by Matt Bell* <LISTEN> Our consumer culture promotes one overarching goal: More! In countless ways, both subtle and overt, we’re told we don’t have enough. We need a bigger house, a newer car, a nicer vacation, more money in savings, and on it goes. In the face of such a messaging onslaught, a small but …
Another President Elected to Non-Conversative Terms*
<LISTEN> I worked for 15 years for Christian financial teacher Larry Burkett (1939-2003), the author of such best-selling books as Debt-Free Living and The Coming Economic Earthquake. (Larry also was instrumental in the founding of Sound Mind Investing.) One of Larry's political heroes was Grover Cleveland, the only U.S. president (up to that time) elected to non-consecutive terms. Cleveland, a Democrat, served from …
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St. Francis and the humble nativity.
By Lauren Terrell * Eight hundred years ago, in 1223, St. Francis of Assisi created the first recorded nativity scene. What compelled him to recreate the setting of Jesus’ birth for others to see was not pageantry and spectacle but a realization that many had lost the true spirit of Christmas. It is believed that St. …
Watchful and Faithful
by Joseph Slife* LISTEN> The Advent season (the weeks just before Christmas) is my favorite time of the year. With every strain of "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" and "O Come, O Come Emanuel," I'm reminded that God is working toward a good end, even amidst the world's trouble and turmoil. When the time is right, …
Rejoice. It is based on faith and it is not necessarily a feel.
Life brings us plenty of reasons to not rejoice. I wear a wrist band that simply says, "God is Big Enough." When I feel confused or look at a situation that doesn't fit my box, I try to remember to look at my wrist. I don't always remember even though it is right there. We …
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This is your brain on generosity*
It’s what researchers call a “cross-cultural universal.” That means – no matter where you live, what your income, age, your culture, or even your politics – generous people are, in general, healthier and happier. The mechanisms for it are built into our brains! Generous givers of time and money suffer less from stress and depression, have better …
The Happiest Uses of Money*
By Joseph Slife * June 26, 2024 <Listen> The Greek philosopher Aristotle, writing more than 2,000 years ago about the search for happiness, noted that wealth “is not the good we are seeking.” Having money is “useful,” he said, but it is “for the sake of something else.” Indeed, the correlation between greater wealth and greater happiness is …
Managing the Most Important Risks*
*By Matt Bell originally post June 19, 2024, on Sound Mind Investing's weekly e-newsletter. <LISTEN> Wise investing depends heavily on risk management. That’s what asset allocation is all about. And it’s what using an objective, rules-based strategy is all about since it reduces the likelihood of letting fear get the best of you. But risk management …
The Gospel Patron Behind Cru*
Art DeMoss was a teenager when he started gambling, first with cards innocently, then horses, dice, roulette, baseball and football games, and even elections. He loved the game of chance. He loved the possibility of winning big and making easy money. Art thought Las Vegas was heaven.Before he graduated high school he left home to …
Generosity and Fear*
Fear is self-focused. Day to day, our fear is about us. What will happen if we give that speech, launch that project, get stuck in traffic, are eaten by an alligator… And generosity is about others. “How can I help?” Jumping in the water to save a struggling swimmer stops us from worrying about how …
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