Hope for your financial life and beyond

Consider the Ant in Your Definition of Work Ethic (Proverbs 6:6)

March 13, 2015 by 14 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #78 - “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise…” - Proverbs 6:6

consider the antDo you know any sluggards? That’s a term rarely used in our world today. The first thing I think of when hearing that word are creeping, slimy slugs.

You could easily identify what a sluggard is though if I gave you some synonyms. How do these words grab you - lazy, sluggish, loafer, slacker, and couch potato. Get the picture now?

The Bible has a lot to say about the lazy. This passage in Proverbs 6 may be the best known of them all. I think mostly because it tells us to consider the ant - an animal we hardly ever pay attention to.

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On Being Embarrassed By But Secretly Admiring Street Preachers

February 27, 2015 by 6 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #76 - “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…” Philippians 1:18

(This story has nothing to do with personal finance. But last summer God taught me a lesson about questioning the motives and tactics of those who preach his Word. It’s not up to me to be their judge. Here’s how I learned that…)

“Hooo!”

street preacher The booming cry cracked the calm Saturday afternoon air as my family and I stood in line at Great American Ballpark. Startled, I turn to see if I have been transported through time and space into an episode of Thundercats. Nope, don’t see Lion-O’s cat signal in the sky.

“Good afternoon everyone!”

The piercing voice continues to be projected over our heads. Where is it coming from? Who dares disrupt our anticipation of afternoon baseball?

I peered through some bystanders to see the originator of the voice standing on a grassy knoll. My eyebrows squinted with curiosity. A flushed face and drooping shoulders of embarrassment quickly replaced my curious gaze. For in his left hand held proudly forward was a Bible.

Street preacher. Oh, boy…here we go.

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It’s Hard to Love the Unlovable (Luke 6:35)

February 13, 2015 by 6 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #75 - “But love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great…” - Luke 6:35

love the unlovableI can easily love my wife.

My kids…no problem

Those who treat me well…check.

Showing affection towards and giving to them is not difficult. I would sacrifice much if any of these were in need, without hoping for or expecting anything in return.

I expect those in Jesus’ day felt much the same way. So it must have shocked their system when Jesus explained they were to love their enemies. Can’t you imagine the expressions? Love the unlovable?

It doesn’t take much imagination because the statement makes me squeamish some 2,000 years after he said it. When I consider the ramifications of how I’m to love the unlovable - in other words those who hate me…or persecute me…or take advantage of me…or show little respect for me - well, I’m left feeling unable to answer the calling.

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Man Shall Not Live By Bread Alone (Matthew 4:4)

January 30, 2015 by 6 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #74 - “But he [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘ Man shall not live by bread alone , but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4

man shall not live by bread aloneMan shall not live by bread alone. You may have heard that phrase once in your life and wondered where it came from. Well it was Jesus quoting a passage from the Old Testament of the Bible in response to a pretty serious temptation.

The Bible tells us that before Jesus’ ministry began he went into the wilderness to pray and fast for forty days. After 40 days had passed the Bible says that “the tempter” (i.e. Satan) came to - well, tempt Jesus. And right off the bat Satan hit Jesus with his most pressing need - physical nourishment.

He goaded Jesus by saying,

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This One Thing You Lack to Have Treasure In Heaven

January 23, 2015 by 5 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #73 - “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” - Mark 10:21

treasure in heavenWe all have things that hold us back.

Things we can’t shake.

Things we don’t want to give up.

Things we love that bring us pleasure.

We’ve crossed a line when our love for and desire for such things keeps us from moving forward (or toward) to better things. We miss out on the prospects for a better future because we are latched onto the passions of the present.

To often the main culprit here is money and our desire for more.

Jesus and a Rich Young Man

One day Jesus was out teaching and a rich young man of some ruling stature came to him. The man knelt before Jesus and asked him a simple question,

“Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

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Launching This Year May Lead to Your Greatest Catch

January 16, 2015 by 6 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #72 - “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” - Luke 5:4

fisherman casting a netThe shallow, clear blue waters of the Caribbean are so inviting. In them you can wade a great distance from shore and never feel uncomfortable. Every step is sure because you are only in up to your knees and all obstacles can be avoided because you can clearly see the ocean floor.

Were you to wade out into deep waters however, the feeling of security would clearly change.

Deep waters are scary.

They are expansive and wide.

There are unseen objects in the deep.

There is little light to manage the obstacles.

Yet there can be great reward in launching into something big…something challenging…something overwhelming…something fraught with uncertainty.

Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples learned this on one occasion. After a night of fishing without catching a thing, Jesus asked him to launch his boat one more time and let down his net. After some mild complaining, Peter reluctantly obeyed.

The Result of Peter’s Launch

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32 Billion In Est. Profits: The Amount Generated by Human Trafficking

January 9, 2015 by 9 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #71 - “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.” - Proverbs 31:8-9

boys carrying logs on train trackEach year I download a free calendar template from Microsoft to schedule my blog posts. I’ve found it really helps me plan ahead and keeps me focused on finishing my content. Nothing says “Get er done!” like an open publish date on a calendar for which you have not yet written a post.

The template comes coded with special dates highlighted each month. There are the obvious ones like all your major holidays. But they also include “awareness days” like International Woman’s Day (Mar. 8th), International Picnic Day (Jun. 18th), International Left-Handers Day (Aug. 13th) and World Vegetarian Day (Oct. 1st). Curious how nobody cares about men like me who like to eat steak with our right hand at the dining room table.

Those are fun awareness days to be sure but one day stood out to me as taking on a more serious tone. January 11th is Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Human Trafficking: A Global Problem

I don’t want to come off in this post as someone who routinely has championed for the victims of human trafficking. I’ve never taken up the cause even though I’ve been generally aware that it’s an issue that impacts certain parts of the world more than others. But that little tickler posted on Jan. 11th in my calendar template got me looking into the issue a bit. I can’t help but tell you I was surprised at the depth of the problem.

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Your Do-Over Moment Is and Isn’t a Big Deal

January 2, 2015 by 8 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #70 - “Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.'” - Genesis 12:1

sign reading "now is the time to start"The clock has turned on 2015 and once again a new year stares us in the face. Some relish this flipping of the calendar in anticipation of all that awaits them in the future. For others who experienced failure and multiple setbacks in the past year it’s simply a reminder they’ll have to start over. And lets face it, starting over is never easy to do.

Starting over is a big deal. However, sometimes we make it too big a deal. We get so worked up about the prospects of having to start from scratch that we can’t function. Our fear, worry and uncertainty about beginning again actually serves to hold us back. We get more overwhelmed than we probably should.

You may think your “starting-over moment” is the biggest deal in the world. I got news for you…it isn’t. We’ve all had a do-over moment where we swiped everything off the table and started with a clean slate.

But it’s fair to say your starting over moment is a big deal to you and well it should be. It’s your life. Just don’t become overwhelmed by the magnitude of it, believe you won’t succeed with it or that nobody understands what you are facing. Many have gone before you who had to start over and reaped rewards from their new life.

Bible Characters Who Faced Big Starting Over Challenges

I draw great encouragement on this issue in the pages of the Bible. We sometimes view the lives of Bible characters as working out perfectly when in reality they did not. They all faced the same life issues you and I do and were required to start over at some point. Consider these life issues and the people they impacted:

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Pushing Against Evil: I Have My Basketball Goal Back!

December 19, 2014 by 17 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #68: “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” - Psalm 94:16

Superman fighting Lex LuthorSeveral weeks ago I wrote about being robbed and how we were dealing with the theft of a portable basketball goal at our house. After some investigation on my own, I discovered that the neighborhood kids in the subdivision behind ours took the goal and had placed it in their subdivision’s park area. The big complication to the whole situation was that the subdivision directly behind ours is in another county.

Because I didn’t have proof like a model number for the goal or any personal identifying marks inscribed on it, our local police would not cross jurisdictions to retrieve the stolen property. So we were left frustrated about what to do.

In the end we felt resigned to let the issue rest. It seemed dangerous to retrieve the goal ourselves in that it might incite the teens to take some further action against us. The wise course of action was to just chalk this up as one of those unfortunate life situations that you are forced to stomach.

Before we closed the book on the case though, we had one last route to consider (which some commenters here suggested). Now I’m glad we decided to push back just a little bit more.

How We Got Our Goal Back

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My Go To Bible Verse When I Worry About Money (or anything really)

December 12, 2014 by 11 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #67 - “…tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” - Matthew 6:34

worry about moneyIf there is one thing I’ve discovered while monitoring my own finances through the years it’s this - the future is friends with worry. It’s inevitable - at some point I will worry about money.

I think a lot of you are right there with me…worrying about money for retirement…worrying about how to budget for the monthly bills…worrying about career options, housing options, how to pay for college, and having enough to buy those Christmas presents. If we are not careful we end up exhausting ourselves when we worry about money.

Worry seems like a selfish act in that it places the whole burden on me. I’m the only one that can make it happen. I have to manage all the details. I need foresight into all the external factors that may arise so that I can juggle my decisions to achieve the desired outcome.

In reality, there is someone in my corner who knows my needs far better than I. And I can rest my worry about money (and all things really) at His feet.

Comforting Words When You Worry About Money

My go to Bible verse when I start to worry about money is actually a series of verses. In the midst of perhaps his greatest sermon, Jesus challenges worriers with these words in Matthew 6:25-34:

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Filed Under: God's Provision, Hidden Nuggets Series, Vices Tagged With: , ,

The Hidden Issue Behind the Best-Laid Plans

December 5, 2014 by 7 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #66 - “…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away…” - James 4:14

“Mary, I know what I’m going to do tomorrow and the next day and next year and the year after that. I’m shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I’m going to see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Coliseum…then I’m coming back here and go to college and see what they know, and then I’m going to build things…”

george bailey and mary hatchSounds like this man is going to have a wonderful life. His path is clear. His steps are ordered in sequence. His vision is grand.

Yet, the movie character George Bailey never saw how life might disrupt his best-laid plans. He wasn’t anticipating any curveballs, like the impending tragedy coming to his family…that he’d take over the Building and Loan…that he’d give his college money to his brother Harry…that Harry wouldn’t want to take George’s place at the building and loan…that he’d marry Mary…that he’d use his honeymoon money to solve an economic crisis…that he’d face personal financial ruin over no fault of his own.

Funny how life chews up our plans, spits them out and declares, “Take that!”

George didn’t accomplish any of the dreams hatched in his young adult mind. But that doesn’t mean he never should have planned. Planning is vital for success. Maybe he could have been less arrogant though by understanding who it is that really orders our path. That’s the hidden issue behind our plans…they are subject to the one who knows what the future holds.

A Better Perspective on Planning

In the Bible, these words from the apostle James bear this idea out,

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