Applied Generosity

Allocation Part 4 | Finding the Best Fit

How do we know which giving practices will stretch our faith most deeply in this season of life?
In this final conversation on allocation, we bring together the four heart postures and their companion structures—spontaneous giving, percentage giving, giving goals, and finish lines. Each offers unique ways to help us answer, how much should I give and how much should I keep? But their impact often depends on our stage of financial stability, from struggling to surplus.
In this episode, we explore:
How each of the four giving structures uniquely strengthens our faith.
The five stages of financial stability and how to discern what fits best in each.
Why different structures may need to shift as life circumstances change.
The surprising power of combining multiple approaches for long-term growth.
As we close this series, we invite you to reflect on your own next step—what structure, or combination, will most engage your faith and draw you closer to God today?

Flow Part 1 | Introduction

How do your resources move to others?
In this episode, we begin exploring the dimension of Flow—the often-overlooked pathways that carry generosity from our lives into the lives of others. Flow is about more than transactions; it’s about the channels through which we release what God has entrusted to us, whether in simple moments of response or through major lifetime decisions.
In this episode, we explore:
The role of flow in connecting our resources to the destinations of generosity
The two broad categories of giving: income-based and asset-based
The five channels of giving:
Reflex Giving — responding to a need or an ask in the moment
Heartbeat Giving — steady, recurring support for ministries or causes
Streamlined Giving — strategic use of tools to give efficiently from income or assets
Milestone Giving — significant, uncommon gifts tied to major life moments
Exit Giving — final acts of generosity through estate planning and legacy decisions
How opening new channels can expand both our capacity and our heart posture of open-handedness
Flow invites us to see generosity not as a single stream, but as a widening network of possibilities. May this conversation spark fresh reflection on the ways God might open new channels in your own journey.

Flow Part 2 | Income-Based Giving Channels

What does it look like to give from the daily resources that pass through our hands?
In this episode, we look closely at income-based giving—the everyday ways generosity flows from what we earn and manage regularly. These channels often feel the most familiar, yet when we slow down to name them, they open new opportunities to give with intention, clarity, and joy.
In this episode, we explore:
Reflex Giving — quick, spontaneous generosity in response to an immediate need.
Heartbeat Giving — steady, consistent support that communicates long-term partnership.
Streamlined Giving — strategic use of financial wisdom and tools to multiply our giving capacity.
The unique strengths and limits of each channel, from the joy of responsiveness to the depth of sustained commitment.
How anonymous and open giving both reflect God’s heart when our motives remain centered on Him.
As we grow in generosity, we discover that income-based giving is more than transactions—it is an invitation to hold our daily resources with open hands and let them flow where God leads.

Flow Part 3 | Asset-Based Giving Channels

What does generosity look like to give from the assets we’ve been entrusted with over a lifetime?
In this episode, we explore the two asset-based channels of giving: milestone giving and exit giving. These are often once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that require deeper planning and carry unique spiritual and relational weight. By slowing down to reflect on these channels, we can see how God might invite us to release resources in ways that shape our faith, multiply impact, and leave a lasting legacy.
In this episode, we explore:
Milestone Giving — rare, proportionately large gifts tied to major life events, requiring spiritual conviction and thoughtful planning.
Exit Giving — end-of-life generosity through wills, trusts, or other structures, and why moving some of that giving earlier can grow both impact and faith.
The five layers of milestone giving: spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, and catalytic.
Ten reasons to give now rather than later.
Asset-based giving invites us to see generosity not only as an act of stewardship, but as a way to participate in God’s story with what may be the most significant gifts of our journey.

Flow Part 4 | Unifying the Channels

How do all the channels of giving work together to widen the flow of our generosity?
In this conversation, we reflect on the full Flow dimension and how each channel can open at different moments in our lives. Instead of moving in a straight line, we see these channels as streams that join and strengthen one another, helping us release more of what we have for meaningful impact. As we reach new seasons and new resources, additional gates open, inviting us into deeper partnership with God and others.
In this episode, we explore:
Why reflex giving is always available when we have anything to offer
How heartbeat giving grows as steady rhythms of income emerge
When streamlined giving becomes practical and multiplies the effect of each gift
How milestone giving often arises through life transitions or unexpected windfalls
Why exit giving is a final and thoughtful act of stewardship that invites early planning
We hope this episode encourages us to notice every channel available in our season and to give with open hands and growing joy.

Investing Part 1 | Intro to the Heart of Investing

How do we align our investments into holistic generosity-minded stewardship?
In this episode, we open our series on investing by exploring the heart-level posture behind every dollar we continue to steward. Rather than focusing on products or market strategies, we look at ownership, impact, and the quiet ways our investments form us spiritually. We step beyond the simple “keep vs. give” framework and consider how our provision resources can either remain unseen or become powerful tools for good as we learn to notice their influence.
In this episode, we explore:
The difference between provision capital and released capital
The three tiers of provision capital: shadowed, illuminated, and aligned.
The two tiers of released capital and why resources often get “stuck” before being fully deployed.
Four key transitions that help us move resources intentionally: investigation, harmonization, release, and activation.
Understanding this frameowork for how we steward every dollar can drastically reshape how we thing about not only what we give, but also what we hold on to.

Investing Part 2 | Provision Capital

How do our investments affect us and others spiritually?
In this episode, we focus our attention on provision capital, the resources we rely on for our own needs now and in the future. In particular, we highlight two heart transitions, investigation and harmonization, which shape how we approach provision capital. We unpack how awareness grows when hidden investments come into the light, and how thoughtful alignment becomes possible as we respond to what we find. Rather than chasing perfect portfolios, this conversation centers on clarity, integrity, and the quiet heart work that happens when ownership meets responsibility.
In this episode, we explore:
Why understanding our investments matters and the five barriers that keep capital “shadowed.”
Three pathways for aligning investments: avoid, embrace, and engage.
Common obstacles to alignment, from maximization and complexity to complacency and futility.
As we begin to re-engage the resources that we still rely on, we begin to bring our entire spectrum of stewardship into better alignment with the kingdom. 

Investing Part 3 | Released Capital

How does the mentality change when we no longer require capital for our own needs?
In this episode, we turn from provision capital to the resources we’ve fully released from any need for personal gain. We explore two heart transitions, release and activation, that help clarify what belongs to our provision and what has been entrusted for kingdom impact. This conversation moves beyond financial mechanics into questions of identity, trust, and willingness, inviting a clearer separation between what sustains our lives and what God desires to flow outward.
In this episode, we explore:
The five major obstacles to releasing resources
How spending and net worth finish lines create practical guardrails that support a posture of release.
What it looks like to distinguish committed from activated capital
The five biggest obstacles to activating our released resources.
The role of impact investing alongside granting as two pathways for meaningful deployment
The process of release and activation helps to put the resources we manage into much better perspective as we seek to steward God's resources thoughtfully and intentionally.

Investing Part 4 | Practical Steps

How do we take meaningful next steps with our investments?
In this final episode of the Investing series, we bring the entire framework together into a clear and practical pathway for action. After tracing the five tiers of capital and the four transitions that move resources between them, we turn our attention to understanding our own landscape—where our dollars currently sit, what purpose they serve, and which transition might be the right next step. This conversation is less about mastering the whole picture at once and more about making one faithful move toward alignment.
In this episode, we explore:
How to map every account and asset into the five tiers: shadowed, illuminated, aligned, committed, and activated.
How each transition—investigation, harmonization, release, and activation—creates a distinct next step.
Why focusing on just one account or asset can open meaningful movement.
Practical actions for each transition, from using screening tools to setting finish lines to deploying committed capital.
As we gain clarity on where our resources live today, we open the door to steady, Spirit-led steps that bring every part of our stewardship into deeper alignment with God’s kingdom.

Mobilization Part 1 | Intro to Mobilization

How do we invite others into a life of generosity in ways that expand far beyond our own giving?
In this episode, we open our final dimension of the generous life, Mobilization. We reflect on how inviting, encouraging, and equipping others can create a ripple effect far greater than anything we accomplish alone. As we trace the inner and outer circles of influence in our lives, we consider the quiet but transformative power of story, shared experience, and community.
In this episode, we explore:
How mobilization extends generosity by inspiring others to take meaningful steps of their own.
Why sharing our stories with humility can unlock powerful ripple effects in others.
The four spheres of influence—companion, children, community, and church—and why mobilization begins closest to home.
The risks of journeying alone, from burnout to a narrow view of generosity.
Practical ways to find or build a generosity community that strengthens, sustains, and multiplies impact.
We invite you to consider where your influence already reaches and how God might be opening new spaces to encourage generous living.