Who better to learn the Christian stewardship of money from than the man who is widely recognised as the father of Christian financial planning. Written in an accessible way, with an encouraging voice and plenty of real life stories to illustrate his points, we learn about biblical financial perspectives and principles. I like that the advice is also practical so we know how to take action!

This is a book for someone who is serious about pleasing God with their financial decisions. I will consider buying it for the church library.

I have read several financial planning books over the years but I think I can honestly say that none have ever had the impact that Never Enough has had on my thinking. This isn't a mega book, in fact it comes in at only 213 pages. But those pages pack a punch.

Ron Blue's plan is simple yet complex. He uses the words Live - Give - Owe - Grow to show you how your money works in your life. In fact even if you aren't actively managing it these are still the areas that your money lands in.

During this tax season I particularly appreciated Ron's take on paying taxes. He presented it as a privilege rather than a burden. I honestly have never looked at it in that light but he's absolutely right. I pay taxes because of God's abundant provision in my life.

The other concept that is resonating is that of making more margin in our financial lives. And guess what, he encourages doing it without adding a second job! He uses a pie chart to show you how your money decisions aren't linear but rather circular. For instance you can't overspend on something and just continue on down the line. Instead when you overspend it comes out of the overall pie taking away from another area of your finances. It's an easy concept that makes perfect sense.

If you are looking for a book that will relieve the stress and guilt of money management then this is the one to get. The gentle reminders that God is in control of it all and that you can trust Him in every area of your life are a lovely way to begin setting your financial house in order.

Thoughts:

As the month of April can be financially taxing, NEVER ENOUGH? 3 Keys to Financial Contentment by Ron Blue and Karen Guess becomes the place we can go to find the keys to calm the next year's confusion in advance!

This read will guide your mindset, your understanding, and your piece of the pie with easy to learn and to apply principles that we cannot bury in our handfuls of payments, debts, and leftovers. Our focus will be on understanding that faith, life, and finance happen all at once or even all together and balance is still possible.

If you are anxious around budgets or not great with understanding debits and credits, your eyes will not glaze over reading NEVER ENOUGH? 3 Keys to Financial Contentment by Ron Blue and Karen Guess!

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In NEVER ENOUGH? 3 Keys to Financial Contentment by Ron Blue and Karen Guess, the fear of finances and the causes of these are addressed in real life scenarios bringing about a new understanding in today's situations.

Issues of life, faith, and money appear throughout Scripture along with contentment, stewardship, and charity.

A seasoned counselor of finance and an accomplished author combines his money management prowess and principles in the areas of living, faith, and family to demonstrate how each area is coupled and not separated.

On the short list of Christian financial experts, Ron Blue is always going to be near the top. With nearly a half century of experience as a financial advisor and a shelf full of books he's written, Blue is definitely the go-to guy for Christian financial planning. In his new book, Never Enough?3 Keys to Financial Contentment, Blue, with coauthor Karen Guess, introduces simple principles to apply for financial sanity, stability, and commitment.


Blue tells plenty of stories and anecdotes to illustrate his points, but the principles he teaches are so simple that they can be summed up in a page or two. Responding the the question of the title: what is enough? Blue writes, "Scripture teaches that the answer to the 'how much is enough' question is what I have right now." I hadn't thought about contentment quite like this before, but he's right. No matter what my status is, the only right attitude is contentment. That's a good word.


Whatever our financial condition, Blue has provided some principles to follow:

Spend less than you earn because every sucess in your financial life depends on this habit.
Avoid debt because debt always mortgages the future.
Give generously because giving breaks the power of money.
Plan for financial margin because the unexpected will come.
Set long-term goals because there is always a trade-off between the short-term and the long-term.

If you are already doing all of these things, you probably don't need to read this book. OK, even if you are doing these things, you will benefit from Blue's insights. If you are not doing these things, well, you are Blue's target audience. He doesn't go into a ton of details procedural depth with these goals, but gives some guidelines to help you get there.



I liked his pie chart method to see where your money is going. There are basically four places our money goes: live, give, owe, and grow. One slice of the pie, usually the largest, goes to living expenses. The next slice, which Blue encourages us to make bigger than it probably is, is give. He believes in a lifestyle of giving to church, to other causes, to help out friends and family. Third is owe, both debt and taxes. Finally, grow, saving and investing for the short-term and long-term future. I know most people need this slice to be larger.



The first step in growing slices of the pie that we want to be larger, like give and grow, is to work on making the live and owe slices smaller. Blue helps with that, and gives examples of clients and others who have applied these principles. This is actually the part of the book I didn't like. One the one hand, it's inspiring to read about families who give sacrificially, and then receive abundantly later on. Blue talks about giving to a ministry even though it meant giving up a summer vacation that year. Well, "God in his grace provided not one but three all-inclusive vacations . . . We did not pay for a vacation for years after that experience." The problem is making something like this normative, where we give expecting God to deliver like that. It's dangerously close to the "health-and-wealth," vending machine type of gospel. I believe God blessed the Blues, and he can bless my family, but I'm uncomfortable with a theology that teaches this as the norm.


There's no question in my mind that, whatever your view of God's provision for your life is, if you follow the basic principles in this book, you will be financially better off. And trusting in God, being content in his provision for your life, is never a bad idea. Never Enough? is a good kick-start for you to make sure your financial life is on track and focused on God.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!