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ArticlesThe Gospel Must Go Forth Geographically and Generationally!
Have you ever had a week where afterwards you stepped back and just said, “WOW, God… You are amazing!” Sitting here in my office this morning I’m full of joy at all the Lord is doing and how we are being invited to join Him where He is working. Let me walk...
A Journey with Jesus
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 There is such beauty in one’s journey of following Jesus. Knowing the Master’s Voice… Listening to Him... Submitting to the invitation to follow Him has many similarities and differences for...
RISK in God’s “Upside Down” Kingdom
In my recent study of the Gospel of Matthew I was reminded of the upside down nature of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom where the meek inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5) A Kingdom where the first will be last, and the last will be first (Matt. 19:30) A Kingdom where the...
Self-Reliant or Supernaturally Supported?
“For the eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the whole earth to find someone whose heart is fully devoted to Him so that He can display his great power by helping them.” Who wouldn’t want to be one on whom God’s gaze rests, who receives help from God, and who...
Opportunities in the Arts
Have you been troubled by some of the content on our streaming platforms, TV, and movie screens? As we look at the Arts and Entertainment sector today, we see that segments of this industry are pulling our culture away from God.
But we, as Steward Investors, can prayerfully consider investing in specific enterprises that shape culture in a way that makes the world rejoice in the goodness of our God.
What Drives Your Investment Strategy?
As a Christian, do you ask the Holy Spirit to guide how and where to invest your retirement accounts and after-tax money? Are we blindly following the pattern of the world in our portfolio? What would it look like to be truly led by the Spirit in our investments?
Jesus’ teaching in John 16 may have the answer for us!
What is the Off-ramp out of Extreme Poverty?
This month, I would like to draw your attention to the following brief read written by Larry Sharp. Larry, a long-time missional business founder and IBEC Ventures missional business coach, agrees with me that we must abandon the notion that charity is sacred and...
“But Can’t You See It’s Burning?”
This month's post is from Derek Kessen, Managing Partner of Heron Ventures. He wrote this story shortly after his trip to Africa earlier this year. A meaningful exchange with company founders led to convictions about stewardship and the need to make sure we are...
Well Done or Worthless?
Matthew’s gospel tells us one of Jesus’s many intriguing parables, the parable of the talents. Like many parables, this one makes us think and reflect as the story unfolds in unexpected ways. In the parable (found in Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells of a man who...
So, Who’s in the Mood for a Great Film?
It fascinates me to think of how the screen can entertain and educate. Remember the cartoons that made us laugh as a child or the PBS shows that taught us what “C” is for? What about the movies that instill fear (I mean, who can forget that ominous scene from Jaws) or...
“Chains Shall He Break” — For-Profit Investing to End Slavery
One of the most beloved and theologically rich Christmas carols is “O Holy Night.” The powerful lyrics of the third stanza boldly proclaim: Chains shall he break for the slave is our brotherAnd in His name all oppression shall cease What if this isn’t just a nice...
Do Your Investments Compromise Your Holiness?
What does it look like to be in, but not of, the world? From Abraham to Jesus, we see biblical figures wrestle with living according to God’s word in a dominant culture that does not follow His principles. Jesus, of course, lived it perfectly and prayed His followers...
When Soap Can Say, “Don’t Lose Hope!”
Meet a Tanzanian company that provides natural skin care products for all people, but especially for those whose skin has been affected by working daily in the sun, bathing in dirty water, and the resulting irritations. Most people in Tanzanian villages and...
Faith as Fuel for Risk Taking
Investor decisions are often motivated by fear and greed. This is true for Christians and non-Christians alike. While the terms fear and greed may seem harsh, they often fuel investment decisions that seek to minimize risk and maximize financial return for a single...
5 Reasons to Invest in Great Commission Companies
You’ve heard about The Great Commission—Jesus telling his followers to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel”— and you know of many wise and courageous efforts to go into all nations through the centuries to tell the world about Jesus. But have you heard...
A Squall in the Night
"The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'” (Matthew 8:27) A Sumatra squall is a squall line—a line of thunderstorms—that develops over the island of Sumatra in Indonesia and moves eastwards over the Straits of...
UniQa’s Story: Light in the Darkness
“God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6, ESV). UniQa’s story is one of light out of darkness. From the light, literally, of glittering...
Coconuts and Human Trafficking? They’re Surprisingly Connected
In August of this year, I highlighted Dignity Coconuts in the Business as Mission article titled Scarcity versus Abundance. The article focused on the goodness that can transpire when investments, not donations, are put to use to serve people in poor communities by...
Listen to The Steward Investor on The Business as Mission Podcast with Mike Baer!
I recently had a conversation with my good friend and colleague Mike Baer, founder of Third Path Initiative. Third Path’s mission is to equip a whole new generation of world changers—disciples in business making disciples. You can listen to our whole...
IF Everything is the Lord’s, THEN…
What King David Knew David is nearing the end of his reign as king. He is an old man, but he still has a mission: he wants to build a temple. But God does not allow it. Instead, David crowns his son, Solomon, king and gives him the plans and...
Ministry Multiplication in the Marketplace
In early 2005, Phil and Christa were serving as church planting missionaries in a Central Asian country. When the government required that all expats living there depart, Phil and Christa prayerfully considered their next move. Should they return to the...
Scarcity Versus Abundance
My fourth guest blog post at the BAM Review has gone live. You can read it here.
Matching A Steward Investor’s Goals with God’s Goals
I'm pleased to share my third guest post on the BAM Review blog. You can read it here. BAM Global will be hosting an online one-day conference on September 15th. There will be lots of great speakers and I'm excited to play a small part by leading a workshop, where I...
God’s Steward Investor and the Great Commission
My second guest post at the BAM Review blog has gone live. You can read it here. The BAM Review blog has been in existence since 2014 and publishes articles related to Business as Mission.
God’s Steward Investor: Investing for Eternal Impact
I'm excited to have the opportunity to write a guest blog post on the BAM Review blog. You can read my post here, and watch for another one later in August.
From Idol Managers to Money Pastors
The prophet Isaiah is a literary genius in describing the irony of making idols out of ordinary things. Imagine this scene: a blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals. He shapes an idol with hammers. He forges it with his strong arms but gets...
Can We Be Poor and Content?
When being poor isn't as bad as feeling poor Once you have covered your basic financial needs such as food and shelter, being poor isn’t as bad for you as feeling poor. American researcher Robert Sapolsky notes in this video that a person’s subjective...
Misalignment Part 2: How to Get Back In Line
The consequences of misalignment In the previous post, we examined the disconnect between our investing goals with God’s word, values, and priorities. When our investing goals don’t align with God’s goals, there are significant consequences for the world around us....
Misalignment Part 1: You Could Be Out of Line
Poor wheel alignment on a car increases friction between tires and the road, eventually resulting in thinning tire treads and a potentially dangerous blowout. A misaligned spine can lead to central nervous system dysfunction as well as a variety of other health...
“They shared everything they had”
The writer of Acts likes absolutes. Look at the definitive, all-encompassing, leaving-no-room-for-exceptions declarations in the four sentences below, from chapter 2, vv 32-35: All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their...
Missional Business at Work: A sports technology bridge to personal relationships
Marshall Benjamin grew up traveling all over the world as a military kid, giving him exposure to different cultures from an early age. He has always been involved in sports and church and, in high school, Marshall realized that sports can form a bridge through which...
How Investing Fosters Eternal Outcomes in God’s Kingdom
Seeds sown, grown and replanted, over and over Agricultural images are all over the Bible. Trees, gardens, fields, seeds, sowing—these concrete, earthy objects and practices show up throughout scripture as metaphors for life, growth, evangelism, and generosity, to...
Word of Advice to Investors: “Maximize risk, Minimize returns”
You read that right. Maximize risk, minimize return. That’s not typical financial advice, but only if you assume that I’m talking exclusively about financial risk and financial return regarding investment goals. When we invest as God’s steward, we flip...
‘Batman’ and Financial Responsibility?
Alfred Pennyworth was far more than just the butler to Thomas and Martha Wayne, the deceased parents of Bruce Wayne—aka Batman. The Waynes trusted Alfred so much that upon their death, he became Bruce Wayne’s legal guardian and fiduciary of the entire Wayne estate....
Whose ‘Economy’ Are We Participating In?
Have you ever wondered where our word economy comes from? In a wealthy household in ancient Greece, the owner would often entrust the management of his affairs and material resources, both financial and people, to a steward. In Greek, the word for steward is oikonomos: the oikos is the house, and nomos is connected to […]
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