When I was a child, my mom would create scavenger hunts for me and my brother to find this old jewelry box that was hers when she was younger. Sometimes we would find stickers in that small box at the end of the hunt, other times we would find candy, and sometimes, if we were…
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College is expensive. According to educationdata.org, the average cost of college in the United States is $35,720 per student, per year, including tuition and additional expenses. While the price tag for private versus state university is clearly different, both cost a lot of money. Not only that, the cost of attending college continues to rise….
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If 2020 revealed anything about churches and ministries, it is how thin a financial margin many have. In 2020, Congress passed a stimulus plan that included the PPP Loans (Payroll Protection Program), which became a significant lifeline for many small businesses, churches, and ministry organizations. Some churches thrived through the challenges of 2020 and came…
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Over the past six years working at the Board of Retirement, I have had many discussions with ministers about opting out of Social Security. Some of those discussions were with young ministers contemplating the possibility, while other discussions were with older ministers who wished they hadn’t opted out. In these discussions, I learned most people…
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Many pastors spend years digging into the Scriptures, caring for the members of their congregations, and learning new ways to share the gospel with a lost and dying world. However, few pastors spend much time researching business management skills and financial management. It isn’t really in their vocation to do so, yet we often times…
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The greatest privilege of my life was to pastor a local church. When I was younger, I never dreamed I would become a preacher. After graduating high school, I entered college to prepare for a long career in healthcare. I pursued those plans and worked in various positions for 14 years. Yet, God had a…
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Growing up in church, the idea of giving back to the Lord was taught regularly. When I began working and earning income for myself, I tithed and continue to tithe from my income as part of my worship to God. As churchgoers, we often miss the reasons God asks us to give because we look…
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The farmer is a steward of the land. The farmer is a conservationist of natural resources. The farmer invests his time, sweat, blood, and money to produce a harvest. The farmer lives out the blessing of the first God-ordained job: tend the garden. The farmer endures the curse of man’s sin by beating back the…
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Everyone knows a person needs to save for retirement. Maybe you’ve even enrolled in your company’s retirement program. And maybe you have a portion withheld from each paycheck into your retirement account. But do you know how much you need to save for retirement? Income Several things must be considered to determine how much you…
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One of the greatest tools to keep people out of debt and constant financial crisis is an emergency fund. It doesn’t matter how well you plan things in life or how much money you make, no one knows what is going to happen. A transmission goes out. The refrigerator stops cooling. A child takes an…
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