Kevin Cashman wants to preach what he practices.

As director of the Ministry of Money, a Maryland-based ministry program focusing on the link between money and spirituality, that means looking at all columns of the celestial ledger — the expenses as well as income.

Cashman is serving as theologian in residence for the Windward Coalition of Churches this month, embarking on a series of lectures exploring how people of faith can integrate the two.

"(We look at) why they're always compartmentalized: We have a money story, and we have a faith story," he said, gesturing with both hands, "and they don't necessarily always come together.

" ... Sometimes we look at our money story as if it's the dominant story, and faith is slipped in where it's comfortable."

When Cashman talks on the topic, most people start thinking about being more spiritual in their expenditures:

"The area we most want to look at is our expense side. As a person of faith, how can I reduce my expenses to distribute more to other people, to organizations that need it more than I do? Or, where do I buy my clothes? Do I not shop at a Wal-Mart or a Disney because of sweatshop labor? Do I have the luxury of buying fairly traded goods at a higher price?"

If you're a business owner, that means paying a living wage, not taking advantage of your labor force, not using deceptive advertising and treating your customers fairly.

How does Cashman practice integrating his money and faith sides? One way is by using a Community Development Financial Institution — his choice is a "self-help" credit union in his town that uses its funds to help others find housing or start up worthy local enterprises.

He counsels people to take what he calls a "holistic" look at faith and money in their lives, first by filling out a money autobiography, then making choices from a place of consciousness.

Living in a Christian way doesn't necessarily mean only frequenting "Christian" businesses, he said.

"I'm never sure when someone lists themselves as a Christian business, whether that is really living their business and making all of their decisions out of a place of faith or whether it's really just another means of doing business that will enhance the perception of their business," Cashman said.

"That is not meant to sound judgmental, but questions I would ask ... 'If you're a Christian business, are you paying all your employees a living wage or a market minimum wage?' 'Are you limiting your profits and distributing them as you go to your employees and other organizations, or are you maximizing your profits and sharing out of your excess?'

"... We have to look under the label and find out how they're running their business, how they work with their employees and their customers — or is it a label that's beneficial to them?"

So, does living a Christian money life mean giving away all one's worldly goods and living like an apostle?

Cashman laughed.

"It's a long-term process," he said. "You have to balance with family commitments. And it's hard to do everything in one fell swoop. That's so draconian that it can't be maintained."

Sometimes, changes come in small measures. For Cashman, it started when he began volunteering as a financial steward at his church, St. Mary's Episcopal in Ardmore, Pa., about 15 years ago. At the time, he was a sales manager of a national company, even their top producer, with 18 years in the business world.

Then changes began unfolding: He slowly became willing to entertain different possibilities with his life.

These days, he works with the 27-year-old Ministry of Money program, which offers retreats, "pilgrimages of reverse mission" (think missionary work) and traveling to churches to spread the word.

His mission, these days, is to bring about changes.

No longer does he live his life as John Haughey, a Jesuit, puts it:

"We read the Gospel as if we have no money and we spend our money as if we know nothing of the Gospels."