Kealan, a surgeon, and Cody, a financial advisor, discuss the intersection of faith, generosity, and personal finance. They’re joined by a variety of guests, including pastors, financial advisors, radically generous givers, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and nonprofit leaders to explore one central question: How do we best steward God’s wealth? On The Finish Line Podcast, you’ll hear challenging and inspirational stories of tremendous generosity. You’ll also learn from experts in multiple fields about topics like setting a financial finish line, giving efficiently and effectively, and teaching generosity to your children. More than anything, though, you’ll see how God is constantly at work redeeming the world He created and loves. Visit the website at www.finishlinepledge.com to learn more.
Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
Stan Reiff, CPA and nonprofit consultant at CapinCrouse, has seen the faithfulness of God in difficult circumstances firsthand. Stan was born on the mission field, and in his early twenties, he and his wife felt called to missions like the generations before him. But Stan soon realized that the life of ministry that he was called to would look nothing like the life he had imagined. After many years of traumatic and costly circumstances, Stan was led on a journey that would take him from missionary to teacher to CPA and from Alaska to Atlanta where God would use his missions experience and accounting background to serve many nonprofits.
At CapinCrouse, Stan helps faith-based nonprofits strengthen their governance, strategy, and operations, and his mission-field experience provides a deep personal understanding of ministry challenges to his consulting work. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Crown Financial Ministries and now draws on over 35 years of experience to help organizations thrive with integrity and purpose.
Stan is also passionate about leading his family in a legacy of generosity, Kingdom work, and entrepreneurship, and he is full of practical wisdom to guide people into doing the same in their own families.
Major topics include:
- Stan’s remarkable backstory of faith and missions work in Alaska
- Navigating traumatic events and a crisis of faith
- Pivoting into bivocational ministry
- Becoming CPA through Alaska Game and Fish
- Volunteering as budget coaches and seminar instructors with Crown
- Became chief financial officer at Crown Financial after 20 years volunteering
- Establishing rhythms and protocols for executive sabbaticals
- Helping CFM transition from radio to sharing principle world wide
- Story of coming to work for CapinCrouse
- Personal takeaways from leaders in the generosity space
- Their family’s journey to a financial finish line
- Equipping kids and grandkids for generosity
- Developing family core values
- Their “family legacy experiment”
- What to look for in an organization as a donor
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “If I can’t be on the front lines of ministry in a remote setting, then I will be part of the supply chain, and I will do the best I possibly can to help those who can go and are willing to go to have the best administrative support possible.”
- “In many ways, I had to give up my passion to be a full time missionary and that was really difficult spiritually. But I came to understand that God had chosen to give us a child with disabilities, and that became my primary ministry.”
- “I love that I get to continue to marry my passion for missions, for ministry, along with the accounting experiences that God’s given me, and I get to live the dream in an ongoing fashion.”
- “For me, the real learning came when I understood that God owns it all, not just the ten percent.”
- “Money really isn’t a big deal. You can lose all your money in a day, and you can get it all back in a day.”
- “Money is never the issue, it’s just an indicator of where the heart is.”
- “It’s one thing to have a legacy of faith that’s generations long, but it’s also exciting to be in that first or second generation. It comes back to our first guiding principle, that faith has to be personal and it has to be yours, not some family member’s that’s preceded you.”
- “Kingdom expands when you have more followers of Jesus who are committed to following Him in business, ministry or a combination. But it takes all of us working together to make sure the next generation is equally as passionate, committed, and engaged in Kingdom work.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- CapinCrouse
- Injoy Stewardship Solutions
- Crown Financial Ministries
- National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
- Ronald Blue and Co., CPA (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
Philippians 4:12-13 | The Secret of Being Content
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday Jun 23, 2025
Monday Jun 23, 2025
Jennifer Holloran, President and CEO of the American Bible Society, is an avid lover of Scripture and an expert in strategic leadership, operational excellence, and innovation. Jennifer was raised in a Christian home with lots of exposure to the Word, but it was in college that she learned to approach Scripture as a source of grace instead of condemnation. Jennifer’s career took an unexpected turn after college when God led her to combine her professional skills and love for the Scriptures at Wycliffe Bible Translators. She spent over twenty years there, starting as a typist and eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer before taking over as CEO of the American Bible Society.
The American Bible Society has a rich history dating back to 1816, and is involved in nearly every aspect of Bible work, from translation to global distribution to engagement and advocacy. Jennifer has an amazing perspective on the power of God’s Word, how it is moving in the world today, and how the Church can help people everywhere be transformed as they get more engaged with the Scriptures.
Major Topics Include:
- Jennifer’s faith and career journey
- How she fell in love with Scripture
- Her surprise introduction to Bible translation through Wycliffe
- Leadership principles in unexpected Bible stories
- How God prepared her for work at American Bible Society
- An overview of American Bible Society’s 209 year history
- Helping people engage in the Scriptures
- ABS’s framework of access, engagement, and advocacy
- Various aspects of Scripture access
- Their “end-to-end” process—a multimodal approach to Bible access and engagement
- The story and heart behind the ABS Trauma Healing Institute
- Helping people overcome barriers to Scripture
- Finding solutions to inspire younger generations to engage with Scripture
- AI as a tool for Bible engagement
- How to move from Bible engagement to advocacy
- Creativity in Bible distribution in hard-to-reach places
- Effectiveness of a collective impact alliance in reaching Bible distribution goals
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “It wasn’t long after I finished college that God brought me to Wycliffe Bible Translators, and that opened up a whole world of understanding Scripture in a completely new way.”
- “I found that the more that I began to dig into Scripture, the more there was to discover.”
- “We want to move people from that place of just having access to the Bible and have them step into engagement, and that starts with curiosity.”
- “Today, we at the American Bible Society still get to be involved in translation and distribution, but we’re looking at the whole Scripture engagement journey and how we can come alongside the Church to support the ministry of helping people to take the next step with Scripture.”
- “We need to understand where Gen Z and Gen Alpha are coming from and what speaks to them as unique groups with unique values, preferences, and barriers that might keep them from Scripture. Then we can work together with the Church to help co-create solutions to reach that generation.”
- “There’s something amazing about having the Bible as a foundation that we can come together and have conversation around and learn from one another across faith traditions.”
- “Our vision is ‘God’s Word transforming all people.’ That’s what I want to see happening, and I think the more we can get the Church engaged and we can work together on this, I believe that it’s possible.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
- American Bible Society
- Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
- The Digital Bible Library
- Audio Video Translation Tool
- Jesus Film Project (see our interview with Executive Director Josh Newell)
- LUMO Project Films
- Faith Comes by Hearing (see our interview with VP Morgan Jackson)
- Talking Bibles International
- Trauma Healing Institute
- IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
- ETEN Innovation Lab
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
Matthew 13:1-23 | Parable of the Sower
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday Jun 16, 2025
Monday Jun 16, 2025
Laura Gish, VP for Prayer and Advancement at Mission Mutual, is a prayer leader and mobilizer of givers and intercessors in collective impact spaces. Laura was raised in a faith-filled home and felt an exceptional call to prayer and the Bible in her early teens. Through her father’s job, Laura was deeply connected to the Bible translation space from a young age and was able to witness the evolution of the illumiNations impact alliance to what it is today. In her early career, Laura served at Seed Company where she helped to spearhead a prayer movement which saw huge breakthroughs in the field and in funding.
That experience led her to Mission Mutual which serves as a backbone for multiple impact alliances in a variety of impact spaces. She has an incredible perspective on being founded and rooted in prayer, personally and as an organization, and the necessity of collaboration in the Great Commission arena. You won’t want to miss all she had to share!
Major topics include:
- Laura’s early life, faith background, and early career
- The story of Seed Company’s donor funded prayer program
- Laura’s favorite outcomes from the prayer program
- Helping organizations develop a foundation of prayer
- The unique power of a collective impact alliance
- Key characteristics of a collective impact framework
- The story and vision of Mission Mutual
- Differences between a giving fund and an impact alliance
- What is a backbone service provider?
- Multiplying ROI in the Kingdom through collaboration
- Why collaboration matters to donors
- Best practices for an alliance
- Structuring a practice of prayer as the center point of alliance culture
- Raising up nearly 350,000 intercessors in the ETEN collective impact alliance
- Next steps for a giver to move toward an impact alliance
- What’s happening beyond Bible translation
- Creating a community giving circle
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “When God says go, you just go.”
- “As we give to something, our heart expands. And as we pray for something, it grows our heart to want to give.”
- “Prayer is not just a strategy. It is the strategy.”
- “Prayer is the catalyst for intimacy with God.”
- “Look at what God can do when we put aside our individual logos and agendas, and we pursue the collective power of what partnership can be when it’s united under a vision God has given His people to pursue and it’s rooted in prayer.”
- “Generosity begets generosity.”
- “When we yoke together in unity, the collective impact capacity isn’t just doubled, it’s exponentially expanded.”
- “Prayer is one of the most generous things we can offer.”
- “God changes our hearts when we pray.”
- “Be a faithful steward of the brokenness that God has planted inside of you.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Mission Mutual
- Seed Company (see our interview with CEO, Davis Powell)
- IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
- Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN)
- ACHIEVE (A Church in Every Village Everywhere)
- Close the Bible Gap
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
Psalm 127:1a | The Lord Builds the House
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
John 17:21 | Oneness in the Church
that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
Isaiah 60:3 | Drawn to Your Light
And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Ecclesiastes 4:12b | Strength in Unity
a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Mark 16:15 | The Great Commission
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday Jun 09, 2025
Monday Jun 09, 2025
Brian Cochran, CFP and Certified Kingdom Advisor, leads John Moore Associates, a nationally respected advisory firm known for its integration of biblical wisdom and financial strategy. After beginning his career as an educator, Brian was mentored by the firm’s founder, John Moore, before stepping into leadership and continuing the firm’s mission to help families steward their wealth with eternal purpose.
John Moore Associates stands out for its deeply rooted emphasis on generosity—equipping clients not just to give more, but to give with greater clarity, joy, and impact. Under Brian’s leadership, the firm has cultivated a unique culture where values-based planning and practical financial advice go hand in hand.
Brian offers powerful frameworks that help givers align their financial decisions with their deepest convictions. More importantly, he lives out what he teaches—modeling the joy and contentment that come from a generous life.
Major Topics Include:
- Brian’s personal and spiritual background
- His journey from education to faith-based financial planning
- Coming to the intersection of faith and finance
- The great impact of John Moore’s mentorship
- Contentment as the start of good money management
- Advice for finding contentment
- Frameworks for implementing contentment in personal and business finances
- Creating a culture of generosity with associates and clients
- The significance of tracking clients’ giving
- The problem of over-saving
- Addressing the spiritual side of scarcity mindset
- Giving opportunities through tax liabilities
- Honoring God with your assets and income
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “Contentment is a key step to generosity.”
- “Contentment comes with more satisfaction than always striving for more.”
- “Can I continue to see all the abundance around me that other people have but say that I don’t need it?”
- “Allowing and encouraging clients to give away the assets that we would otherwise manage and charge fees on is very counter-cultural and counter-intuitive, but it’s the best part of what we do.”
- “When you oversave, you not only miss opportunities for giving, but you miss opportunities for living.”
- “I’ve never met somebody who said that one of their financial goals was to be greedy, and you fight greed with generosity.”
- “It’s way more fun to see a client give away seven figures than it is to see someone go through retirement or pay for their kid’s college education. Those things are great, but watching people satisfy generosity goals is where it’s at, and sometimes it takes dozens of conversations to get there.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- John Moore Associates
- Kingdom Advisors (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
- Russ Crosson (see our past interview here)
- National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
1 Timothy 6:6-7 | Godly Contentment
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
Proverbs 3:9 | Honor God with Income and Finances
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday Jun 02, 2025
Monday Jun 02, 2025
John Hanger, founder of BiblioNexus, is a serial entrepreneur and a passionate giver who found himself deeply called into Bible translation. After supporting the movement for several years, John felt the need to get his hands dirty with what he knows best—launching a tech start-up.
BiblioNexus is a nonprofit tech company with the culture of a Silicon Valley start-up that is making waves in the Bible Translation space. BiblioNexus is a company of software experts in partnership with Bible translation experts working to build innovative solutions and try to move the needle in Bible translation.
Major Topics Include:
- John’s story of God’s relentless pursuit
- John’s introduction to the world of Bible translation
- Amplifying your generosity by choosing a focus area and investing relationship
- Using donor advised funds to help kids explore generosity
- An innovative tech approach to Bible translation
- AI’s role in Bible translation
- The goal to have Scripture in all heart languages by 2033
- The need for more Bible translation software apps for mobile phones
Quotes to Remember
- “We felt the weight of the blessings we had received.”
- “We settled on the theme of ‘evangelism’ for our giving plan.”
- “There are 7,000 plus heart languages in the world and less than half of them have a Bible.”
- “I knew the Bible was the most translated book in the history of the world, but I had no idea that there was still Bible poverty.”
- “At the end of the day, the flywheel of discipleship and translation is study the Bible, understand the Bible, and then articulate it. That methodology is called FIA: familiarize, internalize, and articulate.”
- “God’s moving people to release their content into an openly licensed environment knowing that the aquifer is now a mechanism through which that content
- can be used worldwide.”
- “We want to have at least some Scripture available in all 7,000 plus heart languages by 2033.”
- “Only 40% of the world’s population lives near or has access to a power grid, but 96% of the world’s population has access to a mobile phone. So the mobile phone is a key technology being used, but little to none of the Bible translation related software products work on a mobile phone today.”
Links from the Show
- BiblioNexus
- National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
- Renew World Outreach (see our interview with founders, the Paluskys)
- IllumiNations Bible Translation Alliance (see our interview with Todd Peterson or John Chesnut)
- ETEN Innovation Lab
- Aquifer.Bible
- Community Review Opportunities
- Bible Well
- SIL International (see our interview with Executive Director, Michel Kenmogne)
- Wycliffe Bible Translators (see our interview with CEO John Chesnut)
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
Bible References from the Show
Galatians 1:10 | Approval of Man or God?
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Luke 15:4-6 | The Lost Sheep
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
Matthew 6:19-21 | Treasures in Heaven
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 28:19 | The Great Commission
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We Want to Hear from You!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Monday May 26, 2025
Monday May 26, 2025
Jesse and Krista Casler have a deep understanding of the currency exchange between earthly dollars and treasure in Heaven. Jesse is the Chief Operating Officer of Hope International, having served Hope over the last 20 years. Together, Jesse and Krista have allowed generosity to touch nearly every part of their lives. Their stories touch on many aspects of the generous life, from financial accountability to foster care and generosity of the home to donor advised funds and charitable bunching. But above all, their lives are marked by a deep joy in everything that they do.
Major Topics Include:
- Their unique foundations for faith and generosity
- How they met and began their careers
- The mission, programs, and story of Hope International
- Stories of God using Hope to change lives
- Misconceptions about addressing poverty
- Four domains of generosity impact—personal, spiritual, social, and material
- Approaching financial discussions together as a joyful challenge
- Tips for starting a financial accountability group
- Generosity through foster care
- Thoughts for people in ministry who want to be givers
- Participating in the “year of Jubilee” principles in a modern context
- When to give from the perspective of a nonprofit
- How to scheme with God
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- Jesse: “Sometimes when we think about poverty, we think about material things like not having enough money. But for some people, poverty is also aloneness.”
- Jesse: “How can I save as much money as possible and put it to good use to create even more so that I can be generous with the world?”
- Krista: “Being raised in a pastor’s household, we were very conscious of how our money was spent, but at the same time, living in generous ways.”
- Krista: “If a group of individuals living in great poverty, all of whom are blind or visually impaired, can talk about their capacity for saving and giving, how can I not also have some capacity for saving and giving?”
- Jesse: “There’s a role for regular giving that keeps an organization moving, but it can be really impactful when a larger gift can be given to start something new or catalyze something in a much bigger direction.”
- Jesse: “No matter what your salary is, you can create distance between income and expense. And decisions you make about your expenses become your engine for saving, investing, and giving.”
- Jesse: “When we turn 50, what if we gave away 10% of our net worth, just our income in that year?”
- Krista: “There’s joy and fun when you’re being creative in giving. Even in a season when you don’t have much money, you can ask God to help you use what you’ve got.”
- Krista: “There’s joy in looking at a giving opportunity as a creative challenge to scheme with God.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Hope International (see our interview with founder, Jeff Rutt or CEO, Peter Greer)
- Alisa Hoober, on Creating a Strong Family Culture of Generosity and Mission (see our past interview here)
- National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
- Two Men with Money by Tim Keller
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday May 19, 2025
Monday May 19, 2025
Kate Williams-Whitley is the cofounder and Chief Impact Officer of EIG Insights. Early in her career, several pivotal experiences led Kate to realize the need for data in the nonprofit space to help leaders steward their decisions and finances well. Now through EIG Insights, Kate provides customized consulting services for nonprofits, helping them to identify their core theory of change and ensure that they are measuring the correct metrics to understand their physical and spiritual impacts.
Kate is brimming with helpful wisdom for nonprofits and givers alike on how to know they’re making a tangible and lasting difference with their efforts and generosity.
Major Topics Include:
- Kate’s faith and professional background
- How a family legacy of generosity and a trip to Malawi shaped her career
- The story of EIG Insights
- The complexity of impact evaluation
- Kate’s process of helping nonprofits develop a theory of change
- Measuring spiritual development
- The gift of impact data
- Thinking though impact as a giver
- Considering cost effectiveness in interventions
- Advice for givers on choosing the causes that matter most to them
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “What do I do well, what does the world need, and how can I merge those in way that shows the Kingdom of God on Earth?”
- “When we try to implement a solution internationally that sounds smart from our Western ideal or outsider view, it generally doesn’t go well.”
- “Something that works in one community isn’t guaranteed to work in another community at the same time because people are complex. But there are many ways to study and see if it’s working or not.”
- “I’m in this to help change lives and improve the overall human condition, and I think the most strategic way to do that is good data.”
- “Anything that you can define well can be measured.”
- “I think impact data is the biggest gift you could give to a leadership team.”
- “For a nonprofit to work well, you need a fully aligned theory of change, a program model that makes sense, and data to know if it’s actually happening the way that you think it is.”
- “We shouldn’t be scared of measuring what God does.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- EIG Insights
- Excellence in Giving (see our interview with founder Al Mueller)
- Compassion International
- Accord Research Network
- All Access Podcast
- All Access International (see our interview with founder, Lane Kipp)
- Dovetail Impact Foundation
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday May 12, 2025
Monday May 12, 2025
Mike Kocolowski’s early years were formed by scarcity as part of a large family with little income. But a call to ministry in his twenties led him to take radical steps on a faith journey to trusting God with his finances and tackling many of the most common barriers to generosity. As the Chief Stewardship Officer of Christian Financial Resources, Mike has been working with churches for decades to deepen their passion for generosity and to approach the topic of finances with a healthier, biblical perspective.
In his book Happily Generous, Mike invites people to connect with God as the Great Giver, addresses the major barriers to generosity, and provides a spiritual framework to help people understand the tangible joy that comes from a generous life.
Major Topics Include:
- Mike’s background and calling to vocational ministry
- Recognizing seeds of generosity in the midst of scarcity
- The cumulative effect of small, generous acts
- How God set the stage for what Mike does today
- Backstory and current goals of Christian Financial Resources
- Advice for experiencing happiness in generosity
- Translating God’s generosity into your daily life
- Growing in generosity while writing his book
- Tips to transition from a scarcity mindset to an abundant mindset
- Encouragement for pastors on the topic of generosity
- An invitation to start each day with gratitude
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “If you trust Me for your salvation, can you trust Me for your finances too?”
- “We all have room to grow in the area of generosity, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been tithing since you were two years old or you’ve never given away a dime.”
- “The road to happiness is paved with generosity.”
- “The manifestations of God’s generosity are endless.”
- “If we accept the premise that God’s the great giver and we’re crafted in His image, we will realize that generosity resides in our DNA. We are genetically designed to give.”
- “The happiest people I know are the most generous. And the most generous people I know are the happiest.”
- “Love gives.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Christian Financial Resources
- Happily Generous by Mike Kocolowski
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
Deuteronomy 8:18 | The Power to Get Wealth
You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Acts 20:35 | More Blessed to Give
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
James 1:17 | Every Good and Perfect Gift
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
John 3:16 | He Gave His Only Son
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 12:2 | Renew Your Mind
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Psalm 23:1 | Lacking Nothing
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Matthew 6:26 | Fed by the Father
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
John 10:10 | Abundant Life
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday May 05, 2025
Monday May 05, 2025
Karla Merrell was the first in her family to immigrate to the US from Panama to pursue the American dream. After years of success in the corporate world, Karla still struggled with the scarcity mindset that was passed down in her family’s culture. But during the beginning of COVID, Karla faced a sequence of events that led her to step deeply into both faith and generosity. One memorable act of generosity set the stage for an exciting and adventurous life of faith in the years that followed.
Now, Karla is passionate about breaking generational cycles of scarcity and fostering a generous culture in her own home. She invites people to express generosity in multi-dimensional ways, and facilitates connection and spiritual growth in unexpected outreach avenues.
Major Topics Include:
- Karla’s faith and cultural background
- How her generosity journey began with a single email
- Learning about the nature of God through her generosity awakening
- Comfort and hope in total dependence on Jesus
- A walk through the Women Doing Well process that revolutionized Karla’s mindset
- A view of generosity and money in a Hispanic context
- Growing out of generational scarcity into a culture of generosity
- Discovering the power of constant prayer through running
- How starting a faith-based running group became an outreach opportunity
- Generosity as more than money
- Practical ideas for exercising relational generosity
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “I didn’t have a generous bone in my body.”
- “We are absolutely dependent on Jesus.”
- “There comes a point when you have to make a decision—do I want to return to the person I used to be, or am I courageous enough to change and become the person I didn’t know I needed to be?”
- “You have to decide if you are going to be a consequence of your background or you want to create a new generational story.”
- “When you give spontaneously in response to the Spirit, you never miss that money.”
- “When I decided to stop holding on so tightly to all the things I thought I could control and I thought belonged to me, a whole new world opened.”
- “The dependence on God is what makes the whole thing exciting.”
- “Generosity is not just money. Money is a great way to express generosity, but there is so much sacrifice in other things too.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
- Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
Luke 16:13 | God Or Mammon?
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Mary Helen Klingen began her career in accounting but transitioned to financial advising after a few years in the corporate world. Currently with Blue Trust, she regularly supports clients in embracing deeper generosity. As a single woman in a male-dominated field, Mary Helen has grappled with her singleness in relation to her faith, career, and purpose. This journey has inspired her to encourage other women in similar situations to find their voice in the space God has given them.
Mary Helen is passionate about empowering single women to integrate their faith and finances. She actively participates in the stewardship and singles ministries at her church and offers practical advice that you won’t want to miss!
Major Topics Include:
- Mary Helen’s faith background and career journey
- Integrating faith and finances in the unique culture of Blue Trust
- Being the only woman in the Houston office
- How her struggles led into ministry
- Common barriers to generosity for spenders and savers
- Viewing singleness as an asset in generosity
- Navigating the search for purpose and contentment in the single season
- Mary Helen’s experience setting a finish line as a saver
- The importance of talking about money in the Church
QUOTES TO REMEMBER
- “We are called to generosity not because God needs our money, but because He wants to do something through us.”
- “The way you know you care about a mission is if you pass it on to someone else.”
- “In the moments when I feel different, I remember that at the end of the day, these men and I have Christ in common. We’re all Believers, and that’s the most important thing about us.”
- “Jesus asked more questions than He answered. So as financial advisors, we follow that model to get to the heart level.”
- “I had to learn contentment in the stage and season of singleness that God had for me before I could move into a more open-handed, generous space with my own finances.”
- “I didn’t find the answer I was looking for, that marriage was guaranteed or promised to me, but what I did find was a good God who loves me and has provided for me.”
- “We get the opportunity in singleness to see the beauty of following Jesus and to have Him, and in having Him, to truly have all that we need.”
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
- Julie Wilson, President of Women Doing Well (see our past interview here)
- Blue Trust (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
- God and Money (see our interviews with coauthors Greg Baumer and John Cortines)
- Journey to Generosity (JoG) with Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounder, Todd Harper and CEO, April Chapman)
- 7 Myths About Singleness by Sam Allberry
- Compass Financial Ministries (see our interview with CEO, Brian Holtz)
- The Finish Line Community Facebook Group
- The Finish Line Community LinkedIn Group
BIBLE REFERENCES FROM THE SHOW
Hebrews 10:39 | Don’t Shrink Back
But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
1 Timothy 6:17 | Set Your Hopes on God
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Psalm 37:4 | Delight in the Lord
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 34:10 | Seek the Lord
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Psalm 23:1 | The Lord Provides
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
1 Corinthians 7:6-8 | Better to be Single
Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.
Matthew 28:20b | I Am with You Always
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
1 John 1:7 | Fellowship in the Light
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you have a thought about something you heard, or a story to share, please reach out! You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can also contact us directly from our contact page. If you want to engage with the Finish Line Community, check out our groups on Facebookand LinkedIn.