Why Do Our Clients Give Up 5 ½ Hours of Their Time for a Journey of Generosity?
Early this month, ten of us, Guide Financial Planning clients and staff members, spent 5 ½ hours together spanning a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. What is so important that our clients would spend so much of their precious free time with us? We weren’t talking about investments or the economy. We weren’t remodeling our office. We weren’t golfing or ice fishing. We were talking about generosity.
Studies have found that generosity improves relationships, lowers stress, makes you happier, makes you healthier, and can even help you live longer! And even more than any of these things, we believe that Jesus modeled the greatest generosity to us by giving his life and we have the joy of responding to His generosity by also living generously. At Guide Financial Planning, we value generosity and want to encourage it in our clients who share that value as well. As such, we regularly provide an opportunity to look at generosity on a deeper level, from a Christian perspective.
What is a Journey of Generosity?
What we do is called a Journey of Generosity and it is a virtual retreat where we watch video stories, engage in personal Bible study, have focused solitude time before the Lord, and participate in authentic conversations. The material is provided by the organization Generous Giving. Usually, conversations about giving end with an ask for money, but this one doesn’t. This is different. We create a safe environment to simply discuss biblical generosity without any ulterior motive or specific end goal. Here is a quick, 2-minute video that tells more about it.
What Do Our Clients Think About the Journey of Generosity?
We have done several different Journeys of Generosity with our clients. Each time has been special to me because of how the Lord speaks to me and the different insights I gain from those participating. Here are some of the things that our clients have said about their experiences:
“I really enjoyed it and it has given me so much to think and pray about.”
“The Journey of Generosity was an eye-opening experience in how we can be generous with our money and our whole selves. I expected it to be somewhat of a Tithing 101 class but it was so much more. The deep insights and powerful examples of generosity have made me begin to reevaluate the dichotomy of where I spend my resources versus where I believe God is calling me to spend my resources (aka where I am storing up my treasure). The JOG has given me the awareness I needed as well as some tools to allow me to begin to dive deeper into how I can make my life more of a reflection of God's generosity. And it is a journey I am excited to be going on!”
“It was so encouraging to be taught about and discuss money from a group who wasn't asking for any. The perspectives and stories were really insightful and often revealed how my anxious thoughts about money run against the grain of the way God thinks about and talks about money in the Bible—specifically with words such as joy, cheerfulness, supply, abundance, needs being met, etc. Seeing how everything belongs to God in practical ways was very freeing and helpful. There are many immediate and long-term takeaways our family will be applying from our time invested in Journey of Generosity. Can't recommend it highly enough!”
How to Participate in a Journey of Generosity
While we enjoy having the opportunity to provide the Journey of Generosity to our clients, you don’t have to be a client of ours to participate in one. You can find more information about participating in a live or virtual one on the Generous Giving website here. If you are a client of ours, you can ask to be added to our invitation list in your next review meeting and we will let you know when the next one is scheduled.
We love having the opportunity to discuss Christlike giving with our clients because we know what an impact it can make in their lives. In fact, one of the reasons Guide Financial Planning was started was to be able to integrate faith and finance in order to have an eternal impact on our clients. Of course, that impact goes far beyond just generosity. To learn more about other things we do for our clients, like financial planning, schedule a free introductory call today.
About Guide Financial Planning
Guide Financial Planning is led by founder Ben Wacek, who is a Christian fee-only Certified Financial Planner™ and Certified Kingdom Advisor®. He has a passion to help people of all income levels make wise financial decisions and steward their resources from an eternal perspective using Biblical principles. Based in Minneapolis, MN, he works with clients both locally and virtually throughout the country and abroad. You can follow the links to learn more about Guide Financial Planning and our team and the services we offer.