by Jonny Wills

The wager started as most do—with a hint of hubris and a bit of boredom. I was reading about Gamestop and she was watching yet another ad for fantasy sports. The next thing I know, I was signing my name on an index card that put our bet in pen.

“We each get $100. You use Robinhood, and I’ll use DraftKings. Everything within the parameters of the respective apps is fair game. Whoever has the most money at the end of the year gets to keep it all.”

When we were in pre-marital counseling, no one mentioned competition as a bedrock of marital bliss. Which is weird, because it is. The only thing better than competing against my wife, is competing with her, which is something we do regularly as well. This gamble gives us a chance to do both.

Because, in truth, I’m rooting for her. When she bet on Jordan Spieth to hold the lead at Pebble Beach after Saturday, I was elated to watch him hole out for eagle on the 16th hole. And when I lost an entire dollar (1% of my net worth!) in Dogecoin overnight, she lamented alongside me.

But it was her win and my loss that made me ask this question: are we gambling or are we investing? And which one of us is doing which?

Candidly, my wife knows more about most sports than I do about most stocks. So, if her allocation of resources is more informed than mine, am I the one who’s really gambling? Is she the one investing? Are both of us irresponsible?

An influx of novice investors is blurring the line between investing and gambling, so where do Faith Driven Investors step in? What are the gaps in this conversation that we can fill?

The Bible has a lot to say about mustard seeds and talents and treasures. I know because I’ve read all the verses. But I don’t know if what we’re doing is in the boundaries of stewardship. I get that $100 each is a relatively miniscule amount of money. And yet, there’s a principle here. How should I view the resources God has put in my hands? Is money a toy or is it a tool?

We have enough money to where if we both lose it all, we’ll be okay. A $200 loss will take away some discretionary spending, but we’ll still be able to eat. Is that how we should look at investing? Or is that how we should look at gambling? Or is there any difference between these two?

This is the part where I give you a conclusion that ties a bow on this idea. I don’t have one. Instead, I’m asking you to write the conclusion for me. Comment below what you think of this bet, message me through whatever social media platform you found this on, or do whatever you’ve got to do to share your opinion. I genuinely want to hear it. 

Are we gambling or are we investing?

[ Photo by Heather Gill on Unsplash ]

Article originally posted here by Paradiem

by Eric Dunavant

Eric tells about how his grandmother was an amazing woman who understood how to leave a Transformational Inheritance…

Article originally posted here by Paradiem

by Eric Dunavant

Eric tells about how his grandmother was an amazing woman who understood how to leave a Transformational Inheritance…

At the end of every podcast recording, we like to ask our guest where God has them in this season. This is what Jason Illian shared with us.

Joshua 5

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

You know, I think all of us, anybody listening to the podcast and ourselves included, 12 months ago or so, we did not know we were going to be hit by something like covid, which I think changed all of our lives in various ways. On top of that, we went through one of the toughest election cycles that I can ever remember. I feel like we have a country that feels very divided. We have racial tensions. We have all sorts of challenges that as believers and as the church, we need to step up and lead through. Right.

A lot of where God has been moving on my heart are just things like Joshua five. When Joshua is sitting there in the Angel of the Lord appears to him and he says, hey, which side are you here for? Thinking like if you’re with me, we’re saying, if you’re for our enemies, we’re in trouble. And the angel replies, Neither. I’m here for the Army of the Lord, saying, I’m here on behalf of God. I’m not taking sides. I’m coming to take over. Right. I’m coming to take over. So that’s when he bowed down and realizes my first thing is to worship God. Right. My first thing to be at his feet. And that’s reflected again in the second chronicles where, you know, Solomon could have asked for anything and he could have asked for anything to you could ask for wisdom. He could have asked for riches. He could ask for anything. And what he really asked for is, God, give me wisdom to lead your people. How great are your people? And I need the wisdom discernment to lead them well. And because of that, everything else was a symptom of that primary ask because he desired in his heart to lead God’s people well. And that’s the same desire I want to have. I just want to have this desire to lead God’s people well, not that I’m leaving a legacy of money or how many deals that I’ve done or how successful. Hopefully, those will be great symptoms because I lived my life appropriately. 

Matthew 5

Blessed are the meek,

    for they will inherit the earth.

And it comes back to just the Sermon on the Mount of where you said, you know, blessed are the meek.

I’m doing a Bible study with my kids every night. So we do a devotional every night together. And so we have to read over something again that you read over a thousand times. It makes you stop and reflect upon it. And we’re so blessed are the meek for they inherit the earth. I ask my kids, what is meek mean? And then I thought to myself, I don’t know if I know it. Right. And as we started talking about this and looking it up and what really it is, it’s power under control. It’s power under control. Right. And what we need is we need men and women that are willing to worship and recognize God is who he is. And Joshua to ask for wisdom, to lead God’s people well and then be meek. We don’t need to be shouting from the rooftops. We don’t need to be screaming on social media. We just need to know what we believe into Henry’s point early to build relationships with those people. Right. The outcome is going to be based on how the Lord wants that. I’m not in charge of the outcome any more than I was in charge of winning every TCU football game. I had a role to play. And if I caught passes and made blocks and hopefully at the end of the game, the score was in my favor. But when it wasn’t in my favor, then I got to walk away with something to learn. And in my house, my kids learned through the sports that they’re in. We either win or we learn those are our options. And so every day, just meditating on those scriptures, bringing them to the office, knowing that I’m going to have a dozen amazing potential entrepreneurs and people I get to interact with, how can I help make their lives better and value them so that they will go out there and do that to others and that virtuous cycle will continue to replicate itself. And if it does, I happen to believe lives will be changed. We’ll make money doing it right. New technologies will make this world a better place and overly hopefully it will bring us all together and make us realize that these differences that we’re fighting about, some of them are completely perceived and the other ones aren’t as wide. We think they are we just need to be able to sit at the table and have a civil discourse on most of them.

by David Snyder

There is a battle being fought for Tomorrow’s World. Irish Priest Dwight Longenecker said, “First we overlook evil. Then we permit evil. Then we legalize evil. Then we promote evil. Then we celebrate evil. Then we persecute those who still call it evil.”  

Faith-driven stewards, entrepreneurs, and leaders are an integral and critical part of how God will be able to work in the lives of people who live in Tomorrow’s World. I submit that we must fight this battle with leadership and intentional living.

“Leadership – Seeing the consequences of our actions further into the future than those around us.”

– Dave Snyder

“Intentional Living – Only by managing my thinking and shifting my thoughts from desire to deeds would I be able to bring about positive change. I need to go from wanting to doing.”

– John Maxwell 

~ We must Prepare for Tomorrow’s World.

~ We must Invest in Tomorrow’s World.

~ We must Help to Create Tomorrow’s World.

Prepare for Tomorrow’s World

Prepare for Tomorrow’s World, which is constantly changing, by ensuring that the Christian Stewards, the assets they manage, and the people they work with are ready for the heightened pressures, growing responsibilities, and new opportunities in the markets of tomorrow, so that Christendom consistently performs and flourishes through the cycles of the future.

To prepare for Tomorrow’s World, we need to invest thought and effort into understanding the changes that tomorrow may bring and how those changes will affect followers of Jesus, the businesses that they steward, and the churches that they attend.

The Church and its Christ followers need to understand the demographic challenges and opportunities of Tomorrow. Boomers are traveling more and require more health care; Millennials are now the largest generation and are more mobile and less committed to structure. Gen Z is very close behind and will replace the millennials in numbers and spending power in the next 10 years.

• How does the church support and interact with more mobile generations? Church loyalty is no longer defined by one’s physical presence.

• How do we individuals change our methods of ministry? It is not just meeting at the coffee shop anymore, but phone calls, zoom calls, Text, and Twitter, etc.

• Can we learn to be spiritually sensitive to others without being in their presence? Can the Holy Spirit lead me to minister to others over Zoom and the occasional phone call?

• Tomorrow’s neighbors will be starved for relationship and affection which will be an excellent opportunity for Christ followers everywhere to interact electronically and personally.

• Demographic changes will affect us all personally, professionally, and in our ministry:

• We have to recognize both homeowners and renters in our lives. 37% of US households are renters, and the number is growing. Their needs are often different than homeowners. Nine million new Rent Households have been created in the US over the past decade.

• Homeownership is 63% in the US, and the demand and the pricing are escalating more than at any time in our history. Affordability and money management are a prime topic with all generations, and Christians have an amazing opportunity to mentor and educate others in biblical financial principles, often using the tools provided by Crown Financial and CEF.

• Professionals and workers are encompassing 3–4 generational demographics. How do we influence these people as Catalytic Christians and enhance their lives? We need to be relevant to Boomers, Millennials, Gen Zs, etc., with our ministry programs and our personal communication.

Invest in Tomorrow’s World

Invest in Tomorrow’s World, which is currently at stake, with investment strategies focused on opportunities that safeguard and enhance value for Christian Stewards, whilst making a lasting and positive difference in the cities of tomorrow in our effort to carry out the will of the Lord.

• What church programs should we be funding to help shape Tomorrow’s World?

• On-line church and communication. Should we be embracing this post-covid phenomena? Do we need to consider personnel and pastors that are primarily dedicated to establishing and growing the on-line presence of the church?

• Multi-family ministry programs. We have an opportunity to create programs for singles and families that live in our neighborhood multi-family communities. Mentoring programs, Mom’s Day Out programs, Service programs (auto maintenance, in-home visitation, and mentoring)

• Neighborhood house church establishment and support

• Social activity events on a neighborhood basis

• How do you personally invest in Tomorrow’s World?

• What social/spiritual programs are you willing to support with your time and money?

• Are you willing to invest in your neighbors, socially and economically?

Help to Create Tomorrow’s World

Help to Create Tomorrow’s World that supports thriving communities, businesses, and ecosystems by creating outstanding places for people in the communities of tomorrow, where community-wide prosperity is unlocked, individual spiritual growth is encouraged, and environmental systems are restored.

We established The Community Growth Foundation to execute a multi-phase approach in Helping to Create Tomorrow’s World. This foundation is a 501 (c3) non-profit that is supported by funds donated by Continental Realty Group entities, Snyder Family Trust, and individuals that choose to donate to our belief in Catalytic Christians making a difference.

1. Ownership and Development of housing assets where we can design and operate healthy communities socially and spiritually. A platform for our ministry.

1. Serving Communities through strategic partnerships and specific needs-based programming.

1. Ministry partners include: 

1. Apartment Life: Personal social, ministry, and needs-based one-on-one effort to improve people’s lives in all demographics.

2. Friendsfirst.org: Teen mentoring programs on a personal level.

3. Mission 98: Personal ministry and needs-based one-on-one effort specifically geared toward lower income demographics.

2. International Community Development Efforts

1. Servants of Christ International:  

1. Water well drilling in the Philippines 

2. Church and school construction in various African countries

3. Program support and tractor purchase for the Neshuro Caring Center Orphanage in Zimbabwe

4. Church and pastoral housing construction in Puerto Rico following hurricane damage

2. Found Rising:  

1. Clean water initiatives (new and rehabilitated sources) in Uganda

2. Technology Access support across 8 different nations

For more information on the ministry and community efforts of Community Growth Fund please go to https://www.communitygrowthfoundation.org/

Be Ready to Be Part of Tomorrow’s World

Be Ready to Be Part of Tomorrow’s World in which you and I are active and positive corporate citizens, engaged and influential in the business of tomorrow. Realizing that people today are being affected by isolation, lack of information, and logistical shortages, consider what changes you need to make to be an effective Catalytic Christian.

Individually

1. Expand your communications. Look at each phone call, email, and your preferred electronic communication as a method to intentionally have an effect on another person’s life.

2. Multiply your impact by injecting the power of habit. Your impact on a person increases exponentially when a phone call becomes a weekly phone call, meeting over a cup of coffee becomes a weekly cup of coffee, an email check-in becomes a daily email check in or note of encouragement.

3. Understand your power as a Catalytic Christian. You can make things happen in the lives of others, and you can affect change.

4. Become more disciplined about being active and participating in activities and programs that make a positive change in the lives of others. These programs may be community oriented, church sponsored, or organized by an educational institution/seminary.

5. If you want a vote in what Tomorrow looks like, you must exercise that vote by being a part of the lives of others.

God’s Church

1. Embrace the newly found “Christian Cloud Community” of today’s society. Consider committing staff and dollars to fund programs to become a part of the lives of this group.

2. Lifestyle Events. The Church has the opportunity to become the center of activity for both the in-house congregation, the Christian Cloud Community, and the unchurched. When people allow you to affect their active lifestyles, they are more willing to consider allowing Christ into their lives.

3. Social events in neighborhood locations

1. Hiking club

2. Mountain biking clubs

3. Senior activities

4. Snowboarding clubs

4. Social education events

1. Parenting classes

2. Cooking classes

3. Economic management and education for homeowners, renters, singles, etc.

The Faith-Driven Entrepreneur and Steward

1. Purpose-Driven Investing. That doesn’t mean giving your money away to underperforming people with a good heart. Purposefully find groups, organizations, and companies that have excellence in their financial function and resilient purpose in the changes they are committed to working toward.  Christian Economic Forum, Faith Driven Investor, and National Christian Foundation are all good resources to identify potential partners for your God-given investment capability.

2. Purpose-Driven Giving. Be intentional in choosing what group, organization, or church you donate to.  You are God’s steward, and you can change Tomorrow by giving with the expectation of accountability and fruitfulness.

3. Purpose-Driven Investment in Others. Be willing to mentor or create influential relationships with others that are willing to come under your influence. Be intentional about every relationship you make. Are you making them a better person or just taking up space and time? I know that is a harsh statement, but it holds a lot of truth.

4. Purpose-Driven Spiritual Life. You won’t effect change in Tomorrow’s World unless you intentionally allow God and His Holy Spirit to change you. Practice God’s presence, and be willing to make yourself available to the whisper of the Holy Spirit.

My life is a combination of leadership and intentional living… I hope your life is as well.

To the King!

David