Each quarter, we discuss the key financial rhythm of a quarterly stewardship check-in. This is where we look at where we are financially versus where we planned to be and identify areas where adjustments might need to be made. Quarterly check-ins are an important rhythm because they give us a longer view than monthly Spending Plan reviews and help us to understand trends. And the mid-year check-in is important because there's still time in the year to make the adjustments we need to make if we can identify them. Check out our mid-year podcast episode from last year for details.

But often we find that quarter after quarter, year after year, we seem to encounter the same scenarios and never actually make progress in our stewardship goals. Perhaps we overspend on summer vacation and build up some credit card debt as a result. Maybe we allow our lifestyle to creep up year after year to meet increased income levels. Perhaps we find the same challenges with retiring debt or building up savings; maybe year after year we say we want to be more generous but we just don't get there.

Identifying these patterns is an important exercise in growing in our stewardship. Once we've identified them, it's possible to figure out what it would take to get "unstuck".

Podcast host James Lenhoff leads us to prayerfully think through these larger patterns and identify some potential trade-offs that might help us pursue faithful 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.

This episode concludes our 3-part series on the Enneagram and Stewardship by looking at the "gut" grouping - the three Enneagram types motivated by anger. These three types include:

• The Challenger or Activist (type 8), who focuses anger outward. These are the big personalities, who tend to take over a conversation and dominate a room. They're not constantly expressing anger, but when they do, it's loud and domineering.
• The Peacemaker (type 9), who tends to mask anger by focusing on harmony. These are the people who readily see others' points of view but struggle to express their own ideas. They would rather live with situations that frustrate them than risk conflict in dealing with them.
• The Reformer or Perfectionist (type 1), who turns anger inward. Reformers tend toward judgmentalism, and often they are most judgmental of themselves. They want things to be exactly right and will tend to control decision-making.

From a stewardship perspective, each of these types struggles with collaboration. The 8s and the 1s will both tend to try to dominate decision-making, while the 9s withdraw and keep their thoughts and ideas to themselves. In a marriage, this can make for one-sided decision making and can lead to blind spots.

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us understand this triad of Enneagram types, highlighting 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.

Last time, we began our 3-part series on the Enneagram and Stewardship by looking at the "heart" grouping - the three Enneagram types motivated by shame. This episode, we're looking at the "head" grouping - the three types that are motivated primarily by fear:

• The Investigator (type 5) deals with fear by focusing inward, withdrawing from people. This person tends to come across as an introvert, preferring to process emotions internally rather than externally.
• The Loyalist (type 6) deals with fear through planning and control. This person cares deeply about relationships, but more from an aspect of protecting and providing for them than enjoying them.
• The Enthusiast (type 7) deals with fear externally. Shunning introspection, this person is often the extravert, enjoying people and new experiences and chasing after the next shiny object.

From a stewardship perspective, each of these types grapples with the idea of ownership vs. stewardship. The fear motivator leads people to seek security. Each of these types does that in a different way, but all can move toward health by recognizing that God is in control and that we are stewards of his possessions. He is the one taking care of us, and as we rest in him, he replaces fear with peace and enables each of these types to move toward health in their own way.

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. (If you're wondering, James is a 7!)

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.

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.

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.