Okay gang, what I’d really love is to get some comments about this series. Specifically, what is it that you really need to hear from God when it comes to finances, your economic situation, anxiety about money, etc. Would love to get some good dialogue and ideas from you so that I can both dialogue with you, and incorporate what God is saying through you into future messages in this series. Let er rip!!
- Comment
- Reblog
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Bailout Blog-Genesis Church 
I need to know how to get out of the hole I’ve dug myself into. I know this affects not only me, but also my spouse, and I hate knowing that I’ve caused our family more problems rather than getting them solved intelligently. The truth of the matter is…I don’t know how to do this. There is not enough money at the end of the month.
I am so happy that you’re doing this series…I hope to learn a lot and in turn be able to bless my family and God with my faithfulness.
From Pat: thanks for your honesty and seriousness that you are taking with this. I too believe that God has the answers, once we have them we must follow them intelligently and with full faith that God knows far better than we do about handling finances. I will be in prayer for you and the rest of us, that we will experience freedom through Christ!
Have the seen the newest Allstate commercial “Back to the Basics”? I love this commercial; the commercial reminds us that through every recession people once again found happiness through the simple joys of life. Each time I see the commercial, the photos in the commercial make me smile as the images remind me of many of my own happy childhood memories. If you have not seen it you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HNKqffU3Cc
Your series is very timely because my husband & I have been going through this process over the last year; we have been lowering our overhead & getting rid of all consumer debt. Now our only debt is our home which we pay an extra 20% each month. Sounds great huh? Then why did I totally loose it last week about neither of us buying each other a Christmas present; I know it shouldn’t bother me but it definitely did. So where is the balance?
We are so good at putting money into our 401, 529, dollar cost averaging in the stock market, paying off the mortgage & stocking money into our savings…. but when it comes to giving 10% of our income away we definitely fall short. Ten percent seems like so much money. (Why couldn’t God have said 5%; that would be much more palatable?) How do we give that much away & still manage to save enough to retire comfortably.
Ah yes, how do we make tithing work, that is the quesiton. While it certainly seems like 5% would be easier, do you really think so? Or woudl we just say, “Man, 3% would be so much easier!”. Here’s my short answer and I appreciate the response I really do: God’s economy is different than our economy, so we can’t think like we do about our consumer driven culture when we give in obedience to God. One of the things that I teach and others I know is the 10/10/80 rule. Pay 10% of your income back to God, 10% to yourself (savings, 401K, etc.) and then use 80% as you feel God leading you. I believe it comes down to trust: Do we trust God enough to take Him at His word? Many of us trusted the stock market and where did that get us. I want to challenge you to give tithing a try, it’s one of the few items that God says, “test me in this!” Malachi 3:10.
Thanks again for the dialogue!
You know that Jeff and I are die-hard Dave Ramsey folks now, but one thing I tend to forget is how that started. I was broke beyond belief, deeply in debt, in collections, attorneys involved, etc. And Jeff and I wanted to get married, but I didn’t want to go into a marriage like that. We had a heart-to-heart and Jeff asked me a penetrating question: “Are you tithing?”
All I could think was HOW CAN I TITHE??? There’s nothing left over! I owe everything I make to my credit cards, car payment, etc. He said, “It’s weird, but it just falls into place.”
He was so right. I basically just shut my eyes and gave the FIRST (not the last!) 10% to God, and then figured it out with the rest. It wasn’t long before I got brave and went to the Christian bookstore and asked for help. They suggested Dave Ramsey, I got the book, and the first thing Jeff and I did debt-free was our wedding. We got a lot more serious after leading FPU at Genesis and now have a much better handle on things, but it was that first step of faith that started it all.
For me it was a matter of recognizing that it was never my money. I was God’s investment and I wanted to provide a good return. God trusts us with a little bit of income and now I sleep so much better knowing that we’re being faithful with that.
I lent someone our Financial Peace book recently and there was an old collection notice in it as a bookmark. I just stopped right there and praised God for His faithfulness!!!
From Pat: Jeff and Alyssa, thanks so much for sharing this post! I think tht your words are golden and God inspired. I would like permisson to share this at some point in our series…It was never my money!! Beautiful. It’s funny I’ve never had anyone express that they were sad or broken that they committed to tithing, never once!
There are a few faithful wives at Genesis who have tried everything they can think of, including prayer, to work with their husband’s as a team. They have had success in many areas of their lives but when it comes to finances, they hit a brick wall. The conversations become arguments and the budget becomes a pile of ashes. One partner is frugal and the other is not. We know that the odds are against a happy marriage when money conflicts are in the home. Our husbands try not to overspend, or at least that is what they tell us, but the story always ends the same way. The excuses sound like they are all quoting the same book. It is almost comical when we wives compare notes. Any guidance or suggestions would be appreciated. We all love our husbands very much and have no intentions of letting a few bucks break the bonds that God has blessed, but a little less conflict and stress would be nice.
Thanks for your honesty, and yes, money and sex tend to be the things tht Christian couples need to pray against dividing their marriages. Prayer is the key, don’t stop. I will absoluety weave this in to what we are going to be talking about. In the interest of fairness, I would be interested if there are any Genesis men out there who struggle on the opposite end, their wives aren’t on the same page with them? Bottom line is that men and women, husbands and wives need to be on the same page…God’s page. It comes down to obedience to God as individuals and as a couple, AS BEST WE CAN. I will pray for couples today, that they will be together, under God’s word on their finances.
Two things. First, Pat, you’re welcome to share. I made a conscious decision to share even the embarrassing stuff about where God took me from because when I’m vague people always think they’re worse than I was and wonder if God has enough grace. When I give the ugly details they KNOW there’s enough grace for them! 🙂 But be sure to clarify that it was me, single, who did the dumbest stuff. Jeff has never been that dumb with money! 🙂
Second, “Two Different Worlds,” my heart goes out to you! I was the weak link (the spender) but I know that it is so hard for the saver in a marriage. I just want to highly recommend http://www.daveramsey.com and/or the class Financial Peace University. I have seen it transform marriages by getting couples on the same page financially.
Hope this helps!
–Alyssa
This is such a great series for me. I am still currently in alot of debt, very similar to Alyssa’s situation. But I started tithing 10%, and that is on the gross not net pay. God has been blessing me with more money coming in that I had thought was not going to be. I have prayed and God has told me that things are going to be fine and in the future to stay debt free, such as no more credit cards or frivilous loans, personal or professional. Follow your heart and God’s law and everything will work out.
I love this series and you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! I am changing my savings plan to 20% as soon as I have income again. I am followig this daily and am sure a lot of us are,.
I have no debt now except for my car payment but also have no stable income since I am a muralist/faux finisher. I have resumes out at 16 diffferent companies and have had 3 interviews. They are afraid to hire me for 2 reason: 1 is that they worry I am too creative and will get bored easily. #2 is that, while not said, the age factor is huge. I know, I know….they can’t discriminate. But I make sure I mention that older workers who have no babies are great workers!!! I am hopeful and keeping both Proverbs 3:5-6 and Jeremiah 29:11 next to my heart.
I really appreciated Sunday’s message title, “Perspective Instead of Panic.” That’s what I need — God’s perspective on all this. I’m doing Bible-in-a-Year for my Bible reading this year, and Saturday’s reading was fresh in my mind as I listened to the message: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Cary and I feel like we need to come up with plans to weather this economic crisis; we want our focus, though, to be on trusting in the Lord, and counting on Him to direct our paths — our plans. Pray for us to strike this balance, to find this perspective.
is the pod cast up from january 18th?