Guys like to think they're financially savvy. We may not hunt wild boar, but we still bring home the bacon, and we feel a real man understands T-bills as well as T-birds. But unless you actually work in the field, it's hard to keep up on the ins and outs of investing. 

So, when somebody tells us that God has told him or her how to make us rich, it's tempting to believe them. We may even have pure motives, figuring that good investments will let us give more to God's work. Only later when we discover that our Christian financial counselor is living large on our cash do we realize that we've been had by a spiritual huckster.

The Scriptures help us understand that God wants His people to succeed. Proverbs 28:25 says, for example, "He who trusts in the Lord will prosper" (NIV). And in 2 Kings 18:7 we see the result of King Hezekiah carefully following the Lord: "And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook."

One aspect of prospering is financial, but many of God's people are not succeeding in this regard. They are underfulfilled and overextended.

One reason why the Bible is such a powerful book is because it presents life as a whole. It teaches us that we can be whole people. Our work lives, our home lives and our church lives--everything that makes up who we are--can all be united and driven by the same principles.

That's why King David could say: "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name" (Ps. 86:11, NIV).

Not surprisingly, the Bible's approach to money is the same way. It doesn't divide up our financial decisions between spiritual and unspiritual. Instead, God teaches us that we can handle all of our money under His authority.

The headlines no longer even startle us: General Motors is eliminating 30,000 jobs; Chrysler is reducing their workforce by 6,000; Enron, WorldCom and others are dumping entire workforces back into the job market. What do these workers do after 25 to 30 years of faithful service to one company? Is it possible to duplicate that kind of work position again?

We must recognize that American work models are changing. We can no longer depend on pensions, retirement funds and Social Security. Unless Congress acts soon, Social Security trust funds will be exhausted by 2042. When Social Security was created in 1935, the average life expectancy was 63 years. Today, the life expectancy in the United States is 79.6 years.

The math tells us that we cannot depend on receiving those once-expected funds. Even healthy companies are looking for ways to eliminate "employee" positions, choosing to compensate for results rather than time.

Would you like the freedom to create the work you love? The following examples of work models, which range from traditional to nontraditional, will give you a clearer sense of what type of work fits you.

1. Put fear in its place. God never intended for any of us to live in fear. When we're afraid, we need to humbly bring our fears before God. Then, He empowers us to look fear in the face and say, "No!"

Early in the morning on September 11, 2001, Scott Dickson, then CEO of Vanguard Airlines, watched from the cockpit of one of his company's jets as the clouds parted over Manhattan's skyline. Dickson made it a point to rub shoulders as often as possible with his employees during their shifts, and the pilots were no exception.

1. When given the opportunity to use our ability to reason, make decisions and take responsibility for our actions, we experience joy at work.

2. The purpose of business is not to maximize profits for shareholders but steward our resources to serve the world in an economically sustainable way.

3. Attempt to create the most fun workplace in the history of the world.

1. Direct selling-Easy entry; flea markets, street fairs. Any item from kettle corn to gift baskets is a possibility. This could also include the thousands of network-marketing opportunities.

We often refer to the workplace as “being in the rat race,” but this is probably unfair. It's actually demeaning to the rats. Rats won't stay in a race when it's obvious there's no cheese.

Spend, spend, spend. That, seemingly, is the financial game plan of many young adults ages 18 to 24 these days. The roughly 60 million Americans who comprise Generation Y (those born between 1978-1995) are quickly becoming the debt generation as they continue to rack up staggering deficits via credit cards, student loans and exorbitant lifestyle spending ... all leading to a perilous fiscal future for these children of the baby boomers.

I was having lunch with my son Stephen recently and we were discussing his new life. He had just graduated with a master's degree from the University of Massachusetts, and it was the first day of the rest of his life. Fresh out of college, and with plenty of debt, Stephen asked me about managing his finances and accumulating wealth. I told Stephen what the experts collectively told me:

It's easy for a conversation with Ken Brown to turn one-sided in a hurry. Just ask him to tell his testimony and your side of the discussion will rapidly turn to affirming noises like “Mm-hmm” and “Oh, wow.”

When I was general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, we had a town full of charismatic coaches: Dick Vermeil with the Eagles, Billy Cunningham of our 76ers, Rollie Massimino at Villanova and Dallas Green with the Phillies. One of my favorite quotes came from Green as he talked about building a winning team. "We need some character guys around here," he said.

If you believe God owns everything, you should be willing to open your checkbook to anyone.

I made that comment at a Promise Keepers conference in Atlanta about ten years ago. When I said it, a guy sitting behind one of my staff members muttered, “Ain’t nobody gonna look at my checkbook,” provoking laughter. I finished by remind the attendees that the “Seven Promises” included the commitment to be accountable to others.

You may wonder, Why should I reveal such intensely personal information? The biggest reason is that most Americans’ financial affairs are in pretty poor order. Becoming accountable may help you gain control of your finances and avoid future disaster.

One of the most successful businessmen I know had prospered beyond his wildest dreams. After hearing me pose the question, “How much is enough?” he examined his finances and lifestyle. With a business worth tens of millions of dollars, he had accumulated far more than he needed.

What does it mean to be a good steward of the finances of God has given to your care? Some Christians believe it means investing only in no-risk ultra-conservative ways. But I challenge that notion.

Steward is founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, Inc. (WWT) in St. Louis, an information-technology (IT) company that sets up computer networks for the government and various Fortune 500 businesses such as General Motors Corporation and Boeing. A rock of corporate integrity, Steward's company was identified by Black Enterprise magazine as the largest African-American-owned company in 2000, and Ebony magazine recognized him as one of the nation's 100 Most Influential Black Americans in May of 2002.

The unemployed father who spoke these words was not exaggerating. I met "Steve" and his family at my church's monthly Pastors' Welcome. Looking into his eyes, I knew he wasn't bidding for sympathy. Form where he was sitting, moving into the family can was a real possibility.

He lost it all, then clawed his way back. But financial wizard Danny Fontana soon learned that there are some things in life that money can't fix.

Motivating your team when you're on top is easy. It's when times are tough that your leadership skills are tested. How do you communicate hope and inspire your team to persevere? First, lay a foundation when times are good, and then, lead from the middle. Sam Walton, who founded Wal-Mart, was a retail wizard. What was his secret? Walton didn't lead from the top of the organization. He led from the middle.

The church is the thread of nonviolence and reason that runs through our society. But when it manipulates its men and women by toting corporate goods from the pulpit, its virtues will begin to unravel.

The litmus test for our church leaders should be whether or not they wield their power of influence with integrity.

In my more than 25 years of ministry here at the Christian Cultural Center, a church of more than 20,000 in Brooklyn, N.Y., I have had several occasions where individuals saw our church as an opportunity to make big money.

Work is something many men avoid at all costs. Both the man who tills the land with his callused hands and the man who tackles the global economy with his Bluetooth cell phone can find themselves questioning whether their work really matters. Read on, and make work mean something more than a paycheck.

"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This ... is from the hand of God." Eccl. 2:24, NIV

"The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need to do and (b) that the world needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you've presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing cigarette ads, the chances are you've missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you're bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only bypassed (a), but probably aren't helping your patients much either. ... The place where God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words

When financial experts say that America is in an "economic slump," what do you do? Did you know that God already has a plan to help you get through these tight times?

Al Hollingsworth has achieved a level of success most men only dream about. He was a successful college athlete and succeeded in business as a young man. Today he owns Aldelano Packaging Corp., a multimillion-dollar company whose clients include Kellogg's, Procter & Gamble and General Mills.

Rich Marshall is concluding a talk at a Business Men's Fellowship (BMF) conference in Los Angeles. After inviting several pastors in the crowd to join him, the group kneels in the hotel banquet room. Then the former pastor leads the group in an apology for the way they have misused and misunderstood businessmen. "There is no division between church and business, clergy and laity, ministers in church and ministers in business," he says. "In the name of Jesus, we release a new creativity, power, anointing, authority and dominion over you." Later, the reaction from various members of the group is pronounced.

When I was a younger man, I had to make the most humiliating phone call of my life. I called my dad, explained that we were out of money and asked if I could move my family in with him and Mom.

When a man supports his family on a $30,000-a-year salary, should he buy a life insurance policy that pays $2 million when he dies? Jesus never answered that specific question in Scripture, but He talked about money more than He talked about heaven, hell or even prayer. And he had wise words for any man sorting through all the possible insurance decision he needs to make.

If you want to protect your family, without throwing your money out the window, remember these financial tips before you make another deal with your friendly insurance salesperson:

You are a steward, not the owner. When I took my family to a hamburger joint the other day, I paid for the other meal, and my sons thanked me. But in the middle of the meal I reached over and grabbed one of my son’s fired and popped it in my mouth. (I don’t recommend doing this, especially if your sons are bigger than you.) And my son said, “Hey, those are my fries!” How quickly we forget, I thought.

"No, really. Order whatever you want," I told Leslie. We were sitting in an upscale restaurant perusing the menu when she said something about the grilled tuna looking pretty good. "I hope that she's not being serious," I thought. "That dish is the most expensive thing on the menu!"