Jenny Snarski
“Money is that underlying thing that affects all the other subjects,” presenter Danielle Thienel said to introduce the Faith-Focused Finances retreat she led at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior, on Sept. 6.
“I know it’s taboo” to talk about finances, Thienel added, but “when we connect finances with our faith, when we can take the desires of our hearts and connect them to God, we are always better off.”
Thienel, a practicing Catholic and certified life coach from Nashville, is mother to three young adult children and celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary this year. She was invited to lead the day retreat by Jessica Poskozim, development director for Cathedral Parish and school. Poskozim discovered Thienel’s podcast several years ago and appreciated her down-to-earth style and that she was a practicing Catholic.
Appreciating her faith-integrated approach for moms and their parenting challenges, Poskozim signed up for a free consultation after listening for several months. She has since worked with Thienel in a group coaching setting and taken the Faith-Focused Finance course online. She wanted to offer the benefits she has received to a wider audience.
The retreat group was small, which Thienel saw as an opportunity to work more personally with those who dedicated the time to attend.
She offered three hoped-for takeaways for participants: transforming their relationship with money by aligning it with God’s way; strengthening how they think, feel and relate to money with God at the center of it; and changing the way they relate to money for greater peace, prosperity and faith.
Thienel then presented a three-step formula for faith-focused finances that outlined the day’s discussion. First, discover a new relationship to God’s supply; second, learning a different “tool” that can change everything; and third, gaining confidence to grow in prosperity faithfully.
In the introduction to “Divine Abundance,” the book Thienel authored on the topic, she states, “Many believers think that focusing on financial prosperity and growing in wealth is somehow unspiritual or contradicts Christian values.” She goes on to share that, in her experience, “when approached with the right mind and heart, financial abundance actually enables you to become more of who God created you to be.
“When you become divinely prosperous, you actually create a greater impact in your own life, the lives of your families, communities, and then it multiplies and overflows.”
What Thienel has discovered, and helped her clients through, is making the move from a money mindset that focuses just on the numbers in to building a relationship between faith and finances that keeps God at the center of financial decisions and applies his laws of prosperity in daily life.
“What is your current relationship with money?” she asked. “How did others in your upbringing relate to money?” Thienel clarified that her job as a life coach is “future focused;” that “history is helpful” but what is needed more importantly is a mindset for moving forward” while recognizing the need for self-awareness as a starting point.
To discover a new relationship to God’s supply, Thienel said we need to bring God into our relationship with money. Feeling loved, safe, connected and peaceful – can we feel those traits in regard to our finances?
Quoting Romans 12:2, the speaker encouraged transformation “by the renewal of your mind.”
“We think that stress comes from the financial circumstances,” she said, “but it really comes from what we choose to think about and give meaning to … worry and Christ cannot co-exist,” she said, reminding listeners how many times the Bible commands us to not be afraid.
“We are going to naturally pinball between trust and worry,” Thienel asserted, “but increasing our awareness of God’s supply and providence helps … In God there is no lack or scarcity,” she emphasized. Whereas a worldly perspective is one of scarcity, worry and efforts to amass material security, God’s abundance sees money as a tool and success measured by wisdom, faithfulness and good stewardship.
“How often do we hand over the cash, credit card or write the check thanking God for his supply?” Thienel asked. “Mindset is everything,” she iterated and invited her audience to review examples.
Thienel then walked through the model she learned training with The Life Coach School. The model looks at five elements – circumstances, thoughts, feelings, actions and results – and helps anyone to take whatever they’re experiencing or struggling with and plug it into these categories. Being able to separate facts from interpretations allow for the will to act internally and externally, which leads to tangible outcomes.
“The game changer,” Thienel acknowledged, “is the thoughts chosen – that’s what starts a domino effect … Overwhelm is not created by circumstances themselves.”
She said when we habitually choose the negative, the results only hurt ourselves: “Adding curiosity to shift your thoughts and focus will lead to better results. Breaking things down allows for moving from reactivity to a calmer response.
“Actions result from thoughts, and not the other way around,” Thienel stated. “God gave us the ability to choose our thoughts. Different results are directly related to different thoughts.”
She didn’t make light of the challenges of circumstances and things outside of one’s control: “We cannot change those, but what we need to do – and where we actually have the ability – is to change our thoughts and feelings.” She recognized that there is not mathematical formula for thinking positively but that positive outcomes will not ever result from negative thoughts and feelings. New thought trails have to be made and practiced over and over again.
Thienel also offered teaching on five habits to stop and five to start to grow this new mindset and relationship with money. Stop self-centeredness thoughts, moving the mind to be centered on God’s supply; stop discouragement and choose faithful persistence; stop criticism in favor of constructive thinking; stop hoarding and accumulating so you can give generously; and stop ingratitude by focusing on thankfulness.
“If you’re going to pick any habit or walk away with any one thing today,” Thienel said, “Literally, gratitude is a secret tool to create prosperity.”
To start, Thienel suggested lessening thoughts of lack and perfectionism; establishing a conviction that all God has is ours; reality check your situation between truth and thought, keep standards high, and use what you have trusting God for the increase.
Thienel emphasized how much perfectionism taints positive mindset. A former professional dancer, she admitted that once motherhood was in the picture, it was personal game-changer to stop expecting A+ performances from herself. The decision to accept a B- “performance” as a mom allowed her to be human and grow rather than feel constantly frustrated.
Changing the way we relate to and act with money was the final portion of Thienel’s presentations. According to her faith-focused budgeting philosophy, always begin with gratitude.
“We would have less resistance to finances and budgeting if we started being grateful for what we have, rather than focusing on what we do not have,” she said.
After starting with gratitude, Thienel suggests prioritizing giving. “We cannot outgive God. Give him our first fruits, prioritize how we take care of our relationship with him, with ourselves” and all other responsibilities fall in line.
Third in her budgeting philosophy is to choose spiritual discernment over mere decision-making; fourth, reflect stewardship rather than ownership; and lastly, incorporate a margin for God’s promptings as unexpected as they might be.
Getting even more concrete, Thienel offered advice for faith-aligning your budget; again, beginning with prayer and planning charitable giving as priorities. She included the important elements of defining necessary expenses while allocating for discretionary spending alongside savings goals, planning to track, review and revise regularly and to always end the budgeting process with gratitude.
The speaker reflected on the spiritual benefits of budgeting. “It gives you a sense of peace because you’re facing the facts. It’s the drama about money that takes away our peace,” Thienel stated. “And even when the numbers don’t change, we can change our perspective. Most people avoid this simply because they live with a scarcity mindset.” She added that budgeting cultivates contentment, develops discipline, provides peace and demonstrates faith in action.
On the “emotionally charged” topic of debt, Thienel took a factual approach. Debt is money one person owes to another, “fact,” she said, “but most people choose negative thoughts about it.” She said that small mindset shifts can translate into impactful action. She shared biblical passages related to debt, like Proverbs 22:7, which says it is not forbidden but advises caution.
“What is debt, really?” the life coach asked. “It’s a financial tool, one that can be used wisely or unwisely, like a hammer.” Both debt and hammers can build, but they can also both destroy.
The implementation of a “faith-focused financial plan” is well laid out in Thienel’s book as a 30-day plan with a daily Scripture focus, action step and reflection question. She concludes contemplating the storm on the Sea of Galilee in which the winds and waves might seem overwhelming, but that God’s presence truly transforms any storm from a threat to “an opportunity to experience his faithfulness in ways that fair-weather faith never could.”
Her final words of encouragement from “Divine Abundance” sum up how she ended the day retreat: “You are not alone on this journey. The same God who created the universe is intimately concerned with your financial well-being … The path to financial peace and prosperity isn’t always straight or smooth, but it is always worth traveling. And with each step you take in faith, you’re not just changing your finances – you’re changing your life.”
More resources are on Thienel’s website, daniellethienel.com.
Jessica Poskozim, right, development director for Cathedral Parish and School, has been Thienel’s coaching client and organized the event. (Submitted photo)
