Many Christians express a level of frustration with their giving. "It feels more like checking a box than experiencing an intimate moment with Christ," they often say.
Join me, Courtney Markley, as I share a profound conversation with Todd Harper, co-founder of Generous Giving, where we explore how to make the shift from checking-the-box giving, to living a joy-filled life of outrageous generosity.
Todd is a treasure trove of wisdom on the joy that blooms from a giving heart. In this episode, he reveals three key factors that help Christians grow in generosity.
Embrace the journey of generosity with us and discover how adopting a spirit of enthusiastic giving can lead to a life that overflows with joy and purpose, perfectly aligning with God's intent for us.
Links from episode:
Connect: GenerousGiving.org
Watch: I Like Car
Read: Money, Possessions, and Eternity
Go to: markleycoachinggroup.com to see available Bible studies, courses, or apply for 1-1 coaching.
Many Christians express a level of frustration with their giving. "It feels more like checking a box than experiencing an intimate moment with Christ," they often say.
Join me, Courtney Markley, as I share a profound conversation with Todd Harper, co-founder of Generous Giving, where we explore how to make the shift from checking-the-box giving, to living a joy-filled life of outrageous generosity.
Todd is a treasure trove of wisdom on the joy that blooms from a giving heart. In this episode, he reveals three key factors that help Christians grow in generosity.
Embrace the journey of generosity with us and discover how adopting a spirit of enthusiastic giving can lead to a life that overflows with joy and purpose, perfectly aligning with God's intent for us.
Links from episode:
Connect: GenerousGiving.org
Watch: I Like Car
Read: Money, Possessions, and Eternity
Go to: markleycoachinggroup.com to see available Bible studies, courses, or apply for 1-1 coaching.
I'm Courtney Markley and this is the Heart of Money. Talking about money can be really hard and uncomfortable, but it doesn't need to be. The problem is we're taught to think about money in terms that are too much like science, with rules and regulations, and not enough like psychology, with emotions and nuance. Join me on my mission to change the way we talk about money, one conversation at a time. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Heart of Money podcast. I am your host, courtney Markley, and joining me today is Todd Harper, co-founder of Generous Giving. Welcome, todd.
Speaker 2:Good morning, how are you?
Speaker 1:Oh, I'm great. I was just sharing before we got on the call. I have two little ones at home, so anytime I'm working, that's my relaxing time. No one's touching me, I can sit with my coffee and just enjoy a nice conversation with you, todd, so I am good. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great. It's a beautiful sunny morning in Florida and feeling blessed, that's good. Don't rub it in too much.
Speaker 1:I'm doing great, it's a beautiful sunny morning in Florida and feeling blessed. That's good. Don't rub it in too much. I'm in Ohio and it's sunny enough. I would say it's sunny enough. Oh, that's good. Well, I'm so excited to be talking with you today and just bringing your wisdom and insight and just your generous heart to our audience today. One of the first times we talked, todd, you said something that really captured me. You said I help people become increasingly rich towards God. Speak into that a little bit more for me, for anyone listening who may not know about you or Generous Giving. Tell us a bit more about what you do on a daily basis.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, generous Giving is a really fun place to work, where our whole mission is to help people just be increasingly generous to the causes that God is calling them to and inviting them into. And it's been almost 25 years that we've had the privilege of walking alongside generous people and encouraging them to be increasingly generous and to, as Jesus invited us in Matthew 6, to lay up treasures in heaven. And so that's really my passion and calling in life is to walk alongside people and help them. You know, kind of avoid the pull of this world, which kind of is always messaging that bigger, better, faster makes you happy, and I think that's a lie of the culture, a lie of the enemy, and yet it's one that I'm quite susceptible to, honestly. And so I think helping people reframe that message and really experience that what brings life is giving ourselves away, and that we see that over and over in the scriptures and certainly in the life of Jesus right, so that is what God has allowed me to be a part of for now almost 25 years.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's fantastic.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for sharing, todd, and I caught what you said a moment ago of how you really help people understand that the bigger, better, faster, that the world preaches really isn't going to satisfy, but it's a message that most of us are susceptible to, and you said you yourself have battled with this before.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to be leaning into this conversation of how do we take folks who are potentially tithing or they have some kind of regular routine of giving into their daily life, but maybe for them it feels more like checking a box, or maybe they're not experiencing any kind of growth in this area and their use of money isn't drawing them closer to Christ. We're going to be leaning into this conversation of how do we take someone who's tithing and turn them into a radical giver. But before we get there, I'd love to hear a little bit more about your story. So how did you begin to see a need for this within church, within the marketplace, because you're kind of straddling both, which is really interesting. So tell me more about your story and what was God doing in your heart for you to say? You know what? I'm not the only one who struggles with this and we should do something about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, definitely comes out of my own story and my own desire to become wealthy From a very early age. I grew up in a wonderful, god-fearing home that you know had more than our needs met, and yet my tendency, orientation, was to notice the people around me that had more, not the people that had less. And I was a very driven young man, like from under the age of 10, I was figuring out ways to make money, and in high school I mowed 80 lawns a week and so I was making $1,000 a week in high school. I mowed 80 lawns a week and so was, you know, making a thousand dollars a week in high school, and then got my securities license Series 7 license when I turned 18, the summer God wanted me to be, but it also had a degree in entrepreneurship, which I thought was a pathway to my goal of being a millionaire by the time I was 30.
Speaker 2:And so I was in this interesting place of wanting to be a Christ follower and that being important and wanting to be rich candidly, and I hadn't really struggled with the Matthew 622, you can't serve both God and money. You know, teaching of Jesus, and God kind of met me in college and challenged me with that whole notion and I had told the Lord I'd do whatever he wanted me to do. But I didn't know what that was and I still. I ended up you know very short version I ended up marrying my college sweetheart. We ended up becoming missionaries with Campus Crusade. I knew that was not the pathway to being a millionaire by the time I was 30.
Speaker 1:Definitely not. Definitely not Unless there were some like tricky marketing there.
Speaker 2:I still wanted to be a rich missionary, and so I was about 25 years old when a college friend sent me a book by Randy Alcorn entitled Money, possessions and Eternity, and that just rocked my world because I could resonate with the investment orientation, because that's kind of the way I thought.
Speaker 2:But I was thinking about where I wanted to be rich here temporarily rather than eternally, and that was a game changer for me. That flipped a switch for me where giving had been an ought to a box to check, as you referenced, and it shifted into wow, this is actually where I want my treasure and I want my heart to grow for the things of God, and Jesus said that our hearts follow our treasure. So it reframed the way I thought about money and really the whole, your whole work right and the connection between money and spiritual health. And so that's kind of a little bit of my personal journey. The guy that gave me that book, david Wills, dear friend, lifelong friend and ministry partner, he and two other guys started Generous Giving together and we had all been impacted by Randy's writing and our own orientation towards being rich here on earth as opposed to being increasingly rich in heaven, and so it's been an amazing journey and a great joy to get to walk alongside brothers who are spurring me on to love and good deeds.
Speaker 1:I love it. Whenever I meet an Alcorn fan, my heart just beats a little bit faster. That book, for me too, aside from the Bible, is probably the one that's made the biggest impact on my life. So, y'all, if you haven't read it, it is a thick book, but it is worth it. I've gifted it to a few people and they're like are you kidding me, courtney? You want me to read this whole thing? I'm like I want you to read it and then I want you to reread it. I want you to study it and highlight it and then live it. It's so good, it's so good.
Speaker 2:The publisher told Randy that it's the best book that nobody's ever read.
Speaker 1:We got to change that, todd. I know it's so thick and he has other things along a similar vein. That's a little bit easier to swallow, but I'm like, no, no, no, you just need to dive all in and read Money, possessions and Eternity. It'll completely change your perspective on things. You're right, todd.
Speaker 2:The treasure principle for those of you who aren't readers.
Speaker 1:Yes, the treasure principle.
Speaker 2:Is the cliff notes of Money Possessions and Eternity. It just didn't exist when I was given Money Possessions and Eternity.
Speaker 1:Very good. Y'all should read it. I always joke that Al Corden is my favorite mentor, but I've just never met him, and so he has a mentee over here in Columbus Ohio. He just doesn't know about it yet. But something that it sounds like it stirred in both of us as we read it was the idea again of investment. I can really relate with your story.
Speaker 2:The Heart of Money podcast will return after this brief message.
Speaker 1:Hey, listeners, thank you so much for joining us on our mission to change the way we talk about money. You know, in my years of counseling, I've realized that so many Christians struggle to integrate their faith and their finance. So if that's you, if you want to experience more of God's dream for your life and your money and I'm excited to share with you, we have so many tools and resources available for you at markleycoachinggroupcom. So whether you're looking for a Bible study to do with your small group, or you're looking for the flexibility of an online course, or maybe you want the personalized attention of a one-on-one coaching experience, check us out at markleycoachinggroupcom and experience how we draw people closer to Christ, one conversation at a time.
Speaker 1:I wasn't quite as ambitious as you. As you know, I wanted to be a millionaire, but I was 30. But there was always the idea of I want to make a name for myself, I want to have a good income and all these different things. In high school, I had three different jobs At the same time. I was working three different jobs and going to school. So I was like, oh, I just need more, more, more money, and I love the idea here of investing. And where do you want your investments to be? Where do you want to be wealthy? Another phrase that you used, I've heard you say, is that you are an eternal investment advisor, which I really like. Like, let's focus on the eternal over here, not the temporal. And it's fun.
Speaker 1:I talk with a lot of financial advisors just given my work, and every now and then one of them will say you know, I'm wrestling with my giving, I want to be more generous, but I'm just thinking of the long-term opportunity cost. I'm like, exactly, think of the long-term opportunity cost, not 30 years from now, but three lifetimes from now. Let's talk about eternity. And what is that opportunity cost going to be? Right, like, let's think long-term. And so I love where you started. I love that God was stirring your heart in this way and basically saying it's okay to be investment driven, but just where are your investments? Are they here? Are they temporary? Are they focused on building God's kingdom and sending it forward?
Speaker 1:So you mentioned some of your friends had gotten together. You started generous giving and there were three specific things that you guys noticed would take place when you were starting to shift again, shift people's hearts. That's really what you were focusing on, not so much the practical, but the heart issue Because, again, the majority of the folks that you're working with they understand how money works, they understand all the practical things. Most of them are actually pretty good at it, right. So it's the heart issue behind it all, and you notice that there's three specific things that really helped people move from their head to their heart. Can you speak to what those things were for us?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the genesis of Generous Giving was the four co-founders were all in the generosity space in different areas. So I was raising money for Campus Crusade and so I was interacting with some very generous families, as were the other three founders in their different roles, and so we started interviewing those families, that basically radical givers that stood out from the norm, and started asking them what had been catalytic in their journey, what had encouraged them to kind of live in a non-normal way, if you will. And the three categories were consistent. It was interesting, were consistent. It was interesting.
Speaker 2:Not everybody had all three, but everybody mentioned at least one of the three as being formative in their spiritual journey of generosity.
Speaker 2:And the first was understanding God's Word in some way that was new or different than what they may have grown up just thinking about checking a tithe box, if you will. The second was being in relationship with someone else, another giver, who really influenced their perspective or practice of generosity. And then the third was experiences that maybe reframed how blessed they were in, you know, kind of relative to the rest of the world. So those three categories, kind of God's word, relationships and experiences, were used, you know, by God to accelerate people's practice of generosity such that it was noticeable that we were inquiring about why they were living differently than, you know, their peer group basically. And so that really became. What we set out to do at Generous Giving was to bring God's Word, relationships and experiences in a non-solicitation environment. So what if we could create a place where people could be challenged to be radically generous to God's kingdom, to the things that God's calling them to do, without us having any other agenda?
Speaker 1:Yes, we do have an agenda.
Speaker 2:We're trying to encourage people to be increasingly generous. Our mission is to spread the message of biblical generosity in order to grow generous givers, especially among those entrusted with much, and so that is what we've spent the last 25 years working on and learning from other really generous families. It's been an amazing privilege to walk alongside some of God's holy saints who are stewarding wealth generously and intentionally, and I've learned so much. It's been amazing. I would tell you that I have a couple takeaways that I find really interesting. One is it's very rare to meet an unhappy generous person.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's so true, isn't it Something you don't really think about. But you're right, you don't really see a ton of grumpy, generous people.
Speaker 2:That's right, and maybe even more emphatically I can say I've never met a former giver.
Speaker 1:Oh, that makes me sit back and pause for a moment, like people who have been experiencing this generosity, and then they stop for whatever reason. You've never met someone like that. That's fascinating, and tell us why. Why do you think that is?
Speaker 2:I think, because it's true that what Jesus said, that it's more blessed to give than to receive, and I think once you experience that, you don't go backwards. I don't mean that people don't have financial reversals and might not be able to give as much as they have in the past. That certainly happens, right? Sure, we can only give what we have, as 2 Corinthians 8 says. But people don't become non-givers. Yeah, because it's life-giving to give and anyone who has experienced that knows that. And again, I'm not saying that people who are generous don't have problems or challenges or struggles. But there's something categorically different about people who are orienting their lives towards giving themselves away. That is contagious, that is winsome. I mean, that's been the greatest privilege of the work that I've done for the last 25 years is getting to know people who are so generous. They're just delightful to be around. We say it's very rare to meet a jerk.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. I think you're absolutely right, though, todd. What you're saying essentially, it's not so much about the amount of money that's being given away or anything like that. It's what are you orienting your heart around and what are you orienting your life towards. And it's interesting, as we're reading scripture, it has a lot to say about our money and possessions and our work and all of these things, and it's not a list of suggestions. It's the maker of the universe saying no, this is actually how I created you to be. It's essentially like the instruction manual. If you want to get the thing to work exactly how it's designed to do it, well, let me tell you how it was designed. Let me tell you this is actually how I created you to be.
Speaker 1:And so, as people take that and they read it and they take it to heart and they say, oh okay, if I serve a generous God, I get to partner with him in this, I'm going to feel that much closer to him, I'm going to feel like I'm actually doing the Lord's will, and I'm going to experience the fruits of that too. So they experience it. They get the joy, and then they want to continue on that too. So they experience it, they get the joy and then they want to continue on that journey Again. It's not always how much am I giving this month, but is it a? Am I orienting my entire life around serving other people and serving God? Is that right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, amen. And you know there's so much practical advice in Scripture around money. I mean, it's kind of shocking. I'm sure that has come up again and again on your podcast.
Speaker 1:A few times.
Speaker 2:One passage that I love that isn't always talked about in this vein is in Hebrews. Hebrews 13, 5 says keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because the Lord has said I will never leave you nor forsake you. I think that is such a keen insight of you. Know, obviously, the God of the universe through the writer of Hebrews, that there's a tendency in our hearts to love money. The antidote to loving money is contentment. A mechanism to foster contentment is to give, because the very act of giving is an abundance mentality. It's saying I have enough to share, right. So if you're wondering how to foster a content heart, the practice of giving is a very practical pathway to that. But the reason for that is because we can trust in the God of the universe, who will never leave us nor forsake us, and that's why the way we handle money is so inextricably linked with our spiritual health and heart condition. Right, One of the stories that we often use at Generous Giving in our experiences is an interview that I had the privilege of doing with Dr Bill and Vonette Bright 20 years ago about the way they approached holding on loosely to what God had entrusted to them mostly known for starting a ministry focused on evangelism and discipleship, but their relationship with money was rather astounding.
Speaker 2:But one of the things that Dr Bright says in that interview is that our view of God is such that we can trust him implicitly, and because of that they were able to live a radically generous life, a radically open-handed life, where they kind of consistently surrendered all because they had this assurance of God's having their back. It's pretty remarkable to kind of watch them talk about that in their 80s right, Kind of looking back on God's faithfulness for decades. I think about that line a lot. Our view of God is such that we can trust Him implicitly. And how might we live if we really believe that?
Speaker 1:And that's the key. Yeah, that's the key, because our money does hold up that magnifying glass a bit between us and our relationship with God and, if we're being honest, it starts to kind of push on us a little bit. This is where the tension lies, because it basically says well, do you trust Him enough? You know, do you trust Him really? Do you trust Him with your money? Do you trust Him with your 401k? Do you trust Him with your insurance? Do you trust Him? Do you trust him, or are you trying to control everything through kind of a distorted biblical lens, so to speak? Right, like I'll follow the principles but I'm not going to let you in God, like I'll keep you over in the distance so I can feel in control and I can trust in me and the money that I've made. And it's interesting one of the things you said it and I want to repeat it to make sure our audience really gets it and it penetrates their heart a bit. But right before you started sharing your story, you essentially said that giving money was the antidote for contentment. If you're not content, start giving it away. This is going to create this spirit of abundance within you. Most people get that reversed. They say I'll start giving when. I'll start giving when I feel content, then I will give. You're like no, no, no, that's not how it works. Even Barna has done some cool research that does show the more money people make, the less likely they are to tithe. So it's not a matter of oh, once I reach a certain income level, then I'll start being generous. No, no, no. If we can't be generous with the little bit or whatever it is that we have now, think about how much harder it's going to be when we're writing way bigger checks because we have a lot more wealth now. So it kind of pushes up against that normal thought process of I'll be able to give when no, no, you got to do it now and then the contentment comes. So you don't wait to give until you feel content. You got to do it now, right, exactly. And so you've gotten to see a lot of families and couples really live this out and what the outcomes can be. So you've gotten to see all kinds of different real life experiences through all these people around the US and you're normalizing radical generosity.
Speaker 1:So tell us a bit more about the jogs again. You touched on them earlier. I'd love for you to give us a little bit more. And I'll have to say, todd, when I started this work and I started getting into these different circles, it seemed like every other day someone was asking have you done a jog yet? Have you done a jog yet? I'm like, I am not a runner, I don't look very athletic, like I don't know why people keep asking me this. I have not done a jog. I can't say that. Now I have done a jog and they're fabulous. So, listeners, you'll hear us say the word jog. It's an acronym. It stands for Journey of Generosity and for Journey of Generosity. And, todd, why don't you tell us more about what that actually is? What does this look like? Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2:There is no jogging, there's no running and our jogs. So, yeah, it's basically a retreat on the topic of money that invites people to kind of shift their perspective and practice of generosity and does it in a very engaging way, a very nonjudgmental way, and we've done thousands of these now and over 400 of them last year. So they happen all around the country and it's basically a retreat around biblical principles. And it's basically a retreat around biblical principles, stories of real life, people, study of scripture and reflection with the people in the experience. They're small groups, kind of generally 12 to 16 people. They're facilitated by a trained volunteer facilitator. And I did one this weekend with the family, actually two families together with adult children, and it was an amazing privilege to be invited into that kind of intimate setting to bring this invitation to moving along their journey of generosity.
Speaker 2:Wherever somebody is on their journey, I think there's an invitation from Jesus to trust him more, to step more fully into our calling as generous people like Jesus. Right, I mean that's, the invitation as Christ followers is to become more like Jesus. And Corinthians says that Jesus, though he was rich, became poor so that we, through his poverty, might become rich. I mean he was in heaven and he gave up everything in heaven to come to earth as a man, to be born in a manger. We know the story right. But to think about that act of generosity that we're called, as his followers, to emulate. And I think the thing that I've been so encouraged by through what the team has built in these experiences that we call JOGS, is that people don't feel guilt and shame. In these experiences they feel invitation, they feel inspired and there's very much an invitation to what is God inviting you into as a next step. There's no prescriptive. This is what you're supposed to do, courtney, and I think that's part of what is unique about it, because most of the time when people are being encouraged to be generous, they're being asked for something, and I'm not saying that's bad or wrong, it's just it does create a different dynamic and heart posture for the participant. So our agenda is completely what's Jesus saying to you?
Speaker 2:And we watch these stories of radically generous people and I've heard thousands of times because I've had the privilege of facilitating you know hundreds of these experiences. I didn't know people lived this way. I didn't know you could do that, or I'd never thought of that, or I always thought I was generous. But wow, there's a whole new level that maybe Jesus is inviting me into, and I think the experience really follows this passage in Timothy, where Paul's exhorting Timothy.
Speaker 2:He says command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant. He says command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant. I think there's a temptation for us who have more than we need, to be arrogant. The second thing is to not place our hope in riches, which are so uncertain, but rather place our hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. He goes on command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up for themselves, as a firm foundation, treasures in heaven, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Speaker 2:That's the invitation in a jog is to what might that look like in my life, in our lives, and it's been an incredible privilege to get to watch God work in people's hearts. And so, if you haven't, if you're listening to this and you haven't ever experienced a journey of generosity, or if you have an interest in that, you can go to the Generous Giving website. You can register, you can do one online, just show up for free, or you can host one with your small group or group at church or the board of a ministry that you're on, or whatever type of configuration. We will send the materials and a trained facilitator to help facilitate that experience. That's largely what we do at Generous Giving is create these transformational experiences where frankly generous people become increasingly generous, where they lay up more treasure in heaven because they're being surrounded by a peer group of people leaning into that kind of living that way of being in the world.
Speaker 1:I will just affirm that I have many people that have come to me and saying that they went through a jog and it changed their life and it just completely reframed how they think about money and possessions. And I think what it does so beautifully again, it gives us community and it says, okay, this is what it looks like. People are living out God's word and I'm actually getting a visual of what does that actually look like for someone and it helps us to zoom out a bit and give us just a bigger vision for who God is and what he could have planned for our life and our money and how we get to partner with Him in these things. And it's really exciting and it is. It's just like a seed planted. Just you know. Just a quick reframe. I'm thinking of a conversation I had a while ago and it was, I think, probably inspired by one of the recent Generous Giving videos that I watched. One of my favorites is I Like Car. I'll put a link to that so that people can watch it, but I love that one.
Speaker 1:I won't spoil anything. It may have to do with giving away a car. We won't spoil it. I won't spoil anything. It may have to do with giving away a car. We won't spoil it. But I'm in a counseling session with a single woman and she was blessed to get a large sum of money and she said you know, I'd like to just upgrade my car. I do a lot of travel. Her current car was perfectly fine, but she wanted a new one. Okay, great. So she gets the new car and I say you know, what are you going to do with the old car? Again, it's in great condition. It, you know, still has a lot of life left to give. And she's like I don't know, I guess you know I'll just sell it to the dealership. Or you know, I don't know. And I'm like well, you know, god blessed you with this money. What if you bless someone with this car? You don't really need the give someone a car, like, yes, go give someone a car, like that could change someone's life, right there, you know. And so it's just these small like tweaks, right the way that we look at the world, just getting a bigger vision and say wait a minute, how could I potentially do something really fun today? Invite someone into God's kingdom, share God's love with someone? Just do something different, right, something bigger and greater than just myself. So if you're someone who maybe you've been giving consistently for a long time but just haven't grown in a while and it's starting to feel a little stagnant, a jog would be great for you. Or maybe you want to get a bigger vision for God's purpose, for your marriage and your money, and you want to come together with your spouse and say what could be our generosity plan. A job would be great.
Speaker 1:If you are a church leader or a financial advisor or a nonprofit leader I know we have lots of you guys listening and you're saying we want to encourage generosity conversations that don't have any kind of fundraising ask involved, and that's one thing that I still think surprises people. Like you say it up front we're not going to ask you for any money, but people still expect you to ask for money and you really don't. I don't even think you accept money if someone just like wanted to give it to you. I don't think there's. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there's like a donate button on your website or anything like that. Like I don't even think we could give you money if we wanted to sneak it into your Bible or something, but there's no financial ask.
Speaker 1:So if you are a you know, a Christian leader of some sort and you want to invite more people to have these heart conversations, these generosity conversations that isn't attached to any kind of financial ask, then a job could be a great resource because you don't have to plan anything, you don't have to prepare anything, you have to have a room and invite the people and Generous Giving will provide all the material and the facilitator and they make it very, very easy.
Speaker 1:So I want to encourage you all that I'll list all of the links onto this episode so we can make it really easy for you guys to get engaged. All right, todd, this has been awesome. Final thoughts what would you say for the folks who they want to change from? You know, being that maybe stagnant giver they're giving? It's not really drawing them closer to God. Maybe it feels a little bit of a checking of the box. Right, they want to become radical givers, but they don't know quite what that looks like. It might make them a little squirmy, even thinking about it a little uncomfortable. What would you say? How could you encourage that person?
Speaker 2:I would say just try it, experiment with stepping out. You know a little beyond where you are and you know. Ask the Lord what His heart is for you and to open up your eyes to a need that you might be able to meet. That might be a stretch, and see how God meets you in that process, how he supplies. It has been the most encouraging, affirming part of my spiritual journey is to watch people aligning their lives with the truths of God's Word and how they handle the money that God has entrusted to them and seeing the fruit in their lives, their joy, their intimacy with Jesus, their purposefulness. There are so many benefits on the other side of living into an open-handed way of being in the world and I just say try it.
Speaker 1:I love it, Just try it. That seems very simple, Like, oh, I can try something, right, I'm not committing to anything, I just need to try it. I like that. That seems very you know just light to me. So thank you for that, Todd. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you, listeners, for joining in on the conversation.
Speaker 1:Again, I'll list all these links to Generous Giving so that you guys can get involved. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to myself. Thank you, guys. We just want to encourage you again. Being generous it's really fun. It's really really fun. Like Todd said, I don't think we've ever met anyone who regretted being generous, who said you know what this isn't for me? I Greta being generous, who said you know what this isn't for me? I'm going to stop this now. They're always so cheerful and happy and they have the love of Christ in them and that's what we want. It's not about the money, it's about drawing your heart closer to God, and that's what we want for you all. That will be my prayer. I know that's Todd's prayer too. Thank you all for joining us today. Thank you for listening. If today's conversation has blessed you, share our podcast with a friend, and if you have a money question, email me at Courtney at MarkleyCoachingGroupcom. I'm Courtney Markley and this has been the Heart of Money.