This episode begins a 3-part series on the Enneagram, a popular personality profile tool. The Enneagram identifies nine different personality types in three groupings and we'll tackle one grouping each episode.

What's different about the Enneagram from most other personality tests is that it acknowledges that within each personality type, there are healthy and unhealthy traits. People of any personality type are on a spectrum from unhealthy to healthy, and the explanations identify ways to move more toward the healthy end of the spectrum for each type.

We'll look at what these personality types tend to mean for stewardship, and how to move toward healthier stewardship within each personality type.

This week's grouping is characterized by responses to shame and focuses on the heart. We all have a certain amount of shame and we respond to it in different ways; but for people in this grouping, the response to shame is a driver in their lives. We'll look at the three "shame-driven" personality types:

• The Helper (type 2), who deals with shame through external relationships;
• The Achiever (type 3), who deals with shame by masking it with success;
• The Individualist (type 4), who deals with shame by insisting on uniqueness.

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us understand this triad of Enneagram types, emphasizing the stewardship implications and showing us what it looks like to move toward health for each type.

For more information on the Enneagram, see enneagraminstitute.com.

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.

Midlife crisis. We've heard about it, seen it caricatured on TV. If we haven't experienced it yet, it's likely we will. So how do we understand it and how do we approach it with wisdom in terms of stewardship?

The biggest symptom of the midlife crisis is a major life change that doesn't seem consistent with how life has been lived up to that point. The conservative, successful career man buys the red sports car; or he leaves his wife; or he changes careers. The super mom who has devoted her life to her family suddenly leaves. The one who has lived a fairly ostentatious lifestyle suddenly dials it back.

The pressures of this stage of life are many. Often, we're in our peak earning years, which usually means more time on the job and less time for family. At the same time, we're balancing the financial needs of kids going to college and possibly aging parents, along with considering our own retirement. It's easy to feel trapped.

Add on top of that regrets over past decisions and fears about the future, and the midlife time becomes a pressure cooker ready to explode.

Podcast host James Lenhoff brings wisdom from years of advising individuals, couples, and families in the midlife years to the conversation. He emphasizes the importance of understanding where our pressures are coming from and having a solid grasp on family priorities during this pivotal time. This provides the context for wise financial decision in the midlife years.

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.

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.