FreeMoneyFinance.com

Part 1, Essentials (and Flunking the Course)

Part 2, The “Tithe” (Click here for my position paper on tithing.)

Part 3, Non Essentials

“One of the strengths of the book is that it ties giving in with our spiritual life. Often times we talk about it like it is a separate component of our Christianity. However, if our heart and spirits are right, then giving will naturally flow out of our transformed hearts.”

Read Craig’s “Five Favorite Quotes” here.

The Poor: A Cornerstone of Christian Generosity

Part 2

Part 3

To purchase The Secret of Generosity, click here.

The interview is an informal conversation discussing some of the key points in the book (rather than a formal interview), and does a great job highlighting what I was trying to accomplish.  Thanks again, Glen!

To listen to the podcast…click here.

“If you could somehow, someway get all Christians to have the same financial new year’s resolution…what would it be?”

“Give at least 10% of their income to organizations that help the poor, hurting, and disadvantaged.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I think it would be to honor the Lord first in our finances through regular Christian giving.  My wife and I decided several years ago to give out of faith and trust in the Lord.  We’re thankful we made the sacrifice to give first and feel very blessed that God continues to provide for our needs.  Sometimes the numbers don’t make sense on paper.  You can always say you need to save more or get out of all your debt before giving, but if that’s the case, you’ll never make giving a priority.  Giving is an act of faith and trust in the Lord.  It’s a personal decision between you and God.  My hope is that every Christian will pray about giving as the number one priority in their monthly budget.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“If I could get all Christians to have the same financial new year’s resolution it would be to focus every aspect of their life around the Kingdom of God and to begin learning ways to make that a reality for each day.  Everything else that is needed would follow!” – ProvidentPlan.com

“I would have all Christians set out to narrow the gap between their faith and their finances.  For a variety of reasons, our financial life is an area we tend to be a lot more comfortable keeping Christ out of.  In light of this, I believe all sorts of deep and profound, spiritual and practical changes could occur in 2012 if Christians made a concious effort to marry their money to their maturity in the faith.” – DollarsandDoctrine.com

“To decide how much is enough.  I believe that we naturally consume in excess.  Without boundaries in place, we’ll find a way to spend what we make.  However, if we intentionally determine how much is enough, we’ll open the door for generous giving.” – MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Haha, I would have to say to get out of debt and never take on debt again.  Living debt free really opens up Christian familys for greater impact in their communities and making a case for Christ.  If Christian are living in debt, how is that living like Christ?  We should be model Christians and live debt free.  If the entire Christian community achieved this, you’d see amazing things happens with money and other resources.  Here’s to debt free during 2012!” – FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Work to get out of debt, so they all have more money to fund the Kingdom.” – ChristianPF.com 

“A self-rewarding and God honouring financial resolution for this new year could be to save up $500 and give it away as an offering outside of your regular Sunday morning habits. If you earmark the funds for this very specific purpose and diligently seek the Lord’s guidance, the Holy Spirit will direct you to the intended recipient(s). Why is this act of service self-rewarding? “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35.” – StewardshipWeekly.com

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.

“If you were going to give a friend a book for Christmas from the Christian Finance genre, what would it be?”

“By far the best Christian financial book I’ve ever read is Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. It does a GREAT job of looking at the various ways Christians think about money, then offers a biblical perspective on how we should. A close second is “Sound Mind Investing” by Austin Pryor. It’s one of the best investing books I’ve ever read — Christian or non-Christian. It really simplifies a subject that can be very difficult for people.” – FreeMoneyFinance.com

“I would have to give my friend Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton.  It was one of the first Christian finance books I read prior to my wife and I going through the Crown Small Group study.  It’s wonderfully easy to read and covers just about every topic you can think of related to money.  Howard Dayton provides practical tips that make sense and provides plenty of Christian perspective about money management.” - OneMoneyDesign.com

“I really enjoyed Chuck Bentley’s The Root of Riches when I read it this past summer.  It really strikes at the heart of many of the root causes of our financial problems.  I like that it shifts the focus from a bunch of financial fix-it steps to the core principles of the Bible.  I also had a great interview with Chuck that people can check out if they want to get a better idea of what the book is about.”- ProvidentPlan.com

“This is a tough question, but if I had to pick one I would choose:  A Life Well Spent by Russ Crosson.  It was the first book I ever read that got me thinking about the fact that as Christians, we should manage our lives and our money differently (choosing biblical wisdom over cultural norms).  In a very literal sense, this book started my journey of diving into what the Bible has to say about how to utilize all the resources God has given us.  It’s a great book that would appeal to a wide audience (not just financial gurus).”- DollarsandDoctrine.com

“At the risk of sounding biased, I’d give Money & Marriage: A Complete Guide for Engaged and Newly Married Couples to anyone who is engaged or has been married for about five years or less.  I’d give Money Strategies for Tough Times to anyone who is struggling with financial challenges.  And I’d give Money, Purpose, Joy to anyone – Christian or not – who has an interest in learning how to use money in a way that will help them fulfill the purpose of their life.” – MattaboutMoney.com

“I’d probably give them Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn.  That book does an excellent job laying the theological and biblical framework for finances.  If someone were in debt, I’d give The Total Money Makeover.  If someone were learning to invest, I’d give the Sound Mind Investing Handbook.”- MoneyHelpForChristians.com

“Definitely Root of Riches by Chuck Bentley.  He did an awesome job on combining the Christian faith and Biblican principles for money.  He conveys his thoughts in a way that are easy to understand but have many layers at the same time.  Root of Riches made a huge impact on the way I view money and I’m better off because of it.  I highly recommend this book to any Christians this holiday season.” -FreeMoneyWisdom.com

“Money, Possessions, and Eternity - Randy Alcorn” – ChristianPF.com 

For more on the Christian Financial Alliance (or to join our team) click here.