Is the pursuit of financial freedom a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on your definition. The world's definition and the Biblical definition are very different. In the eyes of the world, financial freedom means being free to spend on whatever we want without worrying. This tends to take one of two forms: either spending recklessly (like the Prodigal Son) or accumulating obsessively to get to the point where we can take life easy (like the Rich Fool in Luke 12).

The problem is that both of these definitions are actually slavery. In the first case, the one who thinks he is free is really only digging a deeper financial hole. In the second case, the one who focuses on the accumulation of wealth actually enslaves himself to money. Neither of these people is free to serve God.

The Bible defines financial freedom differently. Christians see financial freedom in terms of stewardship - an attitude that everything comes from God and belongs to him. This is what enables believers to live without worry (Matthew 6:25-33). And it's what protects them from falling into the trap of pursuing wealth (1 Timothy 6:9-10).

Join us as podcast host James Lenhoff shows us how to pursue true financial freedom.

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.

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.