Category Archives: Uncategorized

Walking In God’s Favor:  Good people will have wealth to leave to their grandchildren, but the wealth of sinners will go to the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 GNT

Level 4 Stewards humbly recognize the awesome power of God’s favor in their lives. They  are prepared for the opportunity to handle their business in situations such as taxes, estate planning,  will and last testament.  The Level 4 Steward lives each day as if  it is his last, but plans as if he is going to live forever.

Most of you know instinctively, that you should have a will and last testament, living health directive, and power of  attorney in the invent of a major accident, serious illness, or death.  But how many of you have  invested in the time to prepare these valuable life documents. You spending more time planning for a vacation than you do planning for your life.

We agree with Antonio McGinnis when he  says in his book The Game Is Deep,  “There is no greater feeling than being prepared for every opportunity when it comes your way”.

When Ardella and I invested in the time to plan our future lives together, it was very enlightening. We began to think about our financial assets  and the kind of legacy we desired to leave  to our children and grand children.

We considered the physical and medical challenges of aging together gracefully. We discussed what we would  owe the government  in terms of estate taxes.  More importantly,  we shared our deepest thoughts of how we each wanted to  live our last days and hours of life on this planet.

Those in Level 4 Stewardship cheerfully give their first fruit off the top and then some. They have moved beyond the 10% tithe and generously give a love offering out of their surplus. Level 4 Stewards have a personal covenant with God and are living examples of what faithfulness is all about.

The Level 4 Steward’s life has become a reservoir of God’s bountiful blessings.  Blessing seems to overflow in the Level 4 Steward’s  life.  I heard someone say it like this, ” I am drinking from my saucer because my cup is overflowing”.  When  God showers His blessings down on the faithful in Level 4 Stewardship, they handle their business, giving the government their share in taxes. Then they wisely store some of their surplus for their future, their legacy, and for the storms of life.

Prayer of Blessing: Thank you God for the  wisdom to leave a legacy for  future generations.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor: There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise. But a foolish man squanders it. Proverbs 21:20 NKJV

Many of us only dream of saving money.  Here’s a quick  snapshot of America’s finances.  The Wall Street Journal indicates that 70%  of all Americans  live from paycheck to paycheck. The  Oprah Winfrey Show indicated on an online survey that 70% of responders has no savings anywhere.  You almost have to pull a gun on Americans to get them to save.

We learned from Dave Ramsey (3) key reasons to save money; for emergencies, for purchases and to build wealth.

Working in the risk management and academic arena for over 25 years, we label emergencies in 5 categories we call the 5 storms of life or the 5D’s.

1Disasters – Car accidents, weather related perils, any unexpected incidents.

2Disability – Any physical condition that prevents your daily living activities.

3Downsized – Loss of employment, bankruptcy or divorce.

4Death – The loss of a  person who contributes to your financial well being

5Deployment- Active& reserve military called to serve 6 or more months away

If you want to become a faithful  steward you must begin the process of saving money. Moving to a higher level of stewardship requires dedication, discipline and diligence. Living the life of surplus and overflow takes wisdom.

Many of us have struggled so long in our financial lives we get comfortable with a life of stability.  Many of us think as long as we can make the monthly payments “Life is Good”.  Now is not the time to rest, keep moving. There is so much God have for you to learn, experience and become. You must choose to make saving a  top priority.  The choice is up to you.

Prayer of Blessing: Father God, we trust you. Take us to the next level.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five  grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor:  When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.  I Corinthians 13:11 NLT

Moving from a life of struggle to a life of stability is an individual choice. Many Christians cannot see themselves maturing from a life of struggle to a life of  stability; therefore they remain in a life struggle.

Faithful stewards learn to live on a budget and give their money a mission.  But more importantly,  faithful stewards are accountable to God. The faithful steward has learned to say “no” to the person in the mirror.

One of the keys that differentiate the life of struggle from the life of stability is the ability to delay immediate gratification for long-term goals. One sign of spiritual maturity is the will to choose long-term goals over short-term  gain.

I clearly remember our parents teaching us the connection between work and money.  As a kid, they would give my two younger brothers and me money for doing chores like cutting the grass, raking leaves or washing the car.  As soon as I received my money, I would run down to the corner grocery store to spend every penny I had earned on Chinese Sweet & Sours Balls, Red Hots, banana flavored Now & Laters, and  my favorite, Hostess Chocolate Twinkies.

My parents would comment how  I had holes in my pocket when they observed how quickly I spent my money. They found teachable moments  to encourage me  to save.  They planted seeds of wisdom like ” Money don’t grow on trees” in  my life.  My parents were the first teachers who sowed into my life the importance of working hard and saving money.

My truth is (Michael),  even today as an adult I struggle with the desire to spend money I don’t have, to  buy things I don’t  need, to impress people I don’t know.  That desire to spend money grew into an uncontrollable desire to have wealth without going through the process of  developing the financial skills necessary to manage wealth.

In order for you to move to a life of stability you are going to have to go through the process. It’s your choice. You have the ability to become a better steward of your wealth. We are living examples that God will empower your life  to do that which you cannot on your own,  do for yourself. Remember keep praying, keep believing, with God all things are possible.

Prayer of Blessing: Holy God, empower us with the indwelling of your spirit to become overcomers.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five  grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking God’s Favor: Don’t worry about anything. Instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT

The idea that we are  only the stewards of the blessings God brings into our lives have given us a certain kind of living faith. We believe we can do what God wants us to do, we can have what God wants us to have and we can become what God wants us to be.

We were first introduced to stewardship principles by Elder Harold Lee.   A young family with four children, Ardella  was a stay-a-home mom while I was serving in the United States Navy at Rough & Ready Island in Stockton, California. Our life’s spiritual journey has never been the same.

God has placed in each of us more potential than we will ever develop and we must choose to develop or not to develop our God-given gifts.  After learning and living stewardship principles for over 25 yeas we have discovered certain levels of stewardship in which we are living  consciously or unconsciously each day of our life.

Level 1 Stewardship – The Life of Struggle

Level 2 Stewardship – The Life of Stability

Level 3 Stewardship – The Life of  Surplus

Level 4 Stewardship – The Life of Sustainable Increase & Significance

Level 1 Stewardship is the life  of struggle. The Level 1 Seward is trying to survive. To keep the lights on, food on the table and gas in the car. I remember as a young father, being so concerned about paying bills and meeting my family financial obligations, I could not think about my higher purpose. Something was missing.

If you are a Level 1 Steward you can become so overwhelmed trying to survive, you cannot hear God’s voice calling you. The Holy Spirit speaking to your heart is drowned out by your immediate basic needs in front of you.

The first lesson you must  learn  in Level 1 Stewardship is, God is the Creator Owner and you are only the manager, apprentice or steward. This spiritual truth must become the foundation of your life. You can easily become a millionaire and be a million miles away from God if you do not internalize this truth.

The second lesson you must learn in Level 1 Stewardship is to put your faith and trust in God. God will supply all you need according to His riches in glory. The wiser steward you become, the more God can trust you with, because He knows you can handle it.  The Level 1 Steward walks by faith and not by sight.

Why is it when God blesses us with a good education, we worship the education? God blesses us with a successful business and we worship the business. God blesses us with  talents and we worship the talent.  Instead of worshiping the Gift Giver we worship the gifts.  Level  1  Stewards learn to worship God as Creator Owner and giver of all gifts.

Prayer of Blessings: Thank you Creator God,  for blessing us more abundantly.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five  grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor: Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath  fulfilled the law. Roman 13:8 KJV

How did we pay off over $70,000 in debt in 48 months? What is the key to focusing on a goal and reaching it? What is the secret of husbands who communicate successfully to their wives above money? Why do so many families live in financial bondage, when they have the ability to live in financial freedom?

We believe overcoming financial bondage is one of the greatest struggles for families seeking financial freedom. Many of us only dream of saving money. In many instances we do not experience financial health because we are trying to borrow ourselves into wealth. We want to look rich to cover are raggedness. We desire to appear prosperous to hide our poverty. We feel that wealth can heal our wounds.

Many of us do not see anything wrong with living in debt. The more I can borrow the better. I didn’t either at first; just like the story of the frog . I’m told if you put a frog in a pot of water on a stove with no lid, and gradually turn up the heat, the frog will remain in the pot until it is cooked alive, even though the frog has the ability to easily jump out of the pot at anytime.

Initially I felt debt was a good thing; just a financial tool. It allowed me to obtain things I felt I needed  now and I could pay for it later….WOW! That sounded like a good deal… Just like when the serpent lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He told Eve if she ate of the tree of good and evil she would not “surely die”. Listen to me people, if you play with snakes you will get bitten.

Debt has been successfully marketed by banks and financial institutions in the United States as your pathway to prosperity. As a result, many of us have found ourselves in financial bondage with little or no hope of ever experiencing financial freedom again.

If you are in bondage because of debt, your first step into financial freedom is to admit your finances are out of control. If you continue to live in denial, you won’t seek help and you won’t break free.  The Bible says that “the borrower is slave to the lender”. Ask God, in prayer, for the power  to break free of the love affair with money and dependence on debt. With God, and a made up mind, you can experience financial freedom.

June 12th at  Life University www.firstsdachurch.com  Ardella and I will share step by step how we paid off $70,000 of debt in 48 months,  when our economy was in the worst recession  in 20 years. Register for our Family Finances empowerment session at Life University and start winning with money.

Prayer of Blessing: Sovereign God, thank you for imparting your wisdom and favor over our lives.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five  grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 AMP

Graduations are a time of celebration, to recognized certain milestones in ones  life.    Unfortunately, many people stop learning and reading upon receiving a diploma.  If you are really ready to become a better steward of your wealth you must be willing to go through the process of increasing your financial IQ. It’s been said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over, expecting a different result”.

We challenge you to open your mind to raising your financial intelligence.  This summer Ardella and I have been asked to coordinate  a financial empowerment session at the First Seventh-day Adventist Church www.firstsdachurch.com  We would like to personally invite you to register for Life University to attend our empowerment session.

Ardella and I are helping meaningful others learn how to manage their money wisely by facilitating financial empowerment sessions. Ardella and I personally were able to pay off over $70,000 of debt in 48 months by learning to use the debt snowball. We experience a three-step process of becoming dedicated, disciplined and diligent in order to receive our financial deliverance from the bondage of debt.

The first step was becoming dedicated in desiring to get out of the bondage of debt. We made becoming debt free a priority in our  prayer life. We asked God to renew our hearts and minds so the we could have a desire to live debt free.

The second step was disciplining our money habits, we give our money a mission. We began spending our money on paper, on purpose before the month begin by making a cash flow plan and using the debt snow ball.

The third step was diligence in working our financial plan. It took us 48 months of faithful diligence, discipline and dedication before we begin to experience  deliverance from financial bondage. The journey out of this mess didn’t happen over night and neither was the trip into it.

We thank God for answering our prayers and bringing us to this place of deliverance and healing. There are many married couples who cannot agree on how to handle their money who argue with one another, manipulate one another or just avoid one another. Unfortunately, many of these  couples end up destroying their marriage because of money.

Practicing biblical principles for handling money has empowered us financially and spiritually. We have no desire to spend money in order to prove to the world we have arrived. More importantly we are free to serve and give to God cheerfully without the financially bondage of debt in our lives. There is financial peace in our home.

Prayer of Blessings: Lord we thank you for the opportunity to learn more, do more and be more for Your Kingdom.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and five  grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking In God’s Favor: Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,  so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV

Why would God say He loves a cheerful giver? Giving is an emotional experience that involves the heart.  The word of God says that where your treasures are, that’s where your heart will be also. You must make giving a part of your day to day Christian experience. Here’s how to start.

• Pray…Ask for God’s power to change your heart. David asked  God for a clean heart. Only God has the ability to change hearts. God can transform your thinking if you give Him permission.
• Seek…Discover God’s wisdom in His Word. Turn off the TV,  iPad  and Blackberry.  Get into a regular Bible study group. How can you walk in God’s wisdom if you rarely read His divine road map?
• Fellowship…Rub shoulders with people who are generous givers of their time, talents, treasure (money) & temple(body) in honor of God. Hang around people who live a stewardship lifestyle and are great examples of faithfulness.
• Share…Tell your experience to others of how God has blessed your faithfulness. Many times you do not realize God is all you need, until God is all you got.

People can give more when they are not in bondage to debt and credit cards.  It is difficult to give cheerfully to the Kingdom when you have overextended yourself financially. Learn to say “No” to the person in the mirror and “Yes” to the Giver & Creator of life.

Prayer of Blessing: Father God, helps us to give cheerfully from a place of love.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and four grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor: When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside. I Corinthians 13:11  AMP

I clearly remember our mother teaching us the connection between work and money.  As a kid, she would give my two younger brothers and me money for doing chores like cutting the grass, raking leaves or washing the car.  As soon as I received my money, I would run down to the corner grocery store to spend every penny I had earned on Chinese Sweet & Sours Balls, Red Hots, banana flavored Now & Laters, and  my favorite, Hostess Chocolate Twinkies.

My mother would comment how  I had holes in my pocket when she observed how quickly I spent my money.  Mama found teachable moments  to encourage me  to save.  Mama planted seeds of wisdom like ” Money don’t grow on trees” in  my life.  My mom was the first teacher who sowed into my life the importance of working hard and saving money.

My truth is,  even today as an adult I struggle with the desire to spend money I don’t have, to  buy things I don’t  need, to impress people I don’t know.  That desire to spend money grew into an uncontrollable desire to have wealth without going through the process of  developing the financial skills necessary to manage wealth.

One of the keys that differentiate the life of struggle with the life of stability is the will to delay immediate gratification for long-term goals. One sign of spiritual maturity is the will to choose long-term goals over short-term  gain.

Moving from a life of struggle to a life of stability is an individual choice. Many Christians cannot see themselves maturing from a life of struggle to a life of  stability; therefore they remain in a life struggle.

Faithful stewards learn to live on a budget and give their money a mission.  But more importantly,  faithful stewards are accountable to God. The faithful steward has learned to say “no” to the person in the mirror.

In order for you to move to a life of stability you are going to have to go through the process. It’s your choice. You have the ability to become a better steward of your wealth. I am a living example that God will empower your life  to do that which you cannot on your own,  do for yourself. Remember keep praying, keep believing, with God all things are possible.

Prayer of Blessing: Thank You Heavenly Father for mothers who sow seeds of wisdom into our lives.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and four grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor: Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!” Luke 21:1-4 Message

We can personally acknowledge, whatever we give freely and cheerfully to God, He multiplies it back to us in so many ways. Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Give and it will be given to you. A measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you”.

Level 4  stewards are generous givers. They are generous in giving of their time, they are generous in sharing of their talents, and they are generous in giving of their money. Many of us have people in our lives or know someone with the gift of generosity.

Level 4  stewards are not only generous givers, they are motivated out of love for God and for people.  The heart of the faithful steward says, “All that I have is Yours,  Lord.”  When we choose to give out of our love for God, He pours His favor over our lives.  If you are seeking God’s favor over your life,  begin giving generously from a place of love and joy.

Among my siblings, everyone knows our sister Vonseal has the gift of generosity. If you ever meet Vonseal you will be greeted with a big smile that is  infectious.  Her smooth dark chocolate skin, sparkling eyes and joyful spirit is very captivating. But more importantly, Vonseal’s  love for  God, love for family, and love for giving is contagious.

Our family knows if  you have a legitimate need and tell it to Vonseal, it will get taken care of. Even if you do not mention your need to Vonseal,  if God speaks to her heart to meet your need, it is taken care of.  She is a living example of how God uses generous givers to become a blessing in the lives of others and to channel His incredible love upon the planet.

God can trust Vonseal to be a blessing to meaningful others. She is a tremendous blessing to our family and meaningful others.  She generously gives of her  time, she generously gives of her talents, and she generously gives of her money to whatever God directs in her life.  Anyone who knows her, will tell you how God is moving all over her life and pouring His favor upon her.

As faithful stewards, we are examples to believers and non-believers in our circle of influence of God’s sustainable love. God loves us so much, He generously gave up His Son.  Jesus Christ, His Son, loves us so much,  He generously gave up His life. What are you willing to generously give up to make a difference in the lives of others?

Prayer of Blessing: Creator God, thank you for the spirit of generosity in our lives.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and four grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Walking in God’s Favor:  Solomon, the richest man who ever lived on the planet, said, “Do not wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle. ” Proverbs 23:4,5 (NLT)

We have personally experienced family and friends who have become really excited about a business opportunity that enlightened their minds to the great wealth potential we enjoy here in America. We enjoy encouraging individuals  who have a plan, passion, and a purpose for creating wealth.  We can be in the middle of a recession and these individuals will continue to seek creative ways to realize their financial dreams.

Deciding to become a better steward of your wealth takes wisdom, diligence, and prayer. If you are seeking the spiritual power that God gives to get wealth, you are going to have to think differently and make choices that will move you toward your financial destiny.  Dr. Roland Hills  in his book  http://tinyurl.com/cfr7snv  “Wealth Is In Your Worship: Not Your Works” shares fresh new insights for anyone interested in tapping into their God  given unlimited source of wealth.

You will be surprised to discover the profile of those who accumulate financial prosperity in America.  Thomas J. Stanley & Williams D. Danko, authors of the The Millionaire Next Door, researched Americans that have a net worth of $1 million, or more.

Their findings are interesting. Usually the person is an entrepreneur, who has lived in the same city all their adult life. They own either a service company, small factory, or chain of stores. They remain in a lifetime relationship and have married once. They live next door to people with a fraction of their wealth. They earned their money on their own, and 80%  are first generation rich.

Here are seven common traits found in people who successfully create wealth: (Adapted from the The Millionaire Next Door)

1. They live well below their means.

2. They balance and integrate their time, energy, and money efficiently in ways that create wealth.

3. They believe that financial independence is more important than displaying high social status.

4. Their parents did not give them their wealth.

5. Their adult children are economically self-sufficient.

6. They are good at finding and targeting marketing opportunities.

7. They chose the right occupation.

Jesse Jackson says in his book, It’s About Money,  “Income without wealth, is just flash without cash.” Always remember,  income is based on your paycheck and wealth is based on your assets. (What you own)

Prayer of Blessings: Dear God, we are thankful to live in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet.  Help us to honor You in our finances.

Michael Vance is a senior account executive  with Hundley Batts & Associates and the co-founder of stewardshipofwealth.com. Ardella Vance is  a gifted educator and  a Master Guide in the Pathfinders  Club, a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people.  The Vance’s have been married well over 25 years and share their lives with four adult children and four grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.