Faith Based Investing

“We cannot control the winds, but we can adjust the sails.”

Tonight I went to a leadership conference at Seacoast Church in Mount Pleasant, SC.  As I sat there listening about how great leaders have BIG visions, I saw something that hit me:  leader-ship. As in we are leaders of a ship.  What does your ship look like?  For some it may be that they are the leader of a church, an organization, a company, a family, or even one’ own finances.  Leadership means many things to many different people; but the way I look at leadership is it is about creating something extraordinary through having a big vision and critical implementation.   Alone, you cannot accomplish your vision, but with others, you can accomplish something much greater than yourself.

I learned this lesson the hard way this week.  I faced a major financial and leadership decision.   Common sense said to do what made the most financial sense.  Yet God shaped my heart a different way.   He showed me fairness, justice, and to give my complete trust to Him.  Though we often try to lead with our own will and power, it is when we give Him full authority He does His best work through us!

Are you struggling financially, spiritually, physically?  Whatever it is, give it to God.  He is trying to teach you something!  As a friend pointed Deuteronomy 8:3 out to me during my struggles this week:

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”  

Sometimes we try to take matters into our own hands and forget to include God in our plans.  Is that what a good leader should do?  Even the wisest leaders seek counsel.  What better wisdom than the Word of God?  Yet, we often forget to go to ultimate source of advice!  He offers all the wisdom necessary to become a great leader.

Good leadership takes courage, a willingness to admit your wrong, and an ability to inspire people.   Do you inspire?  Whether it’s your church, your company, or even your own family?  Do those along for the ride know where you’re heading?  Do you know? 

I always say dream big or go home.  Meaning if your dreams are not big enough, you risk missing the greatest blessings God has for you.  Depending on how big you see God will ultimately determine how He uses you. If you see Him as a small God, you will accomplish little, but if you see Him as He truly is, the HUGE God who can accomplish anything through you, the sky is the limit.   So what kind of leader will you become?    I’d love to hear your thoughts on leadership.

Your Stories

The past two weeks I have been busy collecting your stories.  We received hundreds of them!  The question was: how was 2009 for you financially?

Here are some of your responses:

“I don’t know how we are even still standing.  The only thing that i have is my faith in God and Jesus as my savior.” – N.A.

“Jay, Thank you for educating me on faith-based investing.  I have been following your picks and made a ton of money in a poor economy.  Thanks again, looking forward to 2010!”  – E.M.

“2009 was the worst year of my life!” – R.S.

“Are we there yet?  I couldn’t wait for 2010 to start so I could never again look back at 2009.  What a disappointment!”  – D.L.

“Despite a rocky start in 2009, the Lord blessed me in so many ways, maybe not so much financially as spiritually.  I am truly content.”  – L.B.

“God is good!  2009 was a decent year financially.  Thanks to you and your newsletter I finally took some action!” R.G.

Thanks everyone!  I will share more stories next week.  May God bless each and every one of you this year! 

I wanted to share a few good posts from this week

From Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson:
“Why aren’t you dead, yet?

From my blog:
“Who’s protecting your blindside?  Do you have financial accountability?”

From Bob at ChristianPF.com:
“John Rockefeller on Tithing”

Donald Miller:
“Living a good story, an alternative to New Year’s resolutions”

Something  Money Can’t Buy

In a world full of BMWs, Armani, gated communities, Coach purses, and Starbucks Coffees, image is as much a currency as the dollars that purchase them.  We can pretend to be wealthy and live the game of credit shuffling until the debt snowball knocks us out or we can regain control and live life like we are suppose to.   Like a house of cards, even if you can afford the lifestyle, is it worth it?  All the money in the world cannot bring you closer to God.    I see Christians spinning out of control just as much as those who claim no savior.  Why? In a society that sells image, we all have difficulty not playing by the rules.

The day to day temptations to have a nicer car, to have a bigger house, to have better things.. more, more, more.  It is never enough.  We are called to be humble and to humble ourselves before the Lord.  I’m not saying these things in themselves are bad.  It is the attitude that often goes along with it.   I have a BMW and you don’t so I’m better than you.  Or I make $500,000 a year, what do you make?  The way we live our lives is a direct open reflection of our relationship with our Creator.  Is it built on solid ground or is it shallow like a worldly image?  Look to the Lord and keep your eyes focused on Him.  We are called to be humble servants of the Lord.  Creating an image is not very important in the big scheme of things.  God has a much greater purpose. 

“My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, and I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2Chronicles 7:14.

Questions: 

How do you personally struggle with a balance between a worldly life and a godly life?

What are some areas of life that trip you up (houses, cars, jewelry)?

What can you begin to do differently to focus less on image and more on God?

 Also check out this article at ChristianPF.com:

 “Why spending mony wisely is a life skill”

Who’s protecting your blind side?

Recently I saw the move The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.  “The Blind Side” depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

The name of the movie derives from the objective of an offensive tackle: protect the blindside of the quarterback!  As defensive linemen pour in and try to attack the quarterback, the tackle’s job is hold-off the linemen until the quarterback can complete his play.   The movie got me thinking about blind sides in life.  Who is protecting your blind sides?   Do you have a financial accountability partner?

One of the biggest reasons men fail morally, ethically, sexually, and financially is due to a lack of accountability. Of all the people that failed in the bible, the majority failed because of the lack of accountability.  The main reason pastors fall from grace is a lack of accountability.  Same goes for many CEOs who have fallen.

It’s also true with successful money management.  Without accountability, it is difficult to handle the ways of this world.  We need to be accountable to God first and having an accountability partner here on earth is critical. And no, it cannot be your spouse.  It is essential to have someone wise, biblically sound, and trustworthy.   So what are you doing to prevent the same types of moral, financial and ethical collapses?  Do you have a strong partner?  Do you have someone protecting your blind sides?

What a difference a year makes!

It amazes me how far we have come. Just twelve short months ago, think of how worried, scared or downright panicked many were at the end of 2008. Through those tough times, I never lost faith in our approach or in the God who provides everything!

I was often reminded of Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” It was hard to believe it would be all right while the financial markets collapsed around us, but yet I knew brighter days were ahead. You see, I knew that we had a proven biblical plan in place to combat whatever the financial markets threw at us. Though we weren’t bulletproof, I knew we’d hold our own.

The very same principles that protected our money from harm during the financial crisis will continue to help us in 2010 and beyond. If we stick to our plan, strive to protect capital, and outpace inflation, we cannot go wrong. To survive the bear markets and participate in the bull markets is what we strive to accomplish. The opportunities ahead may not be as easily distinguishable as they were in 2009, yet I still firmly believe there will be plenty of ways to make money in the years ahead.

We need to be prepared for rising rates. We also need to be prepared for a rise in the U.S. dollar. Yes, a rise, at least for a while! Since we hit a low point in November of 2009, the dollar has well been on its way to a recovery. As the dollar continues its ascent, be prepared for gold to sell off. There will be opportunities to play on these themes and we will start the year with a few strategies to take advantage of the upcoming opportunities.