Yes, Your Work Matters. Yes, Even Yours

A young man recently contacted me via social media with a profound question. He stumbled upon a video clip from our Meaning Over Money podcast where I talked about how all work matters because it adds value to others. When he heard this, he started to question his own career choices. It's not because he hates his job.... it's the opposite, actually. And it's not because he doesn't make a decent living.... it's the opposite, actually. His pondering came from a place where he needed to know if his work actually adds value to others.

He's a video game streamer. Yes, he plays video games for a living. He plays while people watch him on the internet. He livestreams his play on Twitch and TikTok, and publishes the full videos on YouTube after the fact. He's 22 and made "around $200,000 last year."

What do you think? Does his work matter? Does it actually add value to people's lives? Do you believe what he does is silly and a waste of time? Do you feel like he's wasting his life away? Do you think it's ridiculous someone like him can generate nearly a quarter million dollars per year? If I were to survey each of you, I suspect there would be a wide array of answers. Answers ranging from "he's a loser" to "he's my new hero."

Here's what I told him. Of course his work is adding value to others. Otherwise, thousands of people wouldn't pay him to be a member of his community, and people wouldn't spend tens of thousands of hours watching his videos. At the heart of it, he's an entertainer. He's funny, engaging, and shockingly enjoyable to watch. He provides people with laughs and light-hearted content when they come home from a tough day. But it goes deeper than that. He's creating genuine community. Not just for himself, but for thousands of people who follow him. When you spend even a few minutes watching his channel, it's clear there's a core group of people who know and care about each other. He created that. He took an interest (video games), and widely available tools (his computer and a few social media platforms), and combined it with his gifts (humor, engagement, and empathy), to create something that matters. Something that adds value to our culture. Something that gives people a place to belong.

Yeah, his work matters. It sure does matter. It matters a ton to a lot of people. It doesn't matter what you or I think of his work. To the people he serves, he's adding a ton of value. His work matters. That's why it's his work, and not yours/mine. It's the beauty of work that matters. We each have the opportunity to carve our own path. This young man did it in his own unique way, and we each get to do the same.

You Aren't For Everyone

My social media manager, Claire, recently decided we must invest heavily in LinkedIn content. Over the last several years, I've completely neglected that platform. Not because I don't believe in it, but rather because engaging on that platform is really uncomfortable for me. It's uncomfortable because that's where my new career intersects with my old career. There's no more apparent sign of how much different my life is today than 5 years ago than when I cross so directly with my old world. But alas, Claire wins these types of debates and has started the execution of her new strategy. She's doing a great job, by the way! If interested, you can connect with me on LinkedIn HERE.

As part of my newfound engagement on that platform, I've found myself scrolling through the lists of "people I might know." Through this process, I stumbled upon so many people I do, in fact, know. I see their names, get excited, and click the "connect" button. There's a part of me that's confused why I wasn't already connected with them, but oh well. Click, click, click. After excitedly clicking name after name after name, I had an epiphany. I wasn't connected with some of these people because they intentionally disconnected me. In other words, I'm trying to friend people who just unfriended me. Awkward.....

My gut reaction is to feel sad, or betrayed, or maybe just confused. Then, I have a moment of clarity where I realize it's probably not personal. What I'm doing and what I'm publishing just isn't for them. I was a worthwhile connection for them in my private life, but perhaps not today. It doesn't mean I'm less than, of no value, or completely discarded. Instead, I think it's a clear sign that what I'm bringing to the table is much different than what it used to be. I can respect them for that.

This is an important lesson we must all internalize. I'm not for everyone. You aren't for everyone. I'm here to serve those who wish to be served, and you are, too. If someone wishes not to be served by me, that's 100% ok. In fact, some of my closest friends and family members have zero desire to be served by my content, services, or products. On the flip side, I get weekly DMs and e-mails from strangers all over the world, sharing how influential our work has been in their lives. If I'm dwelling on those who don't care what I'm doing, it's robbing time, attention, and creativity to serve those who deeply care about being served.

Whatever you're doing, just remember, you aren't for everyone. But you are for someone. And you matter a LOT to them! Lean into those someones and add as much value as you can to their lives. That's where your impact and legacy lives.

"Daddy is Helping People"

I didn't become a parent until I was 35 years old. One of the benefits of not becoming a parent until later in life is it allowed me to watch everyone around me parent. As I watched, I noticed one trend that disturbed me. Kids would freak out when their parents went to work. To an extent, I understood this. Kids want to be with their parents.....period. However, I noticed something else. Whenever the topic came up, it was communicated in some variation of the following: "I have to go to work." 

Two things stand out about this phrase. First, "have to" designates it's not a choice. The parent must do it, even if they don't want to. Work = bad. Second, the word "work" doesn't have much context. Small children may not fully understand this word, and later it will be merely understood by the child as a "job," or something you do for money. 

I decided to change the narrative when I became a father. From the time Finn and Pax were babies, we never used the phrase "go to work." Instead, it was always "go help people." When the kids eventually began to verbally converse, Sarah didn't say, "Daddy has to go work." It was, "Daddy is helping people." It may sound like I'm splitting hairs, but the difference is staggering.....especially for kids. 

My kids don't always like when I leave to "go help people," but they understand it at a deeper level. They know I do it because a) I want to help people, b) helping people is a good thing, and c) helping people results in money that we can use to pay the bills, give, and do fun things. Work = good.

It all came full circle yesterday. The Northern Vessel farmer's market crew was down a man, so TJ asked if I'd be willing to be the third man (who makes sure the ice, cups, lids, and all other supplies are constantly stocked so the other two can serve people with hospitality and efficiency). I told him I would, but I needed to have the kids with me since Sarah was traveling. What an excellent opportunity to put the kids to the test! I was a bit nervous going in, but they absolutely blew me away! They worked hard, stayed focused, accomplished the mission, and had fun doing it. They worked their little butts off.....and it was a lot! At some point in the morning, Finn looked over to me and said, "Daddy, I love helping people. I'm having so much fun. I wish we could do it longer." 

So many good things have come out of this mission to redefine "work" with our kids:

• A desire to serve people

• An appreciation and respect for the importance of work

• A desire to take on challenging work

• The enjoyment of work

It was a wonderful day, and I’m so glad I was able to experience that with them.

When One Chapter Ends

Ten years ago, I was playing a game a pick-up basketball at church when I was unceremoniously punched in the groin. Yes, no better way to start a blog post than with a good ol’ fashion groin punch story. As I was laying in the fetal position trying to gain my composure, the perpetrator of said inadvertent punch approached me to apologize. He introduced himself as Doug Applegate, our church’s youth group director. I’m not sure why, but he decided an injured stranger was the perfect candidate to solicit for a volunteer youth group leader position. Considering I really didn’t care for teenagers, it seemed like a bad idea. However, I was always available to serve, especially when someone “needed” me. I told him I would check it out, then make a decision.

A few weeks later, I showed up at youth group to check out the middle school and high school groups. My middle school experience was a train wreck, because, well, middle school kids. That was the easiest “no” of my life. The high school group, however, was something different. While I was still hesitant, the kids fascinated me it was just interesting enough that I said “yes” to serving for a year. After all, Doug “needed” me. The following school years (2013-2014), I jumped in head-first into an adventure I never saw coming.

Fast forward 10 years. Last night was my last night as a youth group leader. 10 years!?!? Words cannot properly communicate what this youth group has meant to me. These are my people. The kids, my fellow leaders, the parents. Some of the most important people in my life have come as a result of my time as a youth group leader. Doug (you know, the guy who punched me) has become a big brother to me. I’ve learned so much from him over the years, he gave me so many opportunities to use my gifts/passions, and he’s honestly the catalyst for me becoming a professional speaker. I’m eternally grateful for his role in my life, and I can say the same about so many more people. I have more memories than I can count, hundreds of relationships, and have experienced things that have transformed my life. It’s also been a long enough time that these kids turn into adults, with careers, who get married, have kids, and start changing the world. Every wedding, baby, degree, job, and move is worth celebrating. These young friends mean the world to me.

It’s hard to see this chapter of my life close. It’s one of the most special chapters I’ve ever experienced. But all chapters must end so a new one can begin. My kids are getting bigger and busier, while my schedule also continues to get more complicated. As much as I don’t want to leave youth group, my wife and kids need me right now. The feeling is bittersweet, but I also have a peace about it. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back one day. After all, my kids will be eligible for our youth group program in just six years. I have a feeling I may be giving that “train wreck” middle school group a chance in due time.

As this chapter comes to an end, I mourn and celebrate…..but mostly celebrate. It’s been amazing. I’m grateful. I’m content. I’m at peace. When one chapter ends, another begins.

What We're Really Buying

We think we’re buying a car, but we’re often buying status. We think we’re buying plane tickets, but we’re really buying memories. We think we’re buying a college degree, but we’re really buying credibility. We think we’re buying an app or software, but we’re really buying time and efficiency. We think we’re buying a babysitter when we go on a date night, but we’re really investing in our marriage.

I was thinking about this idea recently while sipping on a Spanish Latte at our coffee shop, Northern Vessel. As I’m enjoying my drink, and watching other people enjoying theirs, I realize none of us really paid for coffee. We paid for hospitality and a feeling. We can get a cup of coffee anywhere, and I often do. I make coffee at home each morning and I frequent many different copy shops around my metro. Each one offers a different experience. Some offer a bland experience, some offer a bad experience, and some offer something worth investing in. Yes, the coffee matters. Nobody wants to pay for bad coffee. However, at the heart of it, especially when done well, it’s not really about the coffee. It’s about how the experience, staff, and product make us feel.

When we walk into a business and are met with a smile and warm welcome, it matters. There’s nothing more demoralizing than walking into some business and immediately feeling like we’re inconveniencing them. It makes me not want to buy their product. Why? Because we’re really not just buying the product…..there’s something more.

The message behind this post is two-fold. First, as a consumer, we should take a moment when we’re about to make a purchase and ask ourselves what we’re really buying. I’m about to buy new bikes for my kids. They like riding bikes, they need new bikes, and they will benefit from having new bikes. But if I ask myself my own question, I have a different answer. The nighttime and summer rides I share with my boys are sacred to me. It’s a chance to spend meaningful time with them, explore, get exercise, teach them about pushing themselves, and create memories. In other words, these bikes are priceless. Through that lens, these bikes may be the biggest bargain I pay for all year.

Second, we should think about this idea from the perspective of a business owner, employee, or whatever role you play in your work. We aren’t just selling products. We are offering something much deeper. Whenever someone purchases my services, listens to our podcast, reads this blog, or listens to me speak, it’s not about the product. Instead, it’s about how they feel and experience it…..meeting that deeper need. Everything in my career changed when I learned this lesson many years ago. You have your own version of this in your work. Really embrace that and use your opportunity for impact. Even something as simple as a cup of coffee has the power to make a difference. Just imagine the opportunity in front of you!

As you start your day, please take a moment to think about this idea through the various aspects of your life and work. It can be a game-changer!

Chaos: The Entry Price to Meaning

As I’m writing this, I’m mere hours from hopping onto an international flight where my wife and I will spend some time in Asia and the Middle East. To be honest, I’m stressed. Between packing, trying to get time with the kids, meeting with clients, running errands, and preparing for some upcoming speaking engagements, it’s been a lot to handle. Probably too much. Strike that…..definitely too much.

If I’m being honest with myself, my life could be significantly less chaotic. I could settle into a more stable job, I could say “no” to the various organizations I serve, and I could hunker down with my family where the schedule would be much more predictable. For better or worse, chaos is the entry price to a life of meaning. I probably don’t help myself at times, but some level of chaos is what we signed up for when we chose this life.

Some days I wish it away. Some days I just want to quit. Some days I yearn for a simpler existence. Then, I have a conversation with a client and remember why I do what I do. Then, I wrap up a board meeting and am reminded why I’m serving that organization. Then, I walk off the stage from a speaking engagement and recognize why I spent all that time preparing. Every step of the way, when doubt seeps in, something happens to affirm why I do what I do. Each time that happens, I realize chaos is the entry price to a life of meaning. It’s hard, but worth it.

Creating Margin for Impact

I talk a lot about the idea of creating margin in our finances. We do this to provide peace, flexibility, and contentment. However, there’s a piece missing from the typical narrative of margin. All these positive consequences of creating margin are about me, me, and me. One of the hidden benefits of creating margin in our own lives is the opportunity to lift others up. When we live with financial margin, we can provide financial assistance to the struggling single mother. When we live with time margin, we can serve in our local church or a local non-profit. When we live with career margin, we allow ourselves the ability to say “yes” to new opportunities to put our talents to use.

Herein lies the problem. We humans don’t do a great job living with margin. Some of the highest earners I know give very little in the form of generosity. It’s not that they are greedy, selfish people. Rather, despite their high incomes, they’ve created a life for themselves with little margin. Some of the most servant-hearted people I know don’t serve. It’s not because they don’t care. Rather, despite their passion to help others, they are simply too busy to make it happen. Some of the most talented people I know don’t use their gifts outside of their primary vocation. It’s not that they don’t want to make a difference. Rather, despite their hyper self-awareness of their gifts, they’ve overcommitted to their jobs and there’s simply no more energy or time in their lives to use the gifts elsewhere.

Put another way, our ability to be generous and impactful is far less tied to our resources and talent than our willingness to create margin in our lives. Margin = service. Margin = impact. Margin = love.

"Excellence is Always Its Own Reward"

For the last few years, I’ve been in a book club of sorts with a handful of close friends. We all serve together on the board of directors of an international organization. While we may be geographically scattered around the world, technology allows us to come together to accomplish good work, encourage one another, and build meaningful relationships. This group has sincerely been one of the great joys of my adult life.

Every few weeks, we’ll get on a Zoom call and discuss the most recent reading. The meeting times are always inconvenient, as everyone has to make a sacrifice due to dramatically different time zones. However, it’s always valuable and it fills my tank. We’re currently reading From Strength to Strength, by Arthur C. Brooks. The book focuses on how we can find success, happiness, and deep purpose in the second half of our life.

As I was preparing for last night’s meeting, one quote stuck out to me. “Devote the back half of your life to serving others with your wisdom. Get old sharing the things you believe are most important. Excellence is always its own reward, and this is how you can be excellent as you age.”

I have to admit something. As the youngest member of this group, I initially treated the content as something I would someday apply to my life, when (far down the road) I started to age. However, I’m starting to recognize this book is indeed talking about me, too. The signs are there….I just don’t always like to admit it. Where I sit today, there’s nothing more fulfilling to me than serving others with my wisdom. Whether it’s public speaking, one-on-one coaching, podcasting, partnering in businesses, or being a youth group leader, nothing provides more satisfaction than serving others with whatever wisdom I have to offer. Some people think I’m an idiot and wouldn’t listen to a word I said if I was the last person on earth. Others pay me a pretty decent sum for my wisdom. Life is funny like that. We serve those who wish to be served.

As much as I’d like to believe I’m still a wide-eyed kid fresh out of college, I’m not. I don’t mourn what I’m not….I celebrate what I am. Today, I’m someone who serves others with my wisdom. Sometimes it pays well…..often it pays nothing. That’s not the point. Excellence is always its own reward!

Today's Work Matters

Happy Monday! If you’re reading this, there’s a strong chance you’re working today. If so, thank you. Your work matters. Whatever you do, someone’s life will be better as a result of your good work. That someone may be your colleague, or your boss, or your client, or your customer, or someone I’m not even thinking about. But rest assured, when you do good work, the world is a better place. Your work matters. Thank you for doing the hard work. When your head hits the pillow tonight, I hope you feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. If we’re blessed, we’ll have the opportunity to do it again tomorrow. When that happens, I’ll be grateful for you again. Your work matters.

“Please Don’t Steal My Blessing”

A while back, a close friend asked me if it's wrong he was the one who ended the "pay it forward" streak at Starbucks. In other words, someone decided to be generous by anonymously paying for the next person's coffee and an unknown number of people subsequently did the same thing…….until my friend broke the streak by not paying for the person behind him.

Does that mean my friend is selfish? Greedy? Less generous than the people ahead of him? Many of you were probably nodding your head up and down as you read those questions. I see it differently. I believe he was the only person in the story (besides the original giver) who acted with love and selflessness.

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Several years ago, I was sharing a meal with one of my mentors. Being the generous and loving man he is, he offered to pay for my meal. Me, as I always tended to do, tried to pay for his instead……and when unsuccessful, tried to have it split. You've seen it before. A handful of friends having a fun dinner at a restaurant. Lots of storytelling, laughing, and sharing memories about the good 'ol days. Then the bill arrives and there's suddenly this awkward little scrum where a couple guys look like they're hand fighting, trying to be the one to grab the bill out of the waiter’s helpless and nervous hands. The more aggressive one (or perhaps the one with the longer arms) snags the bill and proudly slams his card in the little black jacket. Meanwhile, the other guy is still trying to snatch the bill out of his buddy's hands, insisting he should be the one to pick it up.

You're probably smiling at the thought of this scenario, as you've witnessed it first-hand and it's kind of funny to watch. While I was busy trying to do the same thing to my mentor, he said something to me I will never forget. "When you refuse someone's generosity, you're robbing them of the opportunity to be a blessing. Please don’t steal my blessing!" At the time, I was just starting to learn what it means to be truly generous. I was learning that giving was one of the most Godly and life-giving things I could ever do with my money. I reveled in finding opportunities to be a blessing to others. In doing so, I became prideful and falsely believed generosity needed to flow one way and one way only: away from me and towards someone else. So here I was, in the stage of life trying to model and encourage generosity to others, while simultaneously robbing those very people of the opportunity to be generous. Talk about sabotaging my own mission!!

Since that conversation, I’ve really tried to do better. I’ve tried to change my heart, and for the most part I have. When someone gives me a gift, my gut still tells me to push back. After all, I don’t “need” it. Then I quickly remember…..they aren’t giving me a gift because I “need” it. Rather, they are giving me a gift because they see an opportunity to be a blessing and show love to me. Even when my gut says “no”, my heart and my response says “thank you.” I’m thankful for their generous spirit. I’m thankful for the love they are showing me. I’m thankful for their selflessness. As a matter of practice, I’ve made a vow to never again rob someone of their opportunity to be a blessing. When a youth group kid offers to buy me lunch (perhaps a lot of money for them and not much to me), I say “thank you.” When a colleague offers to buy my coffee, I say “thank you.” When we’re out to dinner with another couple and they offer to buy our meal, I say “thank you.” Generosity doesn't flow one way. In order to be truly generous, we need to be humble enough to accept other’s generosity with love and gratitude.

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So, back to "pay it forward" streaks at Starbucks. When someone in front of us pays for our drink, why don't we simply receive their gift, be thankful, and enjoy our free drink? Some would argue we are returning the favor by paying for the next person. Math says otherwise. If our $4 coffee is paid for by a stranger but we "pay for" the next person's drink, we still paid the same $4 we were already going to pay. We just trick ourselves into believing we paid for someone else. Why do we do this? I think there are two primary reasons. First, some people feel guilty not paying for the next person's drink. They think to themselves, "if they paid for me, I should probably pay for someone else……plus I don't want to be the one to break this streak." Guilt-driven giving is the opposite of generosity. Second, and I believe more relevant to most, many people simply aren't willing to receive a blessing from someone else. We think "I don't need this gift", or "someone else could use it more than me." So by telling ourselves we are "paying it forward", what we're really doing is deflecting the blessing and making ourselves feel like we've actually exhibited generosity. There’s another word for this: PRIDE.

The reality is my friend is the only person in the string who actually had the humility to accept the blessing. There may have been 100 people before him that "paid it forward", but he had the humility and gratitude to receive the blessing and simply enjoy it. Does that make him greedy? No way! I think it makes him loving. Loving enough to receive a blessing with humility and to put his pride aside. It's not to say my friend isn't generous. Perhaps next time in Starbucks he will pay for someone else's drink, or maybe he'll pay the light bill for a struggling neighbor, or maybe he'll give his car away to a single mother at church. Who knows what he'll do, but when he does it, I hope the person on the other end of the gift humbly receives the blessing and simply enjoys it with a spirit of gratitude. I sincerely hope they don't steal his blessing.

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I wrote the above piece more than a year ago, but didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. Fast forward to today, it just feels like the right time to talk about this. This piece also raised to the top of my mind based on something that recently happened to me.

In this wild season of life, amidst all the quarantining, amidst small business closing their doors, amidst people losing jobs left and right, generosity matters more than it ever has. Though my wife and I have cut back our budget significantly to help navigate these stormy waters (as I also recommend to my clients), we’ve simultaneously doubled our giving. There are so many new and unique ways to show people generosity in this season! And so many groups of people who could use some extra love right now! Countless ways to give to countless numbers of people……what a time to be alive!!!

In light of this, my wife and I have been experimenting with new and fun ways to bless others. One of these ways, which was triggered by a sermon I heard from my friend Aaron Vis, is to show intentional love to grocery store employees. Grocery stores have become the backbone of our communities during this crazy season, and their employees have become newfound heroes. I solicited friends in my social media circle to give me names of grocery store employees so I could bless them in some small way. I collected their names, found their Venmo handles, and started giving gifts. It was fun! Dropping little notes of encouragement (along with money) into their Venmo account. One of them responded: “OMG. Travis, you didn’t have to do that at all! But thanks! I appreciate it! This virus thing has been crazy.” To be honest, this was the highlight of my day. There was nothing that could top the feeling of having an opportunity to be a blessing, acting on it, and having the recipient receive it with love and humility.

A few days later, a different recipient refunded my gift and included a message saying they appreciate the gesture……but don’t need it. They sent the gift back to me! I have to be honest, this one upset me. I wasn’t giving them a gift because they needed it. I was giving them a gift because I wanted to give them a gift! I WANTED to bless them. I so badly wanted to bless them. Pride got in the way, and they rejected the gift. This one still bums me out..

Now maybe good will still come from this. Maybe my gesture truly did mean something to them. But I didn’t want to make a gesture….I wanted to give a gift. It’s like me giving an awesome new toy to my son, him ripping the wrapping paper off the gift, marveling at the fact he’s holding this awesome toy, handing it back to me, and telling me he appreciates the gesture. I wanted him to open the toy and play it! I wanted him to enjoy it! I didn’t want him to give me a tip-of-the-hat for my gesture. But yet, so many of us do this when people try to show us generosity.

It’s hard to change, but we can do it! Every time someone gives you a gift, please think about this article, suppress your gut instinct to deflect it, and simply receive their gift with love and humility. When you do, it will change you and it will change them. Every time you do this, it will shed a little bit of your pride and replace it with humility. For the giver, at the very least it will make their day. Something greater is at stake, however. For the giver, this one simple gift, given with love and received with love, could unlock a life of generosity they never knew they had inside them. Please don’t steal that from them. Please don’t steal their blessing.

The Moment

Last October, I wrote a piece titled “Seasons of Need.” For obvious reasons, it feels relevant more now than ever. Violently and unexpectedly, so many people have suddenly landed in a season of need. The world feels like it’s burning all around us.

Someone in my life recently lost their job. Someone I really care about. This is someone who was trying to do all the right things, make good decisions, and build a firm financial foundation for their future family. Someone who had been working hard, had just started a newer, better, more promising job. Then we welcomed a global pandemic to the party and everything exploded.

My wife and I do all of our giving through a special checking account creatively called "Giving Account." On our printed checks (yeah those still exist!), just below our name and just above our address is a line that reads "Proverbs 3:27." I won't make you go look it up.....the scripture says "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act."

That scripture isn't a cute quote we burn into a piece of wood and hang above our doorframe. It's not even something we do. It's who we are! We are called into a life of generosity. Joyful, sacrificial, God-honoring generosity.

Since this is who I am, I did the first thing that came to mind when I learned about my friend’s sudden job loss. I Venmo'd them rent money. It wasn't even a real consideration….we simply acted. I texted my wife with the idea and within 15 seconds she responded "Yes I'm in support." 15 seconds! I love that about her. The whole process from idea to execution took no more than 90 seconds. Sarah and I aren’t heroes, and I don’t want you to think that. Please, please, please don’t think that. We are simply doing what God has asked us to do: show His love through generosity.

In a conversation that now makes me cringe, I was talking to my mentor Gary Hoag about generosity. Mind you, he wasn’t my mentor at this point…….in fact, this conversation happened less than 24 hours after I first met him. Gary asked me “do you think you’re generous?” I confidently (and perhaps arrogantly) answered “yeah, I do.” “Why?” “Because we give 12% of our income.” “What makes 12% generous?” “Because it’s more than 10%!” See, very cringey.

Gary paused for an uncomfortable period of time (or maybe it was just me who was uncomfortable), probably trying to decide how aggressive to be with this young guy he had just met. I don’t remember his exact words and it would be unfair for me to try to put words into his mouth all these years later, but the takeaways of that conversation were profound and life-changing. In short, Gary (who is one of the world’s brightest minds on Christian generosity) explained God isn’t keeping score. He’s not tallying dollars and keeping a ledger of our giving. Instead, he’s looking at our heart. When I asked Gary what it means to truly give sacrificially, he turned it back around on me with a question: “Does your giving hurt? Do you feel like you’re really giving up a lot to give what you’re giving?” It was an easy answer for me, “no.” Our 12% giving didn’t hurt. For us, it meant we saved a little less and maybe (maybe) went on one less trip per year. Thinking about it, it wasn’t a sacrifice at all. It was giving out of surplus. It may have been joyful (so very, very joyful!), but it definitely wasn’t sacrificial.

After this conversation, I talked to my wife and we agreed to immediately double our giving. Again, she’s pretty awesome in that way. That’s when our giving started to feel like a sacrifice. All sacrifice brings pain, but this is a pain I dream others have a chance to experience. The pain of working really hard, giving up something you feel is important to you, turning around to bless someone else instead, thanking God for giving you that opportunity, and trusting He will continue to meet your needs. It sounds ridiculous when I type it out and re-read it, but in practice it is the most life-giving, faith-growing, rewarding, exciting, and loving thing we can do with the money He’s blessed us with.

Back to my friend. When they unexpectedly received a Venmo notification on their phone about the gift we had just made, it led to the following text exchange:

“I can’t accept that money from you!!!”

“Of course you can!”

“At least allow me to provide something of value for you.”

“We’re in this together. All of us. We all have seasons of need. I’ve had several. This is yours.”

“I am so humbled. I don’t know what to say aside from thank you so very much.”

They were wrong on one thing…..when they asked to provide me something of value. Who says they haven’t already? Relationships matter. In fact, there is nothing more valuable than relationships. What’s not valuable in this equation is money. Money is just some paper and coins. But money is never about money……it’s always about something far greater. Given joyfully and sacrificially, God WILL use it to change the world.

The timing of this post is not a coincidence. There are a lot of hurting people right now. A lot of people experiencing a season of need. We all go through seasons of need, but if this isn’t yours, perhaps it’s time for you to get in the game. Ramp up your giving to your local church. Ramp up your giving to organizations doing amazing work. Find people around you who are hurting, and simply step in with joyful and sacrificial generosity.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” We live in a world full of pain, suffering, and fear right now. Each of us may not single-handedly change the world, but God can use us to change someone’s world. And if we all band together and change a few someone’s worlds, the world will most assuredly be changed. This, my friends, is the moment! Will you join me?

New Beginnings

For nearly two decades I’ve wanted to run a website and publish my writing. I’m not sure what has stopped me in the past. Perhaps it was the busy of life, or not having anything to say, or believing nobody cared what I had to say, or maybe because I was simply lazy or scared. As the saying goes, the best time to start was 20 years ago…..and the second-best time to start is now!

This website is one of the many new beginnings my family has experienced in this season of life. About three months ago, I stepped away from an amazing career in institutional commercial real estate investing. It was a dream job, it paid well, it was fun, and it allowed me to see the world. But God gave me a new dream. Today, I wake up each and every day with a burning desire to help people win with money. Not so they can become wealthy and swim around in their pools of money like Scrooge McDuck, but rather so they can live out the life God has called them to live. For some it means changing careers to joyfully use their gifts and passions for a purpose, for others it means staying home with their babies, for some it means to open up the floodgates of generosity, and for many it simply means to ease the tension money and finances have put on their day-to-day life.

I’ve found a few ways to serve others with these gifts. The first is through offering professional financial coaching for families looking to improve their financial life. Some people are doing ok and looking to do good, while others are doing good and looking to do great. These are people with purpose, with passion, and with the dedication to create real change so they can live the life God has called them to live. Each and every one of them are heroes in my book! This professional part of my life will also involve speaking, workshops, podcasting, and writing.

I’ve also been blessed with an opportunity to serve my local church – The Ridge in Ankeny, IA (suburban Des Moines) – by launching a formal financial ministry. In this ministry, we hope to raise up a team of leaders who can help people honor God with their finances. Through teaching, speaking, coaching, and workshops, we want to serve the people of our church with love, compassion, and truth. Check out this link to learn more about what we’re doing at The Ridge.

This brings us here, to this blog. Every time I push something into the world, whether it be on FB, IG, or Twitter, I ask myself one simple question: “why am I doing this?” If the answer is anything but “to entertain”, “to educate”, or “to inspire”, I simply hit delete and move on with my life. I want to add value in all that I do, and never want it to become about me. So with this blog, I hope to entertain, educate, and inspire those who desire to live a better life. A life with purpose. A life they will one day look back on and be proud of. If you are one of those people, I hope you find value in this blog and continue to read, engage, and share.

Thanks, and here’s to new beginnings!