Fear of missing out. Fear of rejection, of not fitting in. Fear of not having enough. These and other worries drive much of our behavior.

Marketers and media know this. So they play on our fears to manipulate our decisions or pique our interest. And we find ourselves driven by the things that other people tell us we need to be afraid of.

This can lead to bad stewardship decisions. We fear loss, so we invest too conservatively and miss out on opportunities to multiply rfdesources. We fear not having enough, so we overwork and oversave - at the expense of relationships with others and with God.

Scripture tells us that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." There's a freedom that faith brings - freedom from fear and uncertainty. This is also the freedom that stewardship brings; if everything belongs to God and he is our provider, then we don't have to worry about the future.

Podcast host James Lenhoff explores the contrast between faith and fear and outlines a 3-step process for dealing with our fears in a way that ultimately leads to joy.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

In our last episode, we talked about preparing for retirement. We highlighted the importance of planning beyond the finances and balancing pleasure with purpose.

But what happens when we get there? Suddenly, the career is over and the demands of the job are gone - as is the paycheck! How do we handle this important time of transition?

Three major areas of focus are finances, health, and lifestyle - and they're all connected. The key at the beginning is to understand our position and plan well enough to enter retirement with confidence. As we develop that understanding, we enable ourselves to pursue our retirement priorities without constant worry about money.

Mental and emotional preparation is also important. The transition into retirement brings with it significant changes in lifestyle and often changes in our most important relationships, especially with our spouse if we're married. This is a time for open and honest communication, flexibility and intentionality, and lots of grace! There's a good chance that our retirement won't meet all of our idealized expectations; this calls for an ongoing attitude of contentment and thankfulness - two key characteristics of the Biblical steward.

Podcast host James Lenhoff helps us think through some important questions in all these areas and outlines an approach to retirement that helps us make the most of our "fourth quarter".

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.

Most of us who haven't reached retirement yet are looking forward to getting there. But how much have we thought about what retirement actually looks like? If all we're thinking about is what we're retiring from, we're not ready to maximize what we're retiring to.

Many people find after some time that the "permanent Saturday" they were dreaming about doesn't bring fulfillment. It lacks purpose and meaning. The Teacher warns us about the meaninglessness of pursuing nothing but pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11).

At the same time, many of us are consumed with planning for retirement financially but not prayerfully considering how to prepare for it purposefully. As it turns out, the financial planning is actually the easier part. Planning for meaning and purpose is harder, especially if we've built our identity around our careers.

Podcast host James Lenhoff leads us to think through balancing purpose and pleasure as we begin to plan for retirement.

To learn more check out www.GoodSenseMovement.org

Contact James at: JamesLenhoff@GoodSenseMovement.org

You can see the full video of this podcast episode on our YouTube channel.