Speaking


I love to teach and it is my great privilege to speak at churches, conferences, college campuses, businesses, and other venues throughout the country. In 2009, I spoke at over 40 events.  See the list of workshop and Sunday message titles here, with details about each one below.

Matt’s Demo Reel

Workshops

  • Money. Purpose. Joy.
  • MoneySmart Marriage
  • Freed-Up From Debt
  • What Will You Do With Your Millions?
  • The More Joy/No Debt Christmas
  • Raising Money-Smart Kids in a Marketing-Crazed Culture
  • Making the Most of Your Money (corporate/small business workshop)

Sunday Messages

Money. Purpose. Joy. This is my core workshop and is based on the premise that a financial life built on the foundation of God’s Word is one that will stand strong.  Participants clarify their God-given purpose and then learn how the application of seven biblical principles can enable them to fulfill that purpose.  They leave this highly practical learning experience equipped and encouraged to build a financial life marked by clarity, generosity, savings, freedom from debt, smart spending, goal accomplishment, and a new sense of financial freedom and joy. (3.5 hour workshop)

MoneySmart Marriage. Money is a prime source of conflict within marriage. But money itself is rarely the problem; it’s trying to reconcile different points of view about money, different financial habits, and different goals. This workshop helps couples understand how four key influences have shaped their financial beliefs and behaviors: family experience, temperament, culture, and spiritual perspective. Couples gain a new sense of empathy and freedom that creates financial oneness. The workshop also provides couples with the practical guidance and tools they need for using money in a productive, joyful, marriage-enriching, God-honoring manner. Designed for couples that are seriously considering marriage, engaged, or newly married. (3.5 hour workshop)

Freed-Up From Debt. Consumer debt permeates our culture, hindering people’s relationships, health, joy, financial success, and faith. In this workshop, participants gain encouragement while learning a biblically informed, seven-step process for getting out and staying out of debt forever. (2 hour workshop)

What Will You Do With Your Millions? Whether a young person earns $25,000 in their first job out of school or $40,000, in the course of their lifetime several million dollars will likely pass through their hands. Decisions about giving, saving, and how much to spend on homes, cars, clothing, and more will greatly impact whether money becomes a tool that is used for productive purposes or a source of stress and anxiety. This workshop helps people ages 18-25 develop the perspectives and practices that will set them up for a lifetime of successful, joyful, God-honoring money management. (3 hour workshop)

The More Joy/No Debt Christmas. Christmas can be one of the most joyous seasons of the year. Unfortunately for many, it’s often one of the most financially taxing seasons, with debts incurred during the holidays continuing to make their presence felt long after the decorations have been packed away. This workshop teaches the fascinating history of the commercialization of Christmas, and offers specific steps for increasing the joy of the season while reducing the financial stress. (2 hour workshop)

Raising Money-Smart Kids in a Marketing Crazed Culture. From the minute a child is born, marketers begin vying for their attention. Fortunately, there’s a lot that we can do to help our children successfully navigate our consumer culture. This workshop presents practical, age-appropriate, biblical ideas for teaching our kids how to get off to the right start with money. Designed primarily for parents of children up to age eight.  (2 hour workshop)

Making the Most of Your Money. A heavy debt load and light savings account creates stress and distracts people from their work. This program, uniquely designed for the workplace, teaches your employees practical steps for getting out of debt, building savings, investing wisely, spending smarter, and experiencing true financial freedom. (3 hour workshop)

An Irrational Act. In a culture that encourages getting and keeping all that we can, giving money away seems completely beyond reason. Doesn’t true joy come from acquiring more? And won’t we need every last penny for our future? It turns out that generous giving is, indeed, irrational. But not for the reasons many people assume. It’s irrational because of the amazing amount of life-changing good even a little giving can bring about in the lives of those who receive our gifts. Even more importantly, it’s irrational because of the amount of heart-changing, faith-building good it can bring about in our own lives. (30-minute message)

Money & Marriage: The Ultimate Merger. Money is one of the most common sources of conflict in marriage, and couples that argue about money are more likely to divorce than couples that argue over any other topic.  But money doesn’t have to be a source of stress and strife in marriage.  This message offers four biblical financial principles designed to help couples fulfill God’s intention for oneness in marriage. (30-minute message).

Financial Freedom. Living with consumer debt is so common that it feels normal, unavoidable.  And yet we were not made to live in financial bondage.  This message highlights two of the most significant practical and spiritual dangers of debt along with five steps for getting and staying out of debt. (30-minute message)

Make No Little Plans. Chicago’s beautiful, open lakefront is one of the legacies of city planner Daniel Burnham. The visionary designer was famous for saying, “Make no little plans, for they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” In a much grander sense, the hope to which God has called us (Ephesians 1:18-19) is no little plan. It’s a plan to live in a vibrant, eternal relationship with the Creator of the universe! Too often, however, our use of money shows us to have settled for a much smaller plan – that of our consumer culture. When we understand the plan God calls us to, our use of money becomes a countercultural, blood stirring, joyful adventure. (30-minute message)