Tag Archives: stewardship

Are You Willing To Grow To Your Highest Potential?

Posted on December 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Walking in God’s favor: No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Ephesians 4:15-16 Message Bible

Step Out On Faith And Walk Into Your Destiny

The truth is, we all have areas in our lives that we need to grow in. Your area of growth is probably different from my area of growth. We must truthfully acknowledge our area of weakness and face it.

My truth is I waste  far too much time watching TV, surfing the internet and on social media.  After reading Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life ” I was motivated to initiate 3 immediate changes in my life.

1. I  would begin to limit the amount of television, internet and social media I consumed.

2. I would spend the best time of my day in prayer, reading my bible or something positive.

3. I would release my spiritual side and invest time growing my inner man.

Discover Who God Says You Are, Become That Person

My purpose was to seek the highest potential for my life. It has made an incredible difference. After making these 3 seemingly small changes, I have been motivated to write this blog, self-published several books with Ardella, and produced 3 Keys To A Healthy Marriage, an 8-Part Web Series for newly married couples. Our purpose is to share the goodness of God in our lives with our family, friends, and meaningful others.  I choose to invest my time and develop my talents wisely.

Level 4 Stewards are willing to do whatever it takes reach their highest potential. Are you willing to do your part? Yes, you have an extremely important role in your spiritual journey.  You are called for a moment like this in time. You are given unique gifts to develop over your lifetime and you have an assignment or  purpose that you have the potential to fulfill.

Prayer of blessing: Lord, teach us to become like Christ.

Michael J. Vance is the co-host of the podcast Better Husband Father Man hub for all things; parenting, marriage, and self-improvement. He is a financial & benefit risk manager with Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency  Ardella Vance volunteers her time, talents, and financial resources to causes she is passionate about. She is a gifted educator and a Master Guide in the International Pathfinder Club a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people. The Vances have been married well over 4 decades and share their lives with four adult children and ten exceptional grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog from their workbook “Stewardship of Wealth”.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What is Stewardship?

Posted on October 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Walking in God’s Favor: Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.  Tell God your needs and don’t forget to thank Him for his answers. Philippians 4:6 TLB

Living a Stewardship Lifestyle

We were introduced to stewardship principles by Elder Harold Lee, as a young couple with 4 kids, while I was serving in the U.S. Navy at Rough & Ready Island in Stockton California. My life’s spiritual journey has never been the same.

We discovered that God has placed in each one of us more potential then you will ever develop. You must choose to or not to develop your God Given gifts and talents. After practicing and living stewardship principles for over four decades we teach 4 levels of  stewardship in which you are living  consciously or unconsciously each day of your life.

Level 1 Stewardship is a life of struggle. The Level 1 Steward is trying to survive; to keep the lights on, food on the table and gas in the car. I remember as 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. Why did I want to become wealthy?

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

You Cannot Be Spiritual Liberated Living In Financial Bondage

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

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

When riches dominate your heart, God loses preeminence over your life

Why is it when God blesses you with a good education and you worship the education. Why is it when God blesses you with a successful business and you worship the business? Why is it when God blesses you with money and you worship the money. Instead of worshiping the Gift Giver you worship the gift.

The Level 1 Stewards worship God as Creator Owner and have faith in God’s sustaining power. Stewardship is not just about giving money, it’s about giving everything. Stewardship is a way of life.

Prayer of Blessings: Lord we worship You.

Michael J. Vance is the co-host of the podcast Better Husband Father Man hub for all things; parenting, marriage, and self-improvement. He is a financial & benefit risk manager with Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency Ardella Vance volunteers her time, talents, and financial resources to causes she is passionate about. She is a gifted educator and a Master Guide in the International Pathfinder Club; a global organization empowered to teach life and leadership skills to young people. The Vance’s have been married well over 4 decades and share their lives with four adult children and ten exceptional grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog from their workbook “Stewardship of Wealth”.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

What’s On Your Reading List?

Posted on June 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Walking In God’s Favor: Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect. Romans 12:2 NCV

We believe in Continuous Optimization, Always Keep Learning

We are so happy to celebrate our 8th year of growing our Better Husband Father Man Podcast. He that findeth a wife findeth a good thing. We are about honoring our commitiment to our good thing. This accomplishment takes a commitment to excellence.

Those who keep learning, will keep growing in life.

Michael Jr. and I have posted the wisdom and insights we have learned from our journey of becoming the best  version of ourselves in 2024. We are committed to playing a significant role in encouraging you to grow in areas of  your life that need confirmation and clarity.

Here are some suggested readings to empower you in that process of becoming a better steward of your wealth and the best version of yourself.

1. Succeed The Right Way- Paul Gunn, Jr.

2. Go Do Your Something – Lamont Dupree

3.  Wealth – It’s in Your Worship Not Your Works – Roland J. Hill

4.  A Champion Game Plan For Life – Preston Brown

5. Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey

6. Family Prayer – Your Fortune Is In Your Faith- Michael & Ardella Vance

7. 80 Proven Ways to Become a Millionaire – Paul  S. Damazo

8. Taking Care of Business – Lee Jenkins

9. Debt Free  Degree – Anthony O’Neil

10. 12 Week Year – Brian Moran

11.  Power to Get Wealth: No Money Required – Keith Douglas

12.  The Inertia of Legacy – Chris Cline

Prayer of Blessing:  Lord, we thank You for the desire to grow.

Michael J. Vance is the co-host of the Better Husband Father Man Podcast a hub for all things parenting, marriage, and self improvement. He is a financial & benefit risk manager for Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency   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 40 years and share their lives with four adult children and ten grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog weekly from their financial workbook ” The Stewardship of Wealth“.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do You Seek Wisdom From Mature Christains Who Are Faithful?

Posted on May 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

Walking In God’s Favor: Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God. Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. Psalms 1:1-2 GNT

Knowledge & Wisdom is of no value, unless you put it into practice. 

As Christians you get your instructions and directions in  life from the BIBLE. (Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth). Biblical principles can teach you the following:  How to communicate with God; How to love and forgive yourself as well as others; How to overcome your private struggles; How to have a healthy marriage; and How to relate to wealth.

Its unfortunate that when it comes to making financial decisions, you often seek solutions to your financial struggles from a secular worldview. Regardless of your skin color, the level of your education, or the amount of income you earn, following the popular advice of  American Greed or other secular worldviews, can often lead you away from God’s best version of your life. Think about it; How much faith does it really take to get into debt?

Wisdom is the new wealth. Surround yourself with it.

You don’t sit down and consciously decide to borrow yourselves into financial bondage. Usually you are influenced by listening to others who are in financial bondage themselves and appear to be enjoying it. You know what I mean?

Your friend or family member buys a new car with the leather package, GPS , satellite radio, heated seats and sun roof. They give you a ride…and of course you ask how much they paid for it. They explain how easily the dealership leased the vehicle to them so they could afford the payments. You think to yourself, “I can afford that”  and you run down to the dealership to join the ranks of our consumer driven society that is fueled by consumer debt.

An investment in knowledge, is always profitable.

Bottom line is, you are a generation that has forgotten or never learned how to financially discipline yourselves to save for purchases and avoid debt. I challenge you to raise your financial IQ. Read the word of God and Christian authors who share God’s plan for relating to money. One of my favorite books that I recommend on finances, is by Lee Jenkins entitled, “Taking Care of Business”.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1dNe1hhofgQ%3Fsi%3DnwKHBgI4Xmrrqq2n

Surround yourself with faithful stewards who are givers and savers. As you learn how to become more fiscally wise, share what you learn with family members and others in your sphere of influence. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results.  Remember, keep praying, keep believing,  with God all things are possible.

Prayer of Blessing: Lord, teach us to live with wisdom.

Michael J. Vance is the co-host of the Better Husband Father Man Podcast   a hub for all things; parenting, marriage, and self-improvement. He is a financial & benefit risk manager with Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency . Ardella Vance volunteers her time, talents, and financial resources to causes she is passionate  about. She 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 Vances have been married over 40 years and share their lives with four adult children and ten exceptional grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville, Alabama and blog from their workbook “Stewardship of Wealth”.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Can You Say No, To The Person In Mirror?

Posted on April 15, 2024 | Leave a comment

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. 1Corinthians 13:11 NLT

Discipline & self-control helps to develop your character.

Moving from a Level 1 Stewardship life of struggle to Level 2 Stewardship the life of stability is an individual choice. Many of you cannot see yourselves  maturing from Level 1 Stewardship a life of struggle into Level 2 Stewardship a life of  stability; therefore you remain in a life struggle.

Level 2 faithful stewards learn to live on a budget and give their money a mission.  But more importantly, Level 2 faithful stewards are accountable to God. The Level 2 faithful steward has learned to say “no” to the person in the mirror.

Can you say no, to the person in the mirror?

One of the keys that differentiate Level 1 Stewardship the life of struggle from Level 2 Stewardship 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.

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 work ethics and saving money.

With self-discipline, you increase your possibilities.

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 discipline necessary to manage wealth.

In order for you to move to Level 2 Stewardship 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.

You are invited to listen to our Facebook LIVE Stream Sunday 3pm May 12th. Our discussion will center a round life lessons we learned from our mothers. Our guest panelist is Kia Thornton- Gamble a corporate CPA with 20+ year experience.

Michael J. Vance is the founder of Stewardship Of Wealth.com and a financial & benefit-risk manager with Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency   Ardella Vance volunteers her time, talents, and financial resources to causes she is passionate about. She 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 over 4 decades and share their lives with four adult children and ten grandchildren. They currently reside in Huntsville Alabama, and blog from their Stewardship Of Wealth financial guide “Changing Your Family Tree”.

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,