Hope for your financial life and beyond

Feed Your Pleasures and Break the Bank

January 17, 2014 by 10 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #24 - “He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.” - Proverbs 21:17

ID-10035317I’ll bet they really knew how to throw a party in King Solomon’s day.

His reign ushered in the peak of ancient Israel’s wealth and prosperity. Buoyed by the successful reign of his father King David and endowed with special wisdom from God, Solomon’s kingdom produced so much wealth, the Bible has this to say about it in I Kings 10:27:

“The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem…”

How’s that for wealthy? And everyone, rich and poor, was able to benefit.

The rising tide lifted all boats.

So you can see why I think parties were commonplace, especially at the palace. At the minimum they lived in extreme opulence. We know Solomon’s throne was made of gold and overlaid with ivory. That’s pretty sweet.

With all this wealth at his fingertips Solomon could pleasure himself with anything he wanted.

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Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets Series, Spending, Vices Tagged With: , , ,

If You Do Anything This Year, Please Consider Receiving This Gift

January 10, 2014 by 12 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #23 - “…the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23

How are those Christmas gifts working out for you? What level of satisfaction are you receiving from them?

Gifts are awesome! My wife and I just purchased a 100+ yr. old oak pedestal table for our kitchen eating area. We’ve been looking for a larger kitchen table for the family because the six of us were sitting so close we were knocking knees under the old one. Some nights it was just easier for me to eat standing up, plate in hand.

We are already receiving satisfaction from that table. We have physical space so we can breathe now. Our dinners are more relaxed. After only several meals, I can’t imagine eating dinner in the kitchen without it.

While it’s a great gift we’ve given ourselves and does provide a convenience, it’s just a thing.

A possession that won’t last.

An asset that does not fulfill any deep emotional need inside our soul.

People are always looking for assets - something to fill that void in their life.

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

The Value of Repetition - As Witnessed Through My Daughter

December 20, 2013 by 25 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #22 - “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” - Deuteronomy 6:6-7

ID-10057677Repetition is the key to learning.

Repeat things consistently, day in and day out, and patterns will develop that are extremely difficult to break. These patterns could be positive or negative depending on what has been repeated. Either way, they get hard wired into the brain and influence our behavior.

As a parent, I serve as the default pattern developer for my children. They will pick up on what I routinely say and do and begin to express those things in their life (both consciously and subconsciously). Nothing serves to be more encouraging and/or terrifying as seeing your children turn into you.

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Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets Series, Kids and Money Tagged With: , , ,

The Lustful Spending Desires I Routinely Battle

December 13, 2013 by 18 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #21 - “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” - James 1:14

Citizen Eco-DriveWhat consumer products seduce you?

We all have our weaknesses when it comes to spending. There are certain consumer items that routinely tempt us to purchase them. For the longest time I refused to believe that I had an issue giving in to these temptations.

However, I began to notice certain behavior patterns emerging that forced me to admit to the truth. Certain consumer products are very attractive to me and I have to continually fight my spirit’s desire for them.

What Are the Signs of Desire?

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Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets Series, Spending Tagged With: ,

An Open Hand: The Most Powerful Money Visual Ever

December 6, 2013 by 11 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #20 - “…you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need…” - Deuteronomy 15:7-8

money in open handGiving is especially on my mind as we enter the holiday season. I recently talked about why people give for the wrong reasons and how dangerous that can be. I followed that up on Wednesday by describing the five step giving plan my wife and I use to decide where our money goes.

What I’ve realized is that personal finance is all about making intentional and wise decisions with your money. Giving is no different.

Through it all, there has been one common theme related to giving - our attitude.

Several years ago I heard someone speak about our mental attitude in relation to how we view money. This person used a powerful visual that has stuck with me ever since. I’d like to share it with you today because it has revolutionized how I think about money and the opportunities I have to give.

The Open Hand Symbolism

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Filed Under: Faith, Giving, Hidden Nuggets Series Tagged With: , , ,

There’s a Robber Stripping You of Wealth

November 22, 2013 by 18 Comments

Hidden Nuggets #19 - “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; So shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.” - Proverbs 24:33-34 ID-10074458

Robbers are all of a sudden a common topic for my 5-yr. old son. Several weeks ago his well-intentioned 7-yr. old sister informed him that there are people who sometimes come and steal little children away. She’s trying to help him be wary of strangers.

Now all the shadows in his room at night have him worried. A little bit of fear has crept into his mind. He is realizing, perhaps for the first time, the world is not altogether safe and he’s worried about being separated from his family.

However, in his unsettled frame of mind, he is forgetting all the elements we have put in place at our house for his protection. Dead bolt locks on the doors. The monitored security system. Two skeptical dogs that bark at ANYTHING! An equalizer locked in the gun safe.

We’ve taken measures at our home to protect ourselves from thieves. We have also taken measures in our personal lives to protect ourselves from ever experiencing poverty. That’s a place we never plan to go, mostly because we are not letting ourselves become vulnerable to it.

How so? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets Series, Vices, Work Tagged With: , ,

When Passion Meets Weakness

November 19, 2013 by 12 Comments

ID-100206697In yesterday’s post, I made the assertion we should focus on areas of personal strengths, not areas of weakness, when we are looking to better ourselves. That goes against our natural tendency. We usually see areas of weakness as a barrier to excellence. I suggested pouring more time and effort into our strengths, so as to push us past a threshold we’ve been bumping up against, into an elite status of functioning.

I’m sure you are thinking of exceptions to this or asking the question “Is there ever a time when it’s OK to focus on improving a skill you simply don’t have?”

I believe so, if this is the case - when you discover a new passion. Then I could see the logic in starting from the ground up and pursuing that passion with full intensity. This would be all the more appropriate if the newfound passion connected in some way with another segment of your life - like what has happened to me with Luke1428.

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Leadership Tagged With: , ,

The Futility of Being a Well Rounded Person

November 18, 2013 by 19 Comments

a well rounded personI used to think the best way to achieve big-time personal success was to be a well rounded person, with knowledge and skill spanning many different areas. I’d become the Cliff Clavin know-it-all type, the person who could be plugged into any situation to give advice or help facilitate a positive outcome.

By being a well rounded person, jack-of-all-trades type, I would become indispensable and people would flock to me for advice and counsel.

Isn’t this philosophy what our school systems promote through the curriculum track? A student with exceptional talent and designs on a career in science must still take general education classes in English and social studies, perhaps even a foreign language. Those classes serve some but not much purpose in relation to the students desired outcome, which is to meet the requirements for graduation.

This post isn’t about the challenges in the educational system. I’ve been involved in education for 15+ years, so I understand the value of having students touch the various fields of study. We would be doing them a disservice if they didn’t have some basic math or grammar skills by the time they finish school. But how much math does the average graduate really need to be functional in society, especially when it comes to managing their financial life?

They basically need to know how to add and subtract so they can balance a checkbook.

What I’m suggesting here is the notion of being a well rounded person only serves to generate mediocrity. Being a jack-of-all-trades means I’m a master at none. Who wants that? I’d rather work to become awesome in a few things instead of average at many, wouldn’t you?

A Well Rounded Person or Awesome Person?

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Leadership, Lifestyle Tagged With: , , , ,

Fire Brings Out the Best in You

November 15, 2013 by 6 Comments

Hidden Nuggets #18 - “For you, O God, have tested us; you have refined us as silver is refined.” - Psalm 66:10

Metal Casting That silver or gold ring you are wearing didn’t always shine with such brilliance. When those elements were resting in the earth awaiting excavation, they had company - nasty impurities. These would have to be removed before that precious substance could be formed into something worthy enough to be displayed behind showroom glass.

To purify metal we need heat - so much heat that the metal melts. In that state, the impurities loose themselves from the metal and float to the top. The refiner scoops off this dross, leaving only the precious metal. The more refining steps taken, the purer and more valuable the metal becomes.

Insert “life” for “metal” here.

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Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets Series Tagged With: , , ,

Revisiting Why I’m Here at the 200th Post: The Luke1428 Value Proposition

November 11, 2013 by 36 Comments

I didn’t anticipate this journey. Three years ago writing on a blog wasn’t just the last thing on my mind - the thought didn’t even reside in my mind. Blogging was a foreign land I knew nothing about.

Yet, here I am today, almost 18 months and over 143,000 written words into this endeavor, publishing my 200th post. In that time span, there have been many personal finance blogs that have pumped out more content on their sites than I have on mine. I’m not jealous of that fact but rather feel exceptionally pleased with my progress, considering I’ve been doing this part time.

I still have a lengthy road ahead though to become an awesome blogger. That’s my goal. I consider today’s post a valuable step in that direction.

Humble and Clueless Beginnings

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Filed Under: Blogging, Faith Tagged With: , , , ,

Stealing From Your Employer

November 8, 2013 by 14 Comments

Hidden Nuggets #17 - “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” - Ephesians 4:28

stealing from your employer

You gonna pay for that?

Your employer needs your hard work to benefit the company.

That’s why they hired you. The company was looking to fill a void so it could make a profit. Something about you stood out. Match made in heaven.

They believed in you…trained you…even facilitated your success by assigning tasks that would maximize your skills.

So why are you repaying that generosity by stealing from your employer?

Stealing From Your Employer Actions

“What? Me? I would never think about stealing from my employer.”

Most wouldn’t. But before you dismiss the question, have you ever done these things at work:

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Filed Under: Hidden Nuggets Series, Vices Tagged With: , , ,