15 - Professional Volunteers For Life | David Burton (Part One)

10/04/22 • 35 min

Given the choice between pursuing a high-paying career and taking on volunteer work post-college education, what would you choose? The choice may be obvious for the majority of us. But for someone who sees the world differently, throwing oneself into volunteerism offers a unique opportunity that only those who seek godly rewards will pursue.

In the first episode of our 2-part interview with David Burton, we explore the subject of volunteering in pursuit of God’s kingdom. David brings a unique perspective to the intersection of faith and work as he has built a career as a volunteer in campus ministries for most of his life while engaging in the real estate business. Listen now and learn how a self-described “professional volunteer” who refuses to keep up with the Joneses navigated a society that puts a premium on wealth building.

Key Points From This Episode:

David shares snippets of his personal and family life.
Why David chose to work in campus ministry right out of college
How David branched out to real estate investing
Why David and his wife chose to continue volunteering full-time in campus ministry even while their real estate investments expanded to commercial real estate and restaurants.
David describes his and his wife’s work week and how they balance their time between business and volunteer work.
David’s advice on how not to grow weary of everyday mundane tasks of volunteering
How David got his first real estate deal despite having only a modest income from ministry work to start with.
How David scaled his real estate investments and expanded to other business ventures.
What’s the one failure in investing and business that taught David a costly lesson?
Key factors that changed the trajectory of David’s faith walk that led him to volunteer work and investing in God's kingdom.
David’s observation on how society and commercialism gear us toward discontentment with what we have and why it is crucial to be exposed to life’s realities.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Click to Find out more about our upcoming event: "Crafting Your Kingdom Investing Thesis"

Campus Crusade for Christ

Burton Property

About David Burton

David is the owner of Burton Properties LLC for 28 years along with being a partner in several other LLCs in the Kentucky area. Born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, he received his degree from Virginia Tech. David is a business owner and a real estate investor with a heart for ministry, with one foot in the ministry world and the other in the business world. Aside from Burton Properties, he owns restaurants and a few other business ventures.

David is married to Mary Beth for 38 years and together they have three children and four grandchildren.

Key Points From This Episode:

David shares snippets of his personal and family life.
Why David chose to work in campus ministry right out of college
How David branched out to real estate investing
Why David and his wife chose to continue volunteering full-time in campus ministry even while their real estate investments expanded to commercial real estate and restaurants.
David describes his and his wife’s work week and how they balance their time between business and volunteer work.
David’s advice on how not to grow weary of everyday mundane tasks of volunteering
How David got his first real estate deal despite having only a modest income from ministry work to start with.
How David scaled his real estate investments and expanded to other business ventures.
What’s the one failure in investing and business that taught David a costly lesson?
Key factors that changed the trajectory of David’s faith walk that led him to volunteer work and investing in God's kingdom.
David’s observation on how society and commercialism gear us toward discontentment with what we have and why it is crucial to be exposed to life’s realities.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Click to Find out more about our upcoming event: "Crafting Your Kingdom Investing Thesis"

Campus Crusade for Christ

Burton Property

About David Burton

David is married to Mary Beth for 38 years and together they have three children and four grandchildren.

Previous Episode

14 - Top 10 Secrets of Joyful Stewards | Todd Harper

We are stewards of God’s resources – this has always been the way we, Christians, understand our relationship to God and our possessions. Because the Bible makes it clear that God is the true owner of everything, all that we have comes from him and we have a responsibility to manage His resources wisely on his behalf. But, how do we become good and joyful stewards of God’s resources?

Our guest today, Todd Harper, of Generous Giving Foundation, sheds light on what makes a joyful and wise steward of God’s resources. Having worked closely with high-net-worth families and individuals in creating a national movement of generosity for more than two decades, Todd has gained a deep understanding of the qualities of a joyful and wise steward. He describes how a wise steward thinks and acts while using resources, skills, gifts, and time in ways that matter to God. We’ll look at examples of how to work toward becoming a good steward as Todd also shares some stories and Bible verses to encourage you in your journey of godly stewardship.

Key Points From This Episode:

Todd introduces himself and gives background information about Generous Giving, an organization that he co-founded to start a national movement of generosity.
Why and how Generous Giving was created and its present reach and scale.
What are the “Five P's of a Transformational Experience” in the giving journey?
How did God prepare Todd for his role in Generous Giving?
The catalyst that God used to shift Todd from pursuing his own wealth to investing in His kingdom.
What book was significant and influential to the founders of Generous Giving and the growth of the organization?
What are Todd’s top ten observations about joyful and wise stewards?
What did Todd observe as the barriers that hinder people from being cheerful givers?
What’s Todd’s advice for people who want to start experiencing the joy of generosity?
Todd explains what God's economy is.
Todd answers the lightning-round questions.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Click to Find out more about our upcoming event: "Crafting Your Kingdom Investing Thesis"

Generous Giving

Journey of Generosity

Mover of Men and Mountains by R. G. LeTourneau

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen

About Todd Harper

As founder of Generous Giving, Todd has been actively engaged in spreading the biblical message of generosity for 20 years. In his current role as co-founder, Todd focuses on mission-related activities: strengthening and developing relationships with champions, facilitating JOGs and training, and contributing to program and story development.

Next Episode

16 - Don't Just Write a Check | David Burton (Part Two)

Giving isn’t only about money; it is only a part of a much bigger picture and purpose. If we want to create a deeper and lasting impact on the people that we’re helping, then we need to put not just our money but more importantly, our effort and action into the cause. Giving goes beyond writing a check because, beneath the motivation, genuine help comes from involving oneself in the mission and actually doing what needs to be done.

In our concluding episode with David Burton, we focus our attention on strengthening commitment to the mission through exposure and action. He maintains that for money to make a sustainable impact not only to the receiver but more so for the giver, it must bring with it continuous involvement of the giver to the cause and to the people that you help and also, constant engagement with mission workers. Listen now and learn why just writing a check to a charity often doesn’t offer the same commitment, joy, and fulfillment that involvement and action give to the giver.

Key Points From This Episode:

David shares a story to emphasize the importance of exposure to strengthen commitment to missions.
David’s advice on how to combat consumerism that prevails in our society today.
Why writing a check or donating money to a charitable organization should be combined with action and actual immersion in the mission field.
What does taking action and being exposed to mission programs and media do to your soul and well-being?
How do David and his family use their time, talents, and treasure to promote God's kingdom?
What's something that many people in the nonprofit world should be aware of when asking for support?
The framework and criteria that David uses when deciding where or who to give support
David answers our lightning round questions.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Click to Find out more about our upcoming event: "Crafting Your Kingdom Investing Thesis"

Amachi Program

Gospel Patrons John Rinehart

National Christian Foundation

Journey of Generosity (JoG)

The Finishing Fund

The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn

Burton Property

About David Burton

David is married to Mary Beth for 38 years and together they have three children and four grandchildren.

The Kingdom Investor - 15 - Professional Volunteers For Life | David Burton (Part One)

Transcript

EPISODE 15

[INTRODUCTION]

ANNOUNCER: Imagine taking your generosity to the next level, impacting more lives, and leaving a godly legacy for generations to come. Get ideas and strategies to do just that when you listen to these personal stories from high-level Kingdom champions.

The Kingdom Investor Podcast showcases business leaders who have moved from success to significance, sharing how they use worldly wealth for Kingdom impact. Discover h