#finances

A Christian Case for Bitcoin and Blockchain

A recent article intrigued me with its assertion that it is better to understand Bitcoin as gambling than investment: “An asset that never pays a dividend but has a price that keeps rising is a bubble. An investor can believe Bitcoin is a bubble and rationally invest so long as she expects to sell out before the bubble pops. But that isn’t investing; that’s gambling, and it’s a zero-sum game.” Being largely unfamiliar with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, I wanted to think …

Money, Debt, and Finances

There are some topics that are relevant to only some Christians and a few topics that are relevant to all. One of those universal topics is finances, for each of us is entrusted with money and needs to learn to steward it well. Each of us is responsible for the ways we handle our money and accountable for the ways we mishandle it. Though Christians are well-served with books on the subject, we can always use more, for over time …

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4 Really Good Money Questions

I do not remember when or how I first came across the 4 questions that John Wesley proposed we consider when spending money, but it was probably in a Randy Alcorn book. Wesley believed in the value of introspection, perhaps to a fault, but understood that he was accountable to God for the way he used each and every penny. These questions guided him and I think they merit our consideration as well. His first question was a foundational one. …

When Was the Last Time You Just Enjoyed Your Money?

I overheard an interesting discussion the other day. I was out-and-about and caught just a fragment of a discussion about money and the sheer joy of having it. I couldn’t eavesdrop for more than a few words, but that was enough to get my mind working. I thought about the way I use my money, and the way we, as Christians, use our money. And I want to ask you the question: When was the last time you just enjoyed …

Financial Mistakes We Made and Avoided

Like so many other people, I have a love-hate relationship with money. I love what money can do and accomplish, and I hate how money is so fleeting. It seems like every dollar is hard-earned and easily-spent. Every dollar can be used in a million different ways and so much of life’s anxiety comes from determining how to use too little money to address too many possibilities. When Aileen and I got married we were just twenty-one (me) and twenty-two …

No, It Actually Is More Blessed To Give Than to Receive

For several years of blogging I had it all wrong, and I wasn’t wrong only in blogging, but in all of life. I believed that the way to measure success with this blog was to keep an eye on statistics, to measure growth in readership over a period of weeks or months or years, and to do the things that were necessary to stimulate that kind of growth. Where I saw growth in the number of readers I believed I …

How Much Money Am I Supposed to Give Away?

It is a question every pastor faces on a regular basis. It is a question every conference speaker faces in panel discussions or Q&A sessions: How much of my money do I give to the church? How much should I give to the church? My answer is short: Enough that it matters. Let me explain what I mean by that. In Corinthians 16:2 Paul instructs the church to take a weekly collection in which each person is to give “as he …

Money Matters: How Much Do I Give?

Yesterday I wrote about Christians and money and tried to give an answer to 2 questions: Do I have to give some of my money away? and What should my attitude be as I give my money away? You can find that article here. Today I want to continue this little 2-part series by asking and answering 2 more questions: Where am I to give? and How much am I to give? Where Am I to Give? If what I …

Reading Classics Together – The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (VII)

After a week’s absence (based on a week’s vacation) I am back today with the next chapter (Chapter 7) of Jeremiah Burroughs’ The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. The topic for this reading is “The Excellence of Contentment.” I do trust that many of you continue to read the book with me. Summary Every week I feel the need to begin with an expression of my affection for this book. Today will be no different! What a great book this …

Tax Benefits of Tithing

I’m going to keep it simple today. I just want to ask you a question and to hear your responses to it. This is a question that has been running through my mind for some time and one that arose after emailing back and forth with a friend. The question has to do with giving money to charities or to ministries or to other organizations. Though the laws of Canada and the United States are the ones I am familiar …