As co-founder of Women Doing Well, Sharla has helped thousands of women explore how their God-given purpose, passions, and resources fit together. Through research, community, and guided pathways, the ministry helps women overcome barriers to generosity and gain clarity about how to steward their time, talent, and treasure. In this conversation, Sharla reflects on the lessons she has learned across the generosity ecosystem, from local churches to global impact investing, and shares practical wisdom for walking faithfully through fears, decisions, and opportunities around giving.

Listen to discover how identifying your God-given purpose can unlock greater confidence, freedom, and joy in generosity.

Major Topics Include:

• Discovering purpose as the foundation for generosity
• Aligning purpose, passion, and giving plans
• Overcoming fear and scarcity in stewardship
• Community as a catalyst for generous living
• Unique generosity barriers faced by Christian women
• Integrating generosity within marriage and family
• The role of advisors in serving women well
• Giving and impact investing as complementary tools
• The limits and strengths of generosity in the local church

• “Discover your purpose, ignite your passion, and then make a plan for giving and living in God’s image.”
• “The purpose sector of getting a two-word purpose statement so brilliantly covers your whole life. You can look back on it and you can look forward with it.”
• “When purpose and passion align, the confidence to step into generosity grows tremendously.”
• “When God personally acts so strongly, the faith builds.”
• “Find your people. They’re out there. They need you and you need them.”
• “Community is what women wanted and needed but often couldn’t identify.”
• “If there’s fear present, you have to ask what’s really behind that.”
• “God gives us so much more than financial resources that we can actually be generous with.”
• “When believers are putting their investments to work for the Kingdom, from mutual funds to core capital, that’s something everybody can do.”
• “The prayerful approach to giving or investing strengthens what God can do in and through us.”

• When God Interrupts by M. Craig Barnes
• Crown Financial Ministries
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Generous Church (see our interview with founder Patrick Johnson)
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Women Doing Well (see our interview with President, Julie Wilson)
• How to Find a Date Worth Keeping by Dr. Henry Cloud
• Impact Foundation (see our interview with Founder, Aimee Minnich)
• Faith Driven Investor
• Faith Driven Entrepreneur

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

In this conversation, Emanuel shares how he and his wife chose to give from revenue rather than profit, trusting God through the global financial crisis and seasons of real risk. He describes how local generosity is transforming churches in places like Ethiopia and South Sudan, restoring dignity and fueling gospel work from within communities rather than depending on the West. Through Generosity Path, he now helps leaders around the world discover generosity as surrender, community, and mission. Listen to explore how courageous generosity can restore dignity and strengthen faith in every season.

Major Topics Include:

• Generosity as surrender, not strategy
• Giving from revenue, not just profit
• Trusting God through financial risk
• Integrating faith and entrepreneurship
• Building generosity into business systems
• Community as catalyst for generous living
• Restoring dignity through local generosity
• Shifting from Western dependence to local ownership

• “I realized that God wasn’t poor in Romania. We as His people needed to learn generosity.”
• “If we didn’t do something that extreme, we would never give.”
• “We didn’t want to wait to tally up the profits to see if we were profitable enough to give.”
• “I would rather risk too much than too little when it comes to generosity.”
• “It’s never a thing of how much you have. God can multiply the fish and the loaves.”
• “We all have everything we need to accomplish what God has called us to.”
• “Generosity in community is the next logical thing. Why wouldn’t you want to give with others?”
• “Business people can be quite lonely, but community brings the joy back.”
• “Generosity restores dignity.”
• “When the Holy Spirit downloads His heart into yours, transformation takes place.”

• Generosity Path
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving
• Praxis (see our interview with Cofounder Josh Kwan)
• MacLellan Foundation (see our interview with Director of Generosity, John Cortines)
• Handful of Rice video
• Bishop Hannington video

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

Over three decades, Jeff has helped cultivate GROVE, Barnhart’s internal collaborative giving team, and advance a mutual fund model of ministry through the Strategic Resource Group. He has learned that wise generosity requires shared mission, deep relationships, patient trust, and a willingness to surrender control. Collaborative structures, clear strategy, and long-term partnerships have multiplied Kingdom impact across frontier regions. This conversation offers a thoughtful vision for pursuing obedience, discernment, and deeper partnership in your own stewardship journey.

Major Topics Include:

• Give collaboratively, not independently
• Build trust through long-term relationships
• Shifting from transactions to partnerships
• Organize giving around focused teams
• Leveraging business wisdom for Kingdom impact
• Investing in ministry capacity and health
• How to balance metrics with Spirit-led discernment
• Surrendering control in stewardship

• “What I really wanted in starting a business was to be in control. And God wasn’t going to let me have that.”
• “He said, I’ll let you serve the ones in control, but I’m not going to let you be the ultimate steward.”
• “We would never have thought ever that we would have the viewpoint that we have for what God’s doing around the world. But it just started one relationship and one gift at a time.”
• “Giving together is way better than trying to do it on your own.”
• “You just learn faster in a group than you can by yourself.”
• “It’s our secret sauce is doing things together and getting the thinking of many people pointing the same direction.”
• “A good collaborative will cost you something. You have to give up some rights for a collaborative to work.”
• “Knowing the heart of the leader is the most important thing.”
• “It’s very relational. We like to measure things. We’re a bunch of engineers. But it’s really the relationships that drive us.”
• “If we’ll go to God first and really lean in to listening to what Scripture says and what the Holy Spirit is saying before we make those funding decisions, somehow it comes out with a better result.”
• “My personal experience over 30 years, He will do far more than you can ever imagine with the things that He’s given you.”

• Alan Barnhart (see our past interview here)
• When Helping Hurts (see our interview with coauthor Brian Fikkert)
• Mission Increase
• Strategic Resource Group
• The India Alliance
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• MacLellan Foundation (see our interview with Director of Generosity, John Cortines)
• Mergon
• Doug Cobb, Founder of The Finishing Fund (see our past interview here)
• Achieve Alliance

Matthew 28:19–20 | The Great Commission

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Esther 4:14 | For Such a Time as This

“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

Through Praxis, Josh helped cultivate entrepreneurs whose ventures serve as vehicles for Kingdom impact, grounding ambition in a rule of life that guards the heart from money and power. At The Gathering, he now walks alongside families stewarding significant wealth, helping them embrace risk, think with an eternal horizon, and pursue collaboration over control. This conversation offers a thoughtful vision for generosity shaped by humility, surrender, and deep relationships, and invites you to consider how community might transform your own stewardship journey.

Major Topics Include:

• Formation through intentional community
• Integrating faith and vocation
• Investing in leaders, not just ideas
• Shaping entrepreneurs with a rule of life
• Risk and eternity in Christian philanthropy
• Humility in partnership with practitioners
• Money as amplifier of identity
• Generosity as shared, relational practice
• Balancing strategy with Spirit-led obedience

• “I never thought I’d become a ‘professional Christian.’”
• “If you believe in the leader, you can fund that leader because they are going to do some good things in part because that leader has a pursuit of the Kingdom.”
• “We were able to talk about and put into place the spiritual formation and practices and rhythms at the beginning, so that you’re not thinking about it by the time you’re exiting and you have a lot more zeros behind your name.”
• “The rule of life is meant to be done together in relationship, with transparency and accountability and vulnerability.”
• “I think God’s bigger than the way that He’s made me and put me in this vessel, and I can appreciate someone else’s way of thinking.”
• “One of the remarkable things about Christian generosity is that we have this eternal time horizon.”
• “Effectiveness can itself become an idol.”
• “We sin just like you sin. We put on our pants just like you put on your pants. We need Jesus just like you need Jesus.”
• “How do we take this responsibility, maybe even a burden, and find incredible joy and meaning in joining God’s work in the world?”

• The Gathering
• Praxis
• David Weekly Foundation (aka Dovetail Impact Foundation)
• When Helping Hurts (see our interview with coauthor Brian Fikkert)
• Gospel Patrons (see our interview with founder John Rinehart)

Matthew 28:19–20 | The Great Commission

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 | One Body, Many Members

Romans 12:4–5 | Members of One Another

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

At East-West, Kristen helps lead a global network focused on multiplying disciples and churches in spiritually dark places where access to the gospel is limited or nonexistent. Rather than relying on outside control, East-West prioritizes local leadership, obedience-based discipleship, and collaboration across ministries, trusting God to grow lasting movements of faith. Kristen speaks honestly about the cost of faithfulness, the patience required when fruit is slow to appear, and the freedom that comes from surrendering outcomes to God.

This conversation offers a hopeful vision for wise stewardship, faithful generosity, and finding your place in God’s mission. Listen to explore how obedience, prayer, and collaboration shape lasting Kingdom impact.

Major Topics Include:

• Obedience over visible ministry results
• Multiplication as a core discipleship DNA
• Reaching unengaged and unreached people groups
• Local ownership of the missionary task
• Obedience based versus knowledge based discipleship
• Finding joy beyond performance driven ministry
• Collaboration reshaping global missions strategy
• Prayer as essential spiritual labor
• Diverse pathways for Great Commission participation

• “The ministry is not about seeing fruit. The ministry is about obedience.”
• “Even if I didn’t see the fruit, I could trust that He was at work.”
• “The Lord uses every step of obedience and every seed that’s planted as part of His ultimate plan.”
• “Discipleship is not just about gaining knowledge, but about being obedient to the Word of God.”
• “If I tell somebody what to do, that will fail every time. But when God’s Word and the Spirit lead, that’s where transformation happens.”
• “The Great Commission is a God-given mandate for every follower of Jesus to find their place in.”
• “It’s not about choosing what feels comfortable, but responding in obedience to what God is asking.”
• “The people are waiting to hear. They simply need a laborer to come to them.”
• “Not a single one of us can accomplish the Great Commission on our own.”
• “That humility we’re seeing across missions organizations is something only the Spirit can do.”
• “We want to learn, grow, and come with open hands to see what the Lord might do through unity.”
• “If I’m not abiding in Jesus, I have very little to offer anyone else.”
• “Do we want to be known for our strategies, or do we want to be known for loving Jesus?”
• “If we’re not marked by our love for Jesus, our strategies will be ineffective.”

• East-West Ministries International
• International Missions Board
• Coalition of the Willing (see our interviews with founding members Jared Nelms and Scott Cheatham)
• The Treasure Principle (see our interview with author Randy Alcorn)

Matthew 28:19–20 | Make Disciples of All Nations

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Acts 1:8 | Witness to the Ends

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Galatians 5:25 | Keeping in Step with the Spirit

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Matthew 9:37–38 | The Harvest Is Plentiful

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

John 15:4–5 | Abide and Bear Fruit

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 17:20–23 | Unity That the World May Believe

Matthew 6:21 | Treasure and the Heart

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

Today, Erin helps advance Musana’s enterprise-driven model, where schools, hospitals, women’s training centers, and businesses work together to address poverty at its roots. Rather than creating dependence, Musana invests in infrastructure that becomes locally owned, locally led, and financially sustainable. Erin shares hard lessons learned along the way, the importance of humility in giving, and why stewardship means deploying resources wisely so communities can flourish long after outside support steps back.

Listen to this episode to reconsider how faith, generosity, and wise stewardship can multiply impact through local ownership and trust in God’s design.

Major Topics Include:

• Moving from charity to dignifying partnership
• Local ownership as the path to lasting impact
• Addressing poverty through job creation
• Infrastructure over programs for sustainability
• Humility in learning across cultures
• Letting communities lead their own solutions
• Measuring success beyond short-term outcomes

• “Orphanages create orphans.”
• “Generosity should be catalytic. It should restore dignity, not take it away.”
• “How dignifying is it to a parent to say, you can’t provide for your own child, so let someone from the West do it for you?”
• “We have to stop imposing our Western ideals and learn together with what actually works in their landscape.”
• “Faithful stewardship isn’t about how much we give, but how we intentionally deploy what God has entrusted to us.”
• “We don’t run programs. We build infrastructure.”
• “Economists say no developing country will ever lift itself out of poverty by charity alone.”
• “Once we got on the ground, we realized how insignificant we were to the solution.”
• “They didn’t need us as much as we needed them.”
• “The locals are the heroes of their own story.”
• “God just kept putting one simple step in front of the other.”
• “It started with saying yes, and the understanding came later.”
• “God doesn’t call us to preserve our resources. He calls us to put them to work.”

Musana Community Development Organization

Zechariah 4:10 | Faithful Small Beginnings

“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

Matthew 25:14–30 | Stewardship of Entrusted Resources

Matthew 6:1–4 | Heart Posture in Giving

Mark 12:41–44 | The Widow’s Offering

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

Through New Covenant Missions, Erik now works to equip and support local church planters who are best positioned to reach their own communities with the gospel. He explains why empowering indigenous leaders, adapting to local cultures, and prioritizing disciple-making are central to sustainable Kingdom impact. The conversation highlights God’s work in some of the most difficult and overlooked places, along with the patience, humility, and discernment required to steward resources wisely and faithfully.

Listen to this episode to reflect on how God may be inviting you to say yes, trust Him deeply, and join His work beyond your comfort.

Major Topics Include:

• Invitation versus obligation in God’s calling
• A unique approach for each culture
• Contrasting discipleship-making and Church-planting movements
• Working with “Pauls” and “Timothys”
• Opening hearts through physical needs
• The balance of missions and charity
• The blessing and challenge of a communal mindset
• Emerging strategies in missions
• Partnering for Global Impact
• Getting ready for the Holy Spirit’s move

• “God radically disturbed my life.”
• “The biggest injustice in the world is that there are still people living out there who have no access to Jesus, and we’ve got to change that.”
• “I felt God say, ‘We’re going to raise up multitudes of indigenous leaders to reach the nations.’”
• “The people best positioned to reach their communities are the people who already live there.”
• “What we really want to do is find the people that already have the heart and the passion for the Great Commission and then be the gasoline to their fire.”
• “We’re not there to build something for them. We’re there to empower what God is already doing through them.”
• “I like to say they’re born pregnant. As soon as they become believers, we’re training them to make disciples.”
• “Mission is making disciples who make disciples, not just doing good things in the name of Christ.”
• “I believe at the route we’re going now that by 2050, we could see a church in every village of the world and no unreached people left.”
• “When the Holy Spirit decides to move, it can be the hardest place in the world, and suddenly everything changes.”
• “God is doing all the work anyway. We just get invited to join Him.”
• “Just say yes, and God does the rest.”

• New Covenant Missions
• Every Home for Christ
• Joshua Project (see our interview with Director, Dan Scribner)
• Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)
• Finishing the Task (see our interview with FTT Global Church Planting Strategist Dan Hitzhusen)
• ACHIEVE Alliance

Acts 16:9 | Macedonian Call

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night, a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’

Matthew 28:19–20 | The Great Commission

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Acts 16:31–33 | Household Faith

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

John 17:21 | Unity in Mission

That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

On the Finish Line podcast, we are all about stories, seeing how God draws us into generosity over a lifetime. 

But sometimes these stories can leave us thinking, “What’s that next step look like for me?”

That’s exactly why we’ve launched a whole new podcast called Applied Generosity which explores the full landscape of the generous life across 7 different dimensions of generosity. 

Applied Generosity helps make sense of the hundreds of stories we’ve shared on the Finish Line Podcast to help you find that best next step.

If you’ve been inspired by these stories and want to take things to the next level, check out Applied Generosity anywhere you listen to podcasts or at appliedgenerosity.com.

Through Mercy House, Kristen has spent the past fifteen years walking alongside vulnerable women and families through job creation, orphan prevention, and discipleship, both globally and locally. Along the way, she has learned that generosity and ministry busyness without intimacy with God can quietly hollow out the soul. Her story reflects the cost of faithful work, the danger of doing for God without being with Him, and the grace God offers through rest, repentance, and renewed friendship with Him.  

This conversation invites all of us to reflect on how God calls us to slow down, reorient our hearts, and rediscover satisfaction in His presence while living generously.  

Major Topics Include:

• Generosity in hospitality
• Obedience through small, faithful yeses
• Using influence for Kingdom purpose
• Serving without losing intimacy with God
• The danger of doing for God without being with God
• Identity rooted in sonship, not productivity
• Parenting through embodied generosity
• Slowing down to practice God’s presence

• “Just do the next right thing.”
• “We were always looking for ways to use what we had for the gospel of hospitality.”
• “The opportunity to use the writing skill and the blog platform for God’s glory really became a sweet spot for me and it changed my life.”
• “I will spend the rest of my life answering the question, ‘what am I doing to help the vulnerable in our communities and in our world?’”
• “God used the poor to help me find Him in a new way.”
• “God doesn’t need us to do any of this, He invites us to do it.”
• “Being with God is the best use of our time.”
• “It is not a waste of time to spend time with God.”
• “When we live as generous people, our kids will too.”

• Mercy House Global
• Kristen Welch’s Website
• Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
• Raising World Changers in a Changing World by Kristen Welch
• Compassion International
• When Helping Hurts (see our interview with coauthor Brian Fikkert)
• Women Doing Well (see our interview with president Julie Wilson)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Revelation 3:20 | Christ’s Invitation to Intimacy  

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  

Hebrews 2:1 | Drifting from Jesus  

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 | Gratitude amid Hardship  

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  

Philippians 4:11–13 | Contentment in All Circumstances  

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

After college, she entered a sales role with a Fortune 50 company, surrounded by benefits and success, yet she began to sense that God might be inviting her into something more than selling consumer goods. After a season as a stay-at-home mom, she discovered a growing desire to see how her professional skills might serve Kingdom purposes. That curiosity led her to become the first part time development director at a local pregnancy center, where God reshaped her understanding of fundraising as ministry, connecting donors to the doers and inviting people to join Him where He is already working. That journey eventually opened the door to joining The Signatry, helping donors steward all God has entrusted to them for Kingdom impact.  

As Vice President of Family Generosity Services at The Signatry, Kristin has spent her career helping families move from reactive giving to intentional stewardship rooted in faith. Drawing from deep experience on both the nonprofit and givers sides, she now guides families towards alignment, trust, and faithfulness in how they move towards intentional generosity together.  

Major Topics Include:

• Generosity as discipline, then joyful invitation
• Stewarding all assets, not just cash
• Fundraising as ministry and relationship
• Connecting donors and doers in God’s work
• Evaluating impact above overhead in giving
• Understanding cause dynamics and realistic impact outcomes
• Trust and partnership between givers and ministries
• Thinking through non-cash gifts
• Alignment over agreement in family generosity

• “God has all the resources that He needs to fund His work. My role is to connect the resources He’s entrusted to people with the work He’s already doing.”
• “Impact needs to come before overhead.”
• “If we’re only asking people to give from cash, we’re really not asking them to steward all that God has entrusted to them.”
• “Let’s begin to change the conversation, not just about cash, but about all of their assets, and help them understand how those are an opportunity for generosity.”
• “When you realize you’re connecting the donors and the doers, that’s a pretty incredible place to be.”
• “You’re not trying to get something from someone. You’re inviting them to join God where He’s already at work.”
• “In a family, alignment is much more important than agreement.”
• “If you want everyone to give to exactly what you want to give to, that’s a top-down approach, and it rarely creates enthusiasm.”
• “If you hold it open-handed and prioritize alignment over agreement, you’ll often find much more joy and engagement.”
• “Donors are operating in a currency of trust. That trusted partnership is absolutely critical.”
• “When there’s a trusted partnership between the giver and the organization, God does something formative in both.”
• “Fundraising is ministry. Anytime you’re engaging someone around their resources, their finances, and their heart, that’s ministry.”
• “We need to dissolve the barrier between where the ministry happens and where the money comes in, and realize it’s all ministry.”
• “God doesn’t need our money. He wants our hearts. And that’s really, at the end of the day, the message of generosity.”
• “Generosity is not just for the ultra high net worth or those making a lot of money, it’s for everyone. God is not interested in the zeros. He’s interested in obedience.”
• “We’re stewarding our whole life, not just our financial resources, because He wants our heart.”

• The Signatry (see our interviews with founder, Bill High, and CEO, Steve French here) 
• Mission Increase
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• The Giver and the Gift by Peter Greer & David Weekley (see our interview with author Peter Greer here)
• Family Generosity Guides  
• Nonprofit blogs: 
  • Major Donor Insight: They are People, Too
  • Engage Donors by Engaging Their Families

• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Malachi 3:10 | Testing God in Giving  

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.  

Matthew 6:21 | Treasure and the Heart  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

Psalm 50:10 | God Owns Everything  

For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.  

Philippians 4:15–19 | Giving as Partnership

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Yet for many, these stories also surface an honest question: “What does this mean for me, and where is God calling me next?”    

In this special episode, fellow Finish Line board members David Campaigne from Blue Trust and Matt Mancinelli from Generous Giving help us introduce our most significant development since the launch of the Finish Line Pledge: The Applied Generosity Podcast.    

Each story we’ve shared in the last few years has been shaped by unique calling, personal surrender, and profound steps of faith. Yet over time, patterns have emerged. While no two stories are the same, many givers find themselves crossing the same terrain, wrestling with similar questions, fears, and decisions along the way.    

Applied Generosity was created to help make sense of that shared landscape, exploring seven dimensions of generosity that repeatedly show up across the journeys we have heard.     

It provides a map, helping bring orientation, language, and clarity to where God may already be at work in your own life and where He may be inviting a next step.     

If you’ve been inspired by the stories you’ve heard on Finish Line Podcast, but long for clearer discernment about the next step in your own journey, then Applied Generosity was specifically made for you.

• David: “Generosity is a journey, like life is a journey. You plant a seed, you water it, but ultimately it’s God who makes things grow.”
• Matt: “We’re being invited into being more like Jesus as we give.”
• David: “God doesn’t need our money; what He ultimately wants is our heart.”
• Cody: “Some of the largest obstacles to living generously are fear and greed, and these are both addressed by answering the question, ‘how much is enough?’”
• Matt: “If I see an opportunity to bless somebody in a way that would boost their faith and I can come alongside them, that’s when I’m fired up to give.”
• David: “I want to know that my giving, whether to an individual or an organization, is going to draw people to Jesus.”
• Kealan: “Generosity is one of the strongest means by which God enables me to trust Him.”
• David: “How can we leverage the currency of that which is passing away into the currency of that which will endure forever?”
• Kealan: “Applied generosity is simply naming the shared landscape of the the generous life and providing some definition to it so we can see the whole picture and figure out where that next right step is in our own journey.”

• Applied Generosity
• David Campaigne, Financial Advisor at Ronald Blue Trust (see our past interview here)
• Heather Tuininga, Founder of 10|10 Strategies (see our past interview here)
• Matt Mancinelli, Managing Director at Generous Giving (see our past interview here) 
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• Ronald Blue Trust (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• The Treasure Principle (see our interview with author Randy Alcorn)
• God and Money (see our interviews with co-authors Greg Baumer and John Cortines)
• Museum of the Bible
• Hope International (see our interview with founder, Jeff Rutt or CEO, Peter Greer)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 | God Makes Things Grow   Luke 16:10a | Faithful in Little and Much  

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much,  

1 Timothy 6:17-19 | True Riches  

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,  thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.  

Matthew 6:21 | Treasure of the Heart  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

John 3:16 | God’s Generosity  

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.  

Proverbs 16:9 | God Directs Steps  

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.  

Psalm 90:12 | Number Our Days  

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  

Matthew 25:14–30 | Parable of the Talents  

Matthew 22:37 | Loving God Fully  

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

In his current role, Michael focuses on forming biblical and practical financial wisdom in the next generation, particularly among high school and college students. He has also helped pioneer the 9:23 Fellowship, a discipleship journey that invites believers to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus in every area of life, including how they steward money, grow in community, and trust God’s provision.

Michael’s calling is to help believers align their finances with wholehearted discipleship, viewing stewardship as worship and generosity as freedom rooted in trust. This episode creates space to rethink money, faith, and obedience in ways that feel both convicting and hopeful.  

Major Topics Include:

• Learning to live openhandedly
• Thinking through savings as a giver
• Relying on God for provision
• Engaging younger generations through the Ron Blue Institute
• Helping the Church recognize and overcome greed and covetousness 
• Four H’s of biblical stewardship for college students
• The difference between “bread” and “seed”
• Flourishing together in community
• Learning to be a good receiver
• Stretching your faith through steps of generosity

• “Giving ought to be joyful and saving ought to be purposeful, but if it’s just rote obedience, you can lose the heart behind it.”
• “God delights in inviting us to participate in His story.”
• “Stewardship is managing our money for the glory of God.”
• “Our capacity to meet people in their time of need all comes down to our margin of time and money.”
• “Whenever we feel like God gives us more, more often than not, it’s seed for sowing.”
• “The most generous people are the least fearful people I know. They’re not wracked with anxiety about providing for them in the future.”
• “We were made to flourish together in community.”
• “We’re all created to be both givers and receivers, so a healthy church is one where I can both give and receive.”
• “The thing that drives us to a life of continued generosity is hungering after who God is, what he’s done in our lives, and how we can grow nearer to HIm.”

• Ron Blue Institute (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns
• International Justice Mission (IJM)
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

2 Corinthians 8-9 | The Macedonian Church  

Matthew 6:33 | Seek First the Kingdom  

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  

Luke 9:23 | Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

That questioning led to a season of radical trust, including a 132-day journey across 22 countries where they relied on God daily for their bed and bread provision. Through uncertainty, sickness, and unexpected grace, they exercised their faith, and came to know God as their provider on a deeper and more extreme level than they ever thought possible. Along the way, Renée and John were introduced to many inspiring stories of how God has used patrons with the gift of giving throughout history for the advancement of the Gospel, and those stories became John’s first book, Gospel Patrons.  

The Rineharts have now carried the message of Gospel Patrons around the world, inspiring stewards of wealth to know the vitality of their role in the Kingdom, and to experience the beauty and joy of Kingdom impact from patron-proclaimer partnerships.   

If you are seeking a faith-shaped vision of generosity marked by surrender, partnership, and trust, this episode is for you.  

Major topics include:

• A journey of extreme faith
• The necessary partnership of gospel patrons and proclaimers 
• Trusting God to meet your needs so you can be radically generous
• Experiencing both the giving and receiving sides of a patronage partnership
• Generosity is more about relationship than result
• Inspiring patrons all over the world through story
• Empowering women to step into role as gospel patrons
• Stewarding your story of risk and generosity

• “My grandparents as missionaries didn’t think of themselves as poor, but they just thought of God as being abundant and they lived from that place of faith and abundance.”
• “It felt like God was giving back my dream, but so much bigger than I had ever imagined it.”
• “What can we do to discover what God’s doing around the world and how people are in relationship with Him all over?”
• “In country after country, place after place, God opened doors and introduced us to people, and we saw how people worshiped Him throughout 22 different countries.” 
• “I think we so often want to see God move and we want to see miracles, but we don’t want to be in a place of need and discomfort. But those are the two halves of the coin, you have to be in the place where you need a miracle before you’re ready to see one.”
• “I came home with a totally different sense that I am loved by the God of the universe. Seeing that He could take me into my worst fears and bring good out of it and I would be okay, I was ready to surrender everything knowing that He’s good, He’s with us, and everything else was just details.”
• “God always raises up both people with a vision to see the Gospel advance and people who are going to partner deeply financially and in friendship. And it’s when the Body of Christ comes together with different giftings, both patrons and proclaimers, that the Gospel advances.”
• “We were so captivated by this idea that business people were a vital part of the Body of Christ.”
• “We’re making friends for eternity by sort of wildly spreading wealth around and allowing God to plant His seeds of love and goodness all over the place.”
• “There’s risk on both sides, and faith and humility needed on both sides of the equation.”
• “God is raising up a tidal wave of generosity to fuel the Great Commission, and there is so much momentum happening.”
• “When we’re really looking for God’s hand, He gives us the ability to tell our stories differently.”

• Gospel Patrons by John Rinehart
• Gospel Patrons (see our interview with founder John Rinehart)
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

2 Corinthians 5:7 | Walk by Faith  

for we walk by faith, not by sight.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

As an adult, Tom spent about ten years as a wealth manager for private banks and wealth management organizations and his views on Kingdom finances grew and matured with him. Suddenly, Tom found himself without a job, and he soon realized that this was an opportunity to know God as Jehovah Jireh, his Provider. During this time, Tom began an intensive study of what the Bible really says about money. That journey reshaped everything—how he understands ownership, stewardship, and the call the pursue true riches.   

Out of that 200 hours of Bible study, Tom founded the Biblical Financial Masterclass, a 12+ hour course that helps Christians build their financial house using God’s blueprint from Scripture. Now, Tom equips Believers, churches, and organizations to heal their relationships with money and to rethink their financial lives from the heart outward, grounding principles in Scripture and pointing people towards Gospel transformation. Tune in for a fantastic dive into how God’s Word radically reshapes our relationship with money.  

Major Topics Include:

• Three dimensions of money and faith
• Biblical financial insights from 200 hours of study
• Commonly misunderstood money scriptures
• Developing his course
• Equipping to handle what God wants to give you
• Getting your heart right in relationship with money
• The Christian motivation for generosity 
• What is “serving Mammon?”
• Peeling back the layers of Mammon in our lives
• The truth about extravagance in giving
• Challenges in engaging the local church in financial conversation

• “I was just as passionate about money after I got saved and it gave me a reason why I should be rather than just feathering my nest, which was my main ambition at 13 or 14. Between 15 and 17, I began to see it as an opportunity to fund the Kingdom.”
• “One of the greatest things that we can do is handle money that’s not ours, in line with Somebody Else’s will, for Somebody Else’s glory in order that it would be redeemed and bring about salvation in people’s lives.”
• “More than 10% of the entire Bible is given over to talking about money, finances, wealth, and stuff in some form of another. And about 1 in 6 of Jesus’s parables touches on it.”
• “Do not assume you are outside of God’s will just because you’re going through something difficult.”
• “Fundamentally, the entirety of the Bible is a display of generosity. It’s a love letter to humanity from God.”
• “How much money is too much money? It’s any amount that replaces our trust in God.”
• “Cheerful giving comes down to heart preparation.”
• “When we avoid talking about money, we are not sparing our congregations awkwardness, we are leaving a gaping hole in their discipleship.”

• Biblical Financial Masterclass
• Stewardship (UK Ministry)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Luke 16:1-13 | The Parable of the Dishonest Manager  

Haggai 2: 6-7 | The Coming Glory of the Temple  

For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.   

Deuteronomy 8:18 | God Give the Power to Get Wealth  

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.  

Psalm 24:1 | Everything Belongs to the Lord  

The earth is the Lord‘s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,  

Proverbs 10:22 | Blessings without Sorrow  

The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.  

Luke 6:38 | Give and It Will Be Given  

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”  

Genesis 22:8a | The Lord Will Provide  

Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”  

Genesis 8:22 | Seedtime and Harvest  

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”  

Romans 12:2 | Be Transformed  

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  

James 1:5 | Generous Wisdom from God  

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  

James 4:8a | Draw Near  

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  

1 Corinthians 10:13 | Overcoming Temptation  

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.  

2 Corinthians 9:1-6 | The Cheerful Giver  

2 Corinthians 8:12 | According to What You Have  

For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.  

1 Chronicles 29:14 | All Things Come from You  

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Selling interest in the company he helped start, Dave transitioned to the nonprofit sector where he vetted partners and handled donor funds. He then was invited to lead the missions programs at their church. Little did Dave know that this was laying the foundations for a God-sized vision on the other side of the world.  

Dave and his wife became close with a Liberian family from their church, and in 2021, they had an opportunity to travel to Liberia, the eighth poorest country in the world. Experiencing the extreme poverty at an orphanage there planted a strong desire to do something to uplift the children of Liberia without just giving out hand-me-downs.  

Now, after a few years of divine connections and miraculous generosity, ground will soon be broken for the Agape Empowerment Center, a 15-acre campus designed to raise Christ-centered Liberian leaders through housing, education, and holistic care. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to build a vision from scratch, this episode is for you.  

Major Topics Include:

• Becoming envious of contentment
• How the God-sized vision came together
• Governance, structure, and transparency 
• Giving a hand up without creating a cycle of dependency
• Building a culture one grade at a time
• Involving locals in the mission
• A hopeful view of the next 5 to 10 years
• How this experience has deepened Dave’s faith
• The vision for agricultural and manufacturing enterprise zones
• Building community through collaboration
• Examining the ROI of philanthropic dollars

• “Laying in the hospital in 2012, recovering from my second open-heart surgery, I realized it was time to make a change.”
• “What is a true relationship with our Savior versus a religious ‘check-the-box’?”
• “As I started to change from religion to a relationship with Jesus, contentment started to creep into my life and I had never really experienced that before.”
• “Liberia is the eighth poorest country in the world. Per person income on an annual basis is $530 USD.”
• “I made the very Western throw-away comment of ‘Gosh, Honey, someone’s gotta do something about this.’ Without missing a beat, my wife says, ‘What about us?’ And that’s how the Agape Empowerment Center got started.”
• “If we want them to become the best and to be Christ-centered children, well-educated, then let’s start treating them like the best and stop just giving them our hand-me-downs.”
• “In five or ten years, I see children with joy and hope in their lives.”
• “I have learned that I absolutely have no control. I think I do, but I don’t. And at the end of the day, this is God’s plan or it’s not. I just hope to be able to help implement it.”
• “I’m not going to retire, I’m going to re-fire.”

• Agape Empowerment Center
• When Helping Hurts (see our interview with coauthor Brian Fikkert)
• Convoy of Hope
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

In his most recent book, The Sprint to the Finish, Doug discusses three major finish lines that need to be crossed to fulfill the Great Commission—seeing a first Believer in every known people group, a Bible translated into every language, and a church established in every village on Earth. To date, there are only 20 unengaged people groups left in the world, and by God’s grace, The Finishing Fund and its collaborative partners have a shared goal to see the entire world reached with the Gospel by 2033.  

Doug’s conviction is simple but bold: The mission Jesus gave us can be completed in this generation, and God is already making it happen. If you want a front row seat to what God is doing around the world right now, you won’t want to miss this episode.  

Major Topics Include:

• Three finish lines to completing the Great Commission
• The current state of Gospel work in the world
• Comparing approaches—church planting and disciple making
• Stories of signs, wonders, and miracles drawing people to Jesus
• Fueling the Gospel spark in a community
• The biggest obstacles to fulfilling Great Commission
• What operational collaboration looks like
• The evangelistic power of a new Believer
• The Great Wealth Transfer and the Great Commission
• Looking forward to the return of Jesus

• “The statistics tell us that most Christians sitting in churches can’t even tell you what the great commission is, much less can they tell you anything about what’s happening.”
• “I think we’re within a year or two by God’s grace of seeing the work begun in every people group.”
• “God is preparing people of peace in these places and it’s almost like the Spirit is there tapping His toe and waiting for us to show up to close the deal. He’s already working in the hearts and minds of people to prepare them.”
• “When God’s people are willing to go, Jesus will go with them.”
• “Why would the Spirit not do today what He did way back then to validate the testimony of Paul and the other apostles?”
• “I don’t think it’s coincidental that God has created this wealth in the last days at a time when it’s needed, and that creates an enormous responsibility for our generation.”
• “This generation has more than we need to complete the Great Commission.”

• The Sprint to the Finish by Doug Cobb
• The Finishing Fund (see our interview with founder Doug Cobb)
• Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)
• Finishing the Task (see our interview with FTT Global Church Planting Strategist Dan Hitzhusen)
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• ACHIEVE Alliance
• New Covenant Missions
• Coalition of the Willing
• Jim Wise, Financial Advisor with Ronald Blue Trust (see our past interview here)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Luke 16:10a | Faithfulness  

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much,  

Matthew 28:19 | The Great Commission  

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  

Matthew 24:14 | Then the End Will Come  

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.  

Revelation 7:9-10 | Every Nation, Tribe, and Tongue  

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  

Acts 1:8 | Power to Witness  

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Years later, Ray would spend significant time with HOPE International, where a healthy, Christ-centered culture left a lasting mark on him. For more than twenty years, he has been helping leaders and teams reorient their hearts toward the way of Jesus. Now a senior consultant with Rising Sun Consultants, Ray walks alongside organizations as they build cultures formed by servant leadership and spiritual maturity.

Then in 2021, Ray faced a radically personal invitation to generosity when he sensed God asking him to give one of his kidneys. His story is full of wisdom on surrender, Christlike culture, and what it means to faithfully steward the life God has given you.

Major Topics Include:

• The theology of work
• An example of a healthy organizational culture
• Why an organization’s culture is important
• Words of wisdom about the non-profit model
• Assessing an organization’s board, leadership, and financials
• The five elements of servant-leadership
• Prioritizing intimacy with God as a busy leader
• Practical tips for spiritual rest
• Being called to give his kidney
• Stewarding your story, experience, and relationships in a way the points others to Jesus

• “Work is a channel of grace to display the glory of God in meeting needs, ours and our neighbors, as we generate resources that can be shared in the redemptive work of the Gospel.”
• “Business can be a powerful force for God’s transformation”
• “God has been at work in these communities long before we show up.”
• “Organizational culture is really hard to fake long term.”
• “Culture requires intentionality and accountability.”
• “Do I believe that the more I work, the more I can advance the mission? Or do I really think that God is at work here?”
• “Sometimes we need to remember how to be a human being rather than a human doing. I try to give myself permission to be about more than work.”
• “I used to believe the lie that I am what I perform. But I’m learning to believe the truth that I am loved by the Creator and that alone is enough.”
• “Our life is not our own when we are surrendered to God.”

• Hope International (see our interview with founder, Jeff Rutt or CEO, Peter Greer)
• Jesse Casler (see our past interview here)
• Lead with Prayer by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle (see our interview with the authors here)
• Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• Lectio 365 App
• Caleb Breakey, founder of Renown Publishing (see our past interview here)
• Kate Gardner, co-host of the Ascendants Podcast and co-founder of Magnify (see our past interview here)
• Alan Barnhart (see our past interview here)
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Dana and Bill Wichterman (see our past interview here)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Psalm 46:10 | Be Still  

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!  

Luke 3:11 | Share What You Have  

And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”  

John 13:35 | Love One Another  

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  

Ephesians 3:20 | More than We Can Think to Ask  

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

This past year, Christin helped lead NCF in some of the most comprehensive research on millennial Christians through the NextGen Stewardship Study, a comprehensive study focused on how young Christians, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, approach wealth and generosity. Christin explains the enormity of the Great Wealth Transfer, projected at $124 trillion to be passed on to these generations by 2048, and the need to understand their unique characteristics and motivations.   

Her work highlights how agency, shared family values, and hands-on involvement are shaping this rising generation, as well as the unique opportunities emerging as women inherit a growing share of global wealth. She also describes the practical ways families can cultivate unity through generosity and why younger Christians are eager to bring their whole lives, not just their finances, into God’s work.  

Whether you are a next generation giver or are navigating how to enable the next generation yourself, you’ll find this episode packed with insight.  

Major Topics Include:

• How agency shapes stewardship and spiritual growth
• Differences between wealth creators, inheritors, and hybrids
• Generational contrasts in trust, involvement, and giving patterns
• The rising influence and needs of next-gen women
• Family unity formed through shared passions and giving
• Tips for preparing for the Great Wealth Transfer wisely
• Practicing stewardship through small, hands-on decisions
• Unlocking whole-life generosity beyond liquid assets
• Advice for organizations who are trying to engage multiple generations
• God’s invitation to women in stewardship

• “I was learning how to pursue a relationship with Jesus in the everyday. It wasn’t just about going to church on Sundays. It was really about bringing Jesus into every part of my life.”
• “In my 20s, when I started to understand this relationship with Jesus, it was something where I could actually have conversations with Jesus and ask for help.”
• “God just showed up. He provided so much in those early years when we didn’t feel like we had much money.”
• “Faith is the guiding principle in stewarding wealth for all generations.”
• “The attribute that was most correlated to positivity about wealth was seeing it as responsibility, that it’s about God’s work in the world and joining God’s work in the world.”
• “Taking action helps your faith. It helps you grow closer to your family. It helps you grow closer to your purpose.”
• “Women at large and the cohort of next-gen women are more likely to be collaborative, they’re more likely to do giving circles, and they’re looking for a journey more than a transaction.”
• “Women and mothers are the biggest influences of generosity in the home.”
• “Women, especially women inheritors, struggle to find their voice. They don’t feel like they have a voice at the table of wealth transfer and those conversations.”
• “Younger generations want to see the data. They want to see the impact and the numbers. They want to get personally involved because they feel they can make the difference.”
• “We’re seeing more and more people give from the ninety percent of their wealth, not just the ten percent they hold in liquid assets.”
• “I think God is showing up in tangible ways and urging people to give from all of their wealth and not just their liquid assets.”

• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• The NCF Next Gen Stewardship Study
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Impact Foundation (see our interview with Founder, Aimee Minnich)
• The Millennial Impact Report
• Lilly Family School of Philanthropy – Lake Institute on Faith & Giving
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Luke 21:1–4 | The Widow’s Offering  

Luke 8:1–3 | Women Supporting Jesus’s Ministry

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

MedSend doesn’t just send doctors overseas, it helps train native physicians to care and witness within their own communities. Under Rick’s leadership, MedSend’s National Scholars Pathway is equipping African, Asian, and Middle Eastern doctors with advanced medical and biblical training so that they can heal physically and introduce people to Jesus right where they live. Rick is passionate about seeing nations transformed with the love of God through well-equipped, Christ-following medical professionals. Millions of lives have already been touched, and MedSend has a vision to reach millions more with fully equipped Christ-centered hospital systems and networks. If you want to learn how faith, medicine, and missions can fuse in sustainable ways, this episode is for you.  

Major Topics Include:

• Learning to trust God when you can’t see what’s ahead
• The desperate need for well-trained health care professionals globally
• Raising up medical professionals to minister to their own people
• ROI of investing in a national missionary physician
• Training medical professionals to share the gospel and disciple others
• Extending impact through partnership
• Helping medical missionaries care for themselves through the longevity program
• MedSend’s long-term goal to transform nations through hospital systems and networks

• “And I knew immediately that I wasn’t trusting God.”
• “What does it look like for a Christ-following man to trust and surrender?”
• “I got to see God at work across the table and across the world, and it transformed my understanding of who God is.”
• “If you approach God with an open mind and and open heart and say, ‘if you’re real, show me,’ God will show up every time.”
• “These individuals are taking the love of Christ and a vision for compassionate care into their own healthcare systems and transforming them in the love of Christ.”
• “We anticipate that an individual physician will touch about 100,000 lives during their career. So we’re training up people that will bless and share the knowledge of Christ with 100,000 people in a lifetime. That level of investment pays off over decades.” 
• “This is not about building healthcare capacity. This is about building Christ-followers who see healthcare as a means to share the love of Jesus Christ.”

• MedSend
• Institute of Global Healthcare Missions
• Christian Medical & Dental Associations
• Samaritan’s Purse
• ROI Ministry (see our interview with founder, Tim Barker)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Now, as Director of Programs with Generous Church, Jessica helps disciple-making networks around the world integrate generosity into their core training. Drawing on her cross-cultural experience and administrative insight, she equips leaders to tell stories of giving that fit their people’s rhythms and languages. Her work has sparked movements where generosity becomes both a testimony and a tool for transformation.  

Jessica’s journey offers grounded insight for those discerning how to lead others in generosity that reflects God’s heart and multiplies Kingdom impact.  

Major Topics Include:

• How Stations of Generosity works for oratory cultures
• Similarities and differences between Stations and Generosity Design Lab
• Identifying people groups that would be a right fit for Stations
• Memorable stories of positive impact in the Field
• Salvations through simple generosity
• The challenge of generosity discipleship across cultures
• The necessity of prayer in the generosity movement
• An invitation to simple generosity

• “The networks we get to serve and connect with are heroes in discipleship in the field.” 
• “Our metric is getting networks to the place of empowerment. If our logo, name, and involvement can be completely stripped away, then that is our highest success.”
• “We lean on the networks that we partner with as the experts of their context so that we don’t have to pretend to be.”
• “Even with all the regional nuances and complexities, truth sets people free.”
• “Prayer is the most significant fuel of the generosity movement.”
• “As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day.”

• Generous Church (see our interview with founder Patrick Johnson)
• Stations of Generosity
• Generosity Design Lab
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matthew 6:33 | Kingdom First  

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Now a therapist, coach, and co-founder of the Abide Gathering, Jean helps others—especially within Asian communities—experience freedom from generational patterns that keep them striving instead of giving. Through her work, she shows how inner healing can open hearts to live generously, not from duty but from wholeness, and how alignment with God’s design brings peace, clarity, and joy in stewardship.  

This conversation offers clear, hope-filled guidance for those seeking to live and give from a place of healed purpose and wholehearted trust.  

Major Topics Include:

• Gaining perspective on your purpose
• Letting your life story speak to your calling
• Discerning when to persevere and when to pivot
• Jean’s healing journey
• Perspective through healing invisible wounds
• The gift of being triggered
• How generosity facilitates healing
• The long game of heart transformation
• Tips for discovering your integrated purpose

• “I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, ‘You need to wake up!’”
• “God wastes nothing.”
• “Are you running from something or towards something?”
• “Oftentimes, our wounds are things we can’t see, and we don’t know how much they are hindering the flow of what God wants to do in and through us.”
• “If we are invited to face these wounds, I believe it’s a gift from God, pointing us to things that have been keeping us stuck.”
• “When we heal our wounds, then we are able to freely live into the flow and the way that God has created us to live.”
• “The thing about heart transformation is that God is in the long game. He is not in the ‘quick behavior transformation’ game, and that’s the beauty and kindness of who He is.”

• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
• Secure Coaching
• Abide Gathering
• Young Life Global Cities
• We Want More
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matt 6:19-21 | Lay Up Treasures in Heaven  

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

Psalm 139 | Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Today Heather comes alongside families, foundations, and ministries to clarify passion areas, align spouses and generations, and shape practical “giving dream” plans. Drawing on years of leadership with local and global initiatives, she helps givers move from scattered gifts to strategic portfolios, set gracious expectations with partners, and engage meaningfully beyond the check. We also explore where metrics help and where they can hinder, and how a clear plan can free a family to give thoughtfully together. This conversation offers steady, practical wisdom for anyone seeking to steward God’s resources with discernment and joy.

Major Topics Include:

• Heather’s heart-wrenching stories from the mission field
• Helping families develop a giving dream plan
• Narrowing down a family’s passion areas
• Exploring a family’s values to help select organizations to give to
• The importance of spousal alignment 
• Diversity and growth in philanthropic conversations
• Navigating missed expectations with donors and organizations
• Encouraging meaningful engagement with passion points
• Considerations for impact metrics

• “God, help my heart to always break for the needs in Your world and don’t let me get calloused.”
• “It’s the local church in a community that can really help meet long term needs and bring about transformation.”
• “Even for the most data-driven person, their deepest passions are almost always connected to story.”
• “Once you know a family’s causes and their values, then you can look for great organizations that line up with that criteria.”
• “It will never become a family legacy if it’s one person’s drive. If it’s going to be a family legacy, it’s going to be shaped by all the family members coming together and everyone having a voice.”
• “In our world, there is a need for crisis response and immediate relief services, and there is opportunity for long-term transformation.”
• “If you really want to see transformation and you want to engage well with organizations, it does take intentionality and hard work.”
• “Keep building your giving muscles!”

• LiveGive
• American Red Cross
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

That pursuit led to the Lion’s Den, a Shark Tank style forum that connects Christ-centered founders with values-aligned investors. More recently, he launched the Jeremiah Fund to venture differently, pairing capital with discipleship and Kingdom partnership. Andrew is a thoughtful builder with practical frameworks for viewing business, investing, and eternity. His insights will sharpen how you think about faithful stewardship in the marketplace.  

Major Topics Include:

• The story of the Lion’s Den
• What God’s doing in impact investing
• Historical examples of Christian business networking 
• Considering impact as a Christin investor 
• Three axis of considering impact: the intensity of the mission, the amount of expected return, and the time of expected return
• Balancing “showing” and “telling”
• Finding alignment in faith-driven investing
• Spirit-led investing when you may not see the fruit
• Navigating Christian relationships through the ups and downs of business
• Encouraging and ministering to struggling founders through the Jeremiah Fund
• The difference between a driven person and a called person
• Encouragement for business leaders to be open about their faith

• “All of life is ministry. So what are you going to do for ministry in the working world?”
• “How do we live out our faith in our work in a way that people want to be drawn into the place where we’re worshipping the Lord?”
• “Let’s try to create an environment where we can encourage collaboration and encourage growth.”
• “The best thing we did in the Lion’s Den was try to provide a place where people could fellowship and learn, and we weren’t prescribing actions, but we were describing what could be possible.”
• “There is beauty in the diversity of the Body of Christ, and the more we take stock of that and actually listen the more we see the beauty of the Lord and who He is.”
•  “The more you encourage the opportunity for the Lord to be present and to be shown, the more He will bless it, whether it’s successful or not.” 
• “Christian investing has three parts: charity, philanthropy, and reinvestment.”
• “Relationships are so important in encouraging Christians in an early stage of this journey.”
• “A called person realizes that it’s not ultimately their job alone, but God is with them. And it’s not about a performance, but about learning who God is and who they are.”
• “When you understand who you are and what God’s given you, you will understand more what you can do practically and for the Lord.”

• Lion’s Den
• Jeremiah Fund
• Regional Advantage by AnnaLee Saxenian
• Lead with Prayer by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, Cameron Doolittle
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matthew 25:14-30 | Parable of the Talents

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

From day one, the brothers regarded the company as God’s. To guard against the spiritual risks of wealth, Alan set a “lifestyle finish line,” capping his personal income at the level of a ministry worker. They also committed to give 50% of annual profits to God’s Kingdom. Over the next 39 years, the once-small firm grew toward a billion-dollar enterprise and now channels millions each year into gospel work. Later, Alan and his brother formalized their conviction by transferring 100% of their ownership to a charitable trust, while continuing to lead the company.

Alan’s example has inspired a generation of givers to steward their families, businesses, and resources with wisdom and courage. You won’t want to miss this story.

Major Topics Include:

• Avoiding the dangers of wealth
• Finding freedom in a financial finish line
• How God led him to give away his company while still being it’s steward
• Thinking though what to do with profit
• Developing relationship with the recipients of your generosity 
• Generosity decisions as a group
• Responsive giving vs. strategic giving
• Differences between giving from business capital and giving from personal capital
• Making difficult decisions in generosity 
• Relational aspects of being as a business and generosity leader
• Managing a capped lifestyle with children
• Thinking through company succession
• Stewarding your generosity story

• “God, I’ll go wherever you want me to go.”
• “My full time ministry was going to be in the business world.”
• “Jesus warned about money more than He warned about anything else.”
• “Contentment doesn’t come from stuff, it comes from enjoying what you already have.”
• “Holding things with an open hand has led to freedom.”
• “God isn’t trying to extract something from us. He doesn’t want our money, He wants us.”
• “Generosity breaks the power of greed.”
• “We say no to 99% of giving opportunities so we can give a big yes to the 1% we support.”
• “We want to be as strategic in our giving of money as we are in our making of money.”
• “What does God want us to do with His money?”
• “There is work to being a steward.”
• “What we’re doing is not crazy.”
• “We didn’t see the company as ours, so our kids never saw it as theirs.”
• “Be a steward of your story as much as you are a steward of your money, because your story may change someone else’s life.”

• Young Life
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger by Ronald J. Sider
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matthew 19:23 | A Warning for the Rich

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6:24 | Choose Your Master

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 6:19-20 | Treasures in Heaven

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[e] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Luke 12:13-21 | The Parable of the Rich Fool

1 Timothy 6:6-7 | Godliness with Contentment

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Luke 21:1-4 | The Widow’s Offering

Matthew 5:16 | Your Good Works Give Glory to the Father

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 6:3-4 | A Time for Giving in Secret

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Bruce helped start the Collaborative for Econometrics and Integrated Development Studies (CEIDS), which has grown into a network of more than 100 development economists, public health experts, and other related fields from all around the world. Together, they work to support the relief and development arms of Christ’s global Church by helping Christian NGOs develop tools and built-in programs so that they and their donors can know where, how, and why they’re truly being effective.  

Bruce brings a rare blend of heartfelt, Spirit-led generosity and a data-driven focus on high impact giving to help followers of Jesus love our neighbors with wisdom by investing resources in ways that truly change lives for the Kingdom. Bruce shares stories from his research and his own journey of faith, emphasizing that generosity isn’t just about good intentions but about stewarding God’s gifts so that they bear lasting fruit.  

Major Topics Include:

• Blending faith and economic development 
• The Story of Mayan Partners in Guatemala
• The biblical picture of human flourishing
• The challenge of impact measurement for Christian NGOs
• Making informed, Spirit-led giving decisions
• Stages of a heart-progression on world problems: The Six i’s—ignorance, indifference, idealism, investigation, introspection, impact
• Developing an identity with those you’re called to serve
• Understanding poverty traps as a giver
• Measuring impact through randomized control trials and quasi-experimental designs
• How givers can use AI to research the most impactful interventions
• Examples of the most effective and ineffective interventions

• “The Kingdom works the opposite of the way that economics says the world should work.”
• “We should not only be good Samaritans, but shrewd Samaritans, that we actively think about what we do, as well as we pray and feel led by the heart.”
• “The poor are important enough to Christ that we owe them an informed decision on how we give and not just a feeling-based decision.”
• “What is the role that God has placed me in?”
• “It’s not about one person saving the world. It’s about one person listening to God and His calling on our lives to serve where He wants us to serve.”
• “If we understand where there’s a need and then see where our gifting lines up with that need, God will bring about His biblically-based human flourishing in that intersection.”
• “Providing cash is almost always better than providing stuff.”
• “The earlier you intervene in a child’s life, the more impactful it is.”

• Shrewd Samaritan by Bruce Wydick
• Collaborative for Econometrics and Integrated Development Studies (CEIDS)
• Social Impact Analytics Course at University of San Francisco
• Compassion International
• Children of the Nations
• International Care Ministries
• Mayan Partners
• Hope Walks
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Mary Clayton has a rich passion for relational, spontaneous generosity, often giving away personal items admired by others as a way to express God’s love while resisting the trap of materialism. She is also passionate about collaborative giving, and takes part in several giving communities that invest in local ministries, not only with their finances, but with their time and talents as well.  

Major Topics Include:

• Making generosity your own
• Being stretched and challenged in generosity
• Wrestling the “elder brother” mentality
• What does it really mean to expect nothing in return?
• A Lenten generosity challenge
• Resisting materialism with generosity 
• Modeling generosity to your family
• The power of community giving to local ministries 
• Guarding against generosity burnout
• Hearing from the Holy Spirit through other people
• Creating a visual reminder to give generously

• “You can never outgive God. It’s going to come back to you 10-fold, 20-fold, 30-fold, 100-fold. And it may not be in dollars and cents, but it will be in joy.”
• “I love generosity because it makes sharing the gospel so easy.”
• “Expecting nothing in return means releasing the result and putting it in the Lord’s hand.”
• “We need to detach ourselves from things owning us so we can be stewards of the things God has given us.”
• “Generous tipping is one of the easiest ways to be an evangelist.”
• “I’m excited to chase God.”
• “I’m looking forward to God disrupting my life for new adventures.”

• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Young Life
• One Hundred Shares
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Luke 21:3-4 | The Widow’s Offering  

And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  

John 3:16 | The Ultimate Giver  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  

Luke 15:11-32 | The Prodigal Son  

Matthew 20:1-16 | The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

As production manager, Taylor walks through the Faith and Finance radio program and podcast from beginning to end, as well as their one-minute program on 1900 signals across the nation, to share the message of God as our ultimate treasure. He’s a frequent content creator for the FaithFi team and has much wisdom to share on many topics surrounding faith, generosity, and personal finance.  

Major Topics Include:

• Taylor’s discoveries about wealth in the Scriptures
• Approaching investing through a theological lens 
• Viewing every dollar as an opportunity to be generous
• A biblical view of eternal reward
• The “my value is in my money” identity crisis
• Practical steps for aligning your finances with the Kingdom
• Knowing God through Scripture for Kingdom-aligned financial decisions

• “When it comes to managing money God’s way, it’s not just attaching a Bible verse to a financial principle and calling it biblical. But it’s looking deeply at the story of the Bible and finding out what it has to say about money and how we relate to it.” 
• “I approach everything that comes through our accounts as belonging to the Lord and everything is an opportunity to be generous.”
• “We often think of eternal rewards as being merit based, but when we look at how God speaks about obedience in Scripture we realize that obedience is not our gift back to God, it’s actually God’s gift to us.”
• “It is God’s grace that enables us to obey Him.”
• “If our ultimate treasure is not God Himself and we’re more excited about what we’ll get from Him, I think we’re still fundamentally making the same mistake as worshiping money instead of Him.”
• “When we get to Heaven, I think we’ll find that we didn’t sacrifice at all, we simply let go of what was not eternal.”
• “God is our treasure. We utilize everything else as a tool to accomplish His purposes.”
• “Money promises us everything that God does, but doesn’t deliver on any of them.”
• “If we realize that our ultimate value is in God, we don’t see our money or assets as indicative of our value. But we recognize that we’re so valuable that God Himself died on a cross for us.”
• “God doesn’t need us, but He chooses to involve us in His work.”
• “I don’t think you can understand God’s heart for the world until you know God’s story.”
• “Debt obligates you to the past and prevents you from opportunity for the future.”
• “Peace-of-mind and security should never come from money.”
• “Financial security is a feeling because God knows my needs more intimately than I do. And if He can feed people with manna from Heaven, I think I’ll be fine.”
• “There’s currently 22 trillion dollars worth of assets managed by Christians in this country. Christians here have tremendous influence and opportunity to make God known.”

• FaithFi
• FaithFi Podcast and Radio Program
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Insight for Living
• More than Money Podcast with Art Rainer
• Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Eternal Perspective Ministries (see our interview with founder, Randy Alcorn)
• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
• Simple Money, Rich Life by Bob Lotich
• Undue Medical Debt
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Proverbs 13:22a | A Lasting Inheritance  

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,  

Malachi 3:10 | Put Me to the Test  

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.  

Philippians 2:13 | God’s Grace for Obedience  

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.  

Matthew 13:44 | The Parable of the Hidden Treasure  

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  

Luke 6:35 | Give Freely  

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 

Matthew 20:1-16 | Laborers in the Vineyard  

Ephesians 2:8-10 | By Grace Through Faith for Good Works  

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  

2 Timothy 3:16 | God-Breathed Scripture  

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  

Ephesians 3:20-21 | More than We Could Imagine  

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Mite is a giving fund that helps donors connect with trusted global projects while removing the guesswork that so often makes giving complicated. Their team researches and vets development projects around the world—spanning education, health, child development, disaster relief, and more—so that givers can confidently support causes they’re passionate about. And as those projects are completed, Mite goes the extra mile to bring the stories home, showing donors how their generosity has impacted real people and communities in more than 25 countries.

Madison stepped in as executive director at a young age and for nearly a decade she has seen God use technology, creativity, and faithful obedience to multiply impact and remind us that generosity is ultimately a celebration of what He is doing around the world.

Major Topics Include:

• The Watermelon Party Story
• How advancing technology brings donors to the field 
• The impact of the widow’s mite story on Madison’s life
• A deep dive into the vetting and reporting process
• How Mite discovers healthy organizations to partner with 
• Analyzing an organization’s theory of change
• The beauty of community in generosity
• Celebrating God in generosity

• “Generosity loosens greed, provides an opportunity to cultivate joy, and aligns us with God’s Kingdom values.”
• “Jesus made note of what the widow gave. And it had nothing to do with how much the widow was dropping in, but it had everything to do with where her heart was in her giving.”
• “There are thousands of fantastic organizations out there that just need financial backing and a cheerleader to come alongside them and help their mission succeed. So we didn’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel.”
• “Project at Mite isn’t considered completed until it’s been filmed.”
• “People have different passion areas which may change with the season they’re in, so people can generally find a Mite project that interests them now and in the future when their interests shift.”
• “Mite is doing our best to build community within what we do, but I have also seen as I visit our donors that they are building little pockets of community on their own with what their doing, and Mite just happens to be one of the vehicles they’re using.”
• “Generosity is an opportunity to celebrate with God in the work He’s doing on Earth.”
• “We know that if you start being generous when you have little, you’re highly likely to be generous when you have much.”
• “What we are after is what Jesus was after with the widow—we’re after the heart in generosity, not the amount that they’re giving.”
• “Don’t wait to arrive. Give now and watch what God can do with your giving.”

• Mite
• The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
• Impact Africa
• The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• Simple Charity (see our interview with CEO Brian Grasso here)
• Gospel Patrons (see our interview with founder John Rinehart)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Mark 12:41-44 | The Widow’s Offering  

Matthew 6:21 | Treasure from Your Heart  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

John 3:16 | God, The Ultimate Giver  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Over the last 33 years, that question has shaped Mike’s entire career. Today, he carries a special passion for helping those in or near retirement “finish their race strong” by aligning their financial plans with their spiritual calling. In Faith and Finances, Mike distills decades of wisdom to help believers embrace biblical principles for financial success and radical generosity. Along the way, he offers profound insights on discovering your personal calling, setting a financial finish line that frees you to give boldly, stewarding your time and resources with eternal purpose, and building a legacy that outlives you and points others to Christ.  

Major Topics Include:

• Mike’s journey through living out is faith in his finances
• Learning generosity and stewardship in community
• The importance of heart change on the stewardship journey 
• What does it mean to finish well?
• The five pillars of a faith-driven retirement
• Important conversations about legacy
• Advice for doing legacy well as a follower of Christ
• Estate mapping with families
• Tips for experiencing heart change
• Three steps of a Journey of Generosity experience
• Practical tips for setting a finish line
• Living out calling beyond the working years 
• Encouragement to keep growing and stretching in faith and generosity

• “Our industry is all about people getting the money thing right, and I think that’s fine and good. But I think what’s more important is getting the life thing right, especially in the second half of life.”
• “Ephesians 2:10 says that you were designed for good works, it doesn’t say that all bets are off once you’re retired. You’re meant to do good works until the end.”
• “We shouldn’t be asking God, ‘How much should I give?’ but rather ‘How much should I keep?’”
• “Does it take more faith to give while you’re here or after you’re gone?”
• “I don’t think the journey ever ends because God’s always working on our hearts.”
• “Giving breaks the power of money.”
• “Your best days can be ahead of you!”
• “Just take your next step with Jesus.”
• “Generosity is a muscle. The more you work it out, the stronger it becomes.”
• “God just wants to know that He can use you.”

• Faith and Finances by Michael Perez
• The ABC’s of Financial Freedom by Barry L. Cameron 
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• Christian Franchise Advisor Network (CFAN) with Ameriprise Financial
• Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Eternal Perspective Ministries (see our interview with founder, Randy Alcorn)
• Fields of Gold by Andy Stanley
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• Decade By Decade by Bobb Biehl
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Proverbs 27: 17 | Sharpened by Community   

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.  

Psalm 24:1 | God Owns It All  

The earth is the Lord‘s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,  

Ephesians 2:10 | Created for Good Works  

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  

Matthew 6:20 | Treasure in Heaven  

but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Starting out with an electrical engineering degree, David first served in tech support for a missionary aviation organization—work that eventually led him to leadership as general manager and later president. Today, he serves as the President and CEO of unfoldingWord, where he is pioneering a church-centered approach to Bible translation.

With more than 40 years of international leadership experience across cultures and sectors, David offers a rare perspective on how God weaves together innovation, missions, and radical generosity. Under his leadership, unfoldingWord is equipping local churches to translate Scripture into their own languages using open-source tools—shifting Bible translation from centralized projects to sustainable, grassroots movements led by the global Church.

Major Topics Include:

• Using business as a means to access Scripture and the gospel in challenging places
• The providential story of Unfolding Word
• Making the local church the hero of the story
• The seven key ideas of the Church-centric Bible translation model
• Turbo-charging church planting movements with Bible translation
• Why having Scripture in someone’s heart language is important
• Unfolding Word’s impact on the Bible translation ecosystem
• The benefits of the Creative Commons licensing model 
• Increasing Scripture engagement 
• Difficult lessons in trusting God

• “From Pentecost to Revelation, the entire narrative is about the church.”
• “How do we make the local church the hero of the story?”
• “If we ever hope to finish the Great Commission in our lifetime, we have to stand on the centrality of the Church.”
• “The Church operates in a healthy form as a complex network.”
• “Persecution often creates unity movements. People don’t care what your denomination or your background is. If you’re in the midst of persecution, you’re a loved and welcomed bother or sister in Christ.”
• “The most effective way to share the gospel is in the heart language.”
• “The heart language of a community is the language of weddings and funerals.”
• “Bible translation’s proper place belongs to the Church as a tool for discipleship and church planting.”
• “Our passion is to empower modern-day ‘Pauls’ and church planters to help them to complete the Great Commission.”
• “There is no Scripture engagement problem. It’s integral to church-centric Bible translation.”

• Unfolding Word
• Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
• Loving the Church, Blessing the Nations by George Miley
• 2414 Network
• Biblica
• Open Bible Stories
• What Happens When Christians and Muslims Translate Scripture Side by Side (Christianity Today)
• Every Tribe, Every Nation and IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• Letting Go – UnfoldingWord’s publication on licensing
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Revelation 7:9 | A Great Multitude from Every Nation  

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  

2 Timothy 2:2 | Teaching Teachers  

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Through ROI Ministry, Tim and his team identify the Top 10 ministries producing the greatest measurable kingdom impact per dollar, helping givers steward their resources with confidence and purpose. In his book, BOOM, Tim shares his own story as a living testimony that God can bring blessings out of brokenness and truly work all things together for His glory and our good.   

Tim was one of the very first guests on The Finish Line Podcast nearly four years ago, and much has changed since then—for ROI Ministry, for Tim, and for us here at Finish Line. In this conversation, Tim digs deeper into the heart of high-impact giving and reflects on what it looks like to trust God through both abundance and loss, offering wisdom for all who long to walk faithfully in the life of generosity.  

Major Topics Include:

• Making a difference from where you are now
• The need to be honest with God in tough times
• Moving from failure to fruitfulness
• Blessing others by letting them help you
• Hearing the Spirit’s leading in the midst of trials
• Seeking God in times of silence
• Giving from your mind as well as your heart
• Embracing both Spirit-led giving and cost-effective generosity
• A call to invest more in the local church 
• What to look for in a high-impact organization 
• Thinking through measurable Kingdom impact per dollar

• “God, what do you want me to do?”
• “My story is really about not giving up, because you don’t know what God is doing through times of refining and where He’s going to take you.”
• “It’s ok to want to give up as long as you’ve decided in advance that you’re not going to.”
• “Be honest with God.”
• “Ninety-seven percent of all Christian giving is going to nations that have already been evangelized, and less than one-third of one percent is actually making it to the billion lost, poorest people in the world who are 3,000 times more receptive to the gospel.”
• “I believe in testing God with the tithe.”
• “You will find joy, hope, and purpose in helping others in ways that make the greatest impact.”
• “If you have an opportunity to impact thousands of people rather than just a few, then impact the thousands.”
• “Eternity is going to be a long, long time, and the more people we impact here, the more we’ll meet over there. And not that we get the credit—God gets the glory. He just gives us the opportunity to be in the game.”
• “When you’ve been faithful, you know that you’re doing what God’s called you to do, and you’re doing it for the right reason, eventually you will see a harvest.”
• “As stewards of God’s wealth, are we encouraging others to do the same thing?”

• See our first interview with Tim Barker here
• BOOM: What To Do When Life Blows Up Around You by Tim Barker
• EQUIP
• ROI Ministry
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Ronald Blue and Co. (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Eternal Perspective Ministries (see our interview with founder, Randy Alcorn)
• Cru
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Proverbs 3:5-6 | Trust in the Lord  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  

Luke 21:1-4 | The Widow’s Offering  

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,  and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  

Matthew 22:37 | Love God with All You Are  

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  

​​1 Timothy 5:8 | Care for Your Family  

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.  

Malachi 3:10 | Put Me to the Test  

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.  

Matthew 25: 14-30 | The Parable of the Talents

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Michele is an avid learner and her deep curiosity has led her into many creative opportunities for giving. Through BraveWorks and Restoration Residences, Michele has impacted the lives of many trafficked, abused, and incarcerated women, as well as helped families in need transition out of homelessness. A self-identified connector and advocate, Michele is highly integrated in the generosity community and has a passion for helping others give well and invest with a generous heart.   

Major Topics Include:

• Finding creative opportunities to give
• Stories of serving and empowering women through BraveWorks
• Being a generous connector
• Committing to community in the generosity space
• Approaching investing from a heart of generosity 
• Stewarding investment and philanthropy dollars
• Practical advice to get started in impact investing
• Navigating various levels of engagement and responsibility in generosity
• Encouragement for women to engage in the generosity community
• Trusting God in the messiness of generosity 
• Hearing from God in stewardship decision-making

• “I felt like I had basically lived my life ignoring the plight of the suffering.”
• “It’s so important for us to become proximate to people who have different lived experiences than we do.”
• “Whether it’s somewhere across the world or across town, we can have really transformative experiences, even in our own community, but we have to be willing to be uncomfortable and humble and put on a willingness to learn from others.” 
• “A lot of times, I had no intentions of starting anything. I just took the next step that the Lord showed me.”
• “There’s something that’s healing when you recognize the struggle people have been through.”
• “It’s really inspiring to be in these spaces where people do have resources but they’re taking the humble perspective of ‘I’ve been entrusted with this, I really want to honor God.’”
• “If I wasn’t in this space where I was continually being challenged, I think it would be easy to just fall into the culture and the ways of the world.”
• “Too often, we only focus on our philanthropy and we don’t think about what we’re doing with our investment dollars, and oftentimes, the investment dollars are undoing the very things that we’re trying to do with our philanthropy. God calls us to steward all of what He’s entrusted to us in a way that honors Him.”

• BraveWorks (formerly Fashion and Compassion)
• Restoration Residences
• Cru
• Compassion International
• ALARM – African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Faith Driven Entrepreneur 
• Faith Driven Investor
• Faith Driven Foundation Course
• Praxis
• Praxis Capital Fellowship
• The Gathering
• Stewards Not Owners by Dana and Bill Wichterman (see our past interview here)
• Impact Foundation (see our interview with Founder, Aimee Minnich)
• The Table (via Impact Foundation)
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Infinite Giving
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

God then led Nathan through a series of transitions—from fast-paced ministry to the slower, more intentional shepherding of a congregation. Along the way, Nathan discovered the transformative power of doing life with God, not just for Him.  

Out of that journey came a passion: to create a space where pastors and leaders could themselves be pastored, nurtured, and restored. Following a sabbatical year, Nathan connected with Oasis Rest International, a nonprofit dedicated to providing safe, restorative environments for pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders in need of renewal.  

With over 25 years of experience in both pastoral ministry and business leadership, Nathan brings a deep understanding of the unique pressures leaders face—and the critical importance of sustainable rhythms in a life of service. His work sits at the intersection of soul care and generosity, and his commitment to investing in leaders’ longevity offers a unique and refreshing perspective on how to partner well with those in ministry.  

Major Topics Include:

• Building daily margins to spend time with God
• Letting Jesus teach the practice of rest
• Creating daily and weekly finish lines for healthy rhythms
• Learning the difference between working for God and working with God
• Asking: How much of yourself is enough to give in ministry?
• Embracing the concept of slowing down to move faster
• Exploring how rest and generosity intersect in relationships
• Finding practical ways to care for your spiritual leaders
• Combining “space” and “face” to minister refreshment
• Sharing stories of transformation through rest

• “If you’re not loving yourself or taking care of yourself and your immediate family, then how can you minister in any context?”
• “Leaders are really good at giving, but they don’t know how to receive.”
• “The presence of Jesus in that sacred space accompanied with a sacred face invited a holy moment that’s transformational.”
• “Once you’ve had the opportunity to be in a space, to unpack with a face, it’s like all these new Kingdom dreams start to come alive.”
• “There was a rhythm to Jesus that was so grace-filled and generous because he would often withdraw to lonely places.”
• “When I build time with God into my life, when I’ve rested in my own soul, suddenly I can engage with my family in a much more generous way.”
• “Working for God and working with God are totally different things.”

• Oasis Rest International
• The Overload Syndrome by Dr. Richard A. Swenson
• Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson (see our past interview here)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

1 Peter 3:19-20 | God’s Patience  

in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.  

Isaiah 55:1 | An Invitation to Refreshing  

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  

Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG) | Unforced Rhythms of Grace  

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  

Hebrews 13:17 | Care for Your Leaders  

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Years later, Chris transitioned from leading a large ministry in Peru to a career in wealth management in the U.S., carrying with him a bold goal: to help deploy a billion dollars for Kingdom purposes in his lifetime. Today, he works with clients to view their wealth not as something to own, but something to steward.  

Major Topics Include:

• Chris’s spiritual background and history on the mission field
• His broadened perspective on the world from life on the mission field 
• How he became a pastor at 18
• Viewing generosity from both sides
• How fundraising with his family on the mission field still impacts his life today
• His story of transitioning back to the US and getting into financial advising
• The importance of a finish line for financial advisors
• Encouraging clients to set a finish line 
• A steward, not an owner
• A walk through his yearly finish line thought process
• Generosity lessons from a Peruvian Christmas
• The story of his book and what is covers
• Security comes from God, not money
• Influencing the Church to generous giving
• A call to surrender your assets to God daily

• “Generosity is not measured by how much we give away, but how tightly we hold on to what we keep.”
• “The idea of enough is a fallacy, and it will never be reached.”
• “My goal in life is to deploy one billion dollars for Kingdom impact.”
• “You don’t need to wait to be wealthy to live generously. You need to decide that generosity is your wealth.”
• “We’re always going to need more unless we have a finish line.”
• “Generosity is not found in an amount, it’s found in a mindset.”
• “Invest what you can for the impact of someone else.”
• “Impact is the true dividend of wealth. And generosity is how you compound it.”
• “Don’t wait to give your money away from a pine box.”
• “How much am I willing to charge the Owner to steward His wealth?” 
• “God doesn’t need your money, He desires your heart. And generosity is the clearest map to where your heart really is.”
• “Surrender is not a one-time decision, it’s a daily choice.”

• Arkos Global Advisors (see our interview with founder, Jeff Thomas)
• Life Ranch
• Check What You Are Chasing by Chris Gardner
• ROI Ministry (see our interview with founder, Tim Barker)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

2 Timothy 2:2 | Teaching Teachers  

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Flourish Fund is a giving fund that channels pooled capital from givers alongside extensive problem area research to bring about large, system level change. Flourish Fund’s unique effectiveness is found in their focus on collaborative giving and cooperation between organizations, both faith-based and secular, who offer various approaches toward the same goal. Their first fund called Flourish Children and Families is focused on reimagining the foster care system, and they’ve already made impressive progress.  

Major Topics Include:

• Dan’s faith and career journey
• The story of Flourish Fund
• Traditional philanthropy vs Christian philanthropy 
• The need for growth in impact assessment in Christian giving spaces
• What Flourish Fund is about and how it works
• Tackling big social problems that matter to the heart of God
• Reimagining foster care in the US with Flourish Fund
• Building strategy and success evaluation into the fund structure
• The portfolio approach to collaborative giving
• Doing collaborative giving well
• Three strategic opportunities to move the needle in foster care
• Navigating collaboration between secular and faith-based organizations
• Knowing where to channel resources 
• Deciding where to focus next
• What to look for in a giving fund
• Tips or givers to engage with the problems that are on God’s heart

• “I became convinced that there was room in the marketplace for a new kind of Kingdom problem-solving institution that was trying to connect capital differently with social innovators who were trying to do good work in the name of Jesus.”
• “What might it actually take to move the needle?”
• “No individual organization, even if they are crushing it, is capable of solving a systemic problem on their own.”
• “How might we think differently about what is possible for what we can do together?” 
• “Collaborative giving is the next frontier of effective stewardship”.
• “We want to enable people to have proximity to the problem rather than putting distance between the giver and the receiver.”
• “We want to enable and strengthen local ecosystems of care that are anchored by the Church, working in partnership with community organizations, government, and volunteers doing different sets of things to meet the physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational needs of vulnerable kids and families.”
• “When Christians have been at their best through the ages, we’ve tended to build big tents and work with odd bedfellows. We have unique things that we can bring to bear, but we can’t to it alone so we have to figure out how to work with a bunch of different people, and if we can do that well, it will point people back to Jesus.”

• Flourish Fund
• Flourish Children and Families
• Flourish Children and Families Blueprint
• Al Mueller, Founder and President of Excellence in Giving (see our past interview here)
• Simple Charity (see our interview with CEO Brian Grasso)
• EIG Insights (see our interview with cofounder Kate Williams-Whitley)
• Praxis
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• Project Belong
• The Contingent
• Solving the World’s Greatest Problems
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

A turning point in Ron’s life came at a Generous Giving Conference, where God stirred something new in him—a vision for radical generosity and bold obedience. Since then, Ron has committed his life and work to listening for God’s voice and faithfully following where He leads, no matter how uncertain the path. His story is marked by courageous leaps of faith, remarkable provision, and a deep trust in God’s economy.  

Ron also shares his conviction that rest is a discipline, not a luxury—both for himself and those he serves. In this episode, he opens up about how cultivating rhythms of rest has helped him, his clients, and his community live more joyfully, generously, and purposefully.  

Major Topics Include:

• Ron’s early life on a Nebraska farm and faith background
• How he viewed money and wealth in his early career
• His introduction to generosity and biblical money principles
• Tanking leaps of faith in generosity
• Growing trust through obedience in giving
• How God speaks to Ron about generosity
• Learning rest through learning trust in God
• Creating a structure for sabbath rest in his life
• His sabbath plan and rest retreat for generous givers
• What his family sabbath plan looks like each week
• How sabbath rest has changed his work rhythm 
• What he wishes more people understood about generosity and rest
• Ron’s passion for faith driven investing
• Advice for using a giving account

• “If you’re listening and you’re following Him, He’s going to take care of you, give you unimaginable opportunities, and an adventure of a lifetime in the process.”
• “If you say ‘yes’ to God, He will take you on a journey that you will never regret going on.”
• “I asked everyone else how much to give, but I hadn’t thought about asking God.”
• “God was showing me He was in control of how much money I had.”
• “All I had to do was listen and obey, and He takes care of the rest.”
• “God takes us on a journey when we relinquish control.”
• “Generosity costs me a lot and gives me just as much in return.”
• “I think we’re supposed to give to what God cares about.”

• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Psalm 127:2-3 | He Gives His Beloved Sleep  

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  

Hebrews 4:1 | The Promise of His Rest  

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

The views and opinions presented here are for general illustrative and informational purposes only.They are not intended to be specific investment, tax or legal advice for any individual and should not be construed as such. Always consult a financial, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation. All information presented is believed to be from reliable sources, but we make no representations as to their completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance information is historical and not indicative of future results or performance. All investing carries risk including possible loss of principal. Securities offered by Registered Representatives through Private Client Services. Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory products and services offered by Investment Advisory Representatives through Plan A Wealth Management, a Registered Investment Advisor. Private Client Services and Plan A Wealth Management are unaffiliated entities.

Caleb and the Renown Publishing team have worked with many generous leaders and families to bring their generous stories to life. Caleb is adamant that everyone has an incredibly valuable story to share, and those stories are the most powerful way in which we speak into the lives of others.   

Major topics include:

• His story of faith and pursuing God’s unique call
• Shifting from journalism to becoming a fiction author 
• The need for stories of generous givers
• Helping families pass down a legacy of wisdom and experiences through story
• The calling to start Renown Publishing
• Writing books that catalyze the Holy Spirit’s movement in someone’s life
• Teaching to share their story in a way that’s compelling and honest through workshops
• Lessons of generosity and faith from working with families
• Learning from storytelling in Scripture 
• Advice for people beginning to explore their own story
• Caleb’s 18-month process of helping authors create an engaging story from their memories
• Stewarding your story well
• Being generous with your story
• Tips to start writing your story

• “A huge part of my life journey has been learning to see people the way God sees them.”
• “These people live as if Jesus is real.”
• “One of the most insidious things that enemy can do is to silence us to not share our story because that is where God gets the greatest glory.”
• “I want to get the right people with the right stories influencing society.”
• “Everyone else is looking for themselves in your story.”
• “When you go through the process of telling your story with great intentionality, it will do far more for you than what you think it will do for others.”
• “What your future generations need in great detail is how your values and wisdom were formed, because they need to get there on their own, and the way to do that is through story.”
• “We can learn more from our failures than our successes.”
• “You have never not had an incredibly important story.”
• “History informs, story transforms.”
• “We need to get to the point where we see our stories as God’s glory.”
• “Your story is someone else’s life raft.”
• “Legacy moves at the pace of relationship, relationship is tied to trust, and trust is tied to story.”

• Renown Publishing
• Impact Foundation (see our interview with Founder, Aimee Minnich)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Judges 6:1-8:35 | The Story of Gideon  

2 Timothy 1:7 | A Spirit Not of Fear  

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Johan brings a unique perspective as a faith-driven leader who channels private equity investment returns into longterm, sustainable generosity through an investment firm contained within a charitable foundation. From leading major corporate turnarounds to pioneering innovative giving platforms in South Africa, Johan’s life and work exemplify the intersection of strategic investing and radical generosity.  

Major topics include:

• Johan’s early life and faith background
• How becoming a pharmacist laid the foundations for what he does today
• Integrating faith into business and money management
• Strategically operating from the spirit realm in money and business
• Realizing that money can help build God’s kingdom
• The story of SAAD and the Tree of Life Foundation
• What it looks like to let God own your business
• Transitioning from health care insurance to financial services 
• The difference between working with God and letting God work through you
• Taking risks in Kingdom business
• Depending on God when you don’t know what you’re doing
• Investments that make an impact through business
• Weighing “return first” and “impact first” investing
• Using charitable capital through a donor advised fund
• The beauty of collective giving
• Thinking through investing versus giving
• How to leverage all that you have to be a part of what God’s doing

• “There’s only one way to be strategic, that is to operate in the spiritual realm. Otherwise, you are just reactive and tactical.”
• “The eternal perspective is ultimately the one that saves you.”
• “For God to work through you, you have to be dead.”
• “When you involve God in your business and make it His business and say, ‘I’m just here to work for You,’ then you actually complicate it to a large extent because you had better make sure that you know what the Shareholder wants.”
• “God is more interested in the character of the individuals that are involved in the company than about the results at the end of the day.”
• “We are called to take risks for the Kingdom.”
• “The best decisions I’ve ever made were based on what I did not know.”
• “Collaboration is everyone exchanging their personal dreams for one larger dream.”

• SAAD Investment Holdings
• Tree of Life Foundation
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Trustbridge Global (see our interview with Executive VP, Paul Bolte here)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

At CapinCrouse, Stan helps faith-based nonprofits strengthen their governance, strategy, and operations, and his mission-field experience provides a deep personal understanding of ministry challenges to his consulting work. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Crown Financial Ministries and now draws on over 35 years of experience to help organizations thrive with integrity and purpose.   

Stan is also passionate about leading his family in a legacy of generosity, Kingdom work, and entrepreneurship, and he is full of practical wisdom to guide people into doing the same in their own families.  

Major topics include:

• Stan’s remarkable backstory of faith and missions work in Alaska
• Navigating traumatic events and a crisis of faith
• Pivoting into bivocational ministry 
• Becoming CPA through Alaska Game and Fish
• Volunteering as budget coaches and seminar instructors with Crown
• Became chief financial officer at Crown Financial after 20 years volunteering
• Establishing rhythms and protocols for executive sabbaticals 
• Helping CFM transition from radio to sharing principle world wide
• Story of coming to work for CapinCrouse 
• Personal takeaways from leaders in the generosity space
• Their family’s journey to a financial finish line
• Equipping kids and grandkids for generosity 
• Developing family core values
• Their “family legacy experiment”
• What to look for in an organization as a donor

• “If I can’t be on the front lines of ministry in a remote setting, then I will be part of the supply chain, and I will do the best I possibly can to help those who can go and are willing to go to have the best administrative support possible.”
• “In many ways, I had to give up my passion to be a full time missionary and that was really difficult spiritually. But I came to understand that God had chosen to give us a child with disabilities, and that became my primary ministry.” 
• “I love that I get to continue to marry my passion for missions, for ministry, along with the accounting experiences that God’s given me, and I get to live the dream in an ongoing fashion.”
• “For me, the real learning came when I understood that God owns it all, not just the ten percent.”
• “Money really isn’t a big deal. You can lose all your money in a day, and you can get it all back in a day.”
• “Money is never the issue, it’s just an indicator of where the heart is.”
• “It’s one thing to have a legacy of faith that’s generations long, but it’s also exciting to be in that first or second generation. It comes back to our first guiding principle, that faith has to be personal and it has to be yours, not some family member’s that’s preceded you.”
• “Kingdom expands when you have more followers of Jesus who are committed to following Him in business, ministry or a combination. But it takes all of us working together to make sure the next generation is equally as passionate, committed, and engaged in Kingdom work.”

• CapinCrouse
• Injoy Stewardship Solutions
• Crown Financial Ministries
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Philippians 4:12-13 | The Secret of Being Content

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

The American Bible Society has a rich history dating back to 1816, and is involved in nearly every aspect of Bible work, from translation to global distribution to engagement and advocacy. Jennifer has an amazing perspective on the power of God’s Word, how it is moving in the world today, and how the Church can help people everywhere be transformed as they get more engaged with the Scriptures.  

Major Topics Include:

• Jennifer’s faith and career journey
• How she fell in love with Scripture
• Her surprise introduction to Bible translation through Wycliffe
• Leadership principles in unexpected Bible stories
• How God prepared her for work at American Bible Society
• An overview of American Bible Society’s 209 year history
• Helping people engage in the Scriptures 
• ABS’s framework of access, engagement, and advocacy
• Various aspects of Scripture access
• Their “end-to-end” process—a multimodal approach to Bible access and engagement
• The story and heart behind the ABS Trauma Healing Institute 
• Helping people overcome barriers to Scripture
• Finding solutions to inspire younger generations to engage with Scripture
• AI as a tool for Bible engagement
• How to move from Bible engagement to advocacy
• Creativity in Bible distribution in hard-to-reach places
• Effectiveness of a collective impact alliance in reaching Bible distribution goals

• “It wasn’t long after I finished college that God brought me to Wycliffe Bible Translators, and that opened up a whole world of understanding Scripture in a completely new way.”
• “I found that the more that I began to dig into Scripture, the more there was to discover.”
• “We want to move people from that place of just having access to the Bible and have them step into engagement, and that starts with curiosity.”
• “Today, we at the American Bible Society still get to be involved in translation and distribution, but we’re looking at the whole Scripture engagement journey and how we can come alongside the Church to support the ministry of helping people to take the next step with Scripture.”
• “We need to understand where Gen Z and Gen Alpha are coming from and what speaks to them as unique groups with unique values, preferences, and barriers that might keep them from Scripture. Then we can work together with the Church to help co-create solutions to reach that generation.”
• “There’s something amazing about having the Bible as a foundation that we can come together and have conversation around and learn from one another across faith traditions.”
• “Our vision is ‘God’s Word transforming all people.’ That’s what I want to see happening, and I think the more we can get the Church engaged and we can work together on this, I believe that it’s possible.”

• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• American Bible Society
• Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
• The Digital Bible Library
• Audio Video Translation Tool
• Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)
• LUMO Project Films
• Faith Comes by Hearing (see our interview with VP Morgan Jackson)
• Talking Bibles International
• Trauma Healing Institute
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• ETEN Innovation Lab
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matthew 13:1-23 | Parable of the Sower

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

That experience led her to Mission Mutual which serves as a backbone for multiple impact alliances in a variety of impact spaces. She has an incredible perspective on being founded and rooted in prayer, personally and as an organization, and the necessity of collaboration in the Great Commission arena. You won’t want to miss all she had to share!  

Major topics include:

• Laura’s early life, faith background, and early career
• The story of Seed Company’s donor funded prayer program
• Laura’s favorite outcomes from the prayer program
• Helping organizations develop a foundation of prayer
• The unique power of a collective impact alliance
• Key characteristics of a collective impact framework
• The story and vision of Mission Mutual
• Differences between a giving fund and an impact alliance
• What is a backbone service provider?
• Multiplying ROI in the Kingdom through collaboration 
• Why collaboration matters to donors
• Best practices for an alliance 
• Structuring a practice of prayer as the center point of alliance culture
• Raising up nearly 350,000 intercessors in the ETEN collective impact alliance
• Next steps for a giver to move toward an impact alliance
• What’s happening beyond Bible translation
• Creating a community giving circle

• “When God says go, you just go.”
• “As we give to something, our heart expands. And as we pray for something, it grows our heart to want to give.”
• “Prayer is not just a strategy. It is the strategy.”
• “Prayer is the catalyst for intimacy with God.”
• “Look at what God can do when we put aside our individual logos and agendas, and we pursue the collective power of what partnership can be when it’s united under a vision God has given His people to pursue and it’s rooted in prayer.” 
• “Generosity begets generosity.”
• “When we yoke together in unity, the collective impact capacity isn’t just doubled, it’s exponentially expanded.”
• “Prayer is one of the most generous things we can offer.”
• “God changes our hearts when we pray.”
• “Be a faithful steward of the brokenness that God has planted inside of you.”

• Mission Mutual 
• Seed Company (see our interview with CEO, Davis Powell)
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN)
• ACHIEVE (A Church in Every Village Everywhere)
• Close the Bible Gap
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Psalm 127:1a | The Lord Builds the House  

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.  

John 17:21 | Oneness in the Church  

that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  

Isaiah 60:3 | Drawn to Your Light  

And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.  

Ecclesiastes 4:12b | Strength in Unity  

a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  

Mark 16:15 | The Great Commission

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

John Moore Associates stands out for its deeply rooted emphasis on generosity—equipping clients not just to give more, but to give with greater clarity, joy, and impact. Under Brian’s leadership, the firm has cultivated a unique culture where values-based planning and practical financial advice go hand in hand.  

Brian offers powerful frameworks that help givers align their financial decisions with their deepest convictions. More importantly, he lives out what he teaches—modeling the joy and contentment that come from a generous life.  

Major Topics Include:

• Brian’s personal and spiritual background
• His journey from education to faith-based financial planning
• Coming to the intersection of faith and finance
• The great impact of John Moore’s mentorship
• Contentment as the start of good money management 
• Advice for finding contentment
• Frameworks for implementing contentment in personal and business finances
• Creating a culture of generosity with associates and clients
• The significance of tracking clients’ giving
• The problem of over-saving 
• Addressing the spiritual side of scarcity mindset
• Giving opportunities through tax liabilities
• Honoring God with your assets and income

• “Contentment is a key step to generosity.”
• “Contentment comes with more satisfaction than always striving for more.”
• “Can I continue to see all the abundance around me that other people have but say that I don’t need it?”
• “Allowing and encouraging clients to give away the assets that we would otherwise manage and charge fees on is very counter-cultural and counter-intuitive, but it’s the best part of what we do.”
• “When you oversave, you not only miss opportunities for giving, but you miss opportunities for living.”
• “I’ve never met somebody who said that one of their financial goals was to be greedy, and you fight greed with generosity.”
• “It’s way more fun to see a client give away seven figures than it is to see someone go through retirement or pay for their kid’s college education. Those things are great, but watching people satisfy generosity goals is where it’s at, and sometimes it takes dozens of conversations to get there.”

• John Moore Associates
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Russ Crosson (see our past interview here)
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

1 Timothy 6:6-7 | Godly Contentment  

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  

Proverbs 3:9 | Honor God with Income and Finances

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

BiblioNexus is a nonprofit tech company with the culture of a Silicon Valley start-up that is making waves in the Bible Translation space. BiblioNexus is a company of software experts in partnership with Bible translation experts working to build innovative solutions and try to move the needle in Bible translation.

Major Topics Include:

• John’s story of God’s relentless pursuit
• John’s introduction to the world of Bible translation
• Amplifying your generosity by choosing a focus area and investing relationship
• Using donor advised funds to help kids explore generosity
• An innovative tech approach to Bible translation
• AI’s role in Bible translation
• The goal to have Scripture in all heart languages by 2033
• The need for more Bible translation software apps for mobile phones

• “We felt the weight of the blessings we had received.”
• “We settled on the theme of ‘evangelism’ for our giving plan.”
• “There are 7,000 plus heart languages in the world and less than half of them have a Bible.”
• “I knew the Bible was the most translated book in the history of the world, but I had no idea that there was still Bible poverty.”
• “At the end of the day, the flywheel of discipleship and translation is study the Bible, understand the Bible, and then articulate it. That methodology is called FIA: familiarize, internalize, and articulate.”
• “God’s moving people to release their content into an openly licensed environment knowing that the aquifer is now a mechanism through which that content
• can be used worldwide.”
• “We want to have at least some Scripture available in all 7,000 plus heart languages by 2033.”
• “Only 40% of the world’s population lives near or has access to a power grid, but 96% of the world’s population has access to a mobile phone. So the mobile phone is a key technology being used, but little to none of the Bible translation related software products work on a mobile phone today.”

• BiblioNexus
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Renew World Outreach (see our interview with founders, the Paluskys)
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• ETEN Innovation Lab
• Aquifer.Bible
• Community Review Opportunities
• Bible Well
• SIL International (see our interview with Executive Director, Michel Kenmogne)
• Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Galatians 1:10 | Approval of Man or God?

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Luke 15:4-6 | The Lost Sheep

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’

Matthew 6:19-21 | Treasures in Heaven

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 28:19 | The Great Commission

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Major Topics Include:

• Their unique foundations for faith and generosity
• How they met and began their careers
• The mission, programs, and story of Hope International 
• Stories of God using Hope to change lives
• Misconceptions about addressing poverty
• Four domains of generosity impact—personal, spiritual, social, and material
• Approaching financial discussions together as a joyful challenge
• Tips for starting a financial accountability group
• Generosity through foster care
• Thoughts for people in ministry who want to be givers
• Participating in the “year of Jubilee” principles in a modern context
• When to give from the perspective of a nonprofit
• How to scheme with God

• Jesse: “Sometimes when we think about poverty, we think about material things like not having enough money. But for some people, poverty is also aloneness.”
• Jesse: “How can I save as much money as possible and put it to good use to create even more so that I can be generous with the world?”
• Krista: “Being raised in a pastor’s household, we were very conscious of how our money was spent, but at the same time, living in generous ways.”
• Krista: “If a group of individuals living in great poverty, all of whom are blind or visually impaired, can talk about their capacity for saving and giving, how can I not also have some capacity for saving and giving?”
• Jesse: “There’s a role for regular giving that keeps an organization moving, but it can be really impactful when a larger gift can be given to start something new or catalyze something in a much bigger direction.”
• Jesse: “No matter what your salary is, you can create distance between income and expense. And decisions you make about your expenses become your engine for saving, investing, and giving.”
• Jesse: “When we turn 50, what if we gave away 10% of our net worth, just our income in that year?”
• Krista: “There’s joy and fun when you’re being creative in giving. Even in a season when you don’t have much money, you can ask God to help you use what you’ve got.”
• Krista: “There’s joy in looking at a giving opportunity as a creative challenge to scheme with God.”

• Hope International (see our interview with founder, Jeff Rutt or CEO, Peter Greer)
• Alisa Hoober, on Creating a Strong Family Culture of Generosity and Mission (see our past interview here)
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Two Men with Money by Tim Keller
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Kate is brimming with helpful wisdom for nonprofits and givers alike on how to know they’re making a tangible and lasting difference with their efforts and generosity.   

Major Topics Include:

• Kate’s faith and professional background
• How a family legacy of generosity and a trip to Malawi shaped her career
• The story of EIG Insights
• The complexity of impact evaluation
• Kate’s process of helping nonprofits develop a theory of change
• Measuring spiritual development 
• The gift of impact data
• Thinking though impact as a giver
• Considering cost effectiveness in interventions
• Advice for givers on choosing the causes that matter most to them

• “What do I do well, what does the world need, and how can I merge those in way that shows the Kingdom of God on Earth?”
• “When we try to implement a solution internationally that sounds smart from our Western ideal or outsider view, it generally doesn’t go well.”
• “Something that works in one community isn’t guaranteed to work in another community at the same time because people are complex. But there are many ways to study and see if it’s working or not.”
• “I’m in this to help change lives and improve the overall human condition, and I think the most strategic way to do that is good data.” 
• “Anything that you can define well can be measured.”
• “I think impact data is the biggest gift you could give to a leadership team.”
• “For a nonprofit to work well, you need a fully aligned theory of change, a program model that makes sense, and data to know if it’s actually happening the way that you think it is.”
• “We shouldn’t be scared of measuring what God does.”

• EIG Insights
• Excellence in Giving (see our interview with founder Al Mueller)
• Compassion International
• Accord Research Network
• All Access Podcast
• All Access International (see our interview with founder, Lane Kipp)
• Dovetail Impact Foundation
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

In his book Happily Generous, Mike invites people to connect with God as the Great Giver, addresses the major barriers to generosity, and provides a spiritual framework to help people understand the tangible joy that comes from a generous life.  

Major Topics Include:

• Mike’s background and calling to vocational ministry
• Recognizing seeds of generosity in the midst of scarcity
• The cumulative effect of small, generous acts
• How God set the stage for what Mike does today
• Backstory and current goals of Christian Financial Resources
• Advice for experiencing happiness in generosity
• Translating God’s generosity into your daily life
• Growing in generosity while writing his book
• Tips to transition from a scarcity mindset to an abundant mindset
• Encouragement for pastors on the topic of generosity 
• An invitation to start each day with gratitude

• “If you trust Me for your salvation, can you trust Me for your finances too?”
• “We all have room to grow in the area of generosity, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been tithing since you were two years old or you’ve never given away a dime.” 
• “The road to happiness is paved with generosity.”
• “The manifestations of God’s generosity are endless.”
• “If we accept the premise that God’s the great giver and we’re crafted in His image, we will realize that generosity resides in our DNA. We are genetically designed to give.”
• “The happiest people I know are the most generous. And the most generous people I know are the happiest.”
• “Love gives.”

• Christian Financial Resources
• Happily Generous by Mike Kocolowski
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Deuteronomy 8:18 | The Power to Get Wealth  

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.  

Acts 20:35 | More Blessed to Give  

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  

James 1:17 | Every Good and Perfect Gift  

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.  

John 3:16 | He Gave His Only Son  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  

Romans 12:2 | Renew Your Mind  

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  

Psalm 23:1 | Lacking Nothing  

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  

Matthew 6:26 | Fed by the Father  

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  

John 10:10 | Abundant Life  

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Now, Karla is passionate about breaking generational cycles of scarcity and fostering a generous culture in her own home. She invites people to express generosity in multi-dimensional ways, and facilitates connection and spiritual growth in unexpected outreach avenues.  

Major Topics Include:

• Karla’s faith and cultural background
• How her generosity journey began with a single email
• Learning about the nature of God through her generosity awakening
• Comfort and hope in total dependence on Jesus
• A walk through the Women Doing Well process that revolutionized Karla’s mindset
• A view of generosity and money in a Hispanic context
• Growing out of generational scarcity into a culture of generosity
• Discovering the power of constant prayer through running
• How starting a faith-based running group became an outreach opportunity 
• Generosity as more than money
• Practical ideas for exercising relational generosity

• “I didn’t have a generous bone in my body.”
• “We are absolutely dependent on Jesus.”
• “There comes a point when you have to make a decision—do I want to return to the person I used to be, or am I courageous enough to change and become the person I didn’t know I needed to be?”
• “You have to decide if you are going to be a consequence of your background or you want to create a new generational story.”
• “When you give spontaneously in response to the Spirit, you never miss that money.”
• “When I decided to stop holding on so tightly to all the things I thought I could control and I thought belonged to me, a whole new world opened.”
• “The dependence on God is what makes the whole thing exciting.”
• “Generosity is not just money. Money is a great way to express generosity, but there is so much sacrifice in other things too.”

• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Luke 16:13 | God Or Mammon?  

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Mary Helen is passionate about empowering single women to integrate their faith and finances. She actively participates in the stewardship and singles ministries at her church and offers practical advice that you won’t want to miss!   

Major Topics Include:

• Mary Helen’s faith background and career journey
• Integrating faith and finances in the unique culture of Blue Trust
• Being the only woman in the Houston office
• How her struggles led into ministry
• Common barriers to generosity for spenders and savers
• Viewing singleness as an asset in generosity 
• Navigating the search for purpose and contentment in the single season
• Mary Helen’s experience setting a finish line as a saver
• The importance of talking about money in the Church

• “We are called to generosity not because God needs our money, but because He wants to do something through us.”
• “The way you know you care about a mission is if you pass it on to someone else.”
• “In the moments when I feel different, I remember that at the end of the day, these men and I have Christ in common. We’re all Believers, and that’s the most important thing about us.”
• “Jesus asked more questions than He answered. So as financial advisors, we follow that model to get to the heart level.”
• “I had to learn contentment in the stage and season of singleness that God had for me before I could move into a more open-handed, generous space with my own finances.”
• “I didn’t find the answer I was looking for, that marriage was guaranteed or promised to me, but what I did find was a good God who loves me and has provided for me.”
• “We get the opportunity in singleness to see the beauty of following Jesus and to have Him, and in having Him, to truly have all that we need.”

• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Blue Trust (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• God and Money (see our interviews with coauthors Greg Baumer and John Cortines)
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• 7 Myths About Singleness by Sam Allberry
• Compass Financial Ministries (see our interview with CEO, Brian Holtz)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Hebrews 10:39 | Don’t Shrink Back  

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.  

1 Timothy 6:17 | Set Your Hopes on God  

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.  

Psalm 37:4 | Delight in the Lord  

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  

Psalm 34:10 | Seek the Lord  

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.  

Psalm 23:1 | The Lord Provides  

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  

1 Corinthians 7:6-8 | Better to be Single  

Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.  

Matthew 28:20b | I Am with You Always  

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.  

1 John 1:7 | Fellowship in the Light  

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Jeff acts as a guide to help givers navigate the more nuanced and complex non-cash gifts. He is overflowing with practical wisdom, powerful giving strategies, and a passion to help people become faithful stewards of what God has given them to manage. You don’t want to miss all he has to share! Major Topics Include:

• Jeff’s early career and coming to faith
• How Jeff connected to NCF
• Amplifying the effectiveness of generosity through non-cash gifts
• What makes a non-cash gift so powerful
• Examples of counseling someone through giving complex assets
• Thinking through when to give a large asset
• The nuances of giving a business

• “Whose likeness and inscription is on you?”
• “I feel like the Lord has given me the blessing of doing work that He’s fitted me for.”
• “By giving the non-cash asset, you’re really supercharging the impact you can have.”
• “Stewardship isn’t just how much you give, it’s also how you give. And if you can give in a certain way that has a 40% extra impact, then that’s something to consider.”
• “We’re not here to replace your advisor. We’re more like a sherpa that’s walked the mountain, and we can point out the best places to walk.”
• “I really don’t care what kind if gift somebody makes. I want them to be informed so that they can be faithful with what they have.”
• “The big transactions don’t excite me as much as the transforming ones.”

• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matthew 22:21b | You Belong to God

Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Romans 8:28 | Work Together for Good

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

John 12:1-8 | Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

Ephesians 2:4-10 | By Grace through Faith

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Now, as the leader of Compass—an international ministry focused on equipping people to handle money God’s way—Brian helps thousands of individuals and families embrace biblical financial principles. Through small group studies, resources, and one-on-one discipleship, Compass empowers givers to live in financial freedom and generosity, rooted in God’s truth.

Brian brings a wealth of practical insight for listeners at every stage of their giving journey. From inviting God to write your budget to teaching your kids about money, Brian’s message is deeply rooted in Scripture and rich with wisdom.

Major Topics Include:

• Brian’s journey to financial faithfulness
• Asking God to write your budget
• Solutions in Scripture for every aspect of life
• God’s five priorities for money
• What it really means to give your first fruits
• Growing in your reliance on God through generosity
• Financial discipleship
• Planning for retirement
• Advice for enjoying God’s abundant blessings
• Helping couples get on the same page financially
• Sharing biblical financial principles with your kids

• “If this is really something I believe, this is not something I can just do on the weekends.”
• “I wonder how God would write my budget.”
• “We forced our spending to match our values.”
• “God never asks for the leftovers.”
• “Even if generosity can’t be the top item on our list today, that should be the long term goal.”
• “How can I grow in my reliance on God and push my generosity to a point that I have to trust Him?”
• “To accomplish what God has called me to do, how much do I need to keep?”
• “What is God’s purpose in this financial decision?”

• Compass Financial Ministry
• Crown Ministries
• Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• No More Excuses by Tony Evans
• Financial Discipleship for Families by Brian Holtz
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Psalm 24:1 | The Earth Is the Lord’s  

The earth is the Lord‘s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,  

1 Chronicles 29:28a NIV | David Enjoyed Long Life and Wealth  

He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor.  

2 Kings 13:14-19 | Joash and Elisha  

Psalm 139:23 | Search Me  

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

At Blue Trust, Bethany empowers women to grow confident in their finances, identity, purpose, and passions through a holistic approach to financial planning that serves as a tool for personal growth and empowerment. In her leadership role within Blue Trust’s women’s initiative, she fosters a welcoming space for open dialogue about the integration of faith and finances, encouraging women to share their experiences and build meaningful connections that bridge practical wealth management with a purpose-driven, values-based life.  

Major Topics Include:

• Bethany’s backstory of her faith and calling
• Being a woman in leadership in a mostly male profession
• Open doors that led her from administrative assistant to financial advisor
• Integrating faith and finances as a couple
• Development of the Women’s Initiative at Blue Trust
• Serving women well as an organization
• Advice for professionals wanting to start their own women’s initiative
• Walking through biblical wisdom around finances with a client 
• Engaging women in financial conversations
• Her soon-coming book about faith, identity, and finances
• The “Giving Grid” concept

• “God has gifted us all with unique skills and abilities, and if we don’t walk in the path that He has laid out for us, we’re going to miss out and others will too.”
• “God truly owns it all. He doesn’t just own the part that I’ve carved out for the tithe, but He owns every bit of our lives.”
• “If women had someone to speak life or possibility into them, what could God do?”
• “There is power in women being invited in.”
• “God doesn’t actually need our money, it’s about our hearts and how He’s working inside of us.”
• “It’s important to get away from the transactional mentality to figure out how we can impactfully build a generous heart into our children in this culture.”

• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Blue Trust (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• The Eternity Portfolio by Alan Gotthardt
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Proverbs 16:9 | The Lord Establishes  

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.  

1 Corinthians 16:2 | Save As You Prosper  

On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Ruth is passionate about being generous with both home and family and looks for opportunities to practice hospitality for friends and loved ones. She is full of practical wisdom in hospitality, and through her book and TV show, Ruth shares how you can intentionally cultivate your home into a place of blessing and generosity for your family and all who come through your door.  

Major Topics Include:

• Ruth’s family legacy of evangelism and missions
• What defines a home?
• How God shifted her from law to house-flipping 
• Finding identity in Christ, not occupation
• Creating an intentional family culture
• Choosing your own family traditions
• Stories of how the Lord sustained them in difficult times
• Involving her children in hospitality 
• Practical tips to grow in hospitality 
• Pushing through when you don’t feel like being hospitable 
• Finding purpose and identity after children leave home
• The miraculous story of Ruth’s book and TV show

• “The Lord has not wasted one thing that He grew in me.”
• “The building is not the home, the family is.”
• “Every person has a family culture, but will you be intentional in creating yours?”
• “It’s not about performance or perfection, it’s about loving people well.” 
• “You don’t understand the blessing you receive in blessing others until you step into obedience.”
• “What are you 100% depending on the Lord for?”
• “Everyone’s hungry for home.”

• Hungry for Home by Ruth McKeaney
• Watch At Home with Ruth McKeaney on Homeworthy
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Psalm 57:1 | Refuge In God  

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Drew developed a passion to use his unique perspective on generosity to empower his generation to give freely and give with a purpose. As the CMO of I Like Giving, Drew is particularly involved in the more recent introductions of Generous Family and Generous Classroom, including the Generous Kids Book Club, fostering the next generation of givers through children’s books and curriculum for Chirstian schools.  

Major Topics Include:

• Drew’s story of calling as a young teen
• Seven expressions of generosity
• Being aware of daily opportunities to be generous
• Generosity as evangelism
• The innovation and creativity of Gen Z
• The story of I Like Giving
• Reaching children with the heart of generosity 
• Advice for parents to cultivate a generous environment at home
• Inspiring stories of everyday generosity

• “Generosity begins in the mind. It’s choosing to think well of others, to assume the best, and focus on who we can be a blessing to.”
• “Words have the power to bring life and death, to build or to break. But I think if we can choose to uplift, encourage, and inspire others with our words, there could be something powerful at hand.”
• “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.”
• “Generosity is the love language of Jesus.”
• “Generosity is love with boots on.”
• “Generous people trust God to provide.”
• “Live the kind of lifestyle that’s focused on others.”
• “If you can experience the love of Jesus, you will overflow with generosity.”

• I Like Giving
• Generous Classroom
• Generous Family
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

1 Corinthians 13:3 | Nothing without Love   

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.  

John 3:16 | God’s Love  

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  

Ephesians 3:17-19 | Love Beyond Knowledge  

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  

Matthew 6:21 | Heart and Treasure  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Courtney’s path into the realm of stewardship began with her own stewardship journey. After working as a fashion designer for several years, she sought help to heal her relationship with money at a deeper level. This transformative experience led her to become a financial counselor, and she has since developed a thriving ministry that helps others align their financial decisions with God’s values.  

Major Topics Include:

• Courtney’s background and stewardship story
• Gaining a heart perspective on money
• Helping people explore the emotional and spiritual side of money 
• Verses that have influences Courtney’s view of wealth
• Encouraging local pastors and church leaders in financial discipleship 
• Common misconceptions about stewardship and wealth
• Navigating risk as a good steward
• Steps to living like Jesus with your finances
• Impactful stories from her podcast
• Tips for making generosity personal

• “I find that as people journey with Jesus, they eventually find themselves back to how He initially designed them.”
• “Maybe all my money problems don’t have anything to do with my income and have everything to do with me.”
• “You don’t have to have millions to be generous, you just need something in your hand to give away.”
• “It’s easy to have a gospel conversation if someone is willing to have a money conversation.”
• “Generosity is not a math equation.” 
• “Lord, I’m willing to be made willing.”
• “Is more money your end goal?”
• “Learning how to live like Jesus with your money takes a lifetime of living.”
• “We have to do the heart work to prepare us for the mission work.”
• “If you didn’t make decisions based on money and only made decisions based on obedience to God, what would your life look like?”

• The Center for Financial Discipleship
• The Heart of Money Podcast
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Psalm 24:1 | The Earth Is the Lord’s  

The earth is the Lord‘s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,   

Matthew 13:1-23 | Parable of the Sower  

Mark 12:41-44 | The Widow’s Offering  

John 6:1-14 | The Feeding of the 5000  

Luke 3:1-14 | “What Then Shall We Do?”   

Matt 6:24 | God and Money  

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Christina also started Miracle Hope Foundation, a nonprofit with a focus on helping veterans physically heal from service-related injuries. Her combined experience as a family estate trustee, financial planner, and founder of a nonprofit has allowed Christina a comprehensive view of all the aspects of stewardship and generosity.  

Major Topics Include:

• Christina’s story of faith and calling
• Story of how fundraising introduced her to the joy of generosity
• Thoughts on managing money in a family context
• Approaching generosity in lean times
• Family relational health in financial planning
• Generosity and love languages
• The story of Heart of Generosity
• Helping veterans heal through Miracle Hope Foundation
• Finding community as a single woman in the generosity space

• “When a family’s relational health is strong, the giving strategies can be so much better.”
• “If I can help families redirect just one percent to the Kingdom, that’s a massive impact.”

• Heart of Generosity
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Bill High, Legacy Advisor and Founder of The Signatry (see our past interview here)
• Gospel Patrons (see our interview with founder John Rinehart)
• Miracle Hope Foundation
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Called to teach financial principles at his church, Wendell immersed himself in everything he could find on biblical stewardship. For decades, he has faithfully given and guided others in generosity—leading seminars, mentoring believers, and eventually pastoring a church. Overflowing with biblical wisdom, practical financial insights, and an inspiring passion for stewardship, Wendell equips and challenges others to embrace a life of radical generosity.  

Major topics include:

• Wendell’s journey of faith and career
• How God guided him to embrace and teach generosity
• Transformative financial principles that reshaped his life
• Applying the concept of a financial finish line
• Weighing the impact of giving now versus later
• Biblical wisdom on balancing discretion and openness in generosity
• Debunking common misconceptions about giving
• Encouragement to take the next step in your generosity journey

• “I found out that tithing really was for my benefit to help me keep my life in order with God in first place.”
• “Whether we’re talking about giving, earning, or debt, we’re talking about handling God’s resources.”
• “Steady plodding in giving compounds over time.”
• “Our treasure leads our heart. When we continue to live a life of generosity, our heart continues to be drawn closer and closer to the Lord.”

• The Treasure Principle (see our interview with author Randy Alcorn)
• Money, Possessions, and Eternity (see our interview with author Randy Alcorn)
• Christian Financial Concepts (later Crown Financial Ministries)
• Your Finances in Changing Times by Larry Burkett
• How to Manage Your Money by Larry Burkett
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Malachi 3:8-10 | Put Me to the Test  

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.  

Deuteronomy 14:23 | Learn to Fear of the Lord  

And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.  

Deuteronomy 8:18 | The Power to Get Wealth  

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.  

Matthew 6:3-4 | Give to the Needy in Secret  

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  

Mark 12:41-44 | The Widow’s Offering  

Acts 4:36-37 | An Open Offering  

Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.  

1 Chronicles 29:9 | Whole-Hearted Giving  

Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.  

Matthew 5:16 | Good Works Glorify God  

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  

Proverbs 21:5 | Diligence Brings Success  

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.  

Matthew 6:21 | Your Treasure Leads Your Heart  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

With a deep calling to empower global church leaders, Lauren now serves as Director of Development and Marketing with Equipping Leaders International, which provides theological training to indigenous pastors across 38 nations. Along this journey, she became increasingly aware of the vital role of women in fueling Kingdom work through generosity. This realization inspired the founding of the Lydia Network—a nationwide movement equipping and empowering women to step boldly into their God-given calling as givers. Today, the Lydia Network unites women from all backgrounds, mobilizing them as catalysts for the extraordinary work God is accomplishing around the world.  

Major Topics Include:

• Lauren’s inspiring backstory
• Gaining the pinhole-to-panoramic view of missions
• Why Lauren is so passionate about women givers
• The Lydia Network story
• The desperate need for theological resources and training for global church leaders
• The cost of training and equipping indigenous pastors
• Powerful stories of how God is moving in the nations 
• Encouraging women to help fulfill the Great Commission through giving
• Crossing denominational, racial, and generational lines to further the gospel
• Stories of women leveraging their passions and skill sets to enable generosity
• What’s ahead for the Lydia Network

• “Long before I ever knew God, God knew me.”
• “We get the privilege of living this adventurous, generous life with God. God has that for His daughters and He wants them to live whole-heartedly.”
• “About 95% of global church leaders have no theological training.”
• “If you transform a leader, you transform a church. If you transform a church, you transform a community.”
• “God is building the next movement of generosity in the Church.”

• The Lydia Network
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Equipping Leaders International
• When Women Give by Kim King
• The Generosity Gap by The Barna Group
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Polished Network
• Women & Work by Courtney Moore
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

2 Timothy 2:2 | Making Disciples  

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”  

2 Corinthians 9:8 | Sufficiency in All Things  

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.  

Matthew 18:20 | There I Am  

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Brian and his wife, Mary Ellen, have also begun many works as generosity mobilizers. In partnership with many other organizations, these works are helping to improve the lives of millions in Africa and around the world by providing solutions for basic needs and sharing the Gospel. Brian is overflowing with stories of generosity and risky faith that are sure to build faith and inspire.  

Major Topics Include:

• Brian’s transformative salvation story
• Seven simple, biblical keys to generosity
• Why to separate your giving money from your living money
• How he and he wife give according to God’s blessings
• How living with a finish line prepared him for life with a pastor’s salary
• The evolution of the modern generosity movement
• Becoming a “donkey for Christ” in Africa
• The magnifying impact of partnerships
• Tips for staying focused when you’re growing tired

• “Generosity is God’s crazy mathematics. when you honor God, you’re inviting Him into your financial life.”
• “God helps you in ways you can’t even imagine.”
• “You cannot buy your way to contentment. Contentment doesn’t come from getting everything you want; it comes from being thankful for everything you already have and sharing it.”
• “I have one goal in life: to one day hear ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’”

• Global Generosity Pledge
• 30-Day Devotional and 40-Day Devotional (Generosity Pledge)
• Gospel Lights
• Sandi House
• Healthy Charity
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Crown Financial Ministries
• Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Generosity Path
• Generous Church (see our interview with founder Patrick Johnson)
• Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Faith Driven Investor
• Faith Driven Entrepreneur
• Christian Economic Forum
• Compass Financial Ministries
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Ephesians 4:28 | A Thief No More  

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.  

John 7:38 | Rivers of Living Water  

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”  

1 Corinthians 16:2 | First-Fruits Giving  

On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.  

1 Timothy 6:6-7 | Contentment

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Alisa Hoober has been connected with Hope International since her elementary school years. During that time, her family and church began partnering with a sister church in Ukraine, which laid the groundwork for Hope's mission today. Through family trips abroad and a strong foundation of biblical values, Alisa was raised in a culture that emphasized stewardship, generosity, and contentment.  

As an adult, Alisa spent 10 years on Hope International staff before transitioning to spend more time with her young children. Currently, Alisa serves on several boards, including that of Hope International, and is actively involved in the generosity community alongside her husband. She has valuable insights to share about finding one's calling, establishing priorities, raising generous children, and setting a financial finish line.  

Major Topics Include:

• Learning and teaching the principles of “Earn, Save, and Give”
• Growing in generosity as a couple
• Intentionally raising children in a culture of generosity
• Balancing motherhood with other meaningful passions
• Practicing generosity through hospitality
• Practical tips for traveling to the nations with children
• How to know where God has you right now
• When to say yes to something new and the self-care of saying no
• The challenge of raising kids with a heart of contentment in a world of consumerism

• “How can we be generous with our whole selves?”
• “Generosity can be huge and generosity can be really simple.”
• “When we can learn from each other and spur each other on in living generously and giving cheerfully, we all are better for that and grow from it.”
• “The best way to figure out how to be a good steward is to ask the Owner.”
• “It’s a calling to love God, to love others, and to live generously.”
• “When we practice generosity, we see growth.”
• “The joy of giving is contagious.”
• “At the root is a heart of contentment.”

• Hope International (see our interview with founder, Jeff Rutt or CEO, Peter Greer)
• Tomorrow Clubs
• Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
• Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
• Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
• I Like Giving
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Matthew 6:19-21 | Treasures in Heaven

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

In particular, Sawyer is the maker of the world’s most advanced personal water filter which is now providing clean water access to some of the hardest to reach parts of the world. Sawyer produces and gives millions of filters annually around the world through partnerships with over 140 nonprofits, many of whom are equipped to share the gospel. Sawyer was also a forerunner in the research that led to the development of insect repellent mosquito nets which have saved thousands of people from malaria around the world.  

Major Topics Include:

• Kurt’s faith and professional journey
• The story of how Sawyer came to be
• Lessons from the first difficult decades of the company
• How Kurt got involved in repellants, mosquito nets, and sunscreen
• Four lesser-known ways to give from your business
• What makes Sawyer water filters unique
• The impact of pairing clean water access with the gospel
• A framework for aligning a for-profit company with life-changing impact

• “With tithing, 10% isn’t the limit, it’s the starting point.”
• “God helped you build that business, now what are you gonna do with it?”
• “If you have a big God, you can do big things.”
• “Know your skill sets. If you’re going to do something big, it’s within your skill sets.”

• Sawyer
• The Bucket Ministry (see our interview with founder Christopher Beth)
• Mission Drift (see our interview with author Peter Greer)
• Filter Best Practices
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.

Davis now serves as the CEO of Seed Company, a Bible translation company with two primary focuses—collaboration with other Great Commission organizations and impact acceleration with the help of indigenous community leaders and technology. Davis was full of stories about how fast the work of Bible translation is moving, with a particular emphasis on the brand new integration of AI into the process. You won’t want to miss this one!  

Major Topics Include:

• The history and heart behind Seed Company
• How Bible translation models have changed in recent years
• The challenge of engaging hard-to-reach language communities
• Empowering indigenous communities to work together toward full Bible translation
• Working with indigenous speakers to tailor the process for their community context
• A walk through of the cyclical, community-centric translation process
• Transformative stories from working with non-believing translators
• AI as a tool in Bible translation
• Collaboration with other translation agencies
• Exciting projections for Bible translation in the next decade

• “Missionaries have to deal with borders, the Word of God doesn’t. Missionaries have to figure out how to start the church; the Word of God gives the perfect blueprint for starting the church.”
• “When the Word of God is planted, it transforms everything.”
• “We can, in our generation, see the Word of God get to every language community. But may it not be said that we didn’t let the Word of God be in our heart language.”
• “Scripture must be clear, accurate, natural, and acceptable.”

• Seed Company
• Young Life
• Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
• Unto
• Operation Christmas Child
• International Mission Board (IMB)
• Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)
• Faith Comes by Hearing (see our interview with VP Morgan Jackson)
• Meta–No Language Left Behind
• IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
• The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group

Proverbs 3:5-6 | Trust In the Lord  

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.  

Psalm 19:1 | Creation Declares His Glory  

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

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