Have you ever had a week where afterwards you stepped back and just said, “WOW, God… You are amazing!” In an amazing way… over this last week I was able to see this so clearly on display. I was able to see faith-driven businesses taking the gospel to unreached people groups seeing the good news of Jesus Christ go forth geographically.

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 each of us. Often the journey is the road less traveled and rarely is it the highway of popularity.

What if circumstances are such that not taking a risk will result in loss and injury? In that situation, it may not be wise to play it safe. What if the successful outcome of a risky situation would bring great benefit to many people and its failure would bring harm only to yourself? Then what would love do? It may not be loving to choose the comfort of security when something great may be achieved for the cause of God and for the good of others.

“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 helps display God’s glory? This verse appears in 2 Chronicles and is about someone who might have received God’s help, but who foolishly chose a different way.

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?

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 investments are secular. Since investment capital is the lifeblood of business enterprise, we believe that investments, not donations, are the primary component needed to catalyze impact.

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 pursuing God’s plans and not just our own.

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 goes on a journey, entrusting three different amounts of money to three different servants according to their ability.

It fascinates me to think of how the screen can entertain and educate. As a follower of Jesus and a father of three, I pay close attention to the things we watch in our home. The film and media that entertains us, educates us, instills fears, or inspires us can have lasting impact. My wife and I want that impact to be for God’s glory and our good.

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 brother, and in His name all oppression shall cease.” What if this isn’t just a nice thought we contemplate at Christmas time, but an invitation for us, as Christian investors and ambassadors of God’s kingdom, to actively take a stand for justice in the way we position our investment portfolios?

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 would figure it out (see his High Priestly Prayer in John 17), but my personal favorite example is Daniel.