Growing up, I recall the Christmas season being about giving. Everyone focused on buying something for their loved ones. Somewhere along the way, the notion that we should also treat ourselves to something special got thrown into the mix.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a movement that began in 2012 to encourage generosity. According to givingtuesday.com, "GivingTuesday is an opportunity for people around the world to come together through generosity in all its forms by sharing acts of kindness and giving their voice, time, money, goods, and advocacy to support communities and causes."

I've been fascinated by the many new and creative ways people are making a living these days. By using platforms like Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube, to name just a few, many people are ditching the 9-5, climbing the corporate ladder, way of making a living. These solopreneurs, mostly the younger generation, are seeking something that the standard career paths cannot provide.

Christians should know about seeking wise counsel, especially when making important decisions. There are numerous passages in scripture that specifically encourage seeking counsel.

Is it just me, or is anyone else noticing that the gap in basic financial education is widening more and more? Perhaps it's because this is a topic I'm focused on and passionate about. And I admit, I do geek out about this stuff, but I'm not wrong in believing that basic financial knowledge is for everyone, and those who lack it are bound to suffer for it.

The other day my wife Natalie and I were casually talking about where we are regarding our retirement plans. After about 30 minutes of looking and talking through the different income sources we expect to be drawing from, an uneasy, perhaps even fearful mood gripped both of us. For a brief period of time, filled with worry about the future, we lost focus of who we are and what we've been called to be, faithful followers of Christ, seeking God's will and not our own.

While our bread and butter work is helping Christians invest well, we regularly focus our attention on giving and generosity. As we've often said, we want people to have more so they can give more!

Our world is out to get us when it comes to having nice things. The aggression at which we are convinced to buy items reminds me of 1 Peter 5:8: 'Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. '

It's hard to imagine taking something like Biblical stewardship and overdoing it. How can someone be overcommitted to good stewardship or to doing too much to advance it? It's not only possible; likely, we've all done it at some point in one form or another.

When it comes to giving, a minority of churchgoers are still financially supporting a majority of church ministry. Usually less than 20 percent of churchgoers contribute regularly to their church. This is discouraging, first, because of the lack of resources for the church. Second, because of what it reveals; a lack of trust in God concerning money.

Over the past 20 years, I have seen the language and terminology in the Church around the topic of money change. Truthfully, I've even participated in this by trying to appeal to the people in our Church. As a person who is passionate about seeing people financially free, I've gone to great lengths to improve my communication about money to ensure people understand the information as well as my motivation behind it.

Building a generous church is hard. It may even feel impossible at times. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In just a few short weeks, the CSN Team is heading to Augusta, Georgia to attend Give Conference!

The late Larry Burkett used to say, "Show me your checkbook, and I'll tell you what you care about most." What we spend money on is revealing. As it relates to money, it's not what you say that matters most, but what you do.

One of the most amazing Scriptures is Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." It's amazing because it speaks to how specific and purpose-oriented God was in forming Jeremiah and giving him life. The same is true for every person God creates.

There is much division in our world today. No matter where you get your daily news intake, there’s no mistaking the reality that we are more divided and becoming more polarized every day. I know there’s an enemy at work here, working feverishly to steal, kill, and destroy, but didn’t Jesus defeat this enemy? Did He not “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” through the Cross? If He’s defeated this enemy, why are we still losing?

Spending is a typical daily occurrence for us today. The difference between our spending and people living one hundred or more years ago is that not all our spending is necessary for our survival. Modern inventions and industry have made it possible for us to get what we need quickly and at affordable prices. This progress has not only freed up more of our time, it's made surplus, having more than what's necessary to provide for basic needs, a reality for most people.

Imagine you’ve been making all the right financial moves for a long time. You estimated your future needs, diligently set aside a portion of every paycheck, invested the money according to a trustworthy strategy, bought proper insurance for your family, stocked an emergency fund, made sure your paperwork is in order (wills, trusts, living wills, power-of-attorney documents), and everything else. If you’ve done all that, congratulations — you’re in far better shape than most people! Now imagine today is your last day alive.

It’s a common feeling for many believers to feel “called” to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s as if God is constantly looking for donors to fund his mission; he’s got a goal set and those buckets keep sloshing around dimes and nickels. Pair that with the trend in many churches to do capital campaigns where Pastors reveal a “number” God gave them, and if we’re not careful, it can feel like we’re doing God a favor by giving generously.

There's a misunderstanding in Christianity about serving in ministry. Many people believe that serving in ministry is a full-time pastor position at a church or a missionary to a specific region or group. Unless you fit into one of these roles, you're not really in ministry.

Doing what’s right is a struggle for us in most areas of life. Because following God’s commandments goes against our fallen, sinful nature, our attempts to do it right can often take the form of tasks we perform. We do so to prove to God, or perhaps more to ourselves, that we are Christ-like, that we’re doing what’s right.