[00:00:00] [00:01:00] Hey everyone, good afternoon, good evening to the Kingdom at Work webinar at this moment. I’m Amanda Bolin. I’m the manager at Kingdom at Work and our mission here is to inspire, ignite, and equip leaders to find their why. Before we dive into today’s content, let’s go over a few housekeeping items to ensure a smooth and productive session.

First and foremost, we want [00:02:00] this webinar to be as interactive as possible. So please feel free to use the Q& A feature to ask questions or share your thoughts throughout the presentation. We value your participation. Now about the questions, we will have a dedicated Q& A at the end of the presentation, where we’ll address many of the questions you’ve submitted.

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Keep an eye on our blog for more insights and answers on those. Lastly, this webinar will be recorded and the recording will be available for you to review and share with your colleagues later on. We’ll send an email out with the recording link shortly [00:03:00] after the event. Thank you all again for being here and super excited for today.

Today we have Corey Lusk. Corey is the Vice President of Operations. Corey’s story with Beaton Bow Homes started when he had a new Beaton Bow Home built in 2002. He really connected with the building process and knew immediately he would love to be a part of it if he were given the opportunity. In 2006, Rick Beatenboe hired him as the quality manager when the company was building 250 homes per year.

Corey has since then served as the production manager, construction manager, chief construction officer, and now vice president of operations. Today, he is blessed to lead teams that build and support over 2, 000 homes a year. He’s been able to experience the exponential growth of the company in his time at Beaton Bow Homes.

So, my pleasure to [00:04:00] introduce Corey Lesk.

Thanks, Amanda. Appreciate that. I can’t tell you guys how excited I am to talk to you about this topic of stewardship. I’ve been thinking about where everyone is on this journey. Man, is it a journey? Let me just tell you that. Uh, I can say from my own experience, um, that, uh, the Lord has showed me lots of things on this topic, uh, over the years and just recently.

And so I am praying that, uh, there’s going to be one or more things that all of you are going to get out of this and probably going to hear some scriptures you’ve heard before. But, uh, I’m just going to pray for, um, a new and refreshing, uh, um, I’ve got a lot of ears to hear today, so let me just real quick, just, uh, pray so Lord, just be with my words today, be with everybody that’s listening, uh, give us, uh, something new and something refreshing today on this topic of stewardship [00:05:00] in Jesus name.

We pray. Amen. Okay, well, I want to dive right in because I’ve got a lot of things I want to share with you. Uh, let’s start with the definition of stewardship. You know, I’ve heard, uh, lots of, uh, different, uh, definitions, uh, the, the one on the screen’s my favorite. I’ll give you two others. Uh, the first one, uh, that I ran across was to protect and expand the resources of another.

The second definition I heard was to manage the property of another. But really my favorite is what’s on the screen, the responsibility to protect and expand the resources of another. A steward is one that protects and expands the resources of another, right? And so are we good stewards? Um, you might reply with a question, well, Corey, what are you talking about?

Are you talking about at home? Are you talking about at work? Yes. Family? Yes. Um, [00:06:00] finances, mostly, uh, relationships. Sometimes, I don’t know what your answer is, but we have a lot of areas to cover today. Um, and if we’re gonna be good stewards, we must not confuse the difference between stewardship and ownership.

So I wanna take a few minutes to talk about the difference between these two because we really can’t understand stewardship unless we get a little glimpse into what ownership looks like. So if, so if a steward is responsible to protect and expand the resources of another, then the steward is not the owner, right?

So who’s the owner? Let’s talk about that. Um, if you can grab the concept that you own nothing and God owns everything, your stewardship will go to the next level. Okay. This is an important piece of, uh, of your journey. Let’s, [00:07:00] let’s, uh, cover a few verses. Psalms 24 one says that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.

Psalms 89 11 says, the heavens are yours and yours also the earth. You founded the world and all that is in it. First Corinthians 10 26 for the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. Revelation 4 11 you are worthy our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they were created and having their being.

Um, Psalm 50 verse two, this is, this is good and I can hear the Lord just talking to us. He says, if I were hungry, I would not even tell [00:08:00] you that the world is mine. Uh, I would not, I wouldn’t even tell you because the world is mine and all that is in it. It just really cracks me up because, um, uh, ESV says it this way for the world and its fullness are mine.

The Lord’s not just saying all that’s in the earth is mine, but even the fullness is mine. Even the things that you’re taking out of my earth and creating more things in its fullness, those are mine too. I think God is just being very clear with us in all these scriptures that he owns it all. Um, I can hear him say, uh, that home that you live in, um, made out of lumber that came from my trees that came out of my forest.

I that came from this earth. Oh, it’s mine. Um, or maybe, um, Oh, those clothes you’re wearing that are made out of cotton or some kind of cotton blend or fiber blend that came from [00:09:00] a plant on a farm on my earth. It’s mine too. So it doesn’t matter what it is that we’re talking about. It all goes back to the earth in the Lord saying all that is in it is mine.

So if God owns everything and we own nothing. That includes our own life, right? If God owns everything, then we own nothing, including our own life. Most people think if they can put their hands on something, that it’s theirs, right? Um, if you can, again, grab the concept that God owns everything and that you are steward over all of God’s stuff, then you can take this journey of stewardship to a whole nother level with A right heart and the right view, and it’s very important, um, the right heart and the right view will take you, uh, on a great stewardship, stewardship journey, uh, when we, uh, [00:10:00] declared that it’s all God’s, um, the Lord knows our tendencies.

He knows us so well. In fact, I want to read to you Deuteronomy eight, 10 through 14. He gives us a powerful. warning, uh, in this scripture. Um, a warning against our own tendencies. He says, when you have eaten and you’re satisfied and you praise the Lord, your God for the good land he’s given you, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, your God failing to observe his commandments and his laws and decrees that I’ve given you this day.

Otherwise, when you eat and you are satisfied. And when you build your fine houses, and when you settle down, and when your herds and your flocks grow large, and your silver and your gold increase, and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the [00:11:00] Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Isn’t that amazing that the Lord knows that? If we, uh, tend to call things ours and think it came from our own efforts, then we’ll get proud. You know, I think the revelation the Lord gave me through that verse really was, Corey, if, if, if you don’t continually acknowledge that it’s God’s every day, all of it, that, that Your heart will become proud and your ego will get out of check.

So I think there’s a learning lesson here that as we are stewarding all of God’s things that we just don’t forget it’s his. We need to keep our pride in check and we need to keep our ego in check. And that’s a powerful verse to remind us of that. I just love that the Lord gives us the freedom to declare it’s his.

We have a choice, we can call it ours [00:12:00] or we can call it his, one of the two. And if we choose to call it his, then we’re going to steward the resources God’s given us. So I’m going to divide, uh, his stuff into about three categories for just a discussion, uh, for the remainder of our time. And really I just want to divide those into time, talents, and treasures.

And I think this would just be a great place for us to talk about these areas in our life that we’re stewarding. And so let’s hit time. Um You know, are we stewarding God’s time with a healthy balance? There’s the key. When, um, you know, we can get very dogmatic at times in thinking that, uh, stewarding time is how can I schedule more things into my, into my schedule, my daily schedule.

No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. Actually, there’s a principle that you need to hear. You know, for many years, I embraced the thought that if I could figure out how to do more, I could have more. And that was so wrong. Really [00:13:00] today I live by if I can have more, then I will steward it better. In other words, if I want more time, I have to steward my time better.

Okay? So just a, a, um, a critical way to think about, uh, how we’re thinking about our time. And so, as we think about it, you know, your, your work time or your after hours time or your weekend time, you know, those are three different segments of time that we have to steward in, in our, in our pace in those three areas.

I’ll just say pace is a critical thing. That’s a topic that I’m really passionate about. Um, and so we need to be thinking about what is our work pace, our after hours pace, our weekend pace. It’s super important to a balance, to balancing a, um, our life in these areas. And be a good steward of our time. So what I’ve realized that if we don’t embrace a good pace, a poor pace, actually give us missed moments.[00:14:00]

We’ll miss moments in our work, after hours and on the weekends, that God is trying to bless us in. He’s trying to bring peace. He’s trying to bring joy. He’s trying to bring miracles. He’s trying to bring the meaning of life to us through our time. But if we don’t steward our time, Then he can’t do that. I think the big question here.

I want to ask you guys that are listening is Is your work life? hindering your home life You know, I’m wondering does your family get the leftovers when you get home in the evenings? Or do you see all of your time as important as your time at work? I hope you do because I’m fixing to hit on something here that I’m probably gonna step on some toes Um, but, but let’s talk about the Ten Commandments.

Let’s talk about Exodus 20, verse eight, specifically the fourth commandment. He says, keep the Sabbath [00:15:00] day. Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. Okay. That is super important to keep the Sabbath day. Holy. Uh, he doesn’t take lightly. Actually it’s in the Ten Commandments guys. You know, if I were to say, do you, do you think that, uh, We shouldn’t lie, that we shouldn’t steal, that we shouldn’t murder, uh, we shouldn’t commit adultery, uh, we shouldn’t worship other gods, uh, we shouldn’t use the Lord’s name in vain, uh, we shouldn’t have other gods before us.

You would go, well of course, Cory, I agree on all those things. Then why is it that on the fourth commandment we ignore or keep the Sabbath day holy? I don’t understand that. You know, I think we treat it like a checkbox. We think that if we go to church and we spend an hour and a half or two hours, uh, in the presence of other Christians, getting a word from God that we, we, we kept the Sabbath day holy and we’re [00:16:00] done.

And that’s not the way it works. I’ve, I’ve come to learn that if I don’t go deep once a week with the Lord, he truly doesn’t have an opportunity to refill me. You know, he goes on to say in Exodus 33, 14. After the 10 commandments and says, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. Do you believe that?

I think, I think, uh, there’s a contingency here that if we’ll keep the Sabbath day holy, I do believe he’ll give us rest. I do believe he’ll go with us, but we have to take the Sabbath day to refill ourselves. So the other six days we can pour out to family. Uh, to friends, uh, to coworkers in those areas of life that we just talked about.

So I would encourage you, I’m challenging you to keep the Sabbath day holy and steward your time well. Let’s move on to talents or you might call giftings and [00:17:00] your strengths. You know, we’ve all been blessed with many talents and unique strengths. Uh, one of my favorite verses is Luke 12, 48 says to whom much is, much is given, much is required.

Wow. The Lord has given each one of us gifts and, uh, we need to recognize how much he has given us in different areas and realize that we’re required to steward those things and to bless others with those things. I think in general, most of us have a talent, um, or a hobby or a passion and a lot of times those run parallel with each other.

A giftings, uh, is something that we’re passionate about. Um, I bet there’s somebody that’s really great at Excel spreadsheets out there that knows a lot about them and is passionate about them and could actually use your knowledge and your passion and your strength in that area to bless someone else and help them in that area.

You could be really good at a sport. Um, And, and you [00:18:00] could bless someone with showing them, uh, some things that could help them be better in that same sport. Um, again, our hobbies and our passions, a lot of times, and our giftings and strengths run parallel with each other. Because when you’re passionate about something, you tend to give it more time.

Uh, you tend to go find out, how can I do that better, uh, and take that to the next level, and then even share it. And so, I just want to share a quick story with you. Uh, my wife Roxanne, everyone knows beyond a doubt, has the gifting of hospitality. And I’ll just say, not just a gifting, but a passion and a strength in that area.

And so, um, I can tell you that she has it all down from decor. to dishes and, and what goes on top of the dish, even good food. And so if you walk into, to our house or the things that, that she is, uh, is under her care, things are going to be in order, things are going to look great, things are going to feel great, you’re, um, and things are going to taste great.[00:19:00]

And it’s just her gifting, it’s who she is. And so, She has a passion that, that can help others do that and so that’s just an example of how you could be given a God given strength and you could use that to bless others with. Let’s move on to Treasures. Um, Under Treasures, there’s, there could be some subcategories, but I, I chose, To, to hit relationships, your home, your property, your health, your resources, and your money.

These are all things that we treasure greatly. Um, and so, um, I’m reminded that in Matthew 6, 19 through 21, he ends that verse with, For where your treasure is, There your heart will be also. And so doesn’t it make sense that if we’ve put our money into our home, or we’ve put our money into relationships, or we’ve put our money into other things, Uh, our health, that we treasure it.

And so, let’s just take each one of these for a minute and talk [00:20:00] through them. I’m going to hit relationships. You know, how are you stewarding the relationships that God has connected you with? Those people around you. He has divinely connected you with relationships that are special to you. And, so I’m wondering, are you waiting for them to call you?

Or are you thinking about them? You know, at times I think, we think about people and I wonder, do we pick the telephone up and say, Hey, I’ve been thinking about you. How are you? How are you doing? The Lord put you on my mind and so I want to be obedient and just reach out to you and see how you are. And could we connect, um, we need to be doing that.

You know, I believe that, um, if someone has many friends, they’ve been a friend to many. And so those relationships around, uh, us are super important. Um, uh, couples that you have been put in your life, those are important. If you and your spouse have other couples you love to engage [00:21:00] with, uh, those are important.

And so I’d ask you, how are you stewarding those? I’ll, I’ll share another story with you. Um, a few weeks ago, Roxanne and I, uh, wanted to spend time with a couple. And so, We chose to buy some concert tickets and book a dinner reservation for the four of us at a restaurant. And so I got on my app and made the reservation.

And, uh, we again just put it all together and said, you guys come go with us. And so we had an evening of great fellowship over dinner, at the concert, watching live music together. And it was just a time for us to connect. Uh, and the Lord said, you know, if you value that relationship, you should spend time.

with that relationship. Get to know one another. You’ll appreciate one another when you spend time with one another and get to share stories with one another. And so, we did that. It’s something that we love to do. Now, in the early years, years ago, when things, you know, were financially tight and maybe you can’t afford a concert ticket or you can’t afford to [00:22:00] go out to eat, we would do simple things, just invite people over.

You know, I’d cook a hamburger on the, on the grill and just make it low key, make it, uh, um, you know, inexpensive, um, and we would even at times Just have some, another couple over for coffee and dessert, you know, on a Wednesday night after church or something. You guys come over and let’s just have a cup of coffee and, and some, and something sweet to eat, and just have a time of connection.

And so it can be very simple, but I do think you have to be strategic at initiating those connections with those people around you, okay? So I hope I’ve challenged you in thinking about stewarding those relationships around you. Let’s hit your home. or your property. Um, you, you could have multiple properties.

You, you could have a hunting property. You could, you could have a home and, uh, and another city as well. So, um, whatever that looks like, but our home is definitely a place where we can bless other people. Uh, you should pray about what that looks like for your family. I know your home can be a [00:23:00] retreat. It can be a refuge.

Uh, it can be that place that can be, uh, restorative for you and your family. But it can also be a place That could be a refuge or restoration for other people as well. Um, we call it our kingdom outpost. You know, your home can be that outpost where people can come get healed emotionally, physically, spiritually, uh, even just relationally.

Um, that could be a place where you can have a time of connection with people. And so, you know, an outpost is, is just a place where people can, can come get the resources they need. They might just need some, uh, some food. They might need some medical supplies. You know, those kind of things. But, uh, really just a place where people can come and feel, uh, the, the environment, the, the kingdom environment that you have in your home.

And so I would just challenge you, uh, to, uh, think about your home. As being a kingdom outpost, uh, to those [00:24:00] around you. And so, let’s move on to health. I’m not going to say a whole lot about health. Uh, I’ll just tell you that, you know, you need to be taking care of your body. Uh, you might need to exercise.

You might need to take some vitamins. You might need to change the way you eat. Uh, those are all, uh, important. And so, uh, I know that we, we need to be cognizant about all those things. But, I want to remind you that your body, your soul, and your spirit. Are all one, okay? They’re all connected. You know, your spirit and your soul can be fine, but if your body’s not good, uh, your soul and your spirit won’t be the best they can be.

I just wanna remind you that your health is important, uh, and that your body, soul, and spirit are all connected. And so just make sure that you’re doing the right things so that you can stay healthy in all of those areas. Resources, um, you know, I just put a quick definition. Of what that is, you know, a resource could be anything that you have at your discretion that is [00:25:00] a source or supply to, uh, to support others with.

Okay? That could be ideas. Uh, that could be anything, uh, that the Lord is giving you to support others. We just need to realize that whatever those might be in the, in the sense of resources that we just give God the credit for that. I know many times he gives me ideas and sometimes it’s just in my morning routine and he pops an idea in my head.

And I just know beyond a shadow of a doubt, it wasn’t me that thought about that. The Lord gave that to me. And so I have to share that, but I have to share that and say, the Lord gave me a thought this morning because, um, it’d be very selfish to think that, uh, I came up, uh, I came up on that idea by myself.

Uh, I know a lot of times we say around here when we do things that sometimes we’re just not smart enough to do all the things we’re doing. Actually, the Lord, um, gives us ideas on how to do things. Um, Okay, money. It’s the very last, [00:26:00] last one here. Um, big topic here. Everything that I’ve talked about so far, you just need to know are good examples of stewardship of what God has given to us.

But I do want to say that I’m about to say some things about money that is going to connect and tie into every area that we just talked about. I know. Money has a way of affecting, um, a lot of other areas of our life, and so I want to talk through those. Remember, as a steward, we don’t own anything, right?

And it’s all his. And, um, you know, when I got a hold of this concept that I’m fixin to share with you, this principle, uh, in Malachi, when I was 21 years old, and, um, I’ll just tell you, it was life changing for me. Um, it allowed me, I think, uh, for the Lord to come Uh, continue to keep blessings in my life, even when I wasn’t listening.

Um, I know at times I’m not a good listener. I know at times I have to work on that. But I know at times, even when he [00:27:00] says, Corey, you weren’t listening, he still is there with me. And I believe, uh, what I’m fixing to share with you is that it’s had a big part in helping me in that area. God just continues to, to continue to help me.

Uh, let’s just start in Malachi 3. And we’re going to read 6 through 12. Um, he starts at number six and he says, I do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty.

But you ask, how are we to return? Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me? But you ask, how are we robbing you in tithes and offerings? You are under a curse, your whole nation, because you’re robbing me. He goes on in Malachi 3. 10 to say, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, and there may be food in my house.

Test me in this, says Lord Almighty, [00:28:00] and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. And in 11, he says, I will. Prevent the pest from devouring your crops, and the vines of your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, says the Lord Almighty.

Then all of the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be delightful, a delightful land. Wow, isn’t that powerful? I’ll just tell you, when 21 years old and read this, and knew that the enemy He was prowling about this earth to destroy, uh, everything that was in its wake. I mean, he’s just prowling and destroying things.

And when I knew that, and I saw the verse that the Lord will prevent pests from [00:29:00] devouring my crops, I thought, I need that. He didn’t say I might. He didn’t say I’m thinking about it. He says, if you’ll bring the whole tie to the storehouse, I will. prevent pests from devouring your crops. Now, we all have a crop friend.

I don’t know what industry you’re in. I don’t know what your field looks like, but you’re sowing seeds and producing a harvest. And whatever that field is, whatever that crop is that you’re farming, uh, the Lord will prevent the pests from ruining your crops. We all need that protection. If you don’t have that protection, Uh, I, I suggest you, you read these scriptures and be convicted.

Uh, it, it was a powerful thing. Uh, he goes on to say also in Leviticus 2730 that a tithe of everything, everything from the land, whether it’s grain from the soil or fruit from the trees belongs to the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. Again, I can say, uh, [00:30:00] he’s very clear, um, about, about the tithe here and how holy it is.

Um, you know, I want to share a story with you. I heard, I heard a story about a guy one time that he was sharing with a, with a friend and he said, uh, You know, I, I do believe in tithing. I do believe in, in returning it back to the Lord. Um, but I was a, I was a part of a church one time and he said, um, Uh, they had a project going on and they were, they were raising money and, and, and that project didn’t go like they said it was going to go.

And I lost faith that the, that the church that I was a part of wasn’t stewarding the money well and it discouraged me and, um, and, and I quit giving my tithes to the church and it just broke my heart when I heard that story. He, uh, that, that guy that was telling the story is now part of another church.

And, um, had said that, uh, he continues to give his tithes to other ministries outside the church. That broke my heart. Let me say, friend, don’t [00:31:00] let man get between you and God. Okay? That’s super important. It’s up to you to be obedient to what the Lord is telling you to do, and you let him deal with how the finances are being spent, uh, in the church or in that ministry that you’re supporting.

I have no doubt whatsoever that the Lord will always make things right. It’s not up to our time to judge on how quick He fixes things, but I’ll tell you this, I’m going to be faithful with sowing my seeds, or giving, returning my tithe back to the storehouse on the place that I’m getting fed, the place the Lord, um, has planted me.

If He’s planted you somewhere in a church body, I would just say that’s, that’s where that needs to go. Um, and let the Lord, uh, be the judge of how those funds are steward. Um, you have to release yourself of that. I want to go on to another passage, the parable of the talents. Uh, I’m not going to spend too much time on this, [00:32:00] but in Matthew 25, he just simply gives us a story about an owner that is leaving some money to those servants and stewards, uh, that are, that are on his team.

And, and, uh, there’s three servants. And he tells them, I’m going to leave some money with you, I’m going to go away on a trip. And so he gives the first servant five talents, he gives the second servant two talents, and he gives, uh, the last servant one talent. And so he goes away and he comes back to see how they had stewarded the money that he had given them.

And the first servant said, I’ve doubled the money, owner. Um. I’ve doubled everything you gave to me. I, you gave me five. I turned it into 10 in the, in the owner said to him, well done, servant, you have been faithful over a little and I’ll set you over much, uh, enter into the joy of your master. Same thing with servant number two, the exact same thing happened.

He doubled his money and the, and the owner said the same thing to [00:33:00] him. Well done servant. Let’s get to the third servant. With the one that he gave one talent to. That guy dug a hole and put it in the ground and did nothing with it while the owner was gone. Okay? The owner comes back and says, You mean you didn’t put it on account anywhere?

You mean you didn’t put it in the bank and get a little interest? You didn’t, you didn’t send it to a financial investment firm and, and get a, you know, put it in a mutual fund and get any kind of return whatsoever on what I left you? And. Um, in verse 29 through 30, um, he’s very clear that he says for to everyone who has more will be given and he will have an abundance.

But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And he cast the worthless servant that put the money in the ground. into utter darkness. [00:34:00] Okay. Uh, just a great story here on we have to be stewards, uh, with the owner’s, the owner’s money, the Lord’s money. In Psalm 84, 11, he says, for the Lord God, our son and our shield.

He gives us grace and glory in that the Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. If we’ll just do what is right, the Lord will withhold no good thing. What a powerful verse. I want to end, kind of wrap this up with understanding that we’re going to give an account. Okay, in 2 Corinthians 5.

10, just like in the parable of the talents, the master comes back, um, to give an account, right? Uh, this scripture says, For we must all appear before judgment seat of Christ, so that each one of us may receive a compensation for the deeds that are done. Through the body in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad.

You know, when I think about all given an [00:35:00] account, I think of the Lord coming back and I think of him going, okay, I’ve given you guys stewards over my things. And when you think about it that way, I think of the Lord has put on deposit with you and me, his things. You know, the Lord’s account numbers don’t look like numbers.

His account numbers are our names. He’s looking at the account of Corey Luskin saying, uh, let’s see what, what has Corey done with the things I’ve given him? How’s that account working out? Uh, let’s go down to John Smith. How’s that account working out? Have you thought about that the Lord has owned deposit with each one of us, his resources?

We are the accounts. That the Lord is investing in. That’s a powerful thought process for me. You know, to end here, success in [00:36:00] stewardship is how you get there, not how fast you get there. Super important that we do this in a way, um, that honors the Lord. In Luke 6. 38. He says, given, it will be given to you, a good measure of press down, shaking together, together and running over, and you’ll be put into our lap for the same measure that you use.

In 37, verse 37, he says, don’t judge. You’ll not be judged. Don’t condemn. You’ll not be condemned. Forgive and you’ll be forgiven. You know, I hear the Lord saying, are you forgiving with a teaspoon or a shovel? Or, are you showing mercy? In grace with a teaspoon or a shovel, are you showing love and care with a teaspoon or a shovel?

How about your giving? Do [00:37:00] you give with a teaspoon or do you give with the shovel? It’s pretty clear give and it’ll be given to you with the measure that you give. Is it a teaspoon or a shovel? I want to end today with a question. You know, stewardship is a journey for all of us, but as you think about your stewardship in all these areas that we discussed, what is the Lord saying to you right now?

I promise there’s an area that he has spoke to you today and make sure that you don’t ignore that because stewardship in all the areas that we talked about today is important. So how about some questions? Amanda, do we want to go to some questions? Absolutely. So just in case you came in late, this is going to be our live Q& A time.

And if you have a question you’d like to ask, use the Q& A feature that is at the bottom of your [00:38:00] screen, of which several of you already have, so excited to get to those. We will cover as many of these as we can, and if for some reason we don’t get to all the questions, then we might use them, um, for our content for our next, uh, blog.

So keep an eye out for our blog, um, you can read our website. But Corey, let’s start with a few questions that were asked. So the first question, how do we apply the principles of stewardship to include what we would consider the downside of life? such as loss, illness, failure, and so on. It seems we tend to not embrace those situations as part of God growing us in the kingdom.

Wow, that’s so good. Um, I do believe, uh, there’s lots of stories, uh, where not happy things are going on, uh, where maybe the enemy attacked and it’s [00:39:00] taken life from us. Um, And the Lord, uh, is wanting us to be faithful and to lean in and to make sure that we are hearing, uh, his still voice, his small, still voice.

And so in those moments, uh, I would just say, um, be watching and listening. I think so many times the Lord is talking to us and we’re not listening. And even though there are a lot of tough things in life that come at us, Um, I know that’s a time to press in for whatever reason, do not pull away, do not pull away during these hard times.

Uh, press in and realize that the Lord, um, will be with you, you know, when you ask him to go with you, he’ll go with you through those hard times as well. And I do believe, uh, there’ll be some fruit out of that hard time and you may not see it immediately. So many times we look back, it can [00:40:00] be a month later, it can be a year later, uh, and you see the fruit.

Um, I’ll just tell you there’s times here where we have necessary endings, uh, in, in projects and tasks and seasons for people. Sometimes seasons, um, people move on to go to other, uh, jobs and we selfishly don’t want them to move on because we want them here. And that’s just another way that, um, the Lord is saying I’m, I’m doing so many things at one time.

That, uh, you can’t even see them all. I’m doing so much. But over time, he tends to give us a glimpse at times of his goodness and what he did in that hard time.

Thank you, Corey. Really good. So, next question, it actually leads into what you were just saying, you know, when we get the opportunity to Steward team members and employees and how we don’t wanna look at ’em as, oh, I invested so much in them. But this question says, [00:41:00] how do you demonstrate stewardship in your business and model this area for your employees slash coworkers?

Uh, it’s referring to how do we steward those relationships of the employees and coworkers? I think. How do you demonstrate stewardship in your business, um, and model it for your employees and, um, coworkers? Yeah, I, I think, um, always keeping people in mind, um, You know, I was reminded by a leader the other day, we were talking about changing some things, and he says, Oh, and just, Let’s not forget there’s, there’s trade partners on the other side of that, there’s suppliers on the other side of that, there’s actually people on a crew, on a construction crew that were affected by that decision.

And I think for us to just continue to have this holistic view of everything that we do [00:42:00] is really connected to people. It’s really connecting, um, to their livelihood and to the relationships that we have. And, um, I think it’s just being reminded that everything that we do, um, ties back to a person. And so we have to be real careful how we steward those that are under our care.

Um, you know, what do we need to do to take the trust to the next level? What do we need to do to take the relationship to the next level? And so many times, as business people, sometimes we get caught up in, is there a direct correlation to the bottom line? You know, spending more money on a lunch outing, or spending more money on an event that benefits relationships, might not necessarily look like it goes to the bottom line, uh, for profitability of the company, but it does invest in the people.

And I think, once again, just having a holistic view about what we’re [00:43:00] stewarding those in our care.

Thank you, Corey. Next question. What have been some hindrances in your life story that you have overcome with respect to stewardship? Can you tell some before and after stories of your growth and what the Lord did in your heart, your home, those circumstances that moved you to repentance in those years?

Wow, that’s a, that’s a, that’s a deep question for me because, uh, when you, when you talk about what was it that moved your heart, uh, it definitely is the relationship piece. For me to grab Malachi 3. 10, it was a very task oriented thing for me. It was just so simple. It’s just, I knew that, uh, you know, when I got paid, I was going to return the tie.

That, that was really easy for me, um, because it was just an action, uh, and more of a task. But when it. When the [00:44:00] relationship, when the Lord convicted me that you needed to be better stewarding the relationships around you, Cory, um, that went really deep for me because I, I just did not understand how many people were affected, um, by decisions I was making, um, and have a correlation of the number of people that were affected, um, by everything that I was doing.

You know, whether it was relationships at church or relationships at work. Uh, and even at home is I needed to slow down, um, and I needed to just remember that, uh, the Lord does want me to connect deeply with people at work, at home, and after hours, all of it. He wants that for you. He wants you to connect and I was getting caught up in trying, I mean, I said it earlier, I thought that I could have more if I do more and he convicted me, no, you can have more when you steward.

What I’ve given you and I [00:45:00] need to be more intentional with the relationships in front of me every day. I actually needed to slow down. I needed to connect. I needed to make sure people felt cared for as much as I cared for them in my heart. I actually wasn’t showing it and so that definitely was an area that the Lord convicted me with the relationships that I had that I needed to steward them better.

So that, that was really, that’s my story.

Man, I’m sure that resonates with a lot of leaders just because when you are a high capacity functioning leader, you like efficiency. Um, what’s great is the next question just leads right into that really well. I know Corey, so, um, I know the answer to the first part. They said, Corey, do you have kids? Hey, the answer is yes, and he’ll answer that in a moment.

Hey Cory, do you have kids? If so, how do you steward all the hats you wear with being a vice president, a [00:46:00] husband, and a dad? Do you have any suggestions for kingdom leaders on how we steward these relationships better? Well, I’m a slot scheduler, right? I mean, uh, you don’t build a quality home in a timely manner if you don’t have a good slot schedule.

And you know that everything has a time frame. I am probably, uh, known to have things in time frames or buckets so that I can go focus on those. And I am able to, to, uh, I won’t say effectively, but I’m just able to have different times of my day and my week that are devoted to, uh, my wife Roxanne or the kids, um, or those relationships around us.

And so Uh, you have to create these rhythms in your life to hold on to. Um, I heard John Maxwell say years ago that if you don’t hardwire what you want to achieve, it won’t happen. And so I’ve [00:47:00] tried to hardwire times during the week that I can steward those relationships. Uh, Roxanne and I go out to eat every Friday night and it’s our time to connect.

I’m not saying we don’t eat every night at home. Um, we do that too. Um, but to have a designated time to say, we’re going to go on a date every single week. Um, that’s an important thing to do, uh, to have time once a week, uh, to go deep once a week with the Lord, uh, and have several hours of just spending time with him.

I have it on my calendar. Um, and so same with, uh, all the other areas. If you don’t have it on your calendar, I don’t think you can properly. Get around to all the relationships that you need to get around to. And even if it’s just a block that says invite someone over or invite another couple over, Um, you just need these reminders in your life so that you can get around to all the relationships the Lord wants you to steward.

And I won’t [00:48:00] say I do it perfect. Um, it’s going to be hard to do it perfectly. There’s going to be some weeks where you miss one of those. Uh, I think one of the principles we use around Uh, here all the time is just don’t let that go, uh, two weeks in a row. If you miss connecting with someone and you miss date night with your spouse, just don’t miss it two weeks in a row.

Uh, I bet, I bet she’ll forgive you or he’ll forgive you if you miss that, but try to stay in a rhythm. That’s what goes back to this healthy pace that I was talking about earlier.

Yeah, that’s great. I love that you quoted John Maxwell on that, that, um, I think with anything like with stewardship, you have to be intentional and it’s a skill that, uh, you hone in on that. It just doesn’t happen. Corey didn’t wake up one day and say, I think I’m going to be good stewardship. Like you honed in on it.

I love that. Yeah. Okay. Next question. Um, how do you step into the [00:49:00] joy of the master on a moment by moment basis? So I think that’s more, how do you steward having the joy of the Lord on a moment to moment basis? Throughout the day, yeah, well, you just have to realize the Holy Spirit wants to go with you every day, right?

And um, I make sure to start my day and ask Him to go with me, um, because I need Him to work through me. I want to do things spontaneously and just, uh, believe that, uh, the Lord’s working through me. And so even though in a tough moment, um, tough conversation, whether it’s towards the end of the day and you’re fixing to make a transition to at home or if it’s prior to an important meeting or in prior to an important conversation and it kind of knocks you off kilter, um, just need to take a minute and you might need to walk around the building for a second and take some deep breaths, um, and just get, [00:50:00] um, on, you know, uh, Uh, get your composure, uh, if you get knocked off kilter and just remind yourself the Holy Spirit’s with me.

He wants to go with me. He wants me, uh, he wants to work through me as a tool in the kingdom. Uh, I think I just have to remind myself honestly, moment by moment is the question, uh, throughout the day, uh, is I just have to remind myself that he wants to work through me. He wants to use me as a tool in the kingdom.

And so I have to believe that. And so I have to believe when I’m moving. Uh, throughout my day to different tasks and different meetings and different conversations. Um, that he’s with me and he’s working through me. And have the peace to, to believe that.

Absolutely, that’s so good. You know, one of the things that I’m going to add on to that, I think it’s so important, I was telling this to someone this morning, is being really wise in stewarding your yeses. And you can like suck the joy out of the Lord by saying yes to too [00:51:00] many things in your life. And you’ve got to be really wise with those yeses.

So, um, just a few more questions. And, um, this one says, what does your Sabbath look like? Ah, great question. Well, it’s changed over the years. Um, you know, used to, uh, it was a Sunday morning, go to church and, and, and try to rest in the afternoon. Uh, when the kids were at home, uh, Roxanne and I have just, uh, over the years have changed that rhythm.

But, uh, we go to a, a non denominational church that actually offers a Saturday night service. So, uh, we, we do, uh, attend church on Saturday night, uh, but then what that does for us is give us a really sweet. Sunday morning down time with the Lord. No rush, no pressure. Um, and so on Sunday morning after eating breakfast, um, I go into the office and I could spend [00:52:00] an easy two or three hours.

It just depends on if I’m going to be listening to some sermons on YouTube or if I’m, if I’m going to be reading in my Bible directly. And a lot of times I’ll do a little of both. Um, but I’m going to spend several hours with the door shut. Um, just listening to the Lord with my, with my, uh, earphones in with some white noise where I can block out all the distractions and really think about what I’m reading in the Word of God and what the Lord’s talking to me about.

Um, so really my Sabbath is a little bit of a combination of church on Saturday night, but yet deep with the Lord on Sunday morning, several hours. And I believe. We’re so busy throughout the week. It doesn’t mean that I don’t start my morning with a quick devotional and prayer, but I don’t have several hours that I give him every day to listen, and I have to do that once a week.

Otherwise, I don’t feel like I really get [00:53:00] refilled so that I can go, uh, through the next week.

Yeah, that’s so good. Really good. You know, someone, um, Put in a comment, um, that I, I think tags what you just said so well, and then there’s one last question. But someone wrote in and said the pace comment is sitting with me. The missed moment is so true if we are operating at the wrong pace. Since God wants our heart, maybe we need to make him our pacemaker.

That’s really good. I’m going to have to study this and hear what the lord says to me right now. Hey, I think all of us should maybe ask the lord about him being our pacemaker. That’s so good. Yes. The question along with that comment says, um, my question related to pace, what tools can you use to determine the condition of our pace and what it should be and how to help others determine the same?

Tools. What [00:54:00] tools? Wow. You know, I, my calendar is my biggest tool, honestly. I, I have, I live and die by the calendar. If the Lord gives me an idea that I need to go, uh, think about, if he gives me a thought of I need to call somebody, if he gives me the thought that I need to go look at something, um, work related, I pick my calendar up on my phone and I make myself an appointment to go do that.

Okay, I make my calendar really, I’m using it as a tool that drives my actions because if I’m not spending the right time on the right things, then I’m not managing my time well. You know, you could say you’re getting around to your priorities, but at the same time, if you’re not managing your time well, um, then, then you’re not going to get as much done and be as fruitful.

Um, as the Lord wants [00:55:00] you to be, so my calendar is the tool that I use all the time, and everybody will tell you, and I know we, um, Roxanne and I, even with personal things, if she’s scheduled something with the kids, or she, uh, is doing something that I need to be present, uh, we send each other calendar invites, and it’s because we want to make sure that, uh, we both know that something’s going on.

Um, and if I’m going to be out of town, I, I schedule a calendar invite and I, I put it on her calendar so that she knows. I think the calendar is such a great tool that can communicate, uh, not just at work, but with your family. And, um, so that’s, that’s my secret tool, uh, is the calendar.

Yeah, the calendar is a great thing. I’m still trying to teach my teenagers how to use that, so it definitely is one that it is a skill that you learn. You do, but if you’ll continue to send them your calendar invite, I ask them, Did you see my calendar invite and did you [00:56:00] accept it? Uh, because I’m trying to train them to use their calendar.

Uh, and so I’ve started doing, doing that as well. I’ll make sure to do that. I’ll tell my kids, I’m sending you a calendar invite for dinner. Yes. Let me know it’s going to be there. Yes. Okay. See you a lot. See you. Bye. Hey, thank you guys for joining us today and for sending in questions. You know, our goal is to communicate the kingdom and what this looks like in your workplace and what this looks like in your life.

And we offer several things, um, through Kingdom at Work. And so there’s a slide that’s going to come up that way you can see we have, um, workshops and these are offered to CEOs and business owners. We do this, um, in 2024. We have two more dates left in May and October. You can scan that QR code and it will take you directly to our website where you can register for those.

We are really excited. We’ll have more information on this next month, but we are going to have our first [00:57:00] ever. And this is going to be a one day event for anybody. So if you are a barista, um, you work in a warehouse, you might be a youth pastor, you might be a banker, a plumber, whatever it might be, we would love for you to join us.

We’ll have more information on that next month for our webinar. You can go ahead and register for that. Next month will be May, March 27th, and we are going to have Jeff Johnston, who is our marketing manager at Beat Bow Companies, and he is going to be talking about the humbling journey of culture building.

So we are going to hit on culture and what that looks like. We would love to have you join us. So thank you so much for being with us. This is being recorded and will be emailed to you. We would love for you to share it with your friends and with your colleagues. Reach out if you need anything. Y’all have a great blessed day.

Thank you.[00:58:00]

And that’s a wrap. Okay.