.tv/bountifuls1e4/ Bountiful episode: When Net Worth Is Worthless  https://th...

Value is the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. What value does money have for us? What is material wealth worth to us? Do we overvalue money?   “Money often costs too much.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson   It’s important we understand the true value and nature of money because: How we value money has far-reaching, long-lasting impacts If we view money as our boss, our security blanket, our me...

God is concerned about financial matters, not for His sake, but for ours. All things belong to God, including all wealth that exists, and He provides us with some of that wealth so we can glorify Him. The Lord has provided instructions on how to handle our financial blessings, making the most of them in our lives while avoiding the dangers associated with relying too much on money.   In this episo...

While the holidays may be stressful, they could be joyful. In this episode, we discuss finding joy during the holidays in our festivities, in our family, and in our finances. Episode Resources https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/stories/ten_tips_for_enjoying_holidays.html ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

At some point you will decide whether or not to make a big purchase, like a laptop, appliance, television, furniture, car, or house. Sometimes these purchases happen in times of need (e.g. your water heater stopped working). Other times we buy things for special occasions (e.g. Christmas, birthdays, weddings). All the time, before we make a big purchase, we should consider at least 3 things: its a...

Happy Thanksgiving week! In this episode, we talk about what we should do when we feel thankful. Feeling thankful without expressing it is like wrapping a present without giving it – it loses its purpose. On the flip side, what should we do when we’re not really feeling like thanksgiving? While it’s okay to be in a rut, we offer a few ideas to guide us to higher ground.   “Reflect upon your presen...

Time management is about appreciating the value of our time and prioritizing what matters most. That’s why time management is not always about saving time or using less time. There may be instances when it is worthwhile to save time, like getting drive-thru lunch when you’re in a hurry. On the other hand, there may be other instances when it’s worth it to use more time, like driving the scenic rou...

Part of the appeal of “Farm to Table” is we have a deeper appreciation of the food that’s served because we know where it comes from. Likewise, when we understand everything we have – our minds, our bodies, our abilities, our “lucky breaks” – comes from God, then we can have a deeper appreciation of the blessings we’re granted because we know where they come from. In this episode, Gary and Christy...