Is Using Debt for Purchases an Option according to Scripture?

I want to open scripture to answer this.

Ephesians 5:15 says “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise”

I honestly think scripture has some of the smartest, most practical advice you can get. It does not matter if you are a Christ Follower or not, we all want to live and make decisions wisely.

If you follow scripture according to your life we are to live as wise people.  In regards to money – If you cannot pay for something, do not get it.  This is a simple statement that many would agree with as wise.  I don’t care what it is, if it is not a basic necessity and you cannot pay for it…don’t get it.  This is what I call wisdom.

How did we come to the conclusion that using debt for things was a viable decision ?

You might be asking yourself, why I condone a home mortgage then.  Here’s the difference, debt on an asset appreciating is not unwise therefore not in contradiction the above scripture.  You can literally sell your house at any point and not have the mortgage any longer.  When you go out to eat 3 times a week on your credit card there is nothing left to sell and nothing is appreciating.  That is the important difference.

Just wanted to share some thoughts on this today.

Lessons from Celebrity Apprentice

Okay, I do like this show.  And no I do not think there are many lessons to be learned from it however I watched an episode last night with my wife and it got me thinking.

First, let me give you a little background on me…I’m a people watcher.  When I go to chick-fil-a, I like to see how people interact.  I like to see how parents deal with their kids.  People are just fascinating.  My sister and I used to people watch and make up a grand stories that encompasses each person’s life.  Mainly this was entertaining but also was interesting cause everyone has a story.

I’m continuing on a side tangent but thats okay.  To add to this, whenever I am standing in line at a grocery store and I see an US Weekly, I always pick it up.  I go straight to the “Stars they’re just like us section.”  It always makes me laugh because it will usually have a picture of Brad Pitt pumping his gas with a caption “Stars pump their own gas.”

Here’s what I am getting to…I think the reason why I am so fascinated with all things people is because I am a person too.  I know, amazing revelation huh.

But seriously, I relate to everyone in some way.  I learn something about me by learning from others.

That brings me to last night’s celebrity apprentice.  There was a scene where Dennis Rodman (who for the most part seems like a normal laid back guy) exploded for no reason whatsoever, that was actually a misunderstanding.  He blamed circumstances that were around him and allowed them to cause him to disregard the things that he could control.

This was the scene that NBC pumped up on the commercials because it was so explosive.  But what I actually thought was, “I’ve been there before.”  I (and likely many others) have allowed circumstances that I could not control, effect my whole mental state rather than realize and focus on what I could control.

Case and point.  We are in a financial crisis.  Everyone is pointing blame if they are in a financial mess.  This is a true statement.  There are things that have negatively affected us that were outside of our control.  However, let’s talk about the things we could have controlled.  Were we on a budget?  Did we spend less than we made?  If we did then we wouldn’t have credit card and car debt.

Yes, I know there are exceptions to the above statement, but after being involved in this area of ministry I have found that those exceptions are rare.   It is likely that at some point, we have allowed selfishness and the desire to acquire stuff take over.

This was a good reminder to me last night that I (like Dennis Rodman) get caught up on things I can’t control and many times disregard the things that I can.

Husbands take the Lead

Take a look at Ephesians 5:25-28

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

I wanted to share some fresh bread.  Husbands you are responsible to lead your wife spiritually.  You are accountable to God for this.  He will ask you what you did to nurture and teach and lead your wife spiritually.

I always knew this but for some reason it did not hit me til recently.  I’m still in year 1 of marriage so I am learning completely new stuff all the time.  However, if I could spur on brothers who are married, who are in the same boat as me, I want this realization of Ephesians 4 to sink in.

You may be asking, “where is the financial nugget?”  It’s there.  This next statement may come as a surprise.  But in a way, I want us to be less financially focused and more focused on the things that matter.  Here’s why…when we prioritize and focus on the things that are of most important, I think we actually handle our money better when we realize it is not as important as other things such as the calling to lead your wife spiritually.

Suddenly,  that MLB Season Ticket television package for $169.99 isn’t as important to you (i.e. fresh bread eh…)

March Madness is HERE

What have I learned from March Madness?  It is a tool.

No, not in that insulting sort of way that you called people in middle school.  It is a good tool that can be used.

I have learned that sports honestly do not matter.  It is sad for me to say this because I love them so much, but they do not.  However, they can be used as tools to connect people.  This is important in our lives because especially today, it is so easy for all of us to mutually leave work at the same time, go sit on our couch the same, watch the same television channels, and all doing it in different houses on the same street.

Oh and to top it all off, most Americans will consider themselves “lonely.”

I hope this isn’t the case but I know it is for many.

So use March Madness as a tool.  Even if its just for the next 4 days (best 4 days in sports might I add) use March Madness this year and go mutually watch it with people you want to build relationships with.

March Madness is a “thing.”  In the same way our house, our tvs, our boat, are all things.   However, when you use it as tools it actually becomes beneficial rather than wasteful.  Use all your resources to impact the Kingdom of God, not just 10%.

Ideas for Being an Adult

As I have gotten older I realized something.  Nothing magical happens that changes you from being a kid to being an adult.  Just one day you realize “oh wait, I’m an adult.”

I know this sounds odd  but it is true.  Yes, maturity does change and physically you change but unless you are intentional to “acting like an adult” you really won’t.  I realize this with friends in my stage of life, some are adults, some are not…even if they are the same age.

Regardless, for those who are learning how to be an adult (like me) I have some ideas that may be helpful.

Organization is key (there is not one way to be organized)…organized does not mean boring.  It can even be outside the box and creative.  Its more knowing where your stuff is, knowing the condition of your money, if you get an important piece of mail you know where to put it so it doesn’t get lost, etc.

I have included a few things that have helped me:

• Wall Calender - I love this thing.  People ask me what century am I from…but it works for me and I can see everything coming up.  Try it if it sparked interest.
• Make Lists -  I am list maker (not everyone is).  I make a new list EVERYDAY with what I have to do and what I have going on.  I need to write them down so that I can push it out of my head and not try to strain to keep them in. If I did not write them down I would still make lists but they would be crammed in my head and I would involuntarily be using energy to constantly remember it.
• Cross of things that you decided to NOT do – With my lists, every couple weeks, I will re-evaluate what is on them and find some things that I thought would be a good idea at the time but in actuality wasn’t really pertinent or necessary. Crossing stuff off lists is a catalyst to getting more done.
• Keep e-mails to 5 sentences or less – Sometimes, it takes me absolutely for-ever to write an e-mail. People in general do not like long e-mails. Give the people what they want. Write shorter e-mails, and make what you are saying more concise.
• When you are in a slump, free write – This sounds dumb but it isn’t. When your brain is in a rut and your brain doesn’t compute things that it normally would take 10 minutes and STOP. Take a piece of paper and a pen, go to a quiet place, and free write for 10 minutes. Make lists. Mind map. Free ideas. Rant. Write down whatever comes to mind to get your juices flowing. This is a healthy exercise to just get what is in your head out, and put it on paper.

Hopefully those are some helpful things to make you a productive healthy adult today.

1 Date Night…1/2 the Price

Okay, the Kakaras Family went on a date night the other week utilizing this amazing deal.

If you like Ruby Tuesday, it is a buy one entree get a 2nd entree free deal.  It ends next week so make sure you use it while you can.  May I recommend the chicken senora pasta…delicious.

Click Here for the printable coupon.

Have Fun!

Lessons from the Big Move…

It is official, the Kakaras Family can call themselves homeowners now.  Friday was a smooth closing and the people we purchased our house from were wonderful.  We got their cell phone number if we ever have questions and I thought this was a very nice gesture.

We might need to take them up on the offer because there are switches that I have no idea what they are turning on and off!

Needless to say, after closing we had a busy busy weekend.   Let me first say that friends and family that helped were AMAZING.  It literally took approximately 15-20 minutes to load the Uhaul, then another 15-20 to unload it (and we filled up the biggest truck Uhaul had).  I was so pleased when people would come up to me at later points after the move and say in an excited tone that they only had to take like 4 trips.  It was a major goal of mine to make sure that this was not a burden on people that were helping.

Moving is normally a painful process, however, I can honestly say this was easy.  It was 100% thanks to amazing friends and family.  Anyone that has a move coming up I strongly recommend to use this system:

1.) Pack EVERYTHING you own in boxes and mark what room its going into for the new house

2.) Contact your closest friends and family to help

3.) Rent Uhaul and attack your stuff like a crash of rhinos (thats the plural of rhino isn’t that cool???)

4.) Give everyone chicken biscuits

5.) Return the favor when they have to move 

We ended up having about 30 people show up before the day was out and the crazy thing is, many stayed to help us unpack too.  I walked around my house this morning in shock that everything was put away.

Friends and family are powerful…doing life together is better than doing it alone.  

A nugget you can take from this:

Moving day was a success, but the way it was made possible was by having a plan.  We had specific projects & people move things on Friday (after closing) and has the big move & different people lined up to help on Saturday.  It was minimal effort of planning for a great gain.  In your financial life, rather than putting in 0 minutes of effort…put in 5 or 10 minutes and this will make your financial life that much easier.  We are called to be good stewards and know our financial condition (keep track of your money).

Anway, thank you again to everyone that helped.