Notes to Self, Part 3

(Cont'd from Part 2)

Money:

1. It isn't ours. We are just the stewards.
   
2. The best place to find some is from work. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-8)
   
3. The best place to lose it is while not at work. (2 and 3 seem like "small shovels" until you realize that work is the single largest wealth building tool in the arsenal…)
   
4. The best way to keep it is with a real budget – Internet banking does not count, but it can help.
   
5. The budget will not work if you don't work it out together, you, your money and your honey.
   
6. The best way to invest it is to put it somewhere that you can't get to it and you can forget about it for more than five years at a time.
   
7. Take at least a day to pray, and to talk to your honey before making a large purchase.
   
8. That said, "Debt is DUMB." Don't argue with anyone about this until you have watch the Dave video about new cars... (Click here or see the link in the side bar...) Then, think about the big bank buildings, their fancy furniture and shiny floors... Hmmm?
   
9. Jesus talks a lot about money in the Bible, so pay attention.
   
10. I put some of my favorite links for money, etc. on the blog... Browse around in them to get a little more interesting stuff.
    

A little more commentary: Things that I learned from Dave

1. "If you can't pay cash for it, then you can't afford it." This is hard at first. While you can't afford anything that doesn't fit on your budget, there is never a time that it is justifiable to use "Other People's Money (OPM)" for "things."
   

   James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

2. "The blessings of God do not come with strings attached." If He wants His kids to have something good, then He will find a way to bless them with it.
   

3. "The budget is great for getting control of your finances." "Your money, on paper, on purpose, every dollar has a name." For the first few months, we kind of struggled to get this to work. I would even say that it was hard for me from time to time to stay on it for the first year, perhaps. But once we could see the progress that we had made over time, we became more motivated and the budgeting has really gotten to be a great tool.
   
4. Money can tear your marriage apart, or it can be a great exercise in teamwork. I would tell anyone that doing the Dave Plan (Baby Steps) was the best thing that happened in our marriage since the wedding!

Things I learned about money from Scripture:

1. The borrower is slave to the lender.
   (Proverbs 22:7)
   
2. Money can be a great tool or a terrible master.
   

   Luk 18:18-23 And a ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (19) And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. (20) You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'" (21) And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth." (22) When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (23) But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
   

3. Things and Stuff aren't all that shiny on day two.
   

   Mat 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
   

Finally: If there is anything that can seperate the believer from the clear principles in Scripture, it is the allure of Money, Things and Stuff. If you get nothing else from my own lessons, get this one down. Life full of money issues is empty of God, who wants a relationship with you.

Life filled with God is fulfilling. Money, things, stuff and places are empty without Him.

I thank God for the Biblical teachers about this, and I only wish that I had listened earlier... Sometimes we are hard-headed and have to bang ourselves up a bit before we'll listen, a terrible trait, I know; and one that will cost me for the rest of my life - no exxageration.

Notes to Self, Part 2

Ahh yes, the first Monday of the week. Let the coffee, tea or Pepsi warm you up along with a personal top-ten quick auto-version of Notes to Self...

Cars:

1. Check the spare tire inflation now and then.
   
2. Check the oil.
   
3. Change the oil.
   
4. Check the fuel. Add fuel when the gauge gets to "E". (A little honesty never hurt anyone, right?)
   
5. Chain saw gas actually will work in a pinch. (I did this and it beats walking!)
   
6. Pack your chain saw about nine months out of the year if driving down Dufort to go to work. Wind, thunderstorms and snow can trap you with trees in the road on one or both sides of your car. I haven't figured out the powerline thing yet though. They look a little too zippy, dancing all around like that...
   
7. Check the tires for inflation and wear. Even one of the Presidential candidates recommends this.
   
8. Wash the windshield. I recommend "Invisible Glass" from Stoner. Seriously the best cleaner I have ever seen for auto glass - Your eyes will thank you in the glaring sun and the oncoming headlights...
   
9. A trustworthy and reasonable mechanic is worth his weight in autos. These days the electronics are just downright fickle…
   
10. Last, but not least, don't let your car own you. Be sure to check out this video – you might be glad you did!
    

Notes to Self, Part 1 of ?

Remember the old Saturday Night Live bit with Norm? His anchorman character would give some piece of "news" at the end of which he would pull out a mini tape recorder (yes, it was the height of technology) and start a pithy line with "Note to self…"

There are a few times where I think it would be great to have a "note to self" before I learn just how important it is. Like when you realized that you just sighed deeply (not romantically) while your wife is telling you about something about something that matters. Of course about the time you notice your own sigh yourself, she has stopped mid-sentence, eyes narrowing, one eyebrow raising, inquisitively… Is "inquisitively" the right term? Well, I haven't had this happen, but I know people who have, and lived to tell about it… …umm… …later.

Or, how about that time you were a bit low on time getting to work, found that one tire was low on air, and then found out that the spare was flat too? Me either, but now you have your own note to self, "Check the air in the spare now and then." See, that was easy, and now you won't be late for work.

Check out my growing list and see if you can add some notes of your own?

Wife:

1. Call her sometimes from work. She thinks that you are forgetful for some reason… It also has the benefit of having a hot meal about the time you walk in the door.
   


2. Call her sometimes when not at work. Ditto of #1.
   


3. Call her sometimes when nowhere near a phone. (She will call someone else's phone until she finds someone who knows where you are otherwise…)
   


4. Hug her when you think about it. Maybe when you don't. She usually likes this, except when you haven't called from somewhere all day. Then you had better wait a little while.
   


5. Three little words: "I love you." You know this, she knows this, but she wants you to say it out loud sometimes.
   

Kids:

1. Give lots of hugs and wrestle them around a bit. The hugs are a good stress reducing activity for the Dad and the wrestling will get the kids all riled up and happy. The happiness and hyper-ness will wear them out for bed, but the biggest benefit is that Mom gets a minute to herself (albeit permeated with shrieks and wails of wrestling kiddos), which is a well-deserved stress-relief for her.
   


2. Ask them about what they did today. This will have varying degrees of response. My youngest doesn't speak very much English yet, but she understands that Daddy and I are having a talk right now. The jibberish is really quite interesting though.
   


3. Put them to bed at the same time every day. No humor here. It works. Routine is your best friend.
   


4. Pray with them and let them pray too. I think God listens extra well to the little ones, and it makes me smile when they thank God for every little thing that is visible in the room.
   

More to come… Money, Houses, Cars and Gardens! Add your thoughts and I will post the best ones later!

Cheers for now…