SeedTime with Bob and Linda Lotich

If God is going to do what He wants anyway, why pray?
My guest today, Matt Smallbone, is a pastor in downtown Nashville, and for most of his thirty years as a Christian that question kept him from praying much at all. He'd read every book on prayer. He'd handed the whole thing back to God and called it theology.
Then he ran an experiment. The Lord's Prayer, all six parts, every day, for a year.
In this conversation we get into what that year taught him about God's sovereignty and unanswered prayer, why he believes most unanswered prayers go unanswered for one reason (and why he also believes God says yes to every prayer we would pray if we knew what He knows), what "give us this day our daily bread" meant when his family lived on $150 a week, why he says forgiveness has actually become easy, and how he and Linda kept praying through the loss of a baby.
If prayer has ever felt boring, awkward, or like it just isn't working, this conversation is for you.
If you enjoyed this conversation, definitely check out Matt's new book, The Prayer Experiment. The whole year-long experiment is in there: https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Experiment-Realigns-Everything-Thoughts/dp/0310372739
 
Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:
Why Matt believes almost nobody actually feels good at prayer, even pastors
The one line in the Lord's Prayer Matt had been praying wrong his whole life
Why forgiveness has actually gotten easy for Matt (yes, actually easy)
What it was like praying for "daily bread" on $150 a week as a brand new immigrant
The day Matt believes God told him to triple what he was giving
How Matt and Linda kept praying through the pain of losing a baby
Why Matt still struggles to spend money, even after a financial windfall
 
Bible Verses Mentioned:
Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew 6:26
Matthew 6:34
Matthew 18:21-22
Luke 12:16-21
Luke 16:10
 
Resources Mentioned:
The Prayer Experiment by Matt Smallbone


Disclaimer
Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.
Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

Most of us measure our money by how the month feels, and that's a lot like trying to lose 20 pounds by checking how tight your sweatpants are. In this live workshop, Linda and I walk you through the one number that actually tells you whether you're getting ahead, why we stopped calling it net worth, and what Proverbs 27:23 has to do with it.
We get into why so many of us avoid looking at our finances, the two scoreboards that keep people anxious no matter how they're doing, our own first number (-$13,843) and where it was one year later, a 10-minute exercise to find your number, the four financial stages and what to do in each one, and your questions about money leaks, setting an enough number, giving when money is tight, and paying for kids in college.
Not sure which of the four stages you're in? Take our short stage quiz (10 questions, about two minutes) and you'll get next steps for right where you are: https://seedtime.com/stage
 
Timestamps
0:00 Cold open and intro
0:42 Seeing your whole financial picture on one page
1:47 Proverbs 27:23 and why God wants you to know your number
3:18 Why so many of us avoid looking
6:26 Step 1: Face the number
8:52 Visibility vs. discipline
10:50 Step 2: Swap the scoreboard
11:33 Your strength or God's strength
17:41 Why debt and net worth make bad scoreboards
20:30 Assets under management (AUM)
23:41 Step 3: Mark the starting line
24:28 Our first number: -$13,843
26:46 Where we were one year later
29:09 Find your number (live exercise)
36:55 The four financial stages
42:20 Stage 1: Surviving
45:50 Stage 2: Stable
49:21 Stage 3: Secure
51:35 Stage 4: Surplus
 
Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:
Why so many of us avoid looking at our finances, and what Proverbs 27:23 says about it
The weight loss lesson that explains why most of us need more visibility with money, not more willpower
Why debt and net worth both make lousy scoreboards
What "assets under management" means and why the name matters
Our first number (-$13,843) and where it was one year later
How to find your number in about 10 minutes
The four financial stages: Surviving, Stable, Secure, and Surplus
The couple who thought they spent $200 a month eating out (it was $800)
What an enough number is and how to set one
Whether to give when you're in survival mode
 
Bible Verses Mentioned:
Proverbs 27:23
Genesis 13:2
Psalm 46:1
1 Corinthians 14:33
2 Kings 4:1-7
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
2 Kings 4:42-44
John 6:1-13
Proverbs 3:6
2 Corinthians 12:9
Exodus 14:10-22
Acts 8:39-40
Matthew 25:14-30
1 Kings 17:8-16
 
Resources Mentioned:
AUM Spreadsheet
AUM Printable Worksheet
Financial Stage Quiz
Simple Money, Rich Life (free book, just cover shipping)
30 Days of Prayer for Your Finances
Mission Driven Millionaire
True Financial Freedom
 
Disclaimer:
Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.
Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

"I'll give more when I make more."
Most of us have prayed some version of that. My guest today is a business owner who realized he had been living it.
Colby Jenkins can easily afford to give. And one day he noticed he hadn't heard God prompt him to give in a very long time. What God told him about why almost made him cry.
In this conversation we get into the two money tests almost every Christian faces (the vision test when you have less, and the obedience test when you finally have more), why "one more layer of security first" is the prayer that keeps us stuck, what your bank statement already says about your real vision for money, why God can go silent about your finances and what that silence might mean, and the one question Colby asks himself to tell whether a plan is from God or just from him.
Nothing here is a formula. It's a conversation about obedience, and about what it looks like to become a conduit instead of a vault.
We wrote down the 14 things we did to be able to give away $1 million by our 40th birthdays. It's free at: https://seedtime.com/GIVE1M
 
Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:
The two tests almost every Christian faces with money, and why most of us only pass one
Why "I'll give more when I have more" rarely turns out to be true
What happens in your heart the moment money starts to feel safe
The line from a late night conversation with ChatGPT that Colby ended up preaching from
Why hearing God's voice about money can get harder, not easier, once you have more of it
The real gap in most churches when it comes to discipling people who have real wealth
The story behind the first paycheck Colby and his wife decided to give away, no matter who was watching
 
Bible Verses Mentioned:

Matthew 6:19-20
Proverbs 29:18
Deuteronomy 8:18
Romans 1
2 Chronicles 16:9
Psalm 51:11
 
Resources Mentioned:
Simple Money, Rich Life 
 
Disclaimer:
Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.
Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

You can be totally at peace with God, doing everything right, and still not get the thing you've been praying for.
That one hit me hard.
Annie F. Downs sat down with me and Linda to talk about her new book, Don't Let That Hold You Back.
She's the host of the That Sounds Fun podcast, and she just got engaged after decades of being single.
We talked about the idea that if you just get content enough, God will finally hand you what you want.
She says that's not how it works, not even close.
We got into what the Bible actually means by abundant life, and why the enemy's real target isn't your bank account, it's your dreams.
We talked about her "board of directors," the people she lets speak into her biggest decisions instead of just asking ChatGPT.
And we talked about why our company shuts down for three whole months every summer, fully paid, and what that has to do with a verse about letting a field rest.
This one covers faith, waiting, money, and what it looks like to stop letting fear make your decisions for you.
If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at: seedtime.com/free.
 
What We Cover
Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:
Why Annie says the church stole something from every single person sitting in the pews
The oddly specific bedding advice she gives every single woman (and why it matters more than you'd think)
Why she thinks ChatGPT is a bad replacement for your own "board of directors"
The difference between something that's stolen, killed, and destroyed, and why it changes how you should pray about it
Why our company takes a fully paid, three month break every single summer
The three step process Annie uses to test whether a dream is actually from God
Why "just get content" is terrible advice if you actually want something to change
 
Bible Verses Mentioned
John 10:10
Matthew 7:7
Exodus 23 or Leviticus 25 (sabbath year)
John 16:33
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Proverbs 14:4
Proverbs 11 or 15 (multitude of counselors)
2 Corinthians 2:15
 
Resources Mentioned
Don't Let That Hold You Back by Annie F. Downs
 
Disclaimer
Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.
Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.

Most of us pray about money. Very few of us ask God what to do with it and then sit still long enough to hear an answer.
This is Part 2 of our conversation with our friend Bryan, a business owner and honestly a spiritual mentor in a lot of ways. In Part 1 he showed us how a money idol hides in a phrase you say every day. This time he shows us the other side: what it actually looks like to hear God about a money decision, and what God tends to deal with before He builds anything.
In this conversation we get into the exact ten-minute practice Bryan's whole team uses to ask God what to do (a timer, a notebook, and four things to write down), what came out of it the first time twelve people tried it, why he believes everyone in the room hears something, why "you need $250,000 to do this" is usually money holding you hostage, the stuff in the basement God insists on dealing with first, why you should not rush to be a teacher, the million-dollar cabin God told them to buy with money they did not have, and the question Bryan can't shake: how many spots have I not been in because I didn't listen?
Nothing here is a formula. It's a practice, it happens in community, and Bryan argues against his own decisions the whole way through.
If you want a place to start, Linda and I wrote 30 Days of Prayer for Your Finances for exactly this: one short prayer a day to start asking God about your money instead of just worrying about it. Grab it at: https://seedtime.com/30DOP
 
Timestamps
0:00 Cold open and intro
0:48 Stop stealing God's problem (the easy yoke)
2:44 The ministry friend who thought he needed $250,000
5:41 The ten-minute practice: a timer, a notebook, four things to write down
8:00 Thirteen years of work, one ten-minute prayer
9:54 Ask, seek, knock (and what God deals with first)
12:35 Don't rush to be a teacher
14:57 "Show me the man of lawlessness in me"
16:28 The million-dollar cabin
18:05 How many spots have I not been in?
18:47 Closing prayer
 
Here's a little of what we cover in this episode:
The ten-minute practice Bryan's team uses to ask God what to do
The four things to write down while you listen
Why the number you think you need is usually the thing holding you hostage
What God deals with in your basement before He builds anything
Why Bryan tells new pastors to spend three years getting humbled
The million-dollar cabin, and the guardrail Bryan puts around that story
How many spots have I not been in because I didn't listen?
 
Bible Verses Mentioned:
Matthew 5: 5
Matthew 7: 7-8
Matthew 11: 28-30
Luke 11: 9-10
Nehemiah 6: 15
1 Corinthians 3: 12-15
1 Thessalonians 4: 11
2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8
James 3: 1
Acts 8:2 6-39
Acts 9: 1-19
 
Resources Mentioned:

Growth Tools 
 
Disclaimer:
Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting.
Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.