Are You a Generous Steward?

Featured by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, Budgeting

By Tim Howington

Every day, we have clients start a new financial journey where they are trying to sharpen their money skills so that they can reach the goals that they have set in front of themselves.  Sad is the day when you are unable to make progress towards the life that you feel God has for you.  Coincidentally, the area that holds many of us back is our personal finances.  Some of us are really good at managing our money and others of us stink.  Quick evaluation- on a scale from 1-10 how do you manage your money.

(I stink)  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  (I rock)

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The Secret of Contentment

by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, Contentment, Crisis, debt, Fear/Anxiety, Stress

By Tim Howington

Hey, want to know a secret? Promise not to tell anyone? As I write this article, I’m broke.  I am so broke I can’t pay attention.  I am staring at a pile of bills that I can’t pay and to be honest I am a little stressed.  How I got here doesn’t matter.  I could tell you about the big tax bill I didn’t anticipate or the AC/Heater Unit that went out.  Or the fact that in the nonprofit sector if you don’t continue to raise support for your cause, you run out of money. I won’t bore you with the details of the trip I took or the mistakes I have made or the decisions I have made.  If I tell you the path to my BROKENESS, you might lose interest in my journey.  But if you are living in this world of BROKENESS or you can see it from where you are currently standing, you might continue to read.  I am going to tell you about the secret of contentment.

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Are you SAVING for the Future?

by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, saving, Stewardship

There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up. – Proverbs 21:20

Where do you spend most of your time focused on?  The past, the present or the future.  I used to hear a phrase that I always liked, “She is so heavenly focused that she is no earthly good.”  While we could all use a little more focused time on our future heavenly home, the future we are talking about today is a little closer than our trip over yonder.

With most of our clients, we usually try to discern if they are a Giver, a Spender, or a Saver.  While the Givers and Spenders tend to look at the present (with a view towards the future), our Savers are most definitely focused on the future.  They are concerned about being prepared down the road.

When it comes to savings, there are four key funds that we should be focused on- The Rainy-Day Fund, The Retirement Fund, The Recurring Expenses Fund, and The Really Really Want It Fund.  We need a savings strategy to get money into each of these funds.

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Are you Reaching your GIVING Goals?

by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, Generosity

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthian 9:6-7

What are your Giving Goals?

At the end of the month or the end of the year how much money do you hope to have given away?  What about your lifetime?  What kind of impact do you hope to have made through your generosity?  A lot of people spend time thinking about how to maximize their time on earth and even how to use their God-given talents to make a difference in this world.  But what about your treasure that God has entrusted to you.  God does expect us to have an impact with our money (see the verse above).  It is interesting that He allows us to decide as to how we are going to participate in this manner. “Each one mustdo just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  He wants us to willingly, good-heartedly, and even cheerfully give towards His Kingdom.    

Your Family has Potential

We all have different family units. No matter whether you are single or married, a parent or childless, if you are a Christ-follower you are one of the change agents. No matter the shape of your family, you are part of the family of God and represent Him in the world. Each of our families are a testimony to what God can do. We are blessed so that we might be a blessing and point the way to Jesus. The Christian family is one of the most powerful entities in all the earth. We have the potential to be one of the greatest change agents for good in our world.

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Do You Have a Working Spending Plan (Budget)?

by timhowington, posted in Basic Money Management, Budgeting, Money, Stress

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty- Proverbs 21:5

A few years ago, Gallup released a poll that said one in three Americans prepare a detailed household budget.  When you compare that with a similar stat that says that 70% of us are living paycheck to paycheck it is painfully obvious that most of us are flying blind.  Is it any surprise that the financial stress in our culture is palatable?

One of the key components of being well managed in your finances is to have a written working budget.  We say that not just because we like budget (though we do like budgets), but because year after year we sit down with families who are working through the consequence of not having a firm handle of where their money is going? Consequences like

  • Financial stress
  • Arguments with loved ones
  • Thwarted goals
  • Negative health issues
  • Fear
  • Anger with God
  • Frustration with Employers
  • Low self esteem
  • Confusion
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Just a few days left in 2021

by timhowington, posted in End of Year Giving, Supporting the Ministry

Happy Almost New Year,

As you are finishing up your giving for the year, we hope you will consider our ministry- Freedom 5:one.  

We are changing the world, one budget at a time!

God is at work, and we are excited.  2022 looks to be a great year.  We are launching 2 new initiatives.

  1. We are launching a new community-focused initiative called Journey Financial Group.  Click here to check out the details.  This program is geared to help businesses, schools and nonprofits have access to inexpensive, life-changing financial coaching.
  2. We are also launching a new ministry initiative to Single Women. Never married, divorced or widowed, we are wanting to partner with them with inexpensive, life-changing financial coaching. God has sent us a leader for this initiative, and we are excited.
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The Blessing of Being Paycheck to Paycheck This Christmas

by timhowington, posted in Budgeting, Crisis, debt, Fear/Anxiety, paycheck to paycheck

by Tim Howington

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121

I made a $500 mistake in my checkbook. Not good.  At Christmas.  Really not good. 

I have spent the morning trying to figure out what I did and unfortunately, I found it.  I screwed up.  Just didn’t write a couple of expenses down in my checkbook. Mistakes like this can put the screws to what is looking like a tight Christmas to begin with.  I have to admit, my gut reaction is to panic.  But then I remember- this is not the first time that God has gotten me out of a tight jam.  This is definitely not my first rodeo, nor will it be my last.

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Discipleship Tool On Stewardship and Personal Finance

by timhowington, posted in Discipleship, Money, Money Verses, Stewardship
Photo by Alexander Mils on Pexels.com

Click here to download a copy of our Discipleship Tool

What is Stewardship?

Psalms 24:1-2 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

They say a great definition of worship is tied up in the idea that God is great, and worship is just acting accordingly. We acknowledge His greatness. Stewardship is similar. The Scripture says God owns all things, stewardship is just acknowledging that and simply living like God owns it all. What would change in your finances if you thought of yourself as the manager of what God has given you to manage, and He is the owner of all that you “own”?

We would like for you to consider becoming a Generous Steward. That requires a few things.

1. To be generous is to give of your finances to advance God’s Kingdom 

2. To be well-managed in your finances

3. To be God- centered in your finances

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