tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80364382900607511642024-03-05T13:10:57.265-07:00Manifesto Of A Christian Debt AssassinAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-39629987989594643202012-05-08T10:09:00.000-07:002012-05-08T19:52:48.540-07:00The $500 Coffee Mug With 12% Interest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWQdsivSntUQ1-Qg3_0MWsyj2r7A927c9MlptHp2sFTosxZywCplRUj-qZNNlbs8DoKYzS14P2S6LPG5rkGsDSh8EbH9RxP5HSiHsbKYdocr0TF0KOSKi0PS_hGMSgU41BVDcZEm4JFj0/s1600/Coffee+Mugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWQdsivSntUQ1-Qg3_0MWsyj2r7A927c9MlptHp2sFTosxZywCplRUj-qZNNlbs8DoKYzS14P2S6LPG5rkGsDSh8EbH9RxP5HSiHsbKYdocr0TF0KOSKi0PS_hGMSgU41BVDcZEm4JFj0/s320/Coffee+Mugs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I love my bank. It is small, locally owned, has free Atm withdrawals no matter the network, and I have a small beef with them. Whenever I come in to withdrawal cash for my families weekly expenses I am solicited for a new credit card. I must preface that the people that know me in the bank don't offer this because they know my debt assassin stance. But, every now and then I have a new teller help me. Today was one of those days.<br />
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"Mr. Williams would you like to open a new credit card today?", I say no thanks. She immediately responds with, "You get a free coffee mug when you do". I politely tell her I appreciate the offer of a $500 coffee mug with 12% interest but today I will pass. The teller responds to me saying that she can't believe people actually do open the account just to get the free mug. I have to tell you I was one of those people before becoming a debt assassin.<br />
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I would sign up for all kinds of cards just to get free junk. Probably the worst thing I ever got was when I was in college,it was a $500 beach towel with the Visa logo on the towel. My towel eventually cost me about a grand over a five year period.
What is the dumbest thing you ever received for signing up for a credit card, and how much did that "free gift" cost you in the long run? Post in the comments and let me know.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-58807099823283540682012-05-06T20:30:00.000-07:002012-05-06T20:31:32.358-07:00Repentance And Debt (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHz9gKS6_XwMQHxgEYNWpFcj3Z6z68dTsu_luv9D9ty_xtHCSxaERQjRdUfaQitq1VfFk-g79tYSlLJCW4Yo-5pKfRbThhjQ-W5PRG8DYCnAxd1vbd0hu9XDlf1LsBxn7O0oU8ij_2HeN/s1600/freeimage-5526745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHz9gKS6_XwMQHxgEYNWpFcj3Z6z68dTsu_luv9D9ty_xtHCSxaERQjRdUfaQitq1VfFk-g79tYSlLJCW4Yo-5pKfRbThhjQ-W5PRG8DYCnAxd1vbd0hu9XDlf1LsBxn7O0oU8ij_2HeN/s320/freeimage-5526745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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© Cheivan | <a href="http://www.stockfreeimages.com/">Stock Free Images</a> & <a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/">Dreamstime Stock Photos</a></div>
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8679626486264169"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first part of this two part post found here, I covered the first 3 parts of repentance and debt.</span></b><br />
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.8679626486264169"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<ol style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A deadly stabbing of the inner man.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A pronounced awareness of guilt.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An unashamed admission of ignorance and or inability.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this last part I will cover the last three parts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A humble cry for help:</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This cry for help was not as loud for me as it should have been. I should have been shouting to people who loved me and knew would want to help me through this. Instead my wife and I kept it to ourselves and after we were sure of the direction we were headed we started to talk to others about our plan. As I said in part 1 the person we asked for help was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159555078X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dos08-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=159555078X" target="_blank">Dave Ramsey</a> (Affiliate Link), and of course we turned this dilemma over to God through prayer as well.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A timely arrival of self distrust:</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowing that I could not trust in what I was doing financially Amy and I had to set up controls that held each other accountable. We set up a budget each month and each of us had an allowance. This also meant that we used cash for most of our purchases. Things like gas we still used debit cards. This really made tracking easy and allowed both of us to know what was in our account and what money would be coming out. This also eliminated over draft fees which averaged around $200 a month when we were not using this system.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A refreshing absence of excuses:</span></li>
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<li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we had over draft fees, or missed a bill payment, we often would make excuses on why it would happen. We would blame a company for not processing a payment in a timely manner, or the bank for allowing us to overdraft our account when there was actually no money in it, but the worst thing of all we would do was to blame each other. By pointing the finger at each other no one was accountable for our financial mess and this type of thinking led to a lot of fights. When God switched on the light of repentance over our financial sin the excuses and finger pointing ceased. This helped Amy and I to really put the pieces of our financial lives back together and renewed our marriage as well. Instead of making each other the enemy we made debt our enemy.</span></li>
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</ol>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-17307727679890371562012-02-08T20:11:00.002-07:002012-02-08T20:11:26.661-07:00Repentance and Debt (Part 1)<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8334984998218715" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have to give my pastor </span><a href="http://www.gbcaz.org/about/our-elder-leadership/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Scott Maxwell</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> credit for providing inspiration for this post. He did an awesome sermon on repentance that you can play </span><a href="http://www.gbcaz.org/2012/01/22912-sermon/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I never really thought about the steps spiritually it took for me to come to grips with the sin of poorly stewarding over God’s provisions until I heard Dr. Scott’s message. The sermon is outlining Acts 2:37-47.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><ol>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A deadly stabbing of the inner man.</span></li>
<ul>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me this stabbing was realizing that I was living a life that was not in line with what God had intended. Even though I was saved from my sin this was an area of my life that God had not chosen to reveal to me. I was spending more than I made and was not keeping track of what God had blessed me with. </span></li>
</ul>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A pronounced awareness of guilt.</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was definitely ashamed of how I was living. Not only was I guilt ridden but I was so ashamed that I could not tell people that were close to me (church leadership, close friends, and mentors). Just because you feel guilty it does not mean that you should not seek help from those people that are in the church. Church goers and leaders should never be shocked or surprised that a fellow brother has fallen into sin. It is the church’s job to help sinners understand that Jesus died so all sins can be forgiven.</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An unashamed admission of ignorance and or inability.</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is where I started to turn the corner. Knowing you don’t know how to accomplish or start something is a very freeing feeling. I knew I needed help which meant I would start searching for people who had gone through what I was going through. Spiritually it meant I was going to depend on God. Physically I knew that I needed someone to help get me financial house in order. That person turned out to be </span><a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/home/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dave Ramsey</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my next post I will close with Scott’s other 3 points and how they relate to my poor stewardship of money.</span></b></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-70953237011617378162012-01-29T19:39:00.000-07:002012-01-29T19:39:15.174-07:00You Can Never Have Too Many ResourcesHere is a link to some well known links and some not so well known links that will help educate you on debt and personal finance matters.<br />
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<a href="http://debtresources.org/top-50-debt-resources/">http://debtresources.org/top-50-debt-resources/</a><br />
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There is also only one week left in the NFL season (sad). However Peyton Manning might be coming to my Arizona Cardinals (beyond happy). I know this is a personal finance blog, but it is my blog and I thought you should know.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-62148480319276900422012-01-19T19:21:00.001-07:002012-01-19T19:21:24.065-07:00This Is Art?<div><p>At an event for work and it is being held at the Phoenix Art Museum.  I have no idea what this is. </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ocQCNphitdJgn2Ljd4rD0BCNeXkfrZF9W11-Sdsa1P3C28wc_Pw3iSMuhQCre8qmarz-2Nq58slpOHfuFKmKMdaXe5gEisoVcrmEIB2sIf6XR7Xz73PwvS-hwxSfxkE736R357h4Cv2a/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-71569381268588176802012-01-03T16:35:00.000-07:002012-01-03T16:35:24.186-07:00What I Learned In 2011<ol id="internal-source-marker_0.9918932945648823">
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That development is solely my responsibility. No one is going to invest in my success more than I will. Which means that personal development needs to be built into my monthly budget and the payoff is exponential.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Small consistent steps are better than big ones. It is a simple, and often a forgoten phrase that slow and steady wins the race.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That in order to succeed I need to get out of my own way. This is a hard principle to grasp but we let our own thoughts betray what we can ultimately accomplish.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Comfort is the cousin to complacency and stagnation.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jobs are not honorable or dishonorable but the people who do them are.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I need to talk less and listen more.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">God’s word is to be applied to my life in every way.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Failure is only bad if you quit something because of it. Failure is awesome as long as you learn from it and don’t let it defeat you.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What you feed your mind is as important, or more important as what you feed your body.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> That I am grateful for the new people I have gotten to know by writing this blog.</span></li>
</ol>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-64605525886745043992011-12-08T19:08:00.001-07:002011-12-08T19:12:06.342-07:00A Funny Blog Post From PerkstreetAs you probably already know I love Perkstreet online bank. They have no fee checking, give you up to 2% cash back on purchases, and really understand customer service.<div>
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Here is a funny blog post from them.<div>
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<a href="http://blog.perkstreet.com/dont-get-a-perkstreet-account-if/">http://blog.perkstreet.com/dont-get-a-perkstreet-account-if/</a></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-53648753098835087742011-12-03T15:37:00.001-07:002011-12-03T18:54:26.210-07:00A Weird Side EffectWhen I started to clean up my financial life and give up using credit, and loans something strange happened. The more people I told what Amy and I were doing, the more we discovered people were shocked, and some even wanted to argue with what we were doing.<br />
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Using credit to make purchases is fine for some people. For Amy and I it was not a viable option because we had shown through past behavior that we could not handle it. When we started sharing our goal with others it was almost like people took offense to what we were doing. They started saying things like, "why on earth would you not use credit card or a loan", "we only use credit cards for emergencies", "we get miles from it so that is why we use credit cards", or my favorite, "we get a 0% interest rate". All of these responses were in response to us changing our buying habits and sharing it with people. These unsolicited responses were people protecting what they knew was wrong for them but ultimately did not know any other way to live.<br />
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It was like we were breaking away from the crowd and the crowd desperately wanted us to stay with them to prove they were right. I had heard of stories of things like this happening where you make changes in your life, and people that love, and care about you, become uncomfortable with what you are doing, but we were actually living it! This type of thing also happened when Amy and I were adopted by Christ. All of a sudden we were telling people of what had happened in our lives, and we got luke warm to hostile responses from long time friends. Please don't take this as a complaint because it is not. We are blessed to have changed our lives financially, and even more blessed to be adopted by Christ. My point is that sometimes the things that we change for the better will alienate those around us that are comfortable with the status quo. You can't be afraid to break away from the crowd and do what is right for you. Someone else's discomfort can't be your concern when making changes in your life. Examples might be eating habits, smoking, drugs, alcohol, loans, watching TV, how you dress, and even a sinful society.<br />
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The other weird side effect was that the people that we might have lost as friends, or stopped being close with, were replaced with friends that shared our new goals which we became even closer to.<br />
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Weird!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-9741640009520214102011-11-10T21:57:00.001-07:002011-11-10T22:02:07.078-07:00Chop Wood And Carry Water<br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7816323973238468" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back when resources did not come out of a faucet or electrical socket people pumped water from wells, and went out and chopped wood first thing in the morning. The reason for this was because wood and water were the basics and had to be used to do most activities throughout the day. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Water was used to quench the thirst of the people and also the livestock. Water was also used to cook and prepare foods with. People used water to create building materials like mud and other binding agents. Without water in the morning things would have come to a halt throughout the workday.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wood was also a main resource that was needed when the day started. Wood was used for heat. A cooking source, a building material for homes and also to provide heat to shape metal.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fast forward to today and I still have to chop wood and carry water but they are a little different. To get my day kicked off I have two things I do. I workout when I first get out of bed and then I hit my bible for reading and prayer. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Working out wakes me up my body and helps to relieve any stress I have physically. It also keeps my body in shape so I don’t get run down or become sick frequently. Working out clears my head and helps me to think of new ideas and absorb concepts I come across throughout the day.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading my bible and praying prepares me for the roller coaster of dealing with people and prepares my heart to work and live for God. Without doing this I will not treat people in a godly way. I will also have less patience and also become easily irritated.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the water you carry and the wood you have to chop to start your day?</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-86572449510692067402011-10-16T16:29:00.003-07:002011-10-16T18:42:06.523-07:00Weapons Of A Debt Assassin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To celebrate the blogs thousandth visitor I decided to show some of the tools I use to assassinate debt.</div>
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<a href="http://www.google.com/docs"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG6mHtj2czh_ag97DVqL1B5byWLqd3LUea-onzfldqDrJ0JzOgYuZ51f7v7l3fG1kB90zc8tkWoVGT0Ab6n7G7_LIo-OK-Gz0G8hI-fWivypQ7O6mJbuSjrRlXuIpJAWzkj6szprHou8Ak/s400/Google+Docs+Budget+Photo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<u>Google Docs</u><br />
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This is probably one of the best web based applications ever invented. You can do word type documents, spreadsheets, drawings, and presentations and it is all free. This is where I keep my <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq9OEMe4XKLzdGtaZmtCdTBIeEM3TUtxY2FLWTV6Mmc&hl=en_US#gid=0">budget</a> and you can access it as well. Just be sure you open your own account and copy and paste it there. The best part is you don't have to install anything and don't need any software. All you need is your internet browser.<br />
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<a href="http://www.perkstreet.com/"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnfW1KqfCeyVbwnwKLfQYCC_T881ffnc10FQab3zMHBRwhT-Brj7dU155QnP9yEnHKMRo5N3WU-cNcizsR6vrpt9vHeDNlr1FYnV9kuNr24mLj1wFRlLSELu7BBIZraZnwl3UFtOK4gRn/s400/PerkStreet+Financial+Photo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>PerkStreet</u><br />
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<a href="http://www.perkstreet.com/">PerkStreet</a> is an online bank that pays you up to 2% cash back on all your debit purchases. PerkStreet even offers you 5% on some purchases depending on the vendor. PerkStreet offers you everything a big bank would offer except they are online and they actually give you money. I got fed up with large traditional banks and all the fees they charge for me to use my money. It is a hassle to change banks, and that is what most big banks count on so you won't move, but you must vote with your feet in order to change things. PerkStreet made that change easy for me but look around first and find a bank that is right for you.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mint.com/"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGO6OcPFokOqH_N9ysw6N7DrF_afvGNU_US4nV8J-1Bw0gwSb636cUuaa8hunfEDbGE0kD70y4ZxF1nioeMdmuBcV1JQPOA-PXEUBuFmyTU13pkgHrDPDphi27vRCsR2VGo_fwiEfJhWxB/s400/Mint.com+photo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Mint</u></div>
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<a href="http://www.mint.com/">Mint</a> is an online financial tracking software. I like mint for its simplicity in set up. You simply type in your bank info, investment accounts, and the finanical software starts catagorizing everything for you. It really gives a great look at all your spending in some great graphic formats. The drawback to Mint is that the info is not up to date that it pulls from your account. The information lags about a day. I use Mint mainly as a look back into previous months to see how my spending and savings are trending.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Lx8wSBARQtvF1rpVySKD8RC6d4DeMkDKn79__QkL6xfxSxNSu56oYnFOm3VsYkuJew6myf7MzqXLl7EfaT1pUTJX2omRXdQBn38dWeMkhVcBm0oD9PDn1Kl6VyNMxgMi-qd6eKZOL0ey/s1600/Google+Reader++1000++.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Lx8wSBARQtvF1rpVySKD8RC6d4DeMkDKn79__QkL6xfxSxNSu56oYnFOm3VsYkuJew6myf7MzqXLl7EfaT1pUTJX2omRXdQBn38dWeMkhVcBm0oD9PDn1Kl6VyNMxgMi-qd6eKZOL0ey/s400/Google+Reader++1000++.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Reader</u></div>
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I have spoken about the use of this tool before and it does take some time to setup but once you do it is a great time saver and helps to block out noise to achieve your goals. The RSS Readers enable you to pick the information that is useful to accomplishing your goals instead of digging through multiple articles for it. Think of it as having the food (good information) that is useful to you delivered fresh instead of having to rummage through the entire garbage can (main stream media) trying to find a useful morsel. I use the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1722815271"></span>Google Reader</a> but there are hundreds of good readers out there on the market that will keep you focused on the things that are important to your goals.</div>
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<u>The Bible</u></div>
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This is the most important tool for me in killing debt and also doing anything in my life. Without the Bible this blog would not exist and I would not be writing to you at all. I would still be struggling with my financial health, living for myself instead of for God and celebrating Christ dying on the cross for my sins.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-3819918734810319982011-10-05T14:19:00.001-07:002011-10-05T14:24:36.353-07:00On The Road Again<div><p>At a conference in San Francisco.  I know I am in San Francisco because only here would a man have a dog collar on and another man is leading him around by a leech. </p>
<p>I do love this city though.  Great food and the weather right now is very nice.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rN0r2NzHOepDcutS7VNLEc5NPNJpHfzsJYSF6TXEEto7BK3IaJPaUony1emueFnoJrnIVz9juxs5OkH9p4DYyPXb4SHw8t61kLPYeIEKF9OG5NgJwjY2sHX0X2fsL0RWil-Fqtou1aBI/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-35494690705312484862011-09-22T12:25:00.001-07:002011-09-22T12:25:30.095-07:00Costco Is A War Zone<div><p>This is just playing dirty to someone like me who loves to cook.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGofxSAACi0m51L73nvyRNWQCV_hb_PdHAzm8BhFTsf8b7BNd7TY11vIUHj-cPMzk1Bk8lw4PEQPtSU3NWpdV6rhWX9N5zQuJ4mRedl52ghGaC9nF7YlK-yLlAW_9joZ7rs_F2ztEQ6jb/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-39640362647705151012011-09-20T07:07:00.000-07:002011-09-20T07:07:22.883-07:00Step Right Up!<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7909039282239974" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past week I attended a so called free “educational seminar” about how to invest in the stock market put on by a company called Rich Dad. Rich Dad is a spin-off from Robert Kiyosaki, who wrote a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad (I initially liked this book but have found some of the ideas go against my no debt opinions). I am big on self education and finding ways to broaden my knowledge but this seminar I went to was one big sales pitch.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am in sales and I understand the need to sell products but what is completely underhanded about this “educational seminar” was that there was a lot of selling and no education. As I was sitting in the audience and listening to this guy scream at us, doing all kinds of gyrations, and getting people to raise their hands. I couldn't help but think back to a book I read about educating yourself and not falling into the traps of so called new techniques promising fame and fortune quickly. The only way to have sustained success is a process that promotes consistent little steps that ultimately accomplish a big long term goal.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The circus barker at the seminar was playing on the emotions of people who had lost hope or never had it. Even though financial education is what was being sold, the people in the audience were not financially educated to recognize a con when they saw one. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many people and organizations out there that want to separate you from your money. You must be able to recognize them from the legitimate businesses that are truly trying to help you.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are some tips to tell the difference:</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><ol>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any legitimate business or business person is not going to pressure you into a sale right on the spot. If a company tells you that they have a rate for now that won’t be available later, then you should probably walk. Or, if someone actually tells you, you can’t think it over also walk.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They don’t allow questions to be asked in the group that are being talked to. This helps to keep the people thinking that everyone agrees with what is being said usually. </span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The old saying “if it is to good to be true it probably is”, should be etched in stone in your brain. I am not saying don’t take risks but do your research either before or after (preferably both) prior to committing any money to an investment or purchase.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, you are the first, last, and only line of defense against being taken advantage of. You must educate yourself on what are sound investments even when they seem to be benefiting you such as these stock educational classes that were being peddled.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I actually walked out of the presentation about an hour and 20 minutes in because I recognized that the circus barker was trying to manipulate instead of educating me on purchasing stocks (which is what was promised). In the past I probably would have fallen for this con. When I got home, I started to research this group and found out they sell classes for $200 only to try and sell you more classes during that time in the tens of thousands of dollars.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-64986209041873900512011-09-07T20:10:00.000-07:002011-09-07T20:10:46.764-07:00What Marketing 101 Should Have Been<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dos08-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0618785914&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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(Affiliate Link)</div>
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Here is a book I recently read for those of you trying to earn some extra cash by starting your own business.<br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.3280945895239711" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether you are in business for yourself, work at a small company, or work in a large company, in sales or marketing everyone should read this book. Not only does Jay Levinson teach you about marketing in general, he teaches you what you should be doing step by step to grow your business.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have always looked on marketing as voodoo but after reading this book I have come to realize that was due to dealing with people that did not know how to market. Every piece of marketing should be tested, measured, and repeated if successful. The problem I have seen with most marketing plans is that there is not a proper formula that is followed. Jay gives you a plan to follow and one that works. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The book starts you off talking about the basics of any marketing campaign. Making sure you have the right targets based on your current customer profile, what is your measure for success, what are you wanting your prospect to do. After these basics are laid out then it is time to talk tactics. What types of marketing are good for your business. Is it your business event driven, television, radio, Internet, magazine, or a combo of differing types. Along the way Jay has tons of examples of how to use these mediums of influence successfully, and how to save money when you use them.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jay also talks about what your marketing materials should look like. From your business cards, to your brochures Jay gives you great tips on what you should be trying to accomplish with each marketing tool. Jay also delves into what each of these things says about you to a customer.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall this book is great and should be read by anyone that works in a company or owns a business (Did I leave anyone out?). I loved the simple approaches and many examples of how to market yourself and your business. Jay also gives you a list of other books, articles, and websites, that he finds useful.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-46355215312543794422011-08-28T18:07:00.000-07:002011-08-28T18:07:37.034-07:003 Ways Planning/Budgeting Helps You<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RaRYqycihp5UtI-B9y4KIb6jvKcySCH-tGZgaPmYU68x7vd0KPHPoP_nTl2iKNrjCWrqKx3NEfw_07t3bUVVuRIVCLx2yDdOEsn73roHAeTrjpLTCqxanEHM2iIm4QCkSP3xwmhbpePB/s1600/53830unku3ktk4c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RaRYqycihp5UtI-B9y4KIb6jvKcySCH-tGZgaPmYU68x7vd0KPHPoP_nTl2iKNrjCWrqKx3NEfw_07t3bUVVuRIVCLx2yDdOEsn73roHAeTrjpLTCqxanEHM2iIm4QCkSP3xwmhbpePB/s320/53830unku3ktk4c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7429205277003348" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7429205277003348" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The plans of the diligent surely lead to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. </span><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2021:5&version=NASB"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Proverbs 21:5</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love this verse when counseling about planning/budgeting, and how it protects us and what happens when we don’t budget.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><ol><li style="background-color: transparent; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Planning or budgeting helps to lay a foundation for us to depend on in times of need. A financial emergency happens to everyone</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When we don’t have a savings though or plan, that emergency turns into a catastrophe that sometimes can’t be recovered from.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we don’t have a financial foundation and get into an emergency we don’t think logically. We only think about solving the problem in front of us. That problem is to pay for the emergency at hand. This illogical thinking means that emotions take over (fear), and we tend to make bad decisions. Budgeting will prevent us from acting on emotions and instead use a preplanned attack that won’t hurt us in the long run.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we make emotional decisions we turn to poor short term instruments to pay for emergencies because we are not thinking rationally. We use things like high interest credit cards, lines of credit, payday loans, title loans, pawn shops, or even worse. Many people use these instruments because they fail to make a plan/budget.</span></li>
</ol><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">God wants us to depend on Him. That is really hard when we fall into a financial bind. Planning/budgeting helps to prevent financial strife. That does not mean that we can’t fall into financially hard times, because God might want that for us as well (It brings us closer to Him). But, that does not mean we should not plan or budget for our future.</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-11688005942512354892011-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:002011-08-21T14:03:49.823-07:00Scarcity Creates Abundance<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.7675585611723363" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I will keep this brief. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During my financial time of abundance I spent more money, got deeper in debt, did not keep a budget, and ultimately spent more than I made, which made me broke (scarcity of money). When I made a budget and lived on less than I made, I saved more money, paid off more debt, and realized just how creatively I could spend $100 to entertain my family during a month.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Successful businesses have realized this as well. Companies like </span><a href="http://37signals.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">37 Signals</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. They offer less features, had less money, and less people. Yet they became a great company, that offered a great product, to some great companies.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ideas work off of scarcity also. When was the last time you created something great when you had a ton of options available? When was the last time you enjoyed a meal that had so many flavors nothing stood out? But, you take some flour, water, yeast, salt, olive oil and a little rosemary and execute it correctly and you can have a loaf of bread that will rival what is made in most local stores and restaurants today.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Want to have abundance, then scale something down in your life.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-68614958329308374312011-08-04T18:08:00.001-07:002011-08-04T21:38:50.422-07:00Start Now, Start SmallWhen Amy and I started on our journey to get out of debt ($120K) it was an overwhelming task. What really helped though was taking it in steps that were doable in the short term yet could show we were making progress.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Track expenses daily. This does not need to be fancy just carry around a small notebook and write down what you spend when you make a purchase. (We started this immediately)</li>
<li>Organize your debt. (We did this in the first week of deciding to do something about our dilemma)</li>
<li>Cut back on spending a little bit at a time. 1% per month and add an extra 1% each of the following months after that. (We were aggressive here, we cut back 10% in our first month, and ended with almost 40% cut back in a year)</li>
<li>Open a new savings account either online or at a separate bank. (We did this in the first day of our journey)</li>
</ul>These are just some examples of what we did to kick start paying down our debt. Pick just one and start tonight. After doing one well, check it off your list and start a new milestone. By starting small you will see immediate and beneficial progress that is manageable for the long journey. You might surprise yourself as we did and find out you want to do so much more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-62770090286963274312011-07-31T21:40:00.000-07:002011-07-31T21:40:00.969-07:00Opinion Vs. Conviction<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than any other time in history we have an unlimited ability to be able speak to an audience. Blogs, YouTube, forums, and many other mediums help to spread our message. For years I have been labeled as opinionated (go figure). In the past I was okay with this label because I was, and actually took pride in being so. However being opinionated is nothing more than a big mouth that is actually discontent with everything surrounding them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can have an opinion of food, politics, what way to take to get to the airport, or even which cell phone is better the IPhone or Android. Your opinions should not keep you from trying something that is new or different. Your opinions can be many and varied.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Convictions are things that you would be willing to die for to protect or defend. My ability to worship God and read my Bible, and to keep my wife and kids safe are both convictions I have. You have to determine what your convictions are, but this list should be extremely small and the list should be at the top of how you run your life.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next time you are sharing an idea in a business meeting, or you are </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">trying</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to convince someone that you should go to a certain restaurant, remember, it is a conviction and not an opinion that you should die for. </span></span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-62851912632848948042011-07-23T12:25:00.000-07:002011-07-23T12:25:18.760-07:00Contentment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelzEptqEn19VfEAGp9dVmgqyWVuk7BrevQCm8KiRM4-PGh13nyjfrVae-Mqj35MbC8Br4ugggeQpcTVxGxrZuDqyhWFMYWIz4lqxJxILAMJ3q0RqzWRqC5Dg2x1m_yQne3hsjYG5CUitk/s1600/31878ohej3becjy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelzEptqEn19VfEAGp9dVmgqyWVuk7BrevQCm8KiRM4-PGh13nyjfrVae-Mqj35MbC8Br4ugggeQpcTVxGxrZuDqyhWFMYWIz4lqxJxILAMJ3q0RqzWRqC5Dg2x1m_yQne3hsjYG5CUitk/s320/31878ohej3becjy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.8056402984075248" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When stewarding over God’s blessings (money) you won’t have a chance of doing it correctly if you think God has not already given you all you need.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contentment is something that has over the years become a word synonymous with settling. Settling though would be the complete opposite of what contentment means from a biblical perspective.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Contentment comes from the Hebrew term Ya’al which translated means, to show willingness, to undertake, or to agree or accept. The Greek translation is Arkeo which means to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be strong, to suffice, to be enough. In the context of Biblical contentment I will focus on the last meaning in each of the translations - to agree or accept, and to be enough.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We see throughout the entire Bible that contentment is something that man can’t sustain on his own. Examples like Adam and Eve thirsting to be like God, the Israelites being led out of Egypt but complaining that they don’t have certain provisions, Solomon in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+5%3A10&version=NIV">Ecclesiastes</a> always wanting more wealth, and Paul warning us in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204:11-13&version=NASB">Philippians</a> to be able to live on a little or a lot. God’s heart is clear in all of these circumstances. We need to accept that what God has given us is enough. God does not promise us anything except His Son and eternal salvation. We need to be content in that promise, be thankful, and turn towards the Holy Spirit for help.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is not to say that we can’t strive for better, or earn more, but we must look at these things as blessings and not something deserved. We can jump through many moral hoops to justify our means to acquiring material bobbles if we think we deserve them. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are some tips to help you cultivate a content spirit daily.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><ol><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Begin your day by writing down what you are thankful for. This will keep you focused on what you have and appreciate it.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cut down on your exposure to outside advertising influence. Even if it means turning down commercials, or opting out of email advertisements, you won't be continually reminded of what you supposedly are missing out on.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Call or write to someone that you care about and tell them you appreciate their friendship.</span></li>
</ol></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-62389739099349242732011-07-16T09:51:00.000-07:002011-07-16T09:51:20.255-07:00Stop Being An Employee And Become A Brand<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dos08-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0375407723&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.6025895518250763" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are wanting to revamp your personal brand and step out of the shadow of being an employee then this is the book for you. Tom Peters doesn't mince words and paints a picture of what we should all be doing in our professional lives. Peters says that the projects we do should be outward appearances of the passion we have for our work. Peters lays out some guidelines though for these projects, one of which is to make sure we are taking on projects that are the very best of what we have to offer. No matter how small a task, we should take it and make it our own in every way. Assess your strengths, hang out with people outside of your usual comfort zone, and develop what you do as it relates to helping your customers. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tom can be irreverent and down right rude in some instances so beware. Tom’s book is not for the timid, he demands that you stretch yourself in many unconventional ways. For someone like me who has taken the safe, steady, non-rewarding path for years there were many things I needed to change based on the suggestions in Tom’s book. If you like reading guys such as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.gitomer.com/">Gitomer</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or <a href="http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/">Godin</a>, you will love Peters. I can tell that Gitomer and Godin not only studied Tom’s books but borrowed some ideas as well. I am glad that one of my mentors recommended this book to me and I can’t wait to read some more of Tom’s work.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-77696871504309686242011-07-05T19:55:00.001-07:002011-07-05T20:00:21.876-07:00Book Review: Coming To Grips With Genesis<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dos08-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0890515484&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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Occasionally I will do book reviews of the books I am reading. I won't necessarily give a rating for the book, but if it is on my site it is a book that I would recommend.<br />
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<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.020431573037058115" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.020431573037058115" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The price tag of inserting millions of years into the Bible has been quite costly. First, we are asked to ignore many details of the biblical test in Genesis and elsewhere in Scripture, as discussed in this volume. Second, we must also reject, ignore, or otherwise suppress the plain teaching of Jesus and the Apostles. Third, by incorporating “deep time” into our thinking, we undermine the Bible’s teaching on the origin of death. Fourth, we sully the character of God by adopting a view that has no other recourse but than to affirm that the natural evil we presently observe was designed and called </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">very good</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by the Creator. Fifth, we are left with many thorny conundrums, not the least of which is this: if our omnipotent Creator’s finished work was not death-free (death even seen as “good”), then what assurance do we have that the new heavens and new earth will be death-free? Why trust scripture on the eschaton, but not on the beginning? No matter how sincere one’s motives are, or how unintentional the fallout, tethering deep time to Scripture ultimately undermines the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is rooted in the literal history of Genesis, and the hope of the gospel in the eternal state, where there will be no more natural or moral evil.”</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This excerpt from the book Coming To Grips With Genesis highlights some of the main problems with excepting a theory of how old the earth is and that we evolved from something else. For years Christians have tried to put the face of Darwin on God instead of out right rejecting a theory that says we are nothing more than high functioning animals. If this were the case there would be no reason to be civil towards those that we believe are weaker than ourselves, which would create optimal conditions that Darwin laid out in the 1800s. More importantly though is that man would once again allow the word of someone else to triumph over the Word of God. Genesis reveals what happens when we elevate ourselves above God’s Word when Eve and Adam ate from the tree of knowledge (Chaos, death, and destruction). Yet as sinful beings we continue to repeat the same mistakes as our forefathers did in thinking our thoughts can somehow save us, or make us superior.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mans creation by God was called “very good” by Him, yet man was not satisfied. God created animals which Adam was given dominion over and called it “very good”, yet man was not satisfied. God created the sun, stars, and moon, and called it “very good”, yet man was not satisfied. God gave man the ultimate companion/helper in Eve, yet man is not satisfied. God gave us His Word (The Bible), and yet we are not satisfied. God gave us His Son, yet man is not satisfied. God gave up His Son for our sins, and man to this day is not satisfied. This state of not being satisfied is a direct response to the events that unfolded in Genesis with man doubting God. How sad to think that God has given us all that we have, and people are ashamed of Him, and His words in Genesis.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">God does not need us to apologize for His teachings of how the earth was created. God does not need us to put our feeble thoughts on what we think happened. God’s Word tells us how it was all created so we don’t have to fumble around in the dark reaching for a scientifically impossible beginning.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The question is will you trust God, or will you put your faith in men that have been shown to be fallible and corrupt since Adam and Eve first doubted God.</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-48173519336464165252011-06-28T16:48:00.000-07:002011-06-28T16:48:09.139-07:00Peace Of Mind Account<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2YOps2Suk7lD4OJQbRThyphenhyphenJZJjX1fAQ9YiJYncufWiZmwlWrULWp3pwrAP4j3VwrCESZe16trnyB1fi1qhRtOXS7LSKTLp-9Df_adlPhA4Zm5t9esvfRrWjV7Ma1HQyl5PLiZlht91mGt/s1600/iStock_000014731095Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2YOps2Suk7lD4OJQbRThyphenhyphenJZJjX1fAQ9YiJYncufWiZmwlWrULWp3pwrAP4j3VwrCESZe16trnyB1fi1qhRtOXS7LSKTLp-9Df_adlPhA4Zm5t9esvfRrWjV7Ma1HQyl5PLiZlht91mGt/s400/iStock_000014731095Large.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>When Amy (my wife) and I first started our goal to pay off our debt, and not use credit cards anymore, we were admittedly scared. We were not scared that we could not accomplish our goal, but scared of what would happen if our family had an emergency without access to credit cards. During this time I learned a couple of things about the unspoken strife I had been causing in my marriage and what truly an emergency is.<br />
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A lot of financial gurus have many different names for saving money for a family emergency. Dave Ramsey calls it an emergency fund ($1,000), but from my experience it goes deeper than just providing a way to pay for life's unsuspected challenges. I like to call our savings for financial challenges a Peace of Mind Account.<br />
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When we started to clean up our financial mess I uncovered a point of angst for Amy in our marriage. She did not feel protected financially. This was due to my fly by the seat of my pants attitude in dealing with financial emergencies. My response was "don't worry about it, I've got it", or "it will work it self out". If those responses don't evoke confidence I don't know what does. The truth is I didn't know what I was doing. I was winging it, and that did not help Amy feel safe or protected financially. Putting unexpected emergencies on credit cards was even worse for her anxiety. Using the credit cards was prolonging and compounding the money we owed and created more uneasyness. It was not until we decided to put a $1000 away for emergencies that Amy felt safe and protected.<br />
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An emergency is unforeseen, something you can't plan or budget for. An emergency is something that you can't do without. An example would be our AC going out in the middle of the summer with my kids and Amy at home (This happened a couple of times). A car accident, or hospital stay for an emergency surgery (No car accident, but one gallbladder situation). We had plenty of things that we debated on whether or not they were an emergency (If there was a debate it really was not an emergency). Some of those things were clothing, big screen TV replacement (I have two sons things get broken), computer (I really tried on this one), dish washer (yes the sink can still be used to wash dishes), new tires. I know you are thinking that new tires might be considered an emergency, but they should be in your monthly budget since you know they will wear out eventually; but that is a post for another day.<br />
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The $1000 we had set aside for emergencies got used several times and had to be replenished each time. The funny thing is that after each emergency we would not have another one till after we had put aside another $1000. Yes we were bless<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dos08-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=159555078X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>ed, but I would also argue that knowing what a true emergency was helped as well. We also made sure all extra money was put toward the fund till it was replenished, that meant no eating out or extra purchases (Oh the horror!). With the $1000 in the bank Amy felt safe, protected, and she ultimately had more confidence in me as a husband, which ultimately gave her a peace of mind.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-8839046372492054002011-06-19T14:51:00.001-07:002011-06-19T15:08:07.433-07:00To Be A Great Father You Have To Have A Heart For The FatherAbout a year ago I did a sermon on <a href="http://bit.ly/iNJiFE">Ephesians 5:25-31</a> speaking to a group of men at our church on men loving their wives. You can download the sermon <a href="http://bit.ly/m6pX8U">here</a>.<br />
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When thinking about this sermon today one thing came to my mind was that I could not be a great father without having a heart for the Father. In looking at Ephesians 5:25 God lays out quite clearly how I am supposed to be as a husband by using Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as my example. Jesus gave His life for the church. He put everyone else before himself, and died for them. As a husband I should be dying to myself for my wife in all things. This teaches my sons that when they marry, their main purpose in the marriage is to put their own lives second to their wives. What it teaches my daughters is that they should be seeking men that put the needs of my daughters above their own.<br />
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In both instances though I could not have taught my kids any of these things if I did not have a heart for God and His Word. The world does not teach men to put others before themselves. The world does not teach that men should die to self, and embrace the needs and desires of their wives. The world does not teach to embrace God and have faith in His Word and let it guide your actions as a husband and father. The world teaches us that as fathers we deserve respect, we deserve to do as we please, we deserve that new sports car, or the ability to have time to ourselves. The world teaches us fathers that once we bring home a check our job is done.<br />
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Jesus' death on the cross provided the salvation for me to live a life for Him. Jesus' death on the cross taught me how to love my wife as He did the church. Jesus' death on the cross taught me to give my children the gift of knowing what a godly husband, and father should look like.<br />
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No matter what kind of father we had growing up or have now, we can look to our Father's Word and learn from Him what true fatherhood looks like.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-5070043838293896112011-06-13T21:40:00.002-07:002011-06-14T10:08:13.296-07:00How Do You Know Something Is An Impulse Buy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymJdZSLBtF0qK6IaV4iyvWa9xksabXfe-OxNddhfj-r9tFeSVtlq2rtdfJjM4F5FDt6kV2UQfFV16_UzxUcJsdA1HxvpIAHshNW1xOz3rKRsbWn7ukKNlXlNNWDhbM_Zot5UTStwA6AS4/s1600/snuggie-blanket-.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymJdZSLBtF0qK6IaV4iyvWa9xksabXfe-OxNddhfj-r9tFeSVtlq2rtdfJjM4F5FDt6kV2UQfFV16_UzxUcJsdA1HxvpIAHshNW1xOz3rKRsbWn7ukKNlXlNNWDhbM_Zot5UTStwA6AS4/s200/snuggie-blanket-.JPG" width="183" /></a></div><div><br />
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</div><ol><li>It is broken into 3 easy payments so you only feel a 3rd as foolish for buying it.</li>
<li>It is sold after 12am, on TV, by some B list celebrity.</li>
<li>They are giving away free samples of it while you shop at Costco.</li>
<li>Before and after pictures are used to sell it.</li>
<li>It either has an "X" in the title or is named after some type of wild animal.</li>
<li>When you get it home your spouse says "again".</li>
<li>When you wear it people mistake you for a monk, or Jedi Knight.</li>
<li>It helps you lose weight, tone up, grow hair, and give you a good nights rest all in 90 days or your money back.</li>
<li>It is based loosely, inspired by, and rumored to be from a true story.</li>
<li>You buy it on your cell phone.</li>
<li>Its in the grocery store at the same eye level as your children.</li>
<li>You think to yourself the next day, "why did I buy this". But you don't take it back.</li>
<li>It is not on the list you brought with you to go shopping. When you go into battle you should always have a plan, and going to the mall or grocery store is a battle for your wallet. </li>
</ol>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8036438290060751164.post-63660420321703199502011-06-07T09:27:00.000-07:002011-06-07T09:27:04.575-07:00Daddy Are You Tough?This was the question my oldest son asked me this morning prior to going to school. I thought about why he would ask me this, but I thought about when I was a kid and looked at my father. I wanted my father to be stronger than I was in every way. My response to him though centered around a couple of things.<br />
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<ol><li>That daddy was weak and flawed because of his sin.</li>
<li> That daddy could only be strengthened by having faith in God and the Holy Spirit.</li>
</ol><br />
Before God changed my heart and gave me the gift of the Holy Spirit my sin controlled my life. I was weak in fighting sin. I would give in to desires of lust, love of money, power, and stepping on others to get ahead. I had no choice in the matter because I was weak. I told my son that the world views strength in terms that are really sinful (power, money, women, success). True strength can only be shown by God and the Holy Spirit's ability to change man's hearts. I let my son know that only God is strong and without Him man can only show weakness in the face of sin.<br />
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DosAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13594391669869144690noreply@blogger.com1