Visualizing the Economic Stimulus Package

I saw this several weeks ago and emailed a reminder to myself to post about it.  I just now saw the email buried in my inbox, but I thought it still worthy enough of posting - but better late than never!

Visualizing the Economic Stimulus Package

Playing Catch Up

I've had lots of blog post ideas the past couple of weeks, but haven't carved out the time to sit at my computer and pound them out on my MacBook Pro's keyboard. So here are some random snippets from my mind to share my thoughts and catch my 3 readers up on my life:

• Saw Cloverfield. LOVED it way more than I expected.
• I'm loving the 30-Day Challenge so far!
• I still like snow, but I'm sick of shoveling. I'm allowing God to teach me how to find joy in the monotonously bleached landscape all around and the pain that it brings to my back. I've decided that this winter is going to make me enjoy spring and summer more than ever!
  
• I'm tempted to start a PayPal account to accept donations for a snowblower.
• I'm learning about relativity. We've had probably 50-60 inches of snow this year (don't know the official total). My friend, Leo in Michigan, said on Sunday that they've had over 100 inches of snow so far.
• Relativity #2. My back hurts from shoveling. And yet my pain pales in comparison to the pain many people are feeling in the country of Chad and Northern Illinois.
• I've been out of touch. I didn't learn about the Northern Illinois tragedy until yesterday. Nor did I know about the hubbub over one of Barack's speeches. I have since turned my "scrolling news" screensaver back on.
• I'm still passionately in love with my wife, so I thoroughly enjoyed spoiling her for Valentine's. It's amazing how you can wow someone with a little creativity and little money.
• I don't like talking about budgets - whether home or church. But they are very, very necessary, so I grin and bear it.
• I need to start on Issue 2 of the new young adult newsletter The Connection.
• I'm reading Stripped right now. It's a quick read, and great to see God's grace lived out in the lives of some real humans who've tasted the worst side of life.
• My youngest son, T, is entering a really fun stage of life. Monday night I had him trying to do karate chops and kicks, complete with verbal sound effects.
• I also love the sound of laughter, especially when it comes from my kids.
• And now I'm late for a meeting. Gotta go!
  

30-Day Challenge

Tomorrow begins the 30-Day Challenge here at New Covenant. I am really excited about it! But before I talk about the 30-Day Challenge, let me share what has led to my excitement and anticipation.

We are starting a stewardship campaign to raise the funds necessary to begin construction of a new facility. We have outgrown our current facility, maximizing it as much as possible trying to delay the inevitable. And so the day has finally come for us to raise the funds to make a move.

I have to be honest - I do not get excited about building projects. I don't get excited about budgets. I don't get excited about talking about money (especially other people's). But what has me excited in the middle of these things is the fact that I am part of a church family that has decided to keep the focus on Christ. This isn't about a building. This isn't about making a name for ourselves. This is truly and honestly about Christ and pursuing God's will. I have been so impressed with our elders and staff - the humility with which they have approached this project, the planning and prayer that has been poured into each step of the process, and the grace with which they have moved forward knowing there might be some who would question their motives and leadership. New Covenant is so blessed to have the skilled godly men of character we have leading this church.

To help our church family have the same focus the elders and staff have as we move into this Embracing Faith Campaign, we have decided to have a "30-Day Challenge". Each person in the New Covenant family is being challenged to read a selected Scripture passage each day for the next 5 weeks. These passages have been carefully selected to help us keep our focus on Christ and to honestly ask God what He wants to accomplish through each of us.

And so the idea of our church family all reading the same passages, being impacted together by God's Word as we enter this critical time in our church's history, has me extremely excited.

But it also has me nervous. The idea of honestly saying to God "what do you want to accomplish through me?" means I have to be ready to surrender anything to Him. What am I going to be asked to sacrifice? I don't know. But I do know that usually great sacrifice brings great joy and reward.

If you are part of Facebook, feel free to become a "fan" of the 30-Day Challenge. We'd love to have you join us!

Junky Car Club

I am part of a club that I haven't officially joined, but I've been unknowingly part of it the past few years. The club is called the Junky Car Club. To join, you simply have to have a car that is 10 years or older, and the money you would normally use for a car payment for something "nicer" goes toward some cause.

One of the causes mentioned is Compassion. LeAnn and I started sponsoring a Compassion child our first year of marriage, and now sponsor two sisters in Tanzania (looking to add a boy next year when my son, S, turns 5).

And I drive a 1996 Ford Taurus Wagon with 146,000 miles on it. Not exactly the kind of car I would normally pick, but it gets me from home to work everyday without too much complaining (the transmission slips a little, but nothing is screaming under the hood at me). So I guess without even trying, I qualify for the club.

I might join officially, but part of me doesn't really want to. I mean, the club is about giving up something to give something. I think that is awesome, but in all honestly I don't feel like I've really given up anything. I give to Lucia and Rosina through Compassion because they need it, not because I need to go without a nicer car. I give to my church because of our mission to share Christ with our community. I give to missionaries because they are sharing Christ with people I can't. I give to local charities because they are making a difference in people's lives. I guess I wouldn't think twice about it.

So I'm conflicted about joining. I want to join to inspire others to give up something in order to give something, but I don't want to make it look like I'm trumpeting my own greatness. I guess I prefer to fast in secret rather than let everyone know.

My 200th Post - MyPhone

Recently I was researching for a message I'll be giving in a month, and as I did so I read a guy's blog where he started it off by saying "The iPhone is now MyPhone". Well, those words are now MyWords.

To celebrate my 200th blog post, I'm going to admit to the world that I now own an iPhone. One of my friends who shall remain nameless (but his initials are Mike Goril) said "Erin, I'm a single guy who gets paid very well, and even I can't justify buying an iPhone.  How does a guy like you afford to get one?"

Well, Mr. Anonymous Mike and all those with similar thoughts, let me tell you a story that will hopefully glorify God in the purchase of a little gadget...

My church has asked that each of the Equipping Staff have a cell phone.  I was the last one to not have one.  I knew that I would function best with a smartphone - to have my PDA and cell phone combined.  I've used Palm OS systems for years, so I figured I would get a Treo 680, the least expensive Palm on the market.  But a "free" Treo 680 actually ended up costing $40 more after a 2-year contract than an iPhone did after its 2-year contract.

So I was surprised I was even considering an iPhone.  I mean it was too expensive, right?  But then Apple started selling "refurbished" units (which I now believe was actually a clearance of brand new units given their recent decisions concerning the iPhone) for $100 less.  So now I needed to come up with $400.

I happened to be on the Tapland forums (which I hadn't visited for probably a year), and someone in Uganda was wanting to buy a Zodiac 2, which was the PDA I was using daily.  So I offered to sell it for $100 and my new Ugandian friend agreed to it and paid the shipping.

So then I needed to come up with $300.  As I pondered this, I realized I am planning to close my web design business this fall, and in doing so, that frees up the almost $200 in that account.  So now I need to come up with $100.

Because I sold my Zodiac, I needed to go ahead and purchase the iPhone.  But I kept praying that God would somehow provide the last $100.  So when Apple announced on Wednesday they were dropping the price of the 8 Gb phone $200 and getting rid of the 4 Gb altogether, I was confused why God didn't lead me to wait until the price drop.  But then I "just happened" to see on a website that Apple has a 10-day price guarantee.  I quickly looked at a calendar, and lo-and-behold, I had purchased my phone exactly 10 days before.  I immediately called Apple, sat on hold for an hour and a half, and finally heard the good news that not only would I be refunded $100, but I would actually be refunded $150 because I had purchased a refurbished unit.

So my "$500" iPhone actually ended up costing $250, and I won't have to spend a penny out of pocket.  While I've struggled to understand why God answered these prayers for me and hasn't answered others (lots of messy ministry situations right now that I am aware of, plus many messy situations around the world), all I know is that God clearly worked in this situation and I am SOOOO grateful.

Hopefully this was a worthy enough story for my 200th post...

Visual Consumption

What looks like pretty desktop patterns/pictures but is actually a visual representation of the amount of material consumption in America? Chris Jordan's latest series of art work.

(This one depicts 11,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours. Go to the website to see the close-up view, along with many others).

Feed the Pig

My friend, Kim Pagel, has a great post about debt and young adults on his blog, with some amazing and sad statistics, most of which I think are provided by the Feed the Pig website. Take a look.

Living on the Cheap

Since so many reports have been coming out the past couple years revealing the deep debt that many young adults carry, I thought this site might be helpful to some of you. Consider how you can cut costs to free yourself of debt and make YOU the master of the funds God gives you. And even if you aren't in debt, maybe you can glean some helpful tips!

Extravagance

I was reading in my MacAddict magazine this morning while eating my scrambled eggs and came across their "drool worthy" page (and I quote: "sexy stuff we can't wait to get our hands on"). Usually they have things like huge TVs, or fancy iPod accessories, or other cool, interesting, rarely seen gadgets. Well this time I saw this digital camera.

My first thought when I saw it: "What a lavish waste! Cameras get used and scratched and dinged - how extravagant to give a camera a gold case with diamond studs around the lens!"

But then the thought hit me - why do I not have the same reaction about gold jewelry as I do about this gold camera? Isn't jewelry just as "extravagant"? (I looked up extravagance in my Mac's built in Oxford Dictionary and it said that extravagance is "excessive elaborateness of style".)

I fear that sometimes people will spend more money for items like this gold camera or a gold necklace to try and increase their personal "worth". Minox has the same camera in a typical digital camera case that is quite a bit cheaper, but many people will buy the Carat camera simply to gain the attention of others, which they think will make them "better".

But this camera's beauty will fade. It won't bring the same sense of satisfaction in a few years. New and better cameras will hit the market. And eventually people will see the real you hiding behind your "extravagant" toys and possessions. And when that happens, will they like what they see? Or for that matter, will you like what you see?

With that said, there is another thing bothering me about this camera. Having just posted about young adults in debt, seeing things like this camera angers me a bit because I know there will be some young adult somewhere who will buy into the myth that he or she will be happy with a camera (or any product) like this, and it will only steep them deeper in debt, keeping them enslaved even longer. I'm a typical male in the fact that I love gadgets, especially ones with a high cool factor, but not at the cost of my financial freedom.

In debt to the bank and mom...

ABC News has an article about 20-somethings moving back in with their parents because of the amount of debt they are carrying. This brings several thoughts to mind:

1) Moving in with mom and dad could be a good thing or a bad thing.

I remember when LeAnn and I graduated from JBU. We had plans to go with TEAM to Venezuela and work at Christiansen Academy. We needed to raise our own funds in order to go, and so to save money, we lived with LeAnn's folks in Topeka, KS. It was a great situation because LeAnn and I respected her folks, their household, and made an effort to help with the maintenance of the home (meals, cleaning, yard work, etc.). It also worked because LeAnn's parents respected us as a family and allowed us to make our own decisions in matters that concerned us.

But without the mutual respect and love for one another, I don't think it would have been a good situation. We had only been married one year when we moved in with them. We had strange jobs and hours. We were poor and didn't pay rent (which was what they wanted as a way to help us get to Venezuela faster).

I think many young adults need to think twice before moving back in with their parents (and the parents need to think twice before allowing it). Do you, as a young adult, have a plan for the next year? When do you plan to move out? Can you respect your parents and the culture of their home? Are you willing and capable of helping with the functioning of the household? Will you approach the situation more as a servant than as the adult child of your parents?

2) Debt. According to the article, the main reason these young adults are moving back in with Ma and Pa is because of debt, which is usually from college loans. This is why good financial decision making is such a necessity - and even needs to begin in high school. If you do not have debt, I encourage you to do everything you can to stay out of it. If you do have debt, I encourage you to have an aggressive plan to get out. Sacrifice that nicer car. Sacrifice the toys (i.e. video games, bikes, skis, IPod, etc. for guys - shoes, clothes, movies, IPod, etc. for the girls (and forgive me for the stereotypes!)). Heck, sacrifice the Starbucks for breakfast, the Panera for lunch, and the Olive Garden for dinner (and Perkins late night). Get aggressive and get rid of the debt. You will be so much freer when you are out of debt and will have so much more to give.

3) Identity. Moving in with the P's can mess with a 20-something's identity. It is important for a young adult to learn who they are as God has made them to be. Sometimes parents can project their wishes and desires on to the young adult. Or it can be considered "shameful" to still live at home in some circles. And so if you find yourself a 20-something living at home, please respect your parents, but pursue the identity God has for you. Find out what YOU are passionate about, what YOU are skilled at, who YOU are as a man or a woman.

4) Motivation. It has been my experience to meet many young adults who, as back-home live-ins, lack the motivatation to get their own place and establish their own identity. They often struggle to find work, or go to school, or find a better job, or find healthy relationships with peers. If debt is involved, it can be even more overwhelming and squelch whatever motivation may have been hiding in the mind. If you find yourself in this situation, I encourage you to stay motivated to get out on your own, and establish yourself. God wants us to be givers and contributors, and if you remain an unmotivated home-slug, you aren't living in sync with God's heartbeat.

So those are my thoughts on 20-somethings living back at home with large debt. What are yours?
-E

The Lust of Money

While I may be lusting after cameras and computers, one American Idol judge is lusting after something more direct. Money.

I'm not an avid Rolling Stone mag reader, so forgive me if you've already heard this. But in the April 6 edition of Rolling Stone, Simon Cowell, of American Idol fame, said during an interview:

Rolling Stone: What do you want more than anything else in the world?
Simon Cowell: Money. As much money as I can get my hands on. It's as simple as that.
RS: I read that you're worth something like $90 million. Not enough?
SC: No.

I just read the above in Servant magazine. And immediately after this excerpt, they had this Benjamin Franklin quote (whose face graces the $100 US bill):

"Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one. If it satisfies one want, it doubles and triples that want another way."

Mr. Franklin in the 1700s was merely echoing what had already been in the Holy Scriptures thousands of years before.

Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 5:10

At last Thursday's Watershed Worship Gathering, I spoke about being desperate. Are you desperate for money like Simon - which doesn't satisfy? Or are you desperate for the One who does satisfy and will meet all your needs (which, by the way, are different from your wants - like cameras)?

Material Lust

I have a confession to make. I am currently struggling with lust.

I think I know why God hasn't made me rich. As often as I try to fool myself into thinking I'd do the super spiritual thing and give it all away, I have a feeling I know where some of that money would go.

I am currently lusting for the new Canon Digital Rebel XTi (also called the 400D - see photo at left). And Apple just put out a 24-inch iMac. Our current camera and computer aren't performing at their peek, so it's justified, right? (Oh yeah, the bank account says we can't afford it. Bummer...)

I guess I should thank God for new products like these to help me relearn contentment!

If you'd like to think about finance, possessions, and contentment more, I recommend viewing the newest Nooma film - 013 Rich.

A Generous Christmas

Here's a beautiful true story that tells of God's provision and blessing. The story is about generosity, a subject I am interested in and want to see captured by all people. And Christmas, the season we celebrate God's generous and indescribable gift of Jesus, is a perfect time for a story such as this one.

But there's something that bothers me a little about the story. Actually it's not the story that bothers me - but the reaction some people might have from it. I fear that some young adults might read an article such as the one I've just linked to and think "so if I just give generously to others - God will give me more!"

I've heard this mentality before. It seems just as selfish to me as the non-generous attitude so prevalent in our culture. The only reason we give is so that we can get more. And if we didn't get something in return, then we wouldn't give in the first place. That doesn't seem truly generous to me.

What makes the mentioned story so beautiful is that the couple didn't expect anything in return. They felt God's urge to be generous to another family, and they were obedient. They struggled with their own emotions, but eventually knew this was the right thing to do. They didn't do it expecting or demanding that God pay them back so generously.

May you capture a truly generous heart - that you will give without thought of getting. May you seek to be used by God as a blessing in the lives of others by being generous to them. And may you walk to the mailbox without expecting a "reimbursement" check.

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill

Indebted Young Adults

A friend, after reading my last post about the legacies of different generations, sent me an MSN article saying that while the young adult generation may not be fully following in the footsteps of their parents' generation, they are following and going further than their parents in one area: DEBT.

School loans are a big focus of the article, but they also talk about credit cards, which I want to focus on for this blog post. Now, I am not anti-credit card. I have 4 in my wallet right now. But one is a check card, another is a business check card (for my small website company), the third is a Discover card, and the last a MasterCard. My wife and I use the check cards for day-to-day purchases (I rarely carry cash anymore). But the Discover and MasterCard we only use to purchase things for church to get reimbursed on or things that we know we can pay for when the bill comes. We never carry a balance over.

You see, my wife and I view all that we own as coming from and belonging to God. That means my income, my house, even the food we eat together as a family is God's, and my role is to handle His money in the way I think He wants it to be handled. And I struggle with the idea that God would want me using His money to pay credit card interest. And so we don't carry a balance.

You do not need to live your financial life exactly as we do, but I am thankful that I don't have credit card loans hanging over my head. If you are a young adult with a lot of loans, I would encourage you to ruthlessly eliminate your debts, especially high-interest-rate credit card debt. That might mean some sacrifice - no movies, cheap ice cream, sharing a house with LOTS of people to keep housing payments low, carpooling (or riding your bike). But the freedom you will experience and the ability to use those funds to give to things that are in line with the heart of God is wonderful.

If you need some help in this area, I'd suggest starting with Crown Financial Ministries. Another resource you might look into is Dave Ramsey who's featured in the young adult magazine Relevant each month.

Offering Update

While nobody gave their shirts, many people did give big and generously last Thursday. Since my last blog, $13 more dollars came in, and so the grand total we will be sending Blood:Water Mission is $1090.77.

I'm still wowed and touched by the generosity of the young adults in attendance at Watershed's Thursday Gathering last week. And I'm beginning to think that if we'd asked for the clothes off their backs, that some of the young adults would have given it!

Wowed at Generosity

We did not have to put any sort of pressure on the young adults attending Watershed's Thursday Gathering last night. We took only the third offering we've ever taken in Watershed's short two year history, all of which was going to Blood:Water Mission's 1000 Wells project as part of the "Be All There For the World" message. The 100+ young adults in attendance last night generously gave $1077.77 to bring clean water to our African neighbors at the end of the earth.

I am extremely "wowed" by the generosity of the young adults last night. I believe generosity is close to the heart of the Father, and for one night, we allowed our hearts to beat in sync with God's, and to "Be All There" for our neighbors in Africa through liberal giving. Thanks to all who gave!

And if you missed last night's Worship Gathering or would just like to give, you can donate directly to Blood:Water Mission and join us in helping bring clean water to our African brothers and sisters.

Thank you, Watershed! I am VERY proud to be associated with you right now!

Generosity

Personal News
My family had a great Labor Day today. We had a slow morning, then went and played softball with people from church, enjoyed a picnic, and then had our normal weekly family night.

Personal Thoughts
I saw on a forum I frequent a post about a blog on the profits of the oil companies. This is something I would normally have no interest in, but with the war and Hurricane Katrina's effects on the price of gas (and my wallet), I couldn't help but click the link and read the blog myself.

If what is reported in that blog is true, it is very sad and frustrating to see the greed of American oil companies. But unforunately they aren't the only entities in our culture with a heart of greed.

Millions of Americans, Christians included, have hearts of greed. They have a desire for "more, more, more", yet "more" never quenches the desire.

But what God longs from us is a heart of generosity. He has a generous heart, as revealed in the giving of Jesus. And Jesus, our model, gave all of himself for us. And now God desires for us to follow the example of Him and His Son - to be generous, to give all of ourselves for others.

Are you ready to be generous? What area are you being greedy in? Rather than desire more, learn to be content with what God has given you so that the Holy Spirit can develop a heart of generosity in you.