We are deeply grateful to our guest today, Mike Barber, for sharing the wisdom and experience that 50 years as a Professional Financial Advisor has provided him. Our topic today is Stewardship and as he shared his story with us, it’s easy to see how God uses His word, the people in our lives and situations we walk through to build our story and impact the people around us.  

Here are a couple of definitions of stewardship;  

Charles Bugg – Christianity.com: Utilizing and managing all resources God provides for the glory of God and the betterment of His creation.

Merriam-Webster: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.

As a reflection on Mike’s story, I can see many “Archie Bunkers” in my life who in hindsight, had great impact on my future, that in the moment, I was blind to or just did not want to see. In Paul’s first letter to the people in the church in Corinth, he wrote;  

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27  

Can we open our eyes to this possibility? That we don’t always know what is best for us and the people around us who we are likely to label as wrong, bad or ignorant may have the most to teach us?  

The Parable of the Talents we were referring to. 

• https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:14-30&version=ESV 
• Simple Video Explanation - https://youtu.be/vQ_RLvvpeNU?si=-Mt_v2oWSprhH-RI 

The other impactful message for me in Mike’s story is the fact that when he started out, he didn’t really enjoy the work, and it didn’t really pay very well, however as he shifted gears in his mindset and became a student who developed skill, his love for the work blossomed into a 50-year career that has enabled him to have a significant impact in the lives of thousands of people, including the generations to come. Check out this article on the subject. https://www.goalcast.com/unlock-potential-3-keys-harnessing-hidden-aptitudes/ 

Our discussion led to evaluating the biblical example of Joseph as steward.  

• The Story of Joseph (a video summary) 
• https://youtu.be/4FuphiEjg4g?si=4wVreOKlg3JlToKu 
• A Study of Joseph  
• https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/the-bible-story-of-joseph.html 

Resource:  

• https://kingdomadvisors.com/find-a-cka 

Connect with Mike.  

https://barberassociatesfinancial.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbermike/ 

Phone: 352-245-6817 

Connect with Greg & True North Development LLC 

https://www.truenorthdevelopment.co/ 

https://www.youtube.com/@TrueNorthDevelop 

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