Discontentment

This morning as I was reading The Purpose Driven Life daily devotional that I receive and I thought this needed to be shared with everyone. Discontentment is probably the number one thing that gets most of us in BIG trouble with our finances. As Rick Warren states, "there is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice, or to have nice things, or to try to better your life and the lives of those you love. Discontentment, wrapped within the proper perspective, is one thing God uses to move us in a new, healthy direction."

However, he also reminds us that "discontentment becomes unhealthy when your desire to acquire becomes the focus of your life and your possessions. In fact, at that point, your possessions begin to possess you and your discontentment becomes a short leash that controls you and actually holds you back from experiencing the abundant life God created you to enjoy.

The apostle Paul, who was blessed with great privileges, but also beaten and stripped of everything he had, taught that true contentment must be learned: “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” (Philippians 4:12 NIV).

He goes on to say that God gives us strength to be content. This is an important spiritual truth to learn because if wealth, good looks, and a star-quality spouse brought us lasting contentment, then Hollywood would be filled with some of the most content and happy people on earth."

I think I very important thing we need to ask ourselves and think about for 2009....“Why is it in your closet?” Honestly how many items in your closet were bought because you just had to have the latest trend or because you felt just a teeny, tiny bit jealous about the way your co-worker always wears the latest styles at the office? Are there things in your closet you bought because you were bored with your wardrobe, or because the scent of discontent filled the air as you shuffled between hangers?

Credit card rates infuriate many - CNN

Have you seen the headline on charter.net from CNN? The heading reads "Credit card rates infuriate many". Funny huh? I was just forewarning everyone blogs ago about it is coming. They article states "They have this provision that says they can raise the rate -- any time, any reason...credit card companies get away with whatever they want, as long at they put their desires into the fine print." Law makers are stuck at this point with no where to turn to change the laws, or so that is the excuse they use, because they have been receiving donations in their campaign from the financial sector. They say their hands are tied - yea right!!!!! They are serving money and not the American people's best interest.

If my blogs, Dave Ramsey or anyone else is who on board with the Financial Peace principles can not get you to change the way you think about credit cards, maybe this will.

The Federal Reserve is expected to vote on its own, new rules regarding credit cards, rules in the works for four years that could clamp down on rate-jacking. Personally I do not understand why it has taken four years. Maybe the Federal Reserve is sponsored by Citibank as well??? Whatever is passed, it is said, these charges probably would not take effect until 2010. Are you ready to tell them no more and cut up all of your credit cards? Maybe let them loose their buildings like some of us have lost your homes due to this bondage?

"QBQ! The Question Behind the Question"

I have been reading a book the QBQ by John G. Miller. The book is about what you should really ask yourself to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination. However, as I was reading the last chapter it hit me how this could be used in FPU. Most of the book is to teach us about personal accountability, "my mess, my responsibility." I do not at all want to beat anyone up, but most of us will admit that the reason why we are in debt bondage is because of our own choices. The book teaches us that we must be asking the "QBQ" in order to start disciplining our thoughts and making better choices. You are to ask questions that begin with "what" or "how", contain "I" and focus on action. So the FPU QBQ should be something like this:

"What can I do to set better financial boundaries and just say NO"?....answer.....a BUDGET!!!
"How can I communicate better with my spouse about our finances"?....answer....a BUDGET!!!

This is the way you should approach the current financial crisis that you are in. Do not lay blame elsewhere. You should take personal accountability for the problem and find a resolution. In a nutshell the success of FPU is about getting on a budget and having a plan for your money. Are you willing to do that and stop blaming everyone else? If so, then have a budget committe meeting this weekend with your spouse. It will truly set you free.

Made in His image

One of our FPU graduates sent me an email this week. He is in Kuwait serving our country and said that he was talking to someone who asked why the church always asks for money. He shot right back at them at with one of the principles you learn from FPU about tithing. Dave often asked that question himself when he became a new believer and after reading Genesis where it states that we are "made in His image", he felt he had the answer. God gave his only son. If we are made in His image and God gave all, then He expects us to be a giver. I will quote what Dave teaches about this issue.

"Each time we give, it makes us less selfish. Less selfish people always prosper over those who don't. Cynical people think the church wants us to give because God needs our money. Now that's funny! God needing our money? Wow! The church doesn't need our money neither. The church needs sold-out believers that are walking under the spirit and wisdom of HIS word and giving is just the by-product of that. Giving is similar to God giving his only son but of course on a much smaller scale. Giving is a mechanical act that represents God's gift to us. So, giving a tithe to the church is an unselfish act to represent God's gift to us and reflects that we are a Christian, which means "Christ-like".

The Garden of Eden

I was doing my Bible study this morning in Genesis and in the daily sanctuary portion of my Bible I was reading about Eve. While I was reading this, it hit me that Eve was tempted by Satan in the Garden of Eden by questioning her contentment. Satan shifted Eve's focus from all that God had done and given to her to the one thing He had withheld. That just struck me as being exactly what FPU is all about. Society today has shifted our focus from what we do have and our true needs to what we do not have. This has caused the financial mess this country and many families are in today. We can not seem to be content with where we are and with what we have. I can honestly say that my life has changed since FPU. I am not at all going to continue to allow society through Satan to remind me of what I do not have or what the "Jone's" have. I am very content with what I have and where I am and that is true Financial Peace.

Twas the month before Christmas

This poem is the very reason we must stop loving "stuff" and money if not for anything else, but to keep the real meaning of Christmas in Christmas. Stop and ask yourself for one minute if you really do consider that Jesus was born on this day in Bethlehem while you are scurrying through the stores finding that next gift.

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS , not Happy Holiday !

SCC Operation Bicycle

Our church has done something so incredible in these financial troubled times. Pastor Jeff challenged us to make a sacrifice during the November month in our own households in order to help less fortunate families this Christmas. We set a BHAG, "Big Hairy Audacious Goal" of raising $10,000 to give 200 needy children bicycles in our Henry County Community and we DID IT! We even had $9800.00 with one more week to go. That is such an amazing testimony to how our SCC families are trusting God in their finances. That is truly what Financial Peace is all about. Knowing that it is all God's money and when we treat His money the way He expects us to treat it, we will receive all His many blessings. I am so honored to be a part of what this church is going to do in for the Kingdom of God when we are all DEBT FREE!

Focused Intensity

I have a question that I would like for you all to ponder? What could the People of God do for the Kingdom of God if we were debt free? WOW! That is a question that many of you say is impossible. However, we believe that is not true. Stockbridge Community Church is on a mission to create Momentum in the body of Christ to becoming debt free. Dave Ramsey has a formula for this momentum process. It is "Focused Intensity over time, multiplied by God equals unstoppable momentum". We are setting out to create the vision of building a debt free kingdom in our church and throughout our community. It will not happen overnight. It is our goal to do it one family at a time. Please come and join us on this crusade.

Cash Flow

Did you know that 70% of all consumers live paycheck to paycheck, meaning they run out of money before the end of the month. This is a very high statistic. This means that 7 out of 10 of us are worrying about what would happen if we missed one pay check or had a major unexpected event in a month's time. What a ball and chain we carry around each month.

$.22 per dollar over spent in each household

I was at the Momentum Conference this week with Dave Ramseys's team. We had a very intense two days of understanding why it is so important for families and the church to be debt free. Dave's team shared that the average family spends $1.22 of every $1.00 they make. If you are the typical family with an average household income of $40,000 per year that equates to an "overspending" of $8800.00 per year. When I put the pen to this, it just really made my stomach turn and opened my eyes to how important it is that we teach every family possible about being debt free through Financial Peace University. I am on a mission with Dave and I hope all are ready to join me. I will no longer allow my family to be held in the bondage of debt and tie my hands to being able to do more for the kingdom of God!

Foreclosure: How to avoid it (or find a good deal)

Jamie and I use USAA Federal Credit Union. They often have very good topics on their website that coincide with Dave’s teachings in Financial Peace University. Please take some time to read this. If you are not in jeopardy of loosing your house, you likely know someone who is. We need to spread the news about the principles you are learning in this class. As Sara Palin reminded us this past week in the VP debate, we need to take responsibility for our finances. We also need to ensure that we are not living beyond our means. Take some time and evaluate how much money you are actually spending on your “housing” budget items. If you are exceeding 25% you have too much house for your income and you need to do something to change that. Do not expect immediate results. It did not take anyone of us overnight to get in these financial situations and you will not get out of them overnight either.

Foreclosure: How to avoid it (or Find a Good Deal) Posted: 09/09/2008

The mortgage crisis. Tumbling home values. This one-two punch has backed lenders and borrowers into an uncomfortable corner. Economists predict that 2.5 million American homeowners could lose their homes to foreclosure in 2008, and the victims come from all income brackets.

Struggling with Mortgage Payments? In a recent survey conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, 10% of respondents report being late or missing a mortgage payment in the last year. Tough times prompt tough questions: Can you afford to stay? Can you afford to sell? Here are a few tips to avoid the financial and emotional damage of losing your home:

• Know your core homeownership costs. Do you have too much money tied up in your house? Most personal finance experts say your mortgage should not exceed 25% of your take-home pay. Add taxes, insurance and association dues, plus maintenance and repair costs, and you may be surprised at how much you have committed to your home.


• Put your mortgage under the microscope. Homeowners with adjustable rate and interest-only loans are at greatest risk. Ask your lender about converting your loan to a fixed-rate mortgage. If they balk, shop around. But remember, banks are nervous about mortgages these days, too. Even if your credit score is favorable, don't expect a great rate. You're not shopping rates, you're looking for a way to keep your mortgage from soaring to unaffordable levels.


• How low can you go? In popular neighborhoods where houses sold in a matter of days just a year or two ago, houses now sit on the market for months. If you're in a market where home values have declined and you're selling your home, expect buyers to demand deep price cuts.


• Think twice about borrowing. A home equity, consolidation or personal line of credit loan might get you current on bills if money's tight, but it's a temporary fix that will leave you with one more debt, adding to any financial strain you already have.


• Prioritize your spending. If you're the slightest bit uneasy, or if you've got big life events on the horizon — marriage, children, job change — get a handle on your finances. Separate the needs from the wants and build a cash reserve.


• If you can't keep up, get help. Ignoring collectors won't stop a foreclosure. The foreclosure process is expensive for lenders, so they usually want to help. The sooner you call your mortgage company, the better your options will be.

Nobody can predict when the market will stabilize. "None of us knows what the future holds," says Gail Cunningham, spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Cunningham adds that using unconventional or less-than-legitimate methods to get out from under a crushing house payment isn't wise in the long term.

For those who suspect they're in trouble, Cunningham recommends meeting with a certified housing counselor or professional financial adviser to review options. "Consumers may only see one way out, a way that looks appealing at the moment, but the counselor can help them think long term."

You FIX You!

I know this is harsh, but sometimes the truth hurts. This is Dave’s stance on the issues with the economy. Remember having real financial peace is about changing the way you think about money, “things” and not trying to keep up with “The “Jones”. Remember you can not serve both God and Money!

YOU Fix You:

By and large, 70% to 90% of you wanted something to be done to calm the economy, but you didn't want $700 billion in new debt to bail out Wall Street. The stock market has had record declines since then. What's going on?

You need to remember that you need to take control of your life.

It's disturbing that people in government totally disregard what their constituents tell them to do. It's disturbing that the market goes down and the media panics about this. It's disturbing that greedy banks made horrible, high-interest loans to people who couldn't afford to repay, and broke people signed up for the loan and cried when they couldn't afford it - like someone did something to them. It's disturbing that arrogant people in Washington ignore their constituents and takes huge strides toward socialism.

All of these things are disturbing, but none will cause this great nation to cease to function. None of these things are the seeds to the beginning of the end. You're okay. We're going to be fine.
But the most disturbing thing is some people's reactions.

Don't react based on fear or panic. Another negative reaction is that you are looking to Washington to fix your problems. Why would you do that? They have never fixed your problems, and you want Obama or McCain to fix things. That's ridiculous; there has never been a president who can fix your problems. They always say they can and they never can.
At what point did Bill Clinton fix any of your problems? At what point did he cause you to prosper? At what point did George Bush end your career or cause you to prosper? When did Ronald Reagan fix your problems?

When you look to Washington to solve your problems, we've got the seeds to destroy this country. It's time for YOU to change YOUR life.

There was a sweet 43-year-old lady making $15,000 a year who called me asking what Congress was going to do to help her. My answer to her was "Nothing. It's not their job. It's your job to read a book or take a class to get better so you can make more. Why have you accepted this as your lot in life? Why are you sitting around waiting on Congress or president to fix your life?"

It's not Washington's job to fix what's going on with you. If you are waiting on Washington to change something, you've got a long freakin' wait! It is YOUR job to take care of you. Don't sit around and watch TV and panic and think you can't do anything. I've made and lost money, and every bit of that had to do with me being smart and diligent or stupid.

Quit blaming Congress or looking to them to fix you. YOU have to fix you! When you wait on the government to fix your life and wait for money to be taken from others and given to you, that's a spirit of envy, and it's wrong. The only system that works is capitalism functioning under moral restraint.

Per Dave we need to "Get some moral restraint, become a capitalist, and go be somebody! "

Credit Card Minimum Payments and Interest increases - Beware!!

Consumer debt in the U.S. -- including credit cards and auto loans, but not mortgages -- hit a record high $1.98 trillion in October, according to the Federal Reserve. That's about $18,700 per household. The primary cause of bankruptcy is unmanageable credit card debt. Bankruptcy filings are up 30% for the twelve month period ending March 31, 2008 and Georgia is in the top 5 states. With the other scary things going on in the economy right now, the credit card companies are taking notice and are doing something to protect their liabilities.

As the availability of credit tightens nationally, the next hit could be the limit on your credit card. That’s especially possible if you tend to carry a high balance that’s close to the credit limit, pay only the minimum on your balances, make late payments or have a low-to-moderate credit rating, say consumer experts. So, it’s even more important than ever to pay off your credit card debts. In the terms and conditions of just about every credit card, it says that an issuer has the right to change the rate at any time for any reason as market conditions warrant. We all know that market conditions’ stink right now. The market is very rough, so it is happening and those who are using credit cards or even working to get them paid off in the debt snowball with Financial Peace, you are going to get hit and may not even realize it and it’s LEGAL for them to do it.

How many people look at every single thing that’s put into their credit card statement? Even if you make your credit card payments on time, the credit card bank can raise your interest rate automatically if you're late on payments elsewhere -- such as on another credit card or on a phone, car, or house payment -- or simply because the bank feels you have taken on too much debt. This practice is called the "universal default" clause and increasingly is becoming a standard clause in credit card agreements. According to credit card executives, the logic behind universal default is that the bank is not being unreasonable in raising rates when it has reason to believe that the risk of being repaid by the customer has increased.

If, like many Americans, you've been incurring credit card debt based on being able to afford the monthly minimum payment rather than whether your income and expenses can support the purchase of a particular item, you may be in trouble. For years, low monthly minimum credit card payments have encouraged us to spend more than we really can afford. Now it's time to pay the piper. Some national banks will soon be increasing minimum monthly credit card payments so they are closer to 4% rather than the current average of around 2%. Some major banks have already increased the minimum payments and others are about to follow suit. If you're the average American, with $10,000 in credit card debt, your minimum monthly payments are probably currently around $200 (2% of your balance). Under the new guidelines, sometime this year, your minimum payments may go up to as much as 4% of your balance, or $400 on a $10,000 credit card balance. If that's the case, will you be able to come up with the additional $200?

Fortune confirms that people have seen their interest rates skyrocket for no reason. The magazine profiled a man named John who had a card that went from 7% to 26% even though nothing changed with his financial standing. Bank of America, Citibank and Capital One are among the issuers who are jacking up rates in the face of a "continually changing business environment" -- which simply means "they’re doing it because they can." The Federal Reserve says that 37% of issuers have increased rates. And, Business Week reports that the dollars at risk with people who may not pay is greater in the credit market than in the mortgage market.
This is a consumer awareness warning that if you still have credit card debt that you need to be paying close attention to your statements and any other mail you get from them. They are not making these increases very visible, because they do not want you to shop around and change credit cards to get a better interest rate.

The only smart move is to pay your debt down or pay it off. If you are not sure how to do that, then you need the Financial Peace Program! We will start another program February 22 at Stockbridge Community Church. If you have already been through FPU and are working on your Debt Snowball, I strongly encourage you to get gazelle intense about getting your credit card debt paid in full!