“Manage Your Money” Challenge from Enemy of Debt
My friend Brad Chaffee over at Enemy of Debt is launching a “Manage Your Money” Challenge starting Monday, March 1st. We’re well on our way to being debt free and are psyched to be participating in the challenge. Are you struggling with your budget? Do you have a budget? Sign up for the Challenge now!
This will be a 31 day challenge, that begins on March 1st and ends on March 31st. You may sign up now for your FREE Basic Membership, to familiarize yourself with the program. I have been given a complimentary 12 Month Premium Membership so that I may evaluate and learn the calendar-based budgeting system for myself. I will use this to my advantage, in order to better help you with your questions about the site and the budgeting software.
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: Cash Flow Planning (8th) $20 Value
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: Dumping Debt (15th) Awesomely inspirational!
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: Relating With Money (22nd)
- Financial Peace University DVD Lesson: The Great Misunderstanding (29th)
- Total Money Makeover (Dave Ramsey) book
- Financial Peace Revisited (Dave Ramsey) book
- Financial Peace Junior Kit (ages 3-12)
- No More Dreaded Mondays (Dan Miller) book
- A Gift To My Children (Jim Rogers) book
- $25 Gift Card (Staples)
- $25 Gift Card (Amazon)
- Two iPhone “Pay Off Debt” Debt Snowball Apps
- Two Android “Pay Off Debt” Debt Snowball Apps
If you only had one day left on earth, what would you say to your spouse? (Week 19)
The weight of this time we must obey; speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. – From Shakespeare’s King Lear
If you only had one day left on earth, what would you say to your spouse?
Like many of you, I have been overwhelmed by the tragedy in Haiti. My heart has been broken as I’ve looked at pictures, read articles and watched video footage of the devastation that has occurred for tens of thousands of people. In the wake of the earthquake, so many lives have been lost and families are destroyed in a matter of moments.
The earthquake in Haiti is a powerful reminder of how fragile this life really is. Not just for those in Haiti, but for all of us. None of us are promised tomorrow. And yet …
…we often live as if life has no end.
…we are guilty of withholding love and words until a later time.
…we can justify holding on to hurts and grudges, instead of engaging in conversation.
…we live as if we have thousands of tomorrows remaining.
…we wait for those tomorrows and we miss so many todays.
I’m reminded of these lyrics from an old song, Love Me Now, by Brook Benton:
If you’re ever going to love me
Love me now
And if you have something
Good to tell me, tell me now
Darling, don’t wait til I’m gone
Then chisel it in marble
On an ice cold stone
If you’re ever going to love me
Love me now
Why put off for tomorrow
What we should do today
There may not be a tomorrow
Life is funny that way
So if you’re ever going to love me
Love me now
If you’re ever going to love me
Love me now
Cherish today. Keep short accounts. Speak words of love. Engage passionately.
Jeff Helton
Marriage and Family Pastor
+ Fellowship Bible Church
+ 50 Fridays Challenge
What are some things that make you laugh out loud? (Week 18)
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. -Proverbs 17:22
What are some things that make you laugh out loud?
Laughter really is good medicine. Much research over the past few decades has shown that people with a sense of humor have fewer health problems and sickness than those who are humor-impaired. It’s really nothing new. Solomon taught this principle years ago in the Proverb above.
In our marriages, humor can bring a lot of value: it can help us connect, it can help us cope, it helps us love better, it can create memories, it can be a bridge to forgiveness. Learning to laugh together is a great practice to intentionally develop as you grow intimacy in your marriage.
Be on the lookout for things that make you laugh – movies, sit-coms, telling stories or jokes, certain friendships. Life is certainly serious and, at times, difficult. But there is “a time to laugh”, and when we do our marriages are richer for it.
Laughter, on a daily basis, is like taking a vitamin for your marriage.
- Les and Leslie Parrott, The Love List
Jeff Helton
Marriage and Family Pastor
+ Fellowship Bible Church
+ 50 Fridays Challenge
Suicide Awareness for College Students
A good friend of mine works with an organization called “Active Minds” and they have submitted an entry to the Pepsi Refresh Project to get funding for their work in bringing awareness of mental health issues and suicide to local college campuses. Please take a minute to click on this link and vote for them: http://www.refresheverything.com/sendsilencepacking
Overview:
Active Minds’ Send Silence Packing is a traveling display of 1,100 donated backpacks representing the 1,100 college student lives lost to suicide each year. This interactive event ends the silence around student suicide by bringing attention to the 1 in 10 students who contemplate suicide. We foster a dialogue about the 1,100 who commit suicide and ways to get that number to 0. The display manages to put a human face on the numbers of this tragedy. We have the capacity to continue this dialogue on campuses through our chapters long after the display is broken down, but we need your help to build it up. Active Minds can pair the display with speakers on the subject and the resources to start or maintain a chapter of Active Minds on a campus that hosts the display to ensure that the dialogue is not dropped and instead is continued at that school for years to come.
Update on the Gentry Total $ Makeover
I’m writing this post for two reasons; the first to give everyone an update on how are family is coming along with our Total Money Makeover and second, to get your opinion on something.
First things first: we started our makeover in October 2009 with almost $70,000 of debt. In 4 1/2 months, we’ve paid off a little over $17,000. How? We sold lots of stuff and gave up lots of stuff. Once I had DVR, I thought I could never live without it. Now we don’t even have cable tv! I cut LOTS of coupons and match them to sale ads. And we exchanged a LOT of landscaping at my folks’ house for the use of my Dad’s ‘94 Grand Marquis. We are making sacrifices now so we can really live later! We are gazelle-intense focused on obtaining financial peace.
Now – here’s where I need you to weigh in. We are trying to sell our Durango. The retail value is about $14,000, the private party value is between $10-12,000, and the trade in value is between $8-9,800. A local dealership offered us $9300 for it. I want to hold out for a private party sale but my husband wants to sell it and move on. We are not in a financially desperate situation, but it is taking up space in our driveway. What would you do?
What would you like to do on Valentine’s Day? (Week 17)
If we are to develop an intimate relationship, we need to know each other’s desires. If we wish to love each other, we need to know what the other person wants. – Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages
What would you like to do on Valentine’s Day?
When I was in elementary school one of the most stressful days of the year was Valentine’s Day. For several days leading up to February 14, all of us made our personalized mailbox – using materials like cereal boxes, oatmeal canister or a shoe box with tons of glitter, construction paper and paint.
Then the dreaded day came. I brought in my mailbox and waited to see if anyone would give me a Valentine’s card. I didn’t understand at the time that every child had to bring enough cards for everyone in the class! When the day was over and I realized that my mailbox was filled with Valentine’s cards, I couldn’t wait to get home and read all of them. Actually, I just looked through the cards and found the ones that had small candy bars taped to them!
Years have passed and my stress about Valentine’s Day is gone. Even though this day is just another “Hallmark Holiday” rooted in no meaningful history, I’ve learned to enjoy it. For all of our marriages, it’s good to have a day that encourages intentionality and creativity in expressing our love to each other.
It may come through flowers, cards, balloons, special dates, long walks, a romantic evening or even candy! You may go out to a fun restaurant, cook together at home, or order in. You may watch a movie or go to the symphony.
One important thing to do before Valentine’s Day is to ask today’s question of each other. It’s an easy way to make sure you know each other’s expectations and can help you really enjoy this day together. Actually, that’s a great way to live everyday of the year – not just on this Hallmark holiday.
So, in the middle of these cold, winter days, warm up your love life on this Valentine’s Day. Take some time to talk …make a fun plan … express your love creatively to your spouse … and enjoy the love of your life.
Jeff Helton
Marriage and Family Pastor
+ Fellowship Bible Church
+ 50 Fridays Challenge
LOVEveryday: Free eBook
It’s National Marriage Week AND Valentines Day is this week AND now here’s a fantastic new FREE eBook to download and read with your spouse! Does it get any better than this?
The eBook is called Love Everyday – Thoughts on Loving Amidst the Chaos of Life. I’m especially excited to share it with you because a few of my friends are co-authors:
Stu Gray – The Marry Blogger
Dustin Riechmann – Engaged Marriage
Brad Chaffee – Enemy of Debt & Logos4You.net
Happy reading! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Soothing Your Baby
I can probably count on 2 hands the number of times my oldest daughter has not slept through the night since she was born – and she’s almost 4! My younger daughter though? She’s 1 and is constantly waking up crying. What can we do?
Last night, she started crying around 9 or 9:30 pm (she had been in bed since 7:30). We rocked her, we gave her baby Motrin (in case she’s teething and in pain), we gave her a second bottle… Nothing worked. She cried until after 11pm, when I finally gave her a 3rd bottle for the night and she FINALLY fell asleep.
I’m tired and I’m desperate. Does anyone have any ideas? What can we do when she starts these crying fits? Have you found any tricks that work? Please share it with me!
Where do you need Emmanuel in your marriage? (Week 16)
Of all of the names that Jesus is called, none may be more clear that Emmanuel: God with us.
Not … God near us.
Not … God aware of us.
Not … God close by.
But, God with us.
In every situation.
In every moment.
In every season.
Always.
Take a few minutes together and talk about this question. Then spend some time giving thanks for the profound and glorious truth of Emmanuel: God is with us.
WOMAN: A Suitable Helper for MAN
In the Creation story in Genesis, God creates woman to be a “suitable helper” for man. Many believe this verse belittles women. In fact, there are a number of verses throughout the Bible that the world views as demeaning to women. And to be honest, I was among that crowd. I’m no feminist, but when I was deciding what I wanted the pastor to say during my wedding, I deliberately left those traditional verses out of the ceremony. I wish I knew then what I know now…
I love my church because, instead of preaching a lot of theory and theology, we spend our time studying in depth the Word of God. We’ve spent 15 weeks so far studying Genesis – and we haven’t even finished Chapter 2! One of our pastors, Michael Easley, always says “Don’t let the world teach you theology.” I think, that when it comes to the view of women in the Bible, too many let the world teach them theology.
God creates Woman to be a suitable helper for Man. We forget that Jesus Christ was sent here to help us. Being a “helper” is not second class or demeaning. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus was a servant to His disciples. We should all (men and women) view being a helper as a place of honor in our families and our communities.
During last week’s sermon, Michael Easley quoted some scholar from the 5th century (I couldn’t catch his name). What he said was so beautiful I just had to share it:
“Let us remember God did not take the woman from the man’s feet, that he should dominate her or trample her. Nor did he take her from his head, that she should dominate him. But from his side to be his companion. From beneath his arm to receive his protection. And from near his heart to have his love and affection.”
I am honored to by my husband’s helper. What about you?
-
Subscribe
Join Me!
Grab My RSS
@MyDoodleBop Twitter Feed- Could not connect to Twitter