Kinsmen Debrief #3 - Learning from Dr. Steve Graves on Risk

Re-Defining Risk

It’s been almost 30 days since the Kinsmen Summit ended, and I’m still unpacking the lessons that came out of that weekend. Today, I want to share one of the biggest takeaways that has continued to challenge and shape me — a powerful reframing of ownership and risk.

The Lesson

Steve Graves — strategist, CEO advisor, and author — was one of our speakers at the Summit. Steve works with a wide range of leaders: from executives running global organizations to young entrepreneurs just getting started. He’s authored more than twenty books and helped thousands of leaders weave together themes of strategy, leadership, and faith, all with one goal — to help people flourish in both life and work.

Beyond consulting, he also owns or co-owns several businesses, spanning industries like grocery delivery, sports media, and outdoor adventure. I’ve read a couple of his books (and may write about one soon), but what Steve shared at Summit left a lasting mark.

His insight? It centered around ownership and risk, and how we often misunderstand who those truly belong to.

The Parable of the Talents

Steve walked us through the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 — a story I’ve always loved. It’s one of the biblical foundations for why I believe in working hard on behalf of the Lord: to produce a return with what I’ve been given.

But this time, something new hit me. I realized I’d been missing key truths about ownership and risk. Before we unpack those, let’s recall what Jesus said:

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property…” (Matthew 25:14–30)
 

You've likely heard this well-known story from Jesus: the master gives one servant five talents, another two, and another one. The first two invest what they’re given and double it. The third hides his talent in the ground, afraid to lose it — and is rebuked as wicked and lazy.

Recognizing What We’ve Been Given

Before anything else, we must recognize what we’ve been given. We can’t steward well what we don’t first acknowledge. For many of us, God has entrusted a lot — specific gifts, resources, relationships, opportunities. They’re not random; they’re intentional.

But our goal is not simply to use them — it’s to produce a return for the Master.

Two Critical Misunderstandings

Steve pointed out two key misunderstandings in this passage that hit me deeply:

1. Ownership

When the master entrusts us with something, it does not become ours.
Ownership stays with the Master.

But responsibility transfers to us. It’s ours to steward, to multiply, or to waste. And one day, the true Owner will ask, “What did you do with what I gave you?”

2. Risk

The third servant misunderstood risk. He thought that by hiding his talent, he was avoiding loss. In reality, he was misunderstanding who carried the risk.

When the master handed over the talents, the risk remained his.
The servant’s role was not to protect — it was to produce.

That changes everything.
We often structure our lives to avoid failure — to stay safe, to protect what we have. But faith calls us to trust that the Master knows what He’s giving, and that He bears the risk of His own investment. Our responsibility is obedience and faithfulness, not fear.

A New Way to See It

These truths now seem obvious — but they weren’t to me before. I had made false assumptions about what was “mine,” and it created both false security and unnecessary insecurity.

We have a good and loving Master. He has endless resources and will allocate them where they produce a return. His heart is that all would come to know His love and turn to Him while there’s still time.

When we place our faith in Him — and faithfully put our time, talents, and treasure to work for His glory — He entrusts us with even more.

Thank you, Dr. Graves, for helping me connect these dots.
Ownership and risk belong to the Father.
Responsibility belongs to me.

Let’s shift our mindset in that direction the next time the Holy Spirit tugs at us — and we’re faced with a decision about what’s truly ours.

-Mark