FPU Kick Off

I am very excited to be facilitating Financial Peace University this fall. The Live Free Ministry at West Ridge Community Church hosts 2 FPU's every year. You can read through some of my earlier posts from February and get a pretty good idea of what it's all about. I am really excited to be a part of FPU again. I listen to Dave Ramsey on the radio often and it really keeps me motivated.

I've spent some time lately reviewing the story told by this blog. It reminds me of how much Cole and I have learned and how far we have come. What is really amazing to me is the peace that has come to our home. We are not living at or beyond the limits of our resources anymore. I remember when we started this journey, before I even knew about Dave Ramsey, I didn't think we could get freed up. I thought we'd always have a car payment. I couldn't see a way around it.

Now I wish we'd of started this 10 years ago when we first married. I am so thankful for the way God has blessed our journey so far. I can't wait to see what He does next. I was reminded today in a conversation with a good friend and mentor that, it was God who started moving in my life and prompted these changes. It happened in his time and not mine. When I get impatient with things like paying down our mortgage (last post), I need to remind myself that God has a plan. That Cole and I are called to honor Him with our lives. We are called to do our best with where we are at and let Him handle the details. We don't need to despair or live with regret for our past. We've been freed of that as well.

One of my favorite things about FPU is being there to see the light bulb come on for someone else. To see them have the moment when they get it and change. It is a cool thing to witness. I love it on Dave's radio program on Fridays when folks call in and scream "We're debt freeeeee!!!" It is so empowering to hear the freedom in their voices. To hear their story of struggle and victory. You can hear their joy and peace through the radio.

Lately I've been thinking that perhaps this is a glimpse of what heaven might be like. I imagine it like a reunion of sorts. A reunion where believers from all history have gathered and are sharing their faith journey story and giving the glory to God. That may be a little dramatic but, well, deal with it. It's my imagination and I love stories! This year at the FPU Preview Night Cole and I are sharing our story. I've decided to let Cole do most of the talking. We are limited to just a few minutes and if I talk we'll be there all night. Some of you know that I am not joking!

So if you're in the area come on by the Preview Night at West Ridge and hear not only our story but a couple of other outstanding stories from others. We'll also have a short message by video from Dave Ramsey.

Feeling Trapped

Cole and I have been discussing our housing situation. I know I've mentioned it before but I thought I might take a shot at a more thorough explanation. In order to fully explain the situation we have to back up past the housing market bubble bust.

Cole and I were young and a little bit stupid and took on more of a mortgage than we should of. THE END!

Oh you're looking for more. Ok. Here is the long version. If we go back about 5 years, Cole and I are in our middle 20's and the angry lady that lived below us in our condo is making us crazy. We decided to make a move up. We both had good jobs and I was planning a career move that would bring a more promising income and benefits with a secure future. So we settled on moving a bit further west of our current home in Roselle where we could get a lot more home for the money and the taxes were lower. So we found this new development of homes that was just getting started. They had a townhouse model that we really liked. Of course it was at the upper end of our budget and we bought into the "you'll grow into it" myth. We also fell for the "Pre Construction Pricing" gimmic as well. The principal & interest payment wasn't bad and the taxes were not that much more than where we came from. The association fees were a little more but that was okay. We no longer had the angry lady below us. We got a good interest rate on a 30year fixed so life is good right. We figured in 4 years we'll sell it, make some money, and move up again.

Fast forward 2 years. The career move didn't pan out. Now I am making less money with no benefits or future. Turns out the property tax deal got re-assesed and doubled our taxes. The association fees continue to climb every year. We were still okay but then the bubble burst! Now the house that costs us nearly $2,000 a month taxes, fees and all is worth about 60% of what we paid for it. Now figure we only put 10% down feeling safe that property values would continue to appreciate at 3-4% a year, and now we are upside down big time. Add to this that the developer is a little over halfway done and now sales have dried up for them. So now our nice "pre-construction price" could buy you a lot more home brand new than what we have. So why buy an overpriced used townhome when you can get a new one your way for a lot less. Since they're only half done with the development this will be going on for at least a few more years.

Do not fear for us. We can make the payment and we are still saving money and able to do some nice things, but here is the problem. WE ARE TRAPPED! We can't leave. Not that I have anywhere to go! This has really become a stresser on Cole and I. We have too much integrity to just walk away as some have recommended. I have no faith in our government to help us out like many others do. (Ask them how that is working for them by the way.) It isn't the government's fault anyways. Why should they help us. We're the idiots that signed up for this deal! So here we sit.

This didn't bother me too much until I really started thinking about how much progress we could make on our Dave Ramsey baby steps if we weren't spending so dang much for our house. We could be setting more aside to replace Cole's aging vehicle. We could contribute more to the IRA's. We could have a bigger vacation budget. But now we give it all to the stupid house. Are you picking up on my frustration yet?

In addition to all of that lost progress Cole and I recently had an interesting opportunity present itself to us. However the conversation couldn't go too far because it would involve a move and we are stuck. I am not even sure it was a good opportunity. I didn't invest the time to even look closely at it because I don't want to like it. That will only further frustrate us about this whole housing mess.

So now what! Am I to just type and moan about how rough we have it? No! Some of you out there have it much worse and are sick of my groanings. I know I am! Cole and I talked a lot this weekend and have come to the conclusion that most of America needs to realize. IT IS ALL ON US! NO ONE IS COMING TO RESCUE US! WE HAVE TO SAVE OURSELVES! What a unique concept. The way we see it is our only alternative is to pay down this mortgage and dig ourselves out as fast as we can. A bigger shovel would help but, for right now we are going to make due with what we got!

With all apologies to Dave Ramsey we are kind of messing with the order of the baby steps here. We are going to skip steps 4 (15% to retirement) and 5 (College fund)sort of and jump to 6 (pay off home). We'll continue to contribute enough to the 401k to get the match but, that is it. We'll come back to those steps when we clean up our housing mess. This mortgage has just started to wear us down and it needs to go. Perhaps we are not skipping 4 and 5 but rather adding step 6 into our step 2 (debt snowball). We are just fed up. I don't want to have to say no to an opportunity to improve Cole and I's lives or careers because of our stupid house! I want to be more "Freed Up."

So wish us God's blessing on this quest. I know we won't make it without His help. He has been so faithful in this journey to date. Somehow I feel a lot better looking to God for help than to Obama and Congress. Can I get an Amen on that one? It will take years. Less than 25 but more than a few! Pray for us. We are getting a little tired of the tight budget rice and beans lifestyle! But we press on. It is worth it. God did not call us to worship at the mortage alter but to follow him. I trust him to lead Cole and I out of this prison.

We know where we want to go, we know how to get there, now we just have to do it! Makes it sound easy doesn't it? I'll keep tellin' myself that.

PS - Cole has had this plan for a while now, it just took me this long to catch up!!!

Back to the Mountains

So the paint work got done and Nicole is digging up another project I am sure. Of course there is still more painting to do but, for now Cole has been busy setting up her new office. She's setting up her office in our spare bedroom upstairs and she has very graciously given me the downstairs office we used to share as my new man cave. I've never had a man cave before.

Cole had an epiphany as she was painting. That is to say she realized that a woman decorated our entire house. There were no visible signs of a male presence anywhere. While she is a very gifted decorator especially when you consider the budget she is working with, I had to admit she was right. And with the Camaro out of the garage and replaced with a Yaris the garage was no longer a manly escape for me. She has really been having a great time not only setting up her new office but helping me set up mine. We are saving up right now to purchase a leather recliner, a must have for any man cave right?

Of course this is all a ploy to bring about a pregnancy. We figure if we take the 2nd bedroom and set it up as an office then we'll get pregnant and have to make it a nursery! Think it works that way??

With that all said I am now back in the mountains of NC with some good friends and we are all relaxing. Did I mention that my good friends also have a plane and flew us here in 3 hours. Sure beats driving 12 hours in the Yaris dodging hail stones! Cole stayed home and I am sure she is neck deep in rearranging something. I know she had already started cleaning up the house before I left. So I guess there was a male presence after all. And as before this is a cash only vacation. Sure helps to have a friend with a plane!! Couldn't have done it without him.

We continue to press on in the Dave Ramsey Baby steps. It can be a bit of a grind but we have almost finished our 6 month emergency fund and just made our first extra principle payment on our mortgage. We gotta get back right side up on it. We've stayed current and are not in any sort of danger with it but, we are trapped in this house until we can pay the mortgage down or until values start to rise. So we are kind of taking some liberties with the baby steps but it is working for us.

Sitting on the porch of my Aunt and Uncles place I am reminded of why we are doing this. The concept of delayed gratification is hitting home for me. Cole and I are putting off things that we would really like to have in order to be able to have a stronger more secure financial position in the future. So that maybe someday I can have a log home on the top of a mountain with a great view! To all the baby steppers out there. . . KEEP GOING!!! WE WILL MAKE IT!!

Money for Stress Management

I'd like to share a more personal benefit of debt free living if I may. It is no longer a secret that Cole and I have been trying to start a family. We are continuing to build our emergency fund and with that comes a certain level of peace at least about the financial end of this decision to start a family. While we do not know when God will choose to grant us this blessing, we continue to prepare our home for it. In addition to attempting to educate ourselves on parenthood we are also preparing our finances for raising a child. While I feel we'll not be nearly prepared enough on either front, I am some what comforted by the fact that I had wonderful parents whose example we can follow and that we will at least bring our child into a debt free home.

Also, in our struggle with being unable to conceive, at the very least we now have the available cash to see the doctors we want to see. It also frees up our cash to be able to pursue any treatments we may want to seek out. Of course our heath insurance plays a major role in this as well. So far they have covered almost everything. Thanks Blue Cross!

In the meantime, we continue to trust God's timing for this child. It certainly is not easy. Both Cole and I have had some frustrations with our Heavenly Father about His delays, but we trust Him to be in control of our family plans. Cole often quotes an anonymous person who said, "Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser."

One of the treatments that insurance does not cover is stress management. Cole likes to relieve stress and frustration by painting the interior of the house. This weekend she has painted several walls in the house and is "feeling" much better. It was wonderful as a husband to be able to tell her this week that she could knock herself out and paint her little heart out. Don't worry about the money for paint and supplies. Get what you need and go at it. She did. It looks great and she didn't ask me to help! Perhaps I should call Blue Cross and see if they cover the paint as a stress management aid.

Maybe they would pay for my new netbook that I use for writing as well. That's how I like to manage my stress. I write. Sometimes it's this blog. Sometimes it is journaling or writing something else. Anyhow, I say it makes me healthier. Call it a preventative measure against heart attacks. What do you say Blue Cross?

I won't hold my breath on my alternative medicines. I just wanted to share this in order to illustrate how money management effects so many areas of our lives. Poor money management ends marriages, lives, and souls. On the other hand, good money management practices opens up communication in a marriage, blesses lives, and can contribute to saving souls as well. Right now our good money management is keeping money from being another stresser in our lives.

Truthfully, I sometimes wonder how much stress plays a role in disease, infertility, depression, and anger. Don't let money run your life. Be in charge of your money no matter how much or how little you have. It's not about the amount it is about the discipline of being a good steward with what God has given us to manage on His behalf.

Take the Cash

We decided to skip fixing the hail damage on the car. Country Insurance was fantastic. Once I called them the adjuster was out in a couple of days to look at the damage. They fairly compensated me and I had a check within one week of my first phone call. Absolutely no complaints there.

Upon receiving the check we deposited it in the emergency fund and we are back on track to complete the emergency fund by the end of the year. If you recall we are shooting for 6 months of living expenses as our goal. The previous auto, oven, and ac repairs took a little bite out of it but, now we are back just about where we left off. The car doesn't look too bad. If I continue to put off washing it no one will ever notice :)!

It is certainly not a BMW or something nice like that. It's just a Yaris and with the way I am doing miles now, it won't be worth much by this time next year anyways! On the other hand, a fully funded emergency fund at the end of the year translates into a happy wife! Who can put a price on that?

Vacation in Cash

Cole and I just returned from a long weekend in Cashiers, NC. We were visiting my Uncle Gordon and Aunt Jodi. We had a blast. They've done a fantastic job remodeling a log home on a mountain down there. The view is just incredible. The drive up is a bit nauseating if you ask Cole, but totally worth it. It is amazingly silent up there. The stars at night are intense and brilliant. We had a great weekend with them and really enjoyed being away from our everyday grind.

What makes this trip relevant to the conversation is that we did it in cash. We saved up cash for a couple of months and did the whole trip gas, hotels, food and all in cash. I have no fear of a large credit card bill coming because we didn't use it. We left Discover at home. On top of that we budgeted a bit conservatively and have cash left over to apply to our next vacation. It really wasn't that hard to do. We set a side money each week from our usual budget and after a couple months we had it all together and set for our trip.

The trip was a bit of an adventure. We ran into all sorts of foul weather. Tornadoes south Indianapolis the first night. Hail the next day the size of large marbles and golf balls on the second day. Large thunderstorms and fog our first night and morning in Cashiers. The hail beat up the Yaris pretty good. It was hard to avoid it when on the open interstate and all the overpasses were clogged with cars seeking shelter. We survived it all though and had a fantastic weekend. Insurance will cover the damage to the car and we have the emergency fund to cover our deductible. Actually, the left over vaction money will cover the deductible and keep us out of the emergency fund. The Yaris wasn't the most comfortable riding car to run 1500 miles, but it averaged right around 40 miles per gallon and didn't struggle too much with the mountains. All in all the little car did pretty good hauling us and our gear into the Smokies.

Cash vacationing is definately the way to go. Everything is already paid for and it isn't affecting the budget for the next month. Try it the next time you travel. Leave the plastic at home and do it in cash. You'll spend less and it will all be done when you get back. No scary bill coming in the next month to worry about. Use the debit card for hotels or car rentals if needed.

Never Fails

So three weeks ago we started on the E-Mealz program. We love it. We're cooking more, eating better, saving money everything is going well. Until are oven decided to revolt. It just quit on Cole in the middle of cooking our wonderful Tilapia dinner. We had to use the toaster oven to finish the process. So we've been off emealz for a bit while the oven was down. Thankfully the oven is back up and operational again as of this afternoon. We'll be back at it this week.

The oven repair estimate was about $500. I was thinking about what a crisis this presented to us and our budget. We were getting pretty frustrated for a while as we debated whether or not we should fix it our just go buy a new one. Then we looked at prices and thought maybe we'll just fix it. Then we got to thinkin', "Hey we have an emergency fund. This is not a cash crisis." Funny how just a couple of years ago this would have been a real strain on the finances. Yet, now it is just a minor inconvenience. Honestly I was just a little bummed that we had a house full of food but we couldn't cook it. I was fearing starvation!! But, my wonderful wife improvised and got us by.

The cool thing was when the repair guy returned with the parts a couple days later, it ended up only being about $300. Of course, it's never so simple and he left us with a gas leak in the oven and we had to wait a couple more days till a different guy could come back and tighten up the lines the first guy left loose. But all is well now! We can eat again! All is right in the Moore House.

We actually spent about $400 dollars to repair a leak on Cole's car as well this month. If my math is right that means we were able to absorb $700 worth of unexpected expenses thanks to a spending plan and our emergency fund. We did it all without resorting to the credit card too! Dave Ramsey would be proud!

E-MEALZ

This is just a quick post to tell you all about something Cole and I just love. E-Mealz. They advertise on the Dave Ramsey Show. E-Mealz is a company that for $5 a month will set you up on a meal plan every week. You get 5 meals a week and shopping list to go with it. The neat feature here is they can custom a meal plan to your specific needs. For example you could do a "Low Fat" plan or a "Gluton Free". You can also taylor it to the stores you shop at. For example Cole and I are on the Aldi Plan for 2. It is great! Every week they send us a shopping list for what we'll need to purchase and they even include the prices. It makes making out the food budget very easy and takes all the work out of planning meals and grocery lists. It is a fantastic plan and the recipes are outstanding. Those of you that know me know that I am a very picky eater, but I have enjoyed each of the meals so far. Check them out on-line at:

e-mealz.com

I should be clear hear. You are not purchasing meals from e-mealz just recipes and a shopping list. But it saves time, money and stress. Check them out. Okay that's it for the commercial:)

Great Wealth or Great Poverty

"Great wealth and Great poverty are equal tests of a man." That is a quote I am borrowing from my father's notes he used to teach an adult Sunday School Class entitled, "A Biblical Perspective on our Resources" over a decade ago. In light of the discussion Bruce and I have had in the comments of the last post, I have been thinking about this statement. Personally I'd rather have to deal with the great wealth test. It just seems like an easier road on the surface doesn't it? But he claims they are equal.

Larry Burkett used to say something like, "Show me your checkbook and I'll show you your priorities." This is a true statement. It is easy for us to tell someone what we believe in or what really matters most but, do our actions back it up. Bruce makes the observation that in general the poor give proportionally more than the wealthy do. I am not sure Joe Biden makes a credible example of wealthy giving. But since his records are more public we'll let it fly. I'd rather hear about the giving of a wealthy person that is not in the public eye and not in a profession prone to dishonesty. I would argue that Joe has a heart issue. Much like the rest of us. His heart is not that generous. Perhaps if Joe took a good long look at what he has been given by his Creator, he would open up the purse strings a bit and find his generous spirit. I am not picking on Joe. He is a lot like all of us. Myself included. Though I do not have the same level of wealth as Joe I do have that same selfish tendency in my heart to hang onto what is "mine". Perhaps in the context of a Biblical Perspective being wealthy isn't such an easy test after all.

It is relatively easy to see how great poverty would be a test. Basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter become a daily struggle. Hunger and disease become a way of life. Yet we can find people of tremendous charitable spirit in these places. Why is that? In these same places we can find horrible selfish people who will take whatever they can get from those that have nothing to give. Why is that? I read a couple of months ago, "Black Hawk Down" by Mark Bowden. In it he describes what life is like in Mogadishu at the time the US got involved. The people that lived there had very little. Yet whatever aid was sent to them was hijacked by the group with the guns and distributed as they saw fit. Or not distributed. There are a lot more to the politics there than I can speak to but, this really made the point for me in my own understanding of the human heart. Wealth is not evil. Wealth is neither good nor bad. It just is.

The good or evil part is in our hearts. Just as those in poverty can be generous or selfish so can the wealthy. It is a heart issue. The test for the wealthy is how to best manage all that God has so generously given. I believe one day I will be held accountable for how I have managed that which God has given me. This is not a salvation issue, but rather an issue of, "Do I really love Jesus and want to follow him?" If I do, I need to be about the things that Jesus was about like caring for and loving the poor. This is difficult as Bruce has pointed out to do in our Western Culture of Plenty.

My temptation is to depend on myself. I did this or I did that. Look what I have built. I got us out of debt. That hurt to write down. It becomes a pride thing. Where in our culture do we stop pursuing more wealth and start giving it away? When does saving become hoarding? Jesus told the rich man to sell all that he owned and then follow Him. He couldn't do it. If he gave me the same command could I do it? What do I value? Where does my security lie? Yet he asked some fisherman to follow him and they dropped there nets and left there dad in the boat to follow him. I would guess that they were not wealthy like the rich man yet they left all they had even if it wasn't very much. Would I have left my dad in the boat with the nets full of fish? These are really difficult issues. I do not know the answers. They are answers that we all must find. I think we find them by looking in our own hearts.

My standard for generosity is not found in other people. It is not found in the 10% tithe. It is something that I know in my heart. When I get that prodding in my heart to give, do I do it? Cole and I do give consistently and gladly to our church. We start at a least 10% but, we want to do more and whenever we do it is awesome. But I am not just talking about the offering plate. What about the waitress at the restaurant I visit frequently? What if I feel prompted to leave a significant tip on the table as I walk out? Do I? We all know single moms. What if I feel prompted to put cash in an envelope and slip it under her door? Do I follow up on that? What about the kinds of poverty that Bruce was referring to? The kind found in third world nations. What do I do with that?

These are the heart checks that God uses to test my generosity, my heart, my values. I don't always pass them. But when I do, I am filled with joy. It may very well mean more to me to give it than it does to those that receive it. It puts me back in the right frame of mind. It gives me focus on what really matters. It all comes back to the parable of the Pearl of Great Price that Jesus told in Matthew 13:45-46. Or the words of a christian song from my childhood. I don't know who wrote it or sang it:
"He is no fool, if he would choose to sell the things he cannot keep to buy what he can never lose."

For a long time I walked around not even hearing the little voice inside that provokes these acts of generosity. I tuned it out. Now that I am learning to manage resources for God I am a little bit more tuned in. I don't want to miss an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. It doesn't always have to be monetary giving either. But, for the sake of the topic of the blog we'll stick with that.

I have to agree that dad was right. Great wealth and great poverty are equal tests of a man. In either case I am 100% dependent on God. It is easy to see it in poverty yet it is hard to feel it in great wealth. One more verse to illustrate one last point. The Apostle Paul in being grateful for the gifts of the Philippian Church:

Phil. 4:11-13 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Maybe what I should really strive for is contentment. Perhaps that is when you know you have arrived. When I can be content with whatever God gives or takes from my accounts then I'll know it's enough. It's all His anyways. This is not an excuse to avoid working and saving money either. It is simply a freeing statement to know that when we reach the end of our selves, there is God. He who clothes the lilies better than a king and cares for the sparrow, cares more for you and me.

Protect Your Family

I'd like to speak more to the gentleman. Not that this doesn't apply to you ladies as well, but men I charge you with this responsibility. Actually, I believe God calls you to this. Please protect your wife and family with disability/life insurance. No I am not selling insurance. What I am pushing is our charge as men to love our wives and look out for them. What kind of a mess would you leave to your spouse if you were the victim of "The Bus Incident." The Bus Incident is what we say at work when we want to explain a situation to a coworker "just in case I get hit by a bus tonight on my way home," they'll know what is going on tomorrow.

Please be patient with me as I relate a couple of personal stories on this one. 8 years ago this July my father passed away after a 33 month battle with ALS (Lou Gerhigs Disease). My father was the best! That is him in the photo above. Yes, that is little me too! That was the first time he took me hunting. He loved our family more than I'll ever realize. He looked out for us. Long before he was ever ill, he made the small gesture of love to my mother and purchased good disability and good life insurance. If he had waited till he was sick he would never have been able to get it. Immediately after diagnosis, he set about arranging his estate so that it would be able to care for my mother after he was gone. For those that don't know, ALS has no cure. It is a death sentence. He knew that if he was the average case he'd be gone in 18-36 months. He probably waited a little too long to get his estate plan arranged but, he took the time, when he was literally sick and tired, and he loved my mom in this way! With all of the emotions we went through as a family, it was wonderful that mom didn't have to worry about the money end of it. I am so thankful for the last 3 years of my dad's life. We had time to say all that we wanted to say. He left this life and entered the next knowing his wife was taken care of.

Men!!! Are you still listening??? My father was in fantastic physical shape. At the age of 48, he was in better shape than most 35 year olds. He ate the right things and exercised. Through no fault of his own he contracted a disease that turned him into an old man that could not do anything for himself almost overnight. He could not even talk for the last several months! Don't think this can't happen to any of us! Worse yet, you may not get 33 months. You may only get the blink of an eye before the bus hits you and you realize your a goner! Take care of this today! Make it a priority.

My father told me in the months prior to my marriage that I needed to make this a priority. I am so glad that I did. Every time I see that money leave my account each month to pay the premium, it let's me know Cole will be okay, from a money standpoint, if I get hit by a bus. For that matter Cole's policy is in there too and it let's me know I'll be alright as well.

The last story I'll relate to this topic is this, last Oct. 31st, a lady in my office was killed, on her way home from church, in a car wreck. She was on the narrow country road near her home and as she crested the top of the hill at 40mph she discovered an SUV coming at 60mph that had drifted to her side of an already narrow road. She took the hit just to the drivers side of head-on as she swerved for the ditch. Just like that she was gone. I don't think that it ever crossed her mind that today was her day. 52 years young and in great shape. She used to walk after work down the country road our shop sits on. We used to tell her to be careful not to get hit while walking there.

Her name was Lee. I don't know about her financial/insurance situation but I know she left behind an aging mother that she was the primary caregiver for, a boyfriend, and 2 daughters in there 20's. This is the group that had to come up with the cash for her final expenses. If there was no insurance in this situation, that is potentially a several thousand dollar or more burden that was laid on that group. I tell you this because I want you to realize just how quick this can happen. Whether your 20 and engaged or 60 with adult kids, care for your family in this way. They will have it hard enough dealing with the loss of you! Give them this one last gift to help. If you are independantly wealthy and leaving them a large estate you may disregard this request. You've already covered it.

What I took away from Lee's death was that I don't know how long I have left. Maybe 70 more years maybe 70 more seconds! While the context here is money and providing for our families, that is what I'll stick with in closing. I want to know that Cole will be able to maintain financially in my absence, what we have worked so hard to build together. I want her to be able to continue her way of life and not have to worry about the mortgage, bills, or funeral expenses. You could add to all of this an estate plan as well. As much fun as it is to talk about it, you should. Communicate with your family on what the arrangements are. This is important! Do it today!

Cole Speaks (Writes)

So, people have been reading this and I bet they are wondering, how is the wife REALLY going along with all this? So, I thought I would add my two cents. Yes, this is Nicole posting this time! Kinda scary. Dan is definitely the writer in this family.

Some people may think only a crazy person would do such things like cut up your credit cards or put yourself on a $10 a week budget. Well, I never said I was normal. Like Dave Ramsey says, “If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” I have really learned to love that quote.

It is true, at one point, we put our selves on a $10 a week budget. This was not for the necessities. We did have a budget for household items that we needed to live, but our $10 was if we wanted to go out for lunch or buy something that we really did not need. After some time had passed, I had a big fat envelope and I thought, this is stupid. I am not spending this money so why do I keep taking it out of the bank when I can keep it in the bank to make interest. See, this is how I think. I am the saver, Dan is the spender. Until now!

For years I have wanted to do this. I was never a typical woman who loved to shop. Don’t get me wrong, I do like nice things and I would not turn down a new outfit, but I need my security first. As I was growing up I saw many people struggle with money. Everyone had “too much month at the end of the money.” I said I never want to be like that. I always saved for those “what ifs.” There were many times Dan called me a money hoarder. So after meeting Barry Cameron, and listening to Dave Ramsey I feel like I have brought Dan over to my side! No, he is not a money hoarder with me, but we have found a good balance and are on our way to being financially free.

I admit there are some hard things, like the credit card. I did not think this would be hard for me, but it is. We have always had two credit cards. One was a Discover card. This is what I used all the time, and the other was a Master Card because every now and then I would go somewhere that would not accept Discover. We always paid them off every month. I don’t understand why, if I had the money, I needed to charge it instead of just paying cash. But like everyone does in our culture, I’d charge it. Canceling the Master Card was easy because I didn’t use it. But the Discover is a hard one. It goes back to that security thing I mentioned before. Oh, and did I mention I don’t like change. But I am not using that card now. I am using cash or my debit card. I think I need to reassure myself that this is ok before I can cut that card.

So to sum up on how I really feel about all this. To all the wives out there, you really can change your husbands! With a little help from God of course:).

Our Peace Tested

Something happened this week that would test Cole and I's financial peace. Do we really have peace or does it just sound good to say. On Thursday morning Cole was told by her boss that they might have to cut her down to just 3 days a week. At first there was a twinge of momentary panick. After taking a minute to gather her thoughts she called to let me know what was going on. I too had an instant panic race through me. Her income was just cut by 40% starting next week. Can we pay the bills?

You see we had been living so close to "the Edge" of finiancial chaos for so long that our minds instantly triggered a negative reaction to this news. Over the last year we've backed away from "The Edge." In just a minute or so we both realized that this could be a blessing.

First of all, we have an emergency fund. Thanks to Dave Ramsey's advice we have about 3 months of living expenses saved for emergencies. We are working our way up to 6 months but as it sits we have about 3 months. We could continue at our current spending for months before that ran out. Her boss was thinking this would only be for a couple of weeks to maybe a month. They had some work coming in starting in April and then things would return to normal. It was beginning to look like a vacation and not a lay-off.

Second, we have been saving 14% of our total income every month or about 32% of Cole's income. Chances are we wouldn't even have to touch our emergency fund, but rather just slow up our savings rate and maybe trim the budget back a bit more. Couple that with Cole not driving the 100 or so extra miles and we'd save in fuel as well. We were starting to like the sound of a 3 day work week.

Lastly, as we talked through it, we felt that Cole getting a couple of days off every week would be really helpful. She's been running like crazy for a few weeks now and could use a break. The extra couple of days would allow her to catch up on some things and mostly just relax for a bit. We were beginning to view this as a gift and not a tragedy. There would still be some things to work out but, it was not an emergency. Proving Dave Ramsey correct once again, that when you have the emergency fund in place, suddenly you have a lot fewer emergencies.

About the time we had made our peace with the situation her boss changed his mind. During the course of the day a couple of new jobs came in and then one big contract was signed and he decided against the 3 day week. We were actually disappointed. I am very glad this came up though. It really showed us that we do have Financial Peace. We are living a little more free and becoming more freed up everyday. The principles we've been following are working. Many thanks to Dave Ramsey, Barry Cameron, and the Live Free Team at Church for their teaching, support, and encouragement as we journey together!

BYE BYE GM MASTERCARD

I just got off the phone with the Mastercard folks. We canceled our GM Card today. Only one card left to close. The kind gal on the phone reminded me that I had been a great customer for 8 years and my account was in "good standing". This was the card Cole and I got shortly after purchasing a brand new GM SUV. We had this grand idea that we'd work up a credit in points with this card so next time we'd get a better deal on a new car. In the meantime we'd have a place to go in case of an emergency. Cole's still driving that car. It turns 10 in September. Little did we know that we would cancel the card 8 years later having never used the 2800 points we had collected to purchase another new GM vehicle.

We will most likely never purchase a brand new vehicle again, due to the huge depreciation loss suffered immediately. Perhaps when we've completed Baby Step 6 in the Total Money Makeover we might splurge but until then, I don't need the points. I just want to quit the card. I also feel a little bitter towards GM (Government Motors) after their begging the US Government to save them from their own foolishness. I have always been a "Chevy Guy" but, that just rubbed me raw. Yet, that is not my purpose in writing.

I am struck by the thought that we entered into the Credit Card Scam for security. It was the "In Case of Emergency" fall back. What a joke that is. Credit cards are not any security at all. Follow this with me, We have a money crisis, we're broke, so let's borrow money to get out of this immediate crisis. When the next crisis comes we still haven't finished paying off the first and we get further in the hole. It doesn't work! Check the back of any US Currency. It still says, "In God We Trust!" I've asked the question before but, I'll raise it again, "Where does our security lie?" The Bible makes it clear that borrowing money is a bad idea. "The borrower is servant/slave to the lender," Proverbs 22:7. So relying on debt (credit cards) for security is not the place. Your security can only be found in the one True God. God alone is big enough to sustain us. He gives us His Word (The Bible) to guide us through life. Credit Cards will only make it worse in the long run. And living on credit you won't run very long.

The Bible is clear that rather than being in debt we should save and prepare. The story of Joseph is a good example of God commanding His man to save and store up. God knew the famine was coming and He ordered Joseph to store up food. Sure enough famine came and everyone rushed to Eygpt because Joseph obeyed God and stored up food! When the financial famine comes in your world will you be ready? Don't think your invincible! Financial famine will come to your world. It hits us all at some point. Store up for your financial famine so when it hits you are prepared and don't have to try to borrow your way out of trouble. It doesn't work.

Some of you are ready with your own scripture about not storing up treasures on earth but in heaven. Larry Burkett used to say that the difference between saving and hoarding is attitude. I am not suggesting we hoard and become like Scrooge. Someone like Scrooge "Loves" his money. That would be hoarding. I am suggesting that we take responsibility for our own house and protect it from the coming financial famine by building an emergency fund as Dave Ramsey lays out for us. 3-6 months of living expenses. Dave points out that when the emergency fund is in place and fully funded, it is amazing that suddenly we stop having emergencies. Perhaps we just redefine our emergencies! Imagine life without payments and 6 months of living expenses in the bank. Gentleman, your wife will be much happier! Suddenly the crisis of being laid off from work becomes and opportunity to change your career for the better. Something to stew on. It can be done. It is working for us. Press on in your journey!

Good Bye Cable!!

That's right boys and girls, Cole and I booted cable right out da house! We've talked about doing it for a while now. We have family and friends that go without it and don't seem to miss it too often. When we really sat down and thought about what we were watching, none of it was good for us. Most all of it was garbage. Cole did say she missed Fox News this morning while she got ready for work and I know I'll miss NASCAR in HD (way to go Trevor Bayne!!) but, we must remember the phrase, "Live like no one else so later, you can I live like no one else."

In all honesty this is not going to be easy for us. It may not be permanent but, we really want to get our 3-6 months of living expenses put away. Then we'll see how much we still miss it. We are about half way to our goal. We will be there by the end of this year. I'd like to get there quicker which is why we are going to this "extreme". But, here is the payoff . . . $100 per month. Add to this a couple of other things we cut out and now we have an extra $135 per month. That's an extra $135 to go into the emergency fund every month.

Okay, now I am going to get really honest. When we sat down and looked at our printed out monthly budget, we were looking for $100 more per month. That was our goal. The first thing my mind went to was the giving categories. We were giving more that 10% to our church and we actually talked about cutting back to 10% and getting the money from there. We slept on it. I sought council from a good friend who doubles as a budget coach. We mulled it over for about 24 hours. Here is what we decided. We enjoy giving to God and He has blessed Nicole and I so much that we want to give him more. In the end, we had to remind ourselves that it is all His money. We are just managers or stewards of it. We decided to drop cable instead.

It was my goal when I started writing this blog, to always be honest throughout the journey about our struggles. This is one of those that I am not proud to admit we contemplated but, we made the right call. We may have had to think about it too long but, we got it right. And you know what. . . I sleep good at night! At least when Shelby isn't trying to sneak up on our pillows! Hey, you try sharing a bed with 70lbs of German Shepherd that has night terrors!

Financial Peace University

We've been through two classes since my last post. We love it. Dave Ramsey makes money conversations fun! He keeps you thinking and laughing. The package is very high quality. Even the FPU kit they send you is made up of quality items. A hard cover copy of Financial Peace Revisited, Hard cover workbook, a leather CD case containing the audio's of the 13 FPU lessons, and other cool stuff. The class is broken into two parts. The first is about an hour long video of Dave teaching. The second is about an hour long small group discussion guided by 7 questions from the workbook. The small group discussion is vital. It provides a safe environment to share struggles, victories, and to share ideas.

With respect to Dave Ramsey I will not go into much detail on what is taught. Buy his books or sign up for FPU if you want the details. I will tell you this much though. Week one reminded me of the importance of saving. Something my dad tried to teach me in my younger days that I should have paid more attention too. The concept of delayed pleasure. Put something off today so you can have something better tomorrow. Save, save, save and save some more!!! In week two he spoke to my heart about something important to Cole's heart and all women really. Security. Dave talks about building and emergency fund (Baby step 3). For Cole it should be titled the Security Fund. Cole doesn't need to be rich, she just needs to be safe. Having the 3-6 months of living expenses saved up would speak volumes to my wife's heart.

I have learned this last year how important this is to Cole. Her stress levels have dropped significantly in the last year because we have gotten focused and intentional about our money. She feels loved by me when I commit to protect her by having this fund set aside. That is why, (men hear this) I am totally committed to this plan. I want my wife to know I love her. While there are a lot of ways I show my love for her, this is a big one. Don't neglect it. Men, chivalry is not dead. We just need to adjust how we do it!

If you doubt my level of commitment to this process wait for my next post. Dave uses a phrase to sum the next post up. "Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else."

Financial Peace Starts

Tomorrow we begin Financial Peace University. I am very excited to get started. I 've been looking forward to this for a few months now. Also this week Cole and I will be closing out one of our credit card accounts. This leaves us down to just one. We have not figured out exactly what to do with the last one yet. We have several automatic monthly charges tied to this card. Our Life Lock Membership, K-Love donation, Cole's Onstar Subscription, our I-Pass accounts and so on. I am hoping that FPU will give us some direction on how to safely and securely use our debits cards for these transactions. I am sure from what I have heard of Dave Ramsey so far that he'll convince me to part with the last credit card even though we've always paid the balance in full each month.
If you ever get the chance, listen to Dave's radio program. You can find a station near you by going to his website and searching it out. He is generally on from 1pm to 4pm eastern time. I love his very blunt and funny personality. Yet, as blunt as he can be it is obvious that he cares deeply for people. He has made it his mission to help rescue people who are drowning in their debt. Every day I listen on my commute home. I am so amazed at the number of people who are on this same debt free journey. I am also blown away by some of the financial messes people have gotten themselves into.
Cole and I look forward to forming some solid relationships with the other folks in our FPU class. It is so helpful to have others to hold us accountable and keep us on track. We are also enjoying being a part of the Live Free Fellowship at our church. It is a growing group of people all pursuing a debt free lifestyle.
This group hosted a budget seminar at church and the material we used was from Good Sense Ministries. In that material they talk about "Myths of the Culture." One of these myths states that, "Debt is expected and unavoidable." When I think about the last several years of my life, I totally bought into this lie. I borrowed money for cars because I believed it to be impossible to pay cash for reliable transportation. In reality I just wanted a car beyond my ability to pay. I am learning to reject this myth and others like it. I thank God that he has opened our eyes to the lies and is working to liberate us and so many others from the pain & trouble they cause.

How We Did It

So February is here and so is the snow. What a storm we got this past week. I've never experienced thundersnow before. The little Toyota Yaris did pretty good in the snow on my trek home on Tuesday afternoon. Not like a four wheel drive of course but better than I had hoped. (Still miss my truck a bit but not the payments!) In April of last year when we sold the truck and bought this little econobox we committed to pay it off ($8500) by the first of the year. We actually came in a month ahead of schedule and I made the last payment in early December. We got the title just after the first of the year. We now own both our cars. On top of that, we are now consumer debt free!! Just the mortgage to go. If you've not read the previous posts I'll tell you that at the beginning of April 2010 we had over $19,000 in debt that we are now out from underneath. By God's grace and a lot of hardwork we got freed up.

Here's how we did it. First we sat down and made the budget. I call it a spending plan. Budget is too much like a bad word. After reviewing the plan we made a couple big changes. We sold the Camaro to pay for the car repairs on the credit card, we traded the truck for the Yaris, and then we lived as cheaply as possible and piled money into the car loan till it was gone. The key to the whole thing was the living cheaply. We did not add to our debts at all. In fact we committed to not ever willingly enter into debt again. Then we changed our habits. We rarely ever ate out. We learned to like the Comcast On Demand Free Movies and did not spend money on movies either at home or the theater. We shopped only at Aldi and Walmart. We did not take any vacations. If it wasn't absolutely necessary we did not buy it. We avoided using our credit cards for anything except fuel for the cars. If this sounds hard, IT IS! But, it is totally worth it. So much so that we have continued this practice in order to build up savings to prevent us from ever going into debt again.

Through Cole's job they offer direct deposit. This is an awesome perk. It allowed us to divide her paycheck into both our checking and savings account. I had her deposit as much as our budget could tolerate into our savings (Money Market) account. The rest to our checking. Kind of like a forced savings program. If we have an emergency we are able to access the money quickly but, I am not as prone to spend it if I first have to transfer it. Now that the car payments are gone we are able to save the payment in our money market. None of this would have been possible without God's continued grace in our lives.

Those that follow Dave Ramsey's financial wisdom will recognize our Money Market as our "Emergency Fund." We are currently working on Step 3 of "The Total Money Makeover" which is to save 3-6 months of living expenses for emergencies. I am relatively new to Dave Ramsey but, Cole and I are enrolled in Financial Peace University at our church and it starts in another week. FPU is a program developed by Dave Ramsey to teach the proper way to manage money. It is a 13 week program being hosted by church's all across the country. Google search Dave Ramsey and you are sure to find his website. Lots of good info there.

So, with 2010 gone we are actually well into 2011 now and Cole and I are continuing to ask for God's guidance and wisdom for our lives especially our finances that He has entrusted to us to manage for His Glory and not our own. Our goal for this year is to complete step 3 and get 6 months of living expenses in savings. This is about $24,000 total. We're almost halfway to that number with what we saved from last year as well as our Christmas bonuses from our work. The only other goal that we have set is to maintain our giving. We have really found the joy in giving to our church and a couple of other ministries. We bumped it up for this year to go beyond tithing (10%). I am excited to see what God will do with this. God has been so faithful and gracious to us. I pray that we remain faithful to him!

Letting Go Again

In March Cole and I continued to look for ways to trim our spending. We changed around a few things. We tried to give up cable only to find out that quiting Cable only saved us $20 a month on the bill since we had TV, Phone, and Internet bundled. But we did change to a basic package and saved a bit. We did a lot of the little things like adjusting your programable thermostat to conserve energy. But here is where I really learned to let go and it made all the difference. Selling the Camaro was big for me but now, I was looking at selling my truck and buying an economy commuter greenie machine. I hated the very thought of it. Remember that new job I got that paid more money. Here's the catch. It is 53 miles away. That's right I do 106 miles roundtrip 5 days a week. Do the math on getting 20mpg buying mid grade fuel or getting 40mpg buying regular. I remember actually praying asking God to work it out so I could keep the truck. I sure am glad that God has a sense of humor with his people because I am sure he had a good laugh at that.
It was about this time I picked up the book by James Bryan Smith about the life of Rich Mullins. I learned some things there about material wealth. Rich referred to it as the "stuff of earth." I was inspired by his ability to rise above the stuff of this world in order to move closer to his Savior. God used Rich's example to soften my heart a bit. I really didn't come around though until April.
In April I received a letter from our church inviting us to a dinner meeting at which, Pastor Barry Cameron would be speaking. The dinner was a few weeks away and the church had just started a sermon series titled "Live Free." It was a series of messages about managing your money. I learned things like, "God owns everything, I am just a trustee of what he has given me" and "God doesn't need my money, He wants my heart." The messages continued the softening and opening of my heart. They showed me practical ways to put Biblical Principles about money into practice. They took the approach of teaching people how to manage their money according to the Bible and not guilting them into giving. The logic being if we manage our money well we'll want to give! It's true and it works.
The church offered Barry Cameron's book "The ABC's of Financial Freedom" after one of the services and I grabbed a copy and read "his model" for getting "Freed Up," and it made sense to me. Barry would be ticked if I didn't correct myself. It is not his model, it is God's model. He just does a nice job of presenting it. It also made me believe that we could really do it. When we went to the dinner I was very excited to see, hear, and meet this man who paid off his mortgage with 3 teenagers in his house on a pastor's salary in just 2 years. I listened to his story and I shook his hand and looked him in the eye. There was no catch, no sales pitch for his latest book, no huge inheritance that allowed this to happen. He was real! Not only was his story amazing but, his church's story of a debt free ministry and all they are able to do in serving their community because they are debt free. In fact, Barry tells a story of being so determined to pay off his mortgage that he took a 5 dollar bill he found in his desk to his bank to put towards his mortgage and the teller thought he was nuts. As we talked I could see sincerity of heart in his face. He just wants others to experience the relief he and his family have enjoyed.
Shortly thereafter Cole and I went to a dealership and traded my 2008 Tacoma TRD 4x4 for a 2008 Toyota Yaris. Ya know what! I was glad to do it. Do I miss that truck? Yes! But would I do it again? You bet. Check these numbers out. In one night we got rid of $11k in debt. We still owed $19k on the truck. I thought that was about what the truck was worth and they actually gave me more for it. Go figure. The car we were looking at had a blue book over what their first offer to me was and after the whole transaction was over we only owed $8k on the Yaris. Even better, with what I would save in fuel alone was enough to make double payments on that $8k 3 year loan. Having already told you how many cars I've owned, you can imagine I've gotten pretty good at dealing for cars. This was the easiest purchase by far. We barely negotiated. Turns out the saleman misquoted the price of the car and they stuck to it anyways. We were in and out fairly quickly. I personally believe that was God blessing us for being faithful to what He asked of us. Again, I am not here to debate theology. We took the payment we were making on the truck already, plus the fuel savings and a little extra we trimmed from the budget and set a goal to pay it off before the end of the year. I'll let you know later how we did with that goal. Those that know me already know the answer anyways. In one night we dropped $11k in debt and trimmed our spending by $200 a month that we then put into paying off the debt. When we let go of the "stuff of earth" to reach for the principles of God, it paid off and we are better for it and God honors our efforts.

Letting Go

So, I've got a new job now, and I am making more money so, everything is better now. I mean all we really need is just a little more money right?? Shortly after starting the new job in February 2010, Cole's car decided to die. The engine blew. At a tick over 100k miles the engine gave it up. We had maintained it well. Cole was religous about oil changes. The car still looked like a new car. Through no fault of our own but, a factory defect, we now had to come up with several thousand dollars to replace the motor just barely out of warranty. How does that old phrase go, "It's always darkest before the dawn." We had a little bit of savings enough to cover half the repair and the remaining went on the credit card. Not a great way to start off. Looking back on it a year later I can see this was God teaching me to let go. Let Him take control. Trust that He knows what is best for us. I didn't really get that at the time.
Originally this blog was to be about the restoration of my 1968 Chevy Camaro. What happens next is what determined that the blog would cease to function in that capacity. Last February my Camaro was in a body shop having major cosmetic surgery to get it back into shape. I had owned it for a few years and had only driven it a couple of times before it all came apart for the makeover. I started feeling the Holy Spirit nudging me. I tried to ignore it but, the desperate situation forced me to at least listen a bit. I knew I had to give up this dream. We needed cash and quick. The thought of a few thousand dollars on our credit card was stressing us out. The problem was who wants to buy a car that is literally in a thousand pieces spread over a couple of different locations. I put in a call to the shop owner working on the car. I told him the situation and that I was willing to make someone a good deal. In a couple of weeks the car was sold for just a little more than what we needed to pay the credit card off. No interest or fees even accumulated on the card. A mechanic working at the shop decided I was offering too good a deal to pass on. Some might say this is just coincidence or luck but, I tell you this was God's way of showing me I could trust him. Cole's car was fixed, my garage was cleaned out, and while our savings was mostly gone we still had two cars to get to work with and no credit card debt.
I cannot begin to tell you the stress that came off of me when the Camaro was gone. I didn't realize the pressure I had put on myself to finish the project. Like most car projects, we lost a fair amount of money on it and I feel a bit ashamed of the waiste of resources, but the stress was gone. It was a stress off Cole's mind too. She wanted to be the supportive wife and back her husband's dream but, inside it was hurting her. She tried hard to share in the dream. More than once she was up to her elbows in grease. Did I mention what a fantastic lady I married!
Well, with this we were off! God proved to us through this situation that we could trust Him with our money and I thought that would be it. I showed God I was willing to let go of something that I had put before him in my priorities and now he'd be done "messing with my stuff." I was wrong. Once you give your heart to God, He takes it and makes it home. His Spirit was about to get me to do something that I would have sworn I would never do. . .

The Spender and the Saver

In February of 2010 I was reminded of the debt that I had been forgiven. The magnitude of the Grace of God was overwhelming to me. I neglected to mention one thing about inviting Christ into your life and that is, He COMES. In the form of the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit is that gentle prodding you may feel about a certain situation in your life that God may want to change. It may be big or it maybe little. If you have been a follower of Jesus for awhile you know that our sensitivity to this prodding of the Spirit is sometimes lessened and sometimes heightened in our walk with God. Mine had been dull for quite some time. In February, it was heightened when it came to how I managed the family spending. My wife, Cole, is a saver. She has always been that way. Coming from a household that didn't manage money well and didn't have much of it to manage she learned early on to spend wisely and save every chance you get. I, on the contrary, was raised in a very conservative financial home that was financially secure. My dad who owned a small business, had a quote above his desk that read, "Mind the penny's and the dollars will watch themselves." He taught me how to budget and even warned me often against borrowing money but, I had to go and learn the hard way. Needless to say, I am the spender in my household. To fully make this point, we've been married 9 years and in that time I have owned 7 different cars. Get the picture? My wife, is an amazing testimony to God. She was patient. While on the inside my spending was messing with her perceived security, she never nagged. She patiently prayed for me and waited for God to show up. She up to this point in our marriage had managed our money. She was well aware of how I was waisting it. Did I mention it was my jobs that came and went and hers stayed constant? I know I mentioned that she was in church and I had not been for over a year. Faithfully she followed God as best she could while her husband wandered about aimless and depressed. She lead me by example back to God. Not by nagging or manipulating. In truth, there was a strain on our marriage but Cole rarely mentioned it. I, being a typical guy, barely noticed until God removed it.
The Spirit got my attention when I received a new job. The money was as good as I had ever earned and coupled with Cole's earnings we would make more money in 2010 than in any other year of our marriage. As Cole and I looked at the budget we made a decision. With God's Spirit doing the pushing we determined to be purposeful about the use of this new found income. We set a budget and began to stick to it. In years past when we received a raise we would just spend it where ever. We wanted to be productive with it this time. Having learned over the previous 3 years that jobs can come and go we wanted to make the most of the opportunity while we had it. I did not yet know that God was behind it all. I still thought this was me learning to be responsible and that I was still in control. Cole's prayers were about to be answered and God was about to show up in a major way!

The Secret That Shouldn't Be

What is this secret that shouldn't be. What if I told you that you have a debt bigger than your credit cards or mortgage or car payment. It is so large and you continually, hour to hour minute by minute add to it's balance. To paint the picture more clearly, you have absolutely no way of paying this debt off. You can't even slow it's growth. It is larger and grows faster then the national debt of the US. Worse yet, if the account isn't settled before our earthly lives end, the penalty is an eternity separated from God in Hell. What threats have your creditors used against you? Any this severe? Before we can begin to talk about car payments and mortgages and credit cards, we have to come to terms with this monster debt hanging over our heads keeping us in bondage. The bondage is our sin. Not a popular term in our culture. I am not afraid to say it. I am a sinner! Guess what so are you! That's right I said it. You're a sinner. We all are. No matter how much good you do in your life you will never be able to get this account closed out. You are in way over your head.
Now here is the secret that shouldn't be. This debt that we have, can be forgiven. Your account can be stamped "Paid In Full" today! Here is the answer. The ONLY answer! "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son. That who ever believes in Him will not die but, have everlasting life" (John 3:16). It's right there in your Bible. Put your faith in Christ. This is the only safe and secure place to put your trust. IRA's, Careers, People, and yes even Government will let you down. God had a plan from the beginning of time. Heaven demands perfection to gain admittance. NO EXCEPTIONS! Well since we know in our hearts that we have sinned how do we reconcile to God. God, who is just, showed us grace. He sent His son, Jesus, to earth (Remember the real meaning of Christmas). He lived a perfect and sinless life at the end of which He allowed that life to be nailed to the cross. He gave up His life for us (Good Friday, anyone??). But the secret isn't over yet. 3 days after this He rose to life (Easter). This is not metaphorical. It is literal. There were witnesses that saw His body and touch His wounds. When He rose He conquered death and created the way for you and I to be saved from the debt of our sin. I know what you are thinking, "Yeah, that's a good story for the kids but, come on . . . ". Think about this, many of those witnesses who saw him and many more who didn't, have given their own lifes in defense of this story. Who dies for a lie? I am not here to argue this point. That is not my purpose. But before you can hope to be free of whatever financial burden you are carrying you must first come to terms with Jesus Christ. Who is He to you? Truthfully, I pray that if you gain nothing else from our story posted at this blog at least come to grips with Jesus Christ. He was/is God and He did die and rise again for us all. While you might find some of the future posts helpful. What good have I done you if you gain some financial insight from our story yet, lose your soul for all eternity? God is and always will be my source of security in this life and the next. Until you put all your faith and trust there, money will continue to stress you out. Recognize God as the source of everything you have.
If you want to accept Him as your savior simply pray this prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I acknowledge my need for you. You alone can take away my sin debt. I thank you for your sacrifice made for me. I trust you and want you to come into my life. You are my Savior and my God."
If you prayed that prayer congratulations, the largest debt you have ever owed has just been forgiven. Your account is now and forever"Paid in Full" through the sacrifice of Christ! Every sin in your past, present and future is coverd. That is the amazing grace we often sing about but, seldom accept.

Where It Started

Let me start at the beginning and let you in on the secret of the Live Free Journey. Back on January 1st of 2010, when everyone was starting off on their resolutions, I found myself stuck. I really wanted the next year to be better but, I didn't know where to start. 2009 had been a year of wandering. I had a job and I was thankful for it but it did not have much of a future. The economy was in the tank and so was I. I pursued all kinds of things to try and find fullfillment. A new truck helped for a minute, but it didn't last. The new wore off and it used a lot of fuel for someone who wasn't making a whole lot of money. I went away to the country for a weekend but, my restlessness followed me there as well. I knew I was depressed, my wife knew I was depressed, even the dog knew I was depressed. I was standing on the threshold of either a new start or a very quick decline into deeper darkness. In a moment of guilt or utter frustration I made a decision.
I decided to start by returning to church on a regular basis. My wife had been going to a church near our home but, I hadn't been going with her. She seemed to really like it. Looking back now returning to church seems like such an obvious answer. Certainly one that a life long Christian and church attender should have picked up on much sooner. You see, I had gotten lazy and guilty in my faith. Essentially I was telling God, "I don't want to be around you right now. I want to try my own ways and when I get things straight I'll come back to you."
The church we attended, West Ridge Community Church, was quite a bit different from the church I'd grown up in. At first, this made me very skeptical but, after a couple of weeks I began to open up to it. I really loved the music. It reminded me of the music of my childhood. My father loved Rich Mullins. And Rich's music was in the background of a lot of my childhood memories. Come to find out the Pastor in Charge of Music was a good friend of Rich's that spent a good deal of time in music with Rich. Hence the memories it spurred in me. These memories led me to a study of Rich's life. There is a whole lot to discuss there. I'll cover it in a separate post.
It was in this Church where God began to soften my heart. I began to see a small glimpse of what I was seeking. The church was very laid back and it was easy to slip in and slip out without drawing attention. No one knew who I was and therefor had no expectations of me.
The church's attitude about money was different from what I had heard elsewhere. They talked about God not needing your money and that He wants your heart. They often said they didn't want you to give unless you had reached the point in your faith were you WANTED to give and could do so gladly. Well since I wasn't happy about giving, I didn't! Instead, I turned my attention to the music and the message (occasionally). But before too long something in me began to change in a big way. The change led me a bit closer to the Secret of the Live Free Journey. Here's a clue. . . It's Not About Me!

Change of Purpose

As 2010 has now passed into the history books and 2011 has arrived, I have decided to once again attempt to maintain a blog. So much happened last year that I have decided to repurpose this blog. Originally it was going to be about automotive topics and particularly the restoration of my Camaro but, in light of what has occured in my life I am changing the topic. Last March my wife and I embarked on an expedition of sorts. The ultimate end of the quest being a life without debt of anykind. Yes, including mortgage free living! The inspiration came from the life story of Rich Mullins as told by James Bryan Smith in his book "An Arrow Pointing to Heaven." The way Rich lived his life made me want to change mine dramatically. As so often happens when we ask God to do a work in us, He answers. With God's help and direction, as well as, wisdom shared with us from Pastor Barry Cameron of Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie,Texas, we decided the first change to be made was to become more purposeful with our resources and to get "Freed Up." We set a goal of being completely debt free in 7 years. Over the course of the next couple of posts I will take you from last March of 2010 up to the present day. I'll share our sucesses and failures along the way. You will see how far we have or have not come. Then I'll continue to mark our progress for you and let you see how we do. I hope this may be an encouragement to all who follow along and that it will inspire them to examine their own finances and decide to gear up for their own mission to be debt free.
As our country slowly climbs from the economic down turn we should all examine how we can strengthen our financial positions but, more than just that. We need to answer some questions along the way. For example, "Where does our hope for the future lie?" We have certainly seen where it should not be placed (Jobs, IRA's etc). Where do find security in life? Follow along and you'll get to see how we have decided to anwers these questions and you'll get to see how it goes for us. Lord willing in 7 years we'll be debt free and you'll know that it is possible! With God all things are possible (Math. 19:26b)!!