Parenting

The best, concise, biblical parenting advice/teaching I have ever heard!  Forget the scores of parenting books, listen to this ONE sermon.



What did you think?  I'd love to hear your comments!

Does God give us more than we can handle?

It was one of those articles going somewhat viral around the Christian circles on Facebook.  That was just the first time I was confronted with the question.  Then in the past couple weeks since then I have been bombarded with it:

Does God give you more than you can handle?

On those hardest of days, I agree with a friend (ok, so I am nowhere near where she is at in terms of challenges and hardship - amazing what perspective can do for you! - but still),  

"oh He definitely gives me more than i can handle on a regular basis. He overwhelms me daily. i cry all the time. i used to scream up to Him to help me, to provide some relief, to comfort one baby for me while i helped another... He never did. He has brought me to a place where i am alone and isolated, where i usually have only me to rely on. i am constantly exhausted - i can only ever go to bed after midnight, i have a baby who stays up and then wakes often in the night, often 10 times. so i am always tired. He gave me a wonderful husband through all this, but it's still too hard most of the time. ... i have been suicidal, i have been drunk with joy, i have been terrified, i have been hopeless and i have been blessed enormously. sometimes my very blessedness makes me feel guilty for feeling so overwhelmed." 

...and I emphatically say, YES!!!!!!  Too much, it's too much Lord!

Interesting, that most people going through a difficult situation tend to feel that it is indeed too much for them to bear.  On good days though, farther from heartache and trouble (temporarily), we think we can handle it.  Maybe we even get a little cocky and think that we really can do it in our own strength.  So ask someone who's life is going along well and the answer is more likely to be, "No, I don't think God gives us more than we can handle."  *thinking isn't that somewhere in the Bible?*

Now that I have said how I feel, let me back up this argument with some actual Biblical evidence.  This particular statement, that “God won’t give you more than you can handle,” isn’t even in the Bible.  There is a statement that sounds like it.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”  But notice that verse is about temptation.  That’s it.  You won’t be tempted beyond what you can stand up against.  This text is not saying that you will not experience more than you can bear.  That idea just isn’t Biblical.  If anything the exact opposite is true.  Look at this text.
"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." (2 Cor 1:8,9, emphasis mine).
Later, Paul will write it is when he is weak that the strength of Christ is seen.  In other words, when we can’t do it any longer.  When we are fed up.  When it has become too much.  When we have nothing left.  When we are empty.  When it is beyond our capability to deal with it.  Then, in that moment, the strength of the God of resurrection will be seen.  Until we get to that point, we rely on ourselves thinking we can handle it and take care of the problem.

You can read the full article here.  [Note:  I found this article to be insightful and Biblically accurate but I have not done enough reading to necessarily endorse other content on his blog.]

I think of Job, Joseph, the martyrs of the early church, Mary, a lonely unwed mother, even David who walked through the valley of the shadow of death.  That sounds pretty bad to me. 


Another one of my friends made an interesting point:  
"As I'm thinking about Job, and how it seemed to be more than he could handle, I am also thinking that what happened was beyond Job's control. So I think when something happens outside of our control, that seems like too much for us to handle. It could be God's way of allowing us to trust in him more and rely on him, as well as it is maybe not God giving us more, but "allowing" more to happen."

She also had what I think is a very good and culturally applicable thought and I have to say I agree.
"Sometimes, we become addicted to busyness, and have a hard time saying no. So I think sometimes we inflict upon ourselves too much for us to handle. Whether it be because we want more money so we want a second job, whether it be we want people to like us, whether it be we want to feel loved so we have to go to everything our friends invite us to, or whether it be for other reasons, we sometimes choose these things we don't have to, and are putting ourselves into a situation where it is more than we can handle. So sometimes, even if we think something is more than we can handle, we shouldn't always blame God for letting it happen, we should also look to see if we are partially responsible."  I couldn't have said it better.


"But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ... for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor.12:9-10) 

A comforting thought from another friend, "I have always been so glad that God doesn't measure out His grace at the beginning of the day, or week, or month and then say, "Too bad, you've run out, you'll have to wait now for a new supply." His goodness is moment-by-moment and, in my life so MANY times, minute-to-minute. You are grace-full all the time because you are full of HIM."

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)

Why does God give us, or allow us to experience, more than we can handle?  So that we come to Him. So that we need Him.  Rely on Him.  So that we live our lives in His strength.  We can do so much more.  We can be who He really wants us to be through the refining process of having more than we can bear.  We can learn humility and compassion.  And we can grow.

Nope, hard times are not fun.  We are usually not running around rejoicing while being crushed by a huge burden.  Thankfulness is not our instinctive reaction.  But the difficult season you're going through may be God's invitation for you to come to Him, receive Him, and experience His Peace that passes all understanding.

The mom that I quoted from the beginning of this post sums it up beautifully:

"i believe that God walks with us and holds us in the raging waters - He doesn't promise to help us avoid them altogether. how would we ever learn and grow and get strong if He only gave us what we can handle? how would we see our desperate need for Him?"

Pregnancy Update

I'm not gonna lie; I was pretty nervous.  The last time changed our plans so much I was afraid for what to expect.  I just hoped someone else was hoping for me because I didn't have the strength to hope for good news myself.

The short cervix condition is getting worse and I am on "house a-rest" (I have had to stop working), keeping my activity level extremely low and laying down a lot.  Gotta love, just LOVE, these trips to Sioux Falls for doctor appointments... they have a way of changing my LIFE...! :P  *total sarcasm*

For other moms out there who are going through this or other high-risk pregnancies, 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

It might not be the birth plan you envisioned, you know... full-term, home, calm, water birth.

Right now it might look like... sirens, helicopter, Emergency Room, long stay in the NICU.

But you will make it... Baby will make it.  

And you'll be stronger for it.

Short term goals, my midwife says.  One more day.  Think, one more day.  

Some days it feels like a battle.  The times when you're laying half upside-down to keep baby in.  Eating when you're not hungry.  Doing things you had never thought you'd do (oh the # of pills I take!).  Do you know how helpless you feel, all alone at home having done all you can, laying in the bath trying to will your contractions to stop?

But we're not in this fight alone!  Ben takes such amazing care of me!!!  The deaconesses and families from our church are making meals for us - HUGE blessing!  And there's a whole army of prayer warriors going forward with us through this time.  Thank you to each and every one of you who is involved in some way!

God is with me, holding baby in His strong Hands.

I really love listening to uplifting worship music - helps me forget my fears and focus on Jesus. :)

Just listen to the lyrics:

Higher than the mountains that I face

Stronger than the power of the grave

Constant in the trial and the change

This one thing remains...

It overwhelms and satisfies my soul 


And I never, ever, 
have to be afraid...

This one thing, remains...


Well, everybody's got a story to tell

I want to believe there's beauty here

'Cause oh, I get so tired of holding on

I want to believe there's meaning here

How many times have you heard me cry out

"God please take this"?

How many times have you given me strength to

Just keep breathing?

Oh I need you

God, I need you now.

Standing on a road I didn't plan

And I, I am so afraid

Oh I need you

God, I need you now.

I can count a million times

People asking me how I

Can praise You with all that I've gone through

...

It's never really ever crossed my mind

To turn my back on you, oh Lord

My only shelter from the storm

But instead I draw closer through these times

So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings You glory

And I know there'll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that's what it takes to praise You

Jesus, bring the rain

Perfect for spring! :)

This website has some easy to understand information on my specific condition and is a great encouragement for anyone going through a similar pregnancy:

http://www.keepemcookin.com/prevention.aspx

If you're looking at the charts on the website, my numbers are:

18 weeks 2.4cm

22 weeks (now) 1.8cm

If it keeps progressing at the current rate it will be 1.2cm at 24 weeks

Some specific things you can pray for:

• Baby would STAY IN until full term!!!  
• Baby would ride high, gain weight and his lungs would develop sooner than normal (better weight and breathing would help him survive if born early)
• I would not have contractions
• Wisdom and peace of mind as we are having to make hard decisions
• Things would look improved at our next appointment in 2 weeks and it could be a testament to God's healing hand!

Our goals:

At 24 weeks about 25-30% of babies survive with LOTS of help, 28 weeks almost all survive in NICU most without long-term complications, about 36 weeks baby can be strong enough to breath/eat on his own without all the machine help, 37-40 weeks is considered full term!  

Thank you for praying!

My One Word for 2013

Those of you who know me know I love words!  I like writing, I take notes, I doodle words!  I gravitate towards wall plaques and interior decorating that uses words.  Ok, I think you get the idea!

I also have big aspirations and make optimistic New Year resolutions.  Falling right in with statistics, I make too many and am unrealistic in what I think I can accomplish and... they don't last very long.  *sigh*  Who doesn't do that though?  Even my daily to-do lists and goals are set so high they are almost impossible to complete in 24 hours, let alone the few hours after work.

So when Ben and I listened to a podcast interviewing two authors who together wrote the book, One Word that will Change Your Life, I was instantly intrigued.  The magical word - if I could just buy the book so I knew what it was - there would be hope for such a failure at New Year's resolutions as me!  (Isn't that how they make you think though?)  Actually, it's not quite how I thought; not a one-word-fixes-all situation.  Because *spoiler warning inserted here* the 'one word' is different for all of us.

You can listen to 'Casting the Vision with Dan Briton and Jimmy Page' by following that link (you will have to look for the one titled 'Casting the Vision...' as I couldn't link directly to it only).

This is the idea of a one-word year:

It's not setting to do goals, but rather to be goals; it's not what you want to accomplish, it's who you want to become in one year.  Discovering that word that's meant for you that cuts through all the clutter and chaos and creates simplicity, power and focus. 

It's not simply picking a word. ... As you... listen to God... it's a process of surrender, receiving the word God has for you that year and then living it out. 

We're looking for a God-word, not a good word. 

1. Look in - Prepare your heart (unplug, de-clutter, introspective time thinking about what God may have for you to learn)
2. Look up - Discover your word (it may not be the word you want; it is the word God wants for you!)
3. Look out - Live your word (share your word, tell others, and work on becoming who God wants you to be)

A couple other good quotes from the podcast:

Don't try to do everything.  In the pursuit of trying to do everything, you don't do anything as well as you would like.   

Leadership is about character, not as much about what you accomplish.

An interesting thing to note is that often busyness stands in the way of hearing from God (because we don't take the time to think and listen) and living out who He actually wants us to be because we're just so busy... doing.  Our culture sees busyness as a badge of honor, even to the point of (subconsciously?) bragging about our schedules when we meet our friends in the grocery store, trying to outdo each other with the number of things we are busy with.  "...but I am just so BUSY!"  One word cuts down on some of the busyness (trying to keep up with New Year resolutions, anyone?), is easy to remember and helps narrow our focus down to one theme for the year, and as God works in us to refine our character, it will affect every area of our life.

Success.  Inspire.  Dreams.  Graceful.  Purpose.  Balance. Opportunity. 

These are all words I would have wanted.  As we listened through the podcast, of course my mind started racing, trying to pick a word for my year.  Until they got to the part about how God chooses it for you.  My initial reaction was, How do I figure that out?!  Because I'd like to know NOW!  Then it all started to come together.

I already have my word!  Not a word of my choosing, but I know with certainty that it is God's word for me for this year.  In fact, I already wrote about it at the beginning of the year, here, when it was on my mind a ton.  Funny, how I'd almost forgotten about it until recent, when that theme presented itself again.

My word is 

Peace.

Right now [with the circumstances of a post-poned trip] God is allowing me to experience indescribable peace.  I have a very hard time accepting a change in plans.  I have expectations.  I need to be notified way in advance so I have time to 'mentally prepare myself' as I call it.  And did I mention, I hate having to be flexible.  If all isn't quite on track, I stress.

I had plans.  I had expectations.  I was not notified in time to prepare myself for the sudden change.  

I could be angry.  I could be bitter.  Certainly I am disappointed.  I could hold these feelings of resentment towards God, or even harbor bitterness towards our baby - it's their fault I feel this way, right?  In circumstances out of my control, my attitude is always my choice!  The Bible warns us to watch out for a root of bitterness and commands us to put these feelings of anger and bitterness away because they do not produce the righteousness of God.  Interesting that anger, bitterness and resentment stem from unmet expectations.  Bitterness only hurts those holding it in their hearts.  It will eat away your joy and harden your heart.  With God's help, and seeing others' examples, I am learning to choose cheerfulness.

I choose life.  I choose joy.  I choose to see my circumstances as a gift, because through it God is letting me experience peace like I never have before.  Kind of cool, how this podcast and idea of one word is helping make sense of what I saw before as a negative situation.    

What word is God trying to give to you?  I choose to accept my word for 2013.  Will you accept yours?

[You can order the book here.]

Travel Postponed

We have been waiting for this day for longer than we waited for our wedding day.  Like, two years - since we got married.  And a whole year before that while we were dating... three years really, that we have been hoping, dreaming, planning, saving $$ for and looking forward to this day.  Our 7-week trip was all planned out, starting off with a visit to the ship Logos Hope which is currently sailing in Asia, but more importantly to see Hong Kong where I grew up and visit my family where they live now, in mainland China.  "The trip of a decade!" we tease, since it's really not an affordable vacation to do often!  I have been SO EXCITED to take Ben back to my childhood roots and get to experience the culture of my previous home(s) together!!!

Then it crashed.  Not our plane.  Because... we weren't actually on one yet.  The dream.  Our China trip dream that was so close to happening we could almost smell the jet fuel and feel the humid tropical air.  But instead of leaving the Sanford Women's Clinic with the letter I requested - you know, the one that reassures airlines and the like that I am 18 weeks along, pregnancy is going well and I am perfectly fit to travel - I carry home a letter with the dreaded words, "She has a complication of pregnancy that was discovered today that makes it inadvisable to travel."

Inadvisable to travel.

Wow!  The whole picture can change so fast!  This isn't even the roller-coaster ride we've been on already that I was referring to at the end of my last post.  The 'complication' is that I am at risk for preterm labor due to a short cervix.  Hopefully this is just how my body is and I will go full term and then in the future it should not be a cause for concern.  However, since it is my first pregnancy (the very first was a miscarriage, so second actually) it is an unknown with no previous good pregnancies to fall back on, and all the signs point to at risk for preterm labor.  One of the things that has been proven to cause significantly more contractions (a bad thing if you have a short cervix) is travel, especially prolonged/overseas travel, thus heightening the risk that my body would go into labor way too early.  Aside from this is the fact that China (or the middle of the ocean on Logos Hope) does not have as good of medical care available as here - for me more so, were something to happen, because it would be too early for the baby to survive either place.

Thirteen hours before our plane left, and we had to make one of the hardest decisions ever so far.  Neither Ben nor I felt comfortable putting our little boy at unnecessary risk for our selfish reasons.  So we made the difficult choice to call off our trip at this time and are doing all in our power to help this pregnancy go full term.  Like our CNM said, "It won't be the last time your children will cause a change in your plans!"  We are trusting God that He will take care of our little one and that our trip will happen in His time!  

We don't know what God is doing or trying to teach us.  I don't know why He gives and takes away and gives again... only to take away again.  This was not how I wanted pregnancy to be.  I am enjoying this second trimester high energy and I was hoping to be highly active throughout and the kind of mom who's 8.5 months pregnant and out hoeing the garden and doing hard work without it phasing her one bit!  Why did the first one have to be a miscarriage?  Why is the second one this way?  Never did I imagine I would be the mother begging God that baby stays in the womb just one more day... and one more.  Why oh why can't I have a normal pregnancy??!

Having to postpone our trip is a LOT of disappointment for us.  We were SO looking forward to this trip and seeing my family and... everything!  Obviously we didn't make the decision lightly.  If something were to happen, I don't know if I could live with myself, without blaming myself or thinking maybe it's our fault because we heightened our risk by traveling.  Since there ARE things we can do to lessen the risk we are taking the recommendations of my very common sense midwife and certified nurse midwife.  In addition to not traveling, I am not supposed to lift much and not do (very much) exercise and lower my activity level and some other things.  Being a very active person this is pretty hard for me. :/  If seven weeks from now baby has not come (hopefully!) then I'm sure we'll play the second guessing yourself game and wonder if we would have been alright even if traveling.  But then again that might have been too much and may have caused a different outcome.  So we may never know.

One thing we do know; as devastated as we are, God has given us an indescribable peace about staying!  (After knowing what we know, we did not have a peace about going, even though that is what I wanted.)  Surprisingly we even had a good day today!

We are taking a few days away to process things and take these big changes one day at a time.  All we can do is trust God and hold our dreams in an open hand.

THE GOOD NEWS is that our sweet little baby is a BOY and he's growing strong and healthy and perfectly on track.  He's 7oz. now and moving around A LOT even though I haven't felt it yet! :)  18 weeks along today!  Praise God that we had an appointment BEFORE leaving (this almost didn't happen).

Here are some milestones you can pray with us for our little boy to meet (hopefully all still safely in the womb!):

According to what my CNM said...

24 weeks - about the earliest babies can survive with the highest technology in the States

28 weeks - 100% of premie babies survive, with less than 10% having long-term issues 

36 weeks - baby can survive without NICU (some at 34 weeks)

40 weeks - full term

Praise the Lord that Delta Airlines refunded our biggest flight tickets 100%, and Ben is working hard communicating with the others.  We would appreciate your prayers that we would be able to get money back from the other two flights as well!  Our China visas last a year, so it's possible we could go after our little guy is born!

Proverbs 16:9  The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.


Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Come Home

A young guy, who's family is part of our church, passed away early this morning.  He didn't "lose the battle" to cancer.  Death didn't have the final word.  Oh no.  LIFE won - because he knew Jesus, he's won the race, 100% healed and has Eternal Life with our Lord! 

Come Home

Naomi S. Sahlstrom

I surrender,

Said the man

Not to cancer’s cruel hand;

To God’s mysterious plan

Too soon, too young, some will say

What about his dreams?

Days are numbered, time is out

Too early though it seems

For just one moment –

Death thought he had the victory

Nothing now could save…

Until his soul went UP

Not down into the grave!

Death defeated, no rejoicing

Out again to roam

Not so in heaven –

God’s child just came home!

Party, laughter, banquet feasting!

It’s all right, dear son’s mother

His mission is complete

Well he served and will continue

At his Master’s feet

Let us be, faithful servants

When death happens to us all

Our last duty here on earth:

To heed the Master’s call

Come home.

Peace

Did anyone else sing along with the song "Grown-Up Christmas Wish"?  As we grow older, more of us wish with that song - we'd like relationships to be fixed, everything to be all better, and no more wars.  The gift we'd really like for Christmas is Peace on earth.

Peace.

Wow, I could really use some of that as we head into the new year.  Life seems uncertain.  Obama is [still] president, taxes on the rise, school shootings, healthcare mandates, freedoms being taken away, unrest in the middle east...

You know what?  I GOT IT FOR CHRISTMAS!!!  You can have it too - but it's not a gift you'll find wrapped under your tree.  Actually it was given about 2,000 years ago on the first CHRISTmas ever.  Think about it again, what the angels told the shepherds.

"...Peace on earth!" Luke 2:14

He came!  He embodied peace.  He was Peace.  Actually, the prince of Peace, so God (the Father) must be Peace.  And he sent his son, Peace incarnate, to earth - Peace truly was on earth.

"And he will be called: ... Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

Remember the Christmas prophesy from Micah?  "But you Bethlehem... though you are small... out of you will come a ruler..." and if you keep reading a couple verses down it says,

"And He will be their peace."  Micah 5:5

My happy thought that we might actually have Peace on earth was followed by an, "Oh no!  Peace WAS on earth, but Jesus went back into heaven!"  But then I thought of the verse that says,

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you."  John 14:27

I like how the NLT version phrases it too, 

"I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

"For Christ himself has brought peace to us. ... He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.  Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross... He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.  Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us." Eph. 3:14-17

You know when God says something to you really clear?  It doesn't happen (at least to me) often, but everywhere you turn, it's blaring loud, staring you in the face?  Like my verse God gave me for the new year:

"And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.  And always be thankful."  Colossians 3:15

I can tend to stress, worry even, about little or big things.  Things like missing so much work because of being sick. :P  So this is the verse that I am hanging onto and trying to obey.  If we have the Holy Spirit in us, we have Christ's Peace ("my Peace I leave with you..."), and that Peace should be ruling in my heart! :)

Here's my Christmas and New Year's wish to you:

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation." 

2 Thess. 3:16

Christmas Letter 2012

Well, hopefully for those of you in the US of A, you already received our Christmas card/letter!  For all our friends overseas, we're sure you won't quite get it before Christmas (*ahem* that may or may not be because we still have them... :P), so here's our Christmas end-of-the-year update!

Merry Christmas!

         We have been married almost two years now - we can hardly believe it!  Time flies and we can honestly say we enjoy every minute and are so thankful for life together!  (Our favorite night of the week is date night! J)

Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. - Proverbs 23:12 ESV

         This year has been a time of seeking for us.  Understanding how to prioritize and balance ministry, work and family isn’t an easy thing to do.  Marriage requires a lot of work, but the rewards of a great relationship far outweigh the time and effort spent!  Prioritizing a set amount of time each day to be spent in prayer (together as a couple) has been a great new habit.  Reading has been a big part of 2012, and thanks to EntreLeadership, we developed personal mission statements that helped to push us to a more purpose driven life.  Another book that we learned a lot from was Boundaries, about relating with people and how to say yes to the truly important things.  We love to ask questions and listen to the advice of Godly role models we would like to emulate.  Our ‘Christmas wish’ this year, and every year, is that we are doing what God wants us to with our lives, our time and our careers.

     Naomi   became a certified emergency medical First Responder and though our rural area does not get many calls, she appreciates the first aid knowledge gained and sense of responsibility, and loves serving her community.  She also learned how to drive a manual car. J  After an additional summer job as cashier at Walmart, Naomi switched from that and serving pizzas, to investing in children’s lives at Walnut Grove Elementary school!   She is a paraprofessional (teacher’s assistant) in preschool, working with 30 three, four and five year olds every day!

         We love living close to Ben’s family and often are a part of the action and excitement that’s happening over on their hobby farm (including a new baby sister, Alaina Blessing)!  Towards the beginning of the year, Ben had time to work on the house we hope to someday live in and buy, but for now we are still across the road in Purves’ rental.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors!  We became members of Tracy Alliance Church and also teach Sunday school for 1^st-6^th grade.  The past few months Naomi headed up Operation Christmas Child at our church, and the grand finale was taking a group to the Minneapolis processing center where we shipped the boxes off to bless children in Uganda!  We are saving up $$ and planning a big trip to visit Naomi’s family in China, Lord willing sometime in 2013!

     Ben  continues to work for Sahlstrom’s Heating and in September became a Journeyman plumber.  He not only passed the difficult test, he did so with such a high score the proctor personally called him to congratulate him!  Being a Journeyman is one year away from his Master Plumber license. Those of you who knew the big-spender Ben would hardly recognize the wise, frugal saver he is now!  Listening to The Dave Ramsey Show has sparked a growing interest in finance.  We are seeking God for life direction and long-term career plans for Ben and our family in the future.

         One of our biggest highlights this year was learning a lot of practical things about wise money management according to the Bible through Dave Ramsey’s 9-week course, Financial Peace University!  Since the class wasn’t offered in our area, we became class coordinators so we could host it.  The first time we went through it as a small group with several other young couples, and then this fall hosted it at our church with 40+ people from the church and community attending! God has given us a desire to help people in this area of life, and we are passionate about continuing to live as an example and offering hope to others!

May the Joy  and Peace  brought through Christ’s coming fill you with Hope  for the New Year!

Ben & Naomi

Rippling Effects

Skipping stones this last weekend while camping made me think about money.  Yup, money!  Even though a stone is small, the wavelets that spread out each time the stone skips have far-reaching effects.

Pastor loaned Ben these two DVDs - they were round and smooth... ok, enough with the skipping stones analogy! - to watch as part of pre-marital counseling a year and a half ago.  Those DVDs, on managing finances by Dave Ramsey, started us on a journey that has really just begun!  Nearly every day since then, Ben has listened to the Dave Ramsey Show podcast for wisdom, entertainment, and motivation.  He even called in the other day with a question!


1. Click on the link:  http://www.daveramsey.com/radio/home/#archives-tab
2. Go to "Archives" and choose Thur June 21, 2012
3. Wait for it to load, then move the slider to 1:41 and it will be Ben's call on live air! :)


What have we found out?  We're incredibly grateful to our parents (both sides) for giving us a great foundation and the basic wise principles for handling money - give, save, spend and don't spend more than you make - but we don't want to stop there!  There's so much more to learn!  Investing, mortgages, mutual funds, saving for retirement, how and when to buy a house, emergency fund, life insurance, etc. etc.  There's a great teacher out there for this kind of stuff - Dave Ramsey!  (as Larry Burkett was for our parents' and grandparents' generation)  He teaches smart financial stewardship from a Christian perspective.  Just what we needed!

So we enrolled in (or rather, became group coordinators for) Financial Peace University (FPU), a 13-week course on dumping debt, making a budget, and learning to 'live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else!' (and GIVE like no one else!)  We're doing it with three other young couples, just married or soon to be married.

Cutting up our credit cards!

You CAN live debt free!
You CAN retire rich!
You CAN change your family tree!
 
Try it!  Here's a FREE quick budget tool!  Check it out!

And now guess what??!  It's not just changing the lives of the four couples in the class; by living it out it is impacting a generation up (all of our parents), slowly but surely changing the behavior of coworkers, and even helping other young couples far away make a budget and get inspired!  Lord willing, come fall we'll host the class again and open it up to more families from our church and community!

By God's grace the ripple will become a tsunami.

Superbowl Ads

So, while watching fat men run fast I did a little math.  It appears people value time very highly.  Three-point-five-million-for-thirty-seconds highly.  Pause.  3.5 million for 30 SECONDS of ad!

Wow.

God gave us 24 hours in a day...  $3.5 million for 30 seconds = $7,000,000 per minute
$7 million x 60 min/hr = $420,000,000
$420 million x 24 hrs in a day... = $10,080,000,000

Just think, you're being given a gift valued by the world at $10,080,000,000 EVERY DAY!  Time is precious - truly a special gift from God.

And in reality?  Priceless.