Reflections on Stewardship of Stuff, Food, and Wealth

On Earth as it is in Heaven

If you stop and pay attention to these words, the line “on earth as it is in heaven” has fascinating theological significance. Jesus is teaching us to pray or the earth to look more like heaven. Our lives on earth matters. Following Jesus is not just about getting as many as possible to heaven. It’s also about pursuing the flourishing of persons made in the Image of God on this side of eternity. Today's guest is Sean Conor Anderson, a former pastor and current Simple Charity philanthropic advisor. We talk about what we can learn from the Lord’s prayer about having a holistic theology of God’s Kingdom coming from earth. We also look for insight on this topic from the prophet Jeremiah and then use human trafficking and political polarization as theological case studies to flesh out the idea more.

The DAF Dilemma and Dangers of Wealth

We live in the wealthiest times of human history. And followers of Jesus around the world steward much of the world’s wealth. How do the teachings of Jesus inform how Christians should think about wealth, stewardship, and generosity? Today on the show, we speak with Courtney Markley, the founder of the Center for Financial Discipleship and the creator of the new Idle Treasure podcast. The Idle Treasure podcast features conversations on donor-advised funds, or DAFs. This is money that has been irretrievably set aside for charity but not yet disbursed to churches or nonprofits. In 2026, the amount of money in donor-advised funds will cross half a trillion dollars. That’s half a trillion dollars earmarked for giving, but not yet deployed to do good in the world. Courtney calls this the “DAF Dilemma."

Reflections on Stewardship of Stuff, Food, and Wealth

What do thrifting, composting, and philanthropy have in common? One theme that may tie these three together is the idea of "stewardship." How do we live when we realize that God, not us, is the true owner of all we have? What does it actually mean to steward what we possess? In this episode, we dive deep into thrifting, composting, and philanthropy with Tony Whitter, a Simple Charity philanthropic advisor and the CEO of Compost Collective KC and previous CEO of Blessings Abound, a regional thrift store that granted millions of dollars to local nonprofits. To get in touch with Tony about his philanthropic advising services, visit www.simplecharity.org/tony-whitter.

Biblical “Love” Might Not Mean What You Think

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself.” These are the commands that Jesus says are most essential. But what does the word "love" mean in the original languages and context of the Bible? Kevin Grasso is a biblical languages scholar and the founder of Biblingo. In this episode, we discuss these two biblical commands in the old and new testaments. Learn more about Biblingo at www.biblingo.com [https://biblingo.com/].

Can “The Most Racist County in America” Become a County of Love?

In 1912, 100% of the black residents of Forsyth County, Georgia were forcibly expelled from their land. Durwood Snead is one of the founders of the Forsyth Descendants Scholarship, which supports descendants of black residents from Forsyth County to get a college education. Join us for a conversation about racism, history, truth, and love. Learn more at the website for the Forsyth Descendants Scholarship: https://forsythscholarship.org/ You can also learn more in Patrick Phillips' book Blood at the Root or in the podcast 1912: The Forsyth County Expulsion and Its Aftermath.