Basically FNBO Direct held a competition asking you to make a 60 second video explaining what you were saving for and what obstacles you were facing.
I got my film-making buddy and we got to work…
By being selected as a semi-finalist I won $500 (which I am going to split with my buddy of course) and now I have to fill out some forms and do an interview to see if I make it as a finalist. The top 5 finalists will get their savings matched (up to $5000) over the next 7 months.
I will let everyone know if I make it as a finalist!
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It is kind of like becoming a tree
I was staring at a tree the other day just day-dreaming and kind of worrying about how long it was taking to get answers to prayer for a few issues in my life. I was reminded of…
Psalm 1:1-3
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
In my case I have been diligently trying not to “walk in the counsel of the wicked,” and it seems to be making my answers to prayer take even longer. I have been earnestly trying to do things the right way, knowing full well that by cutting a few corners or compromising my values I could make the answers appear faster. The major difference being that I can get mediocre answers doing it my way or the fruit God promises by doing it His way.
The pre-requisite for our fruit bearing from Psalm 1 is that we:
- Do things God’s way
- Stay in the Word
If we do these two things we have the promise that whatever we do will prosper and that we WILL bear fruit IN OUR SEASON.
Trees grow slowly
As I was staring at this tree I began to realize that trees grow slowly. You plant a seed for a tree and it takes a while to sprout and takes a while to grow to a decent size.
Grass and even plants, on the other hand, grow a lot faster. They sprout up quickly and sometimes you can even notice growth one day to the next. I have been enjoying watching this rapid growth with all of the plants in my vegetable garden.
Grass grows fast
Then it kind of hit me that God wants to make me “like a tree.” He isn’t interested in seeing rapid growth that will not make it to the next season and is ultimately unsustainable. A tree, though it grows slowly, becomes a lot more sturdy and is able to withstand challenges that grass and plants can’t.
I am reminded of a storm we recently had that snapped my tomato plant right in half. The plant had grown to about 2.5 feet in a matter of months and was not strong enough to survive when the winds came. God wants to make us strong and sturdy to withstand the storms in our lives.
Psalm 92:7
“That when the wicked sprouted up like grass and all who did iniquity flourished, it was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”
Psalm 92:12
“The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, he will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”
Trees yield more fruit
I am excited about the tomatoes that my plants will produce this summer, but even the best tomato plant would be lucky to produce 40 lbs of tomatoes in a season. But older mature trees can produce over 1000 lbs in a season.
The downside, of course, is that trees don’t bear fruit 3 months after you plant them like many vegetable plants will. Some trees will take a few years or even longer to bear fruit. I remember the frustration I had with this when I wanted apples from a new tree and learned that I may have to wait a while.
Patience seems to be a rare virtue in our society these days, but it is one that we ought to develop. God seems to like taking the long road with a lot of things and as I begin to see the reason behind it, it causes me to say, “huh, God really is smarter than I am.” 
Trying to be a tree
It’s tough watching the grass sprout up all around you and seeing others bearing fruit when you have been faithfully doing what is right, but we must not be short-sighted. We need to try to look at these things the way God sees them.
Though the tomato plants around us may be popping out some fruit, while we seem to wonder what is taking so long, our day will come. God is doing a work and creating something in us that will be around long after the grass has come and gone.
Galatians 6:9 (AMP)
“And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”
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This is a reprint of an article I wrote for GetRichSlowly a week ago…
John D. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil company back in 1862. He was also the first to become a billionaire, and was one of the richest men to ever live. I am sure many people today wish they could have walked in his shoes. If, somehow they could, I think some would find it to be eye-opening.
How could I possibly be richer than John D. Rockefeller?
With as wealthy as he was, he could have had anything that money could buy. But what a few hundred dollars may buy today, couldn’t be bought with millions 150 years ago.
Today, we have central heating and air conditioning, cars, planes, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, iPods, and millions of other gadgets. Even Rockefeller in his day couldn’t buy air conditioning. Maybe he had 15 people fanning him on a hot summer’s day (because he could afford it), but I would rather have air conditioning. He probably had chauffeurs to take him by horse and buggy all around town, but I would much rather be riding in a 10 year old Chevy. Wouldn’t you?
So, if we change the way we think of “wealth” and consider our standard of living and compare it to Rockefeller’s - I would say we are doing pretty good. In fact, I would go as far to say the majority of the U.S. lives an all-around more “comfortable” life than Rockefeller did. Who then, is actually richer?
How much does it take to be happy?
I have heard that if your household annual income is over $50,000, then you are in the top 1% richest in the world. (Find out with this tool)And if we can agree that most of us are living a more comfortable life than a billionaire at the turn of the 20th century, then shouldn’t we be content with what we have?
Should the fact that someone is living a more comfortable life than we are make us less comfortable? Or couldn’t we be satisfied knowing that we live a more comfortable life than 99% of the world or than the richest man 150 years ago?
And maybe we aren’t complaining - maybe we are just using our credit cards instead? Do we really need all the junk we are buying or are we forgetting how good we actually have it?
Why not keep up with the Joneses?
So, what is the point with all this? Why spend energy trying to be grateful for the things we have? Why not just try to keep up with the Joneses?
- Life is far more enjoyable when you are grateful. Grateful people divert their energy to seeing the good things they have been given rather than focusing on what they don’t have. This alone makes them much happier and far more enjoyable to be around.
- You can save a lot of money. When you are thankful that you have a car rather than having to ride the bus everyday, it makes it a lot easier to break the habit of buying a new car every year. This can apply to anything - HDTV is great, but so is COLOR TV. Remember when that was the new break-through technology?
- Forgetting about the Joneses can set you free. Doing things to impress and appease other people is a dangerous trap. So many people voluntarily become “puppets” to those they are trying to impress - trading control of their lives for temporary social approval. Having been enslaved by it for years, I suggest forgetting about what the Joneses think. They are overrated anyway.
- You can actually ENJOY the things you have. Everything loses a bit of its appeal as we get used to it. From a new pair of shoes, a brand new car, a spouse, or anything else - they are all exciting while we are anticipating them. But, once we have them for a while, they just aren’t as exciting as they once were. By genuinely appreciating it and focusing on the benefits of it rather than the “greener grass” elsewhere we can truly enjoy what we have.
“It’s not having what you want, It’s wanting what you’ve got.” -Sheryl Crow
I don’t say all this to suggest that we all should live like we are hovering around the poverty line. But, merely to suggest that maybe, just maybe we have it a little bit better than we think.
Regardless, whether you have 60″ HDTV and new BMW or a 19″ Sanyo and a 10 year old Chevy - be grateful. After all, either way Rockefeller would be jealous.
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This famous parable that Jesus used has a lot to teach us about our money if we let it. Below is the parable and a few of my thoughts about it…
Matthew 25:14-30
For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Stewards are required to take risks
It is interesting to me how upset the master got with the steward who took no risks. The other two stewards did take risks and reaped the rewards. I often wonder why the parable didn’t contain a steward who lost some of the investment. But either way, I think we are led to believe that the primary frustration of the master was that the steward was lazy and didn’t even try.
He was called a, “wicked and lazy slave.” My take on this is that he was more frustrated with his laziness than his lack of production. The steward didn’t even put the talents in the bank to gain interest. The passage states that the master gave to each of them according to their ability. So, I think we can assume that the steward with one talent did have some ability, or else he wouldn’t have given him any.
If he did indeed have some ability to manage money, even with the smallest amount of ability he would have known that earning small interest at the bank is better than burying it!
I liken this to having a Vet watch your dog for the weekend and not feed it. Most everyone knows that you should feed a dog at least daily, but especially a vet. It is their profession - the thing they are skilled at doing and are entrusted to do.
So, the extreme amount of laziness this steward had to not at least put the talent in the bank, coupled with the fact that he let fear paralyze him from doing what he was expected to do infuriated the master.
The parable is speaking of money, but this can also be applied to the gifts and skills that God has entrusted us with. If I refuse to step out in a gift or skill that God has given me because I am afraid or lazy, I may be behaving the same way as the steward with one talent.
Luke 12:48
“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Don’t compare yourself to others
The master in the parable didn’t give each steward the same amount. They all started with different amounts, not much different than this game of life that we are all in. Some people start with a lot, some with a little. But we are all judged based on what we did with what we had, rather than what we ended up with.
The great thing about this is that our success is not based on what people may think about us. God knows what He gave us to work with and He will see what we do with it. So, it doesn’t matter whether other people think you are a success or a failure - God’s definition of success is often quite different than man’s.
The master gave them each “according to their ability.” He knew a bit about their faithfulness and how likely they were to increase their talents. Turns out he delegated wisely.
Our money is not our own
We enter into the world with nothing and we leave with nothing.
One of the first lessons that I learned a few years ago that really changed the way I thought about money was that none of it is mine. It is all God’s. I have the privilege and opportunity to be a steward of what He has given me.
Once I began looking at my money this way, it changed my whole financial outlook and helped me to be more focused on pleasing God with the money entrusted to me.
Even if we spent our lives and ignored our responsibility as stewards, we still can’t take any of it with us. We might as well try to better the lives of those around us and store up treasure in heaven rather than down here.
What did you learn from the parable of the talents?
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I just visited an old friend of mine last weekend and we talked quite a bit about money and God. It was eye-opening for me to talk to someone who had a completely different mindset on money than I did. He has been on the opposite extreme of the American way of living extravagantly off of credit cards.
He hasn’t had a penny of debt, was very wise with his money, but had a distorted view of how much it takes to survive. He grew up in a wealthy household. And many people, including myself, would assume that concerns about money would not have existed, but we would be wrong.
They lived debt-free and had a ton in the bank, but as he told me concerns about running out of money were a very real issue. This was difficult for me to imagine having grown up with a lot less.
The balance point
I was excited to see that my friend has made a lot of progress to getting a clearer view on what it takes to live and provide for your family.
The whole weekend just made me wonder about this difficult to reach balance point. A point where we realize that money is only a tool, that God is our provider, that we have to be able to say NO to ourselves, but also have to be able to say YES.
As Solomon talked about in Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything. There is a time to tell yourself, “no, you don’t need that,” and there is a time to give money and to spend money. What else is it good for?
There is a balanced point where we can all live. Where we rest in knowing that God is going to take care of us like the wonderful Father that He is.
Technorati Tags: money and God
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Could you build a life with nothing but $25?
I found an interesting article about a young college grad who decided to try an interesting social experiment: starting over with nothing.
Adam Shepard left his comfortable existence to see if the “American Dream” was a reality. His goal was to go from owning nothing but $25 and a gym bag to having a furnished apartment, a car, and $2,500 in savings within a year.
He lived in homeless shelters and looked for jobs without using his background experience as an aid.
After 10 months he had moved into an apartment, bought a pickup truck, and had saved close to $5,000.
You can read more about Adam’s story here.
What I love so much about this story is…
- that it is evidence that people can turn their lives around. We are not stuck in our circumstances.
- We can survive and even (dare I say) enjoy life on a whole lot less than we have now. Check out this quote from Adam about the experience…
Becoming a mover and living in a homeless shelter – that hadn’t been part of your life before. How much did your lifestyle actually change?
Shepard: It changed dramatically. There were simple luxuries that I didn’t afford myself. I had to make sacrifices to achieve the goals that I set out. One of those was eating out. I didn’t have a cellphone. Especially in this day and age, that was a dramatic change for me…. I was getting by on chicken and Rice-A-Roni dinner and was happy. That’s what I learned … we lived [simply], but still we were happy.
These are a few other interesting articles I found this week…
25 Questions to Think About Before Your Next Job Interview via The Simple Dollar
Discerning God’s Will via beingfrugal.net
How to Handle a Door-to-Door Salesman via Get Rich Slowly
Outwardly Simple and Inwardly Rich via Millionaire Mommy Next Door
How to get a great deal on a new car via Gather Little by Little
IRS Tax Deductions – 7 You CAN’T Take via Debt Free
Technorati Tags: Adam Shepard, gym bag, $25
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Life is meant to be lived now, and in the future.
There is a balance between preparing for retirement and waiting until you reach that point to enjoy life. I used to be out of balance by spending everything I had and more and giving no thought to any time beyond about two weeks out. I have made major adjustments over the years and thankfully, have learned how to prepare for the future. I recently found this story and it has brought a bit of course-correction for me. Just slightly shifting my priorities to a more balanced spot. Saving and preparing for the what lies ahead, but still enjoying and making the most of today.
If you are one of the save-it-all-up-for-retirement types, this may be helpful for you…
An American businessman was standing at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.
“How long it took you to catch them?” The American asked.
“Only a little while.” The Mexican replied.
“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” The American then asked.
“I have enough to support my family’s immediate needs.” The Mexican said.
“But,” The American then asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life, senor.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”
“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own can factory. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15-20 years.”
“But what then, senor?”
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO (Initial Public Offering) and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”
“Millions, senor? Then what?”
The American said slowly, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos…”
Technorati Tags: mexican fisherman story, save it all for retirement
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Oh, this is the kind of guy I like…
I found this story about this billionaire named Chuck Feeney, who from what I have read about him was a great example of someone who understands that money is NOT the root of all evil. Below I have listed a few excerpts from the story I read.
He wears a $15 watch, flies economy class and does not own a house or car. For years few guessed that Chuck Feeney was one of the world’s biggest philanthropists, secretly giving away his billionaire fortune.
Witty, self-deprecating, frugal and astute, Feeney was listed by Forbes Magazine in 1988 as the 23rd richest American alive and worth $1.3 billion, richer than Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. He wasn’t. Four years earlier, Feeney had placed most of his money in charitable foundations.
“I had one idea that never changed in my mind that you should use your wealth to help people. I try to live a normal life, the way I grew up,” Feeney said. “I set out to work hard, not to get rich.”
Feeney kept his generosity secret for years, saying he did not want to “blow my own horn” or discourage others from giving to the same deserving causes.
I admire Chuck’s willingness to use his giftings to benefit the lives of others. Just like Rockefeller, he felt an urgency to make other’s lives better. Although Rockefeller probably spent more money on himself, he was still guided by the desire to have his life be of some benefit to the world.
I get inspired and encouraged by guys like Chuck who have a motivation for helping people and really understand the joy of giving.
del.icio.us Tags: Chuck, Feeney, Billionaire, give
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This was a post that I had decided not to post a couple of weeks ago, but I have since decided that maybe I should post it in light of some of the reactions from Don’t give to the poor?
I was driving home from work yesterday and I saw a man begging on the off ramp by my house. As I drove past I had this strong compulsion to go take him out to lunch and talk to the guy. This was about the last thing in the world that I WANTED to do.
But, I have been a Christian long enough to know that when I “feel” this way, it usually means that God wants me to do it. So, I ignored it. I drove all the way home and sat in my car and debated with myself about whether or not I am “supposed” to do this.
I finally decided that if I am going to make a mistake, it might as well be by doing a nice thing rather than the alternative.
Once I got back to the off ramp, conveniently he was walking to his car parked on the outer road (yes, he owned a car, albeit a junker) so I pulled up next to him and talked to him for about 15 minutes (he said he was too busy to go to lunch with me, go figure) about his situation and what was going on in his life. It turns out he was living off the government sponsored disability program and trying to get money to pay his rent and his daughter’s house payment.
I tried to encourage him as best I could and convince him that he had the power to improve his situation, but that it wouldn’t happen automatically. It seemed to me that he wanted to believe me, but for some reason he couldn’t. He seemed to be locked into the mentality that he was stuck; almost to the point that he preferred using that as an excuse. I prayed with him, gave him the few dollars I had, and drove home.
I know that I was suppose to talk to this guy, and I did my very best to encourage him, but it really saddened me to see him truly BELIEVE that he was stuck. I don’t know what happened in his past, or what people had told him all of his life that caused him to believe those lies, but it really drilled into my head the fact that people need to be encouraged.
I can recall specific moments in my life when a simple encouraging word from someone helped me immensely. I can remember bad days that were caused by things that someone said, and I can remember great days that were fueled by a kind word or a complement. I don’t ever want to discount the power of such a simple act.
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I have been making purchases online for the last few years and have never had a problem. Therefore, I have been a big proponent of [tag]online shopping[/tag] because of the convenience and the fact that the prices after shipping costs are frequently better than the brick and mortar stores.
But, recently a couple transactions are causing me to doubt the online shopping world. One was an [tag]ebay[/tag] purchase to buy a set of speakers, which was from a seller with hundreds of transactions and a 100% positive feedback score. The other was a memory stick for my PC from [tag]newegg.com[/tag].
The short story with the speakers was that the seller listed the item and didn’t have it in stock. I did not receive them until about a month and a half after I paid for them. I saved maybe $15 by purchasing them on ebay. About a month into it I would have much rather paid the extra $15 to have them right away and not have to deal with the hassle of the phone calls, emails, etc.
My memory stick arrived and didn’t work. So I paid the shipping fees to ship it back and ultimately received the working product that I ordered about 2 and a half weeks later. Not bad, but after the shipping fees I could have gotten it cheaper at Best Buy. Which, in this case, would have been more convenient as well.
I know, from experience, that these are rare occurrences, but I must say it will cause me to think twice when I am trying to save five bucks by purchasing online.
Anyone have any thoughts?
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