Yesterday my mother would have celebrated her 80th birthday. I lost her ten years ago and I still miss her. 

Four days ago, I lost a close friend who had been battling chronic debilitating disease. Even though we knew he was sick, his death came as a shock. It was so sudden. 

As I comforted his widow, who is a dear friend, I was reminded once again how horrible death is. You are never truly ready to lose someone you love, never ready to say goodbye. 

If you are hurting now, my heart goes out to you. ​

“Can you fit me in as soon as possible?” I asked Rhonda, my favorite dental assistant. “I was chewing gum on the flight home from Denver when a piece of my tooth came out.”  
 
“Can you come in next Thursday,” she offered and I quickly accepted, feeling guilty as I hung up the phone. I had been pushing my annual dental exam and cleaning back month after month until now it had been over two years since my last dental appointment.
 
“This tooth looks fine,” my dentist informed me. “The tooth looks great. I will just clean out this little hole and fill it up. Of course, first I’ll check the X-ray.”
 
I sighed happily. My daily brushing and flossing had done the trick. I was safe.
 
“Uh-oh.”
 
“Oh, dear.” My heart stopped beating.
 
“On the outside this tooth looks fine, but evidently, an old filling got a tiny crack in it and there has been leaking. The cavity is quite extensive. I’m sorry to tell you: it’s down to the root.” ​

One of Jesus' last commands was to make disciples "of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey all I have commanded you." (Matthew 28) Everyone is called to make disciples. No one is exempt.

Which is all well and good and everything—like, kudos to all the missionaries out there that are living it out. But how am I supposed to do that? What does it even look like for an American teenager to walk out Jesus’ last command?

The most obvious way is to get involved in a mentoring relationship. If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, or if the only picture that pops up in your head is some kind of Big Brother program, let me explain.
A mentoring relationship is where a more mature Christian takes a new Christian under their wing and teaches them the basics of the faith. It’s a relationship that models what Jesus had with his disciples—the discipler and disciple spend time with one another, becoming friends and confidantes, praying and fasting together, seeking the Lord together, and encouraging one another to keep fighting the good fight. It’s actually a pretty complex thing that varies from church to church and relationship to relationship, but the gist of it is that the mature Christian takes care of the baby Christian.

Since I was eleven, I had been on the disciple end of the mentoring relationship, but the late summer of 2013 marked a new chapter of my life: I became the mentor.

I've had the privilege of watching a beautiful young lady mature in the Lord for nearly two years now. We talk about anything going on in our lives that’s difficult, asking for prayer and advice from one another. We discuss how our quiet times are going, what God has been teaching us through them, and questions that have risen from studying the Bible.

But our relationship doesn't end in that hour-and-a-half window.

We’re friends. We spend time with one another at events and at church, we have sleepovers. We go to the mall, to the movies, or we sit lazily in the other’s room and chat about whatever comes to mind. We're in one another's lives, and we grow closer with passing time.

The way the discipleship relationship works is quite simple, yet it requires an investment of oneself. You have to be willing to devote your time, your energy, your love, and your persistence. But it's worth it.

And it's only one of the many ways to fulfill Jesus’ last command.

Moving in the more officially sanctioned vein is starting new ministries and involving ourselves in current ones.

My brother-in-law and another one of the young men from our church started a ministry where they play basketball in a nearby neighborhood, invite the residents, and use that opportunity to share the Gospel.

I help teach Sunday School to four- to eleven-year olds, sharing Bible stories and their practical application in the kids’ lives.

My church has both a teen and a young adult program, ministries that are geared toward bringing in and building up people in those age brackets.

There are so many ministries available to us, waiting to be employed in the pursuit of making disciples. All we have to do is look, and join in. Finding a nearby ministry—whether it’s an extension of your home church, or some kind of organization that takes care of the widows and orphans and allows you to share your faith—is never all that hard. 

And once you’ve found your ministry, you dive in. Start sowing into people’s lives, caring for the broken and the needy—making disciples.

Celebrations are never complete without stories.

And our American Thanksgiving is full of stories.

Here are two chapter books that are lovely to read aloud to your children or grandchildren during the week of Thanksgiving.

Divide the chapters up so that you can finish the whole book in a week. The children will love these books and they give them a look back in time to the very first Thanksgiving.  

​Celebrations are never complete without stories.

And our American Thanksgiving is full of stories.

You can Learn from the Pilgrims and Puritans in my blog, but there are many more picture books and chapter books that are lovely to read aloud to your children or grandchildren.

Here are some picture books to read aloud.

Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters with Photographs by Russ Kendall (Scholastic 1989) is a lovely picture book with photographs taken at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum. Samuel sailed over on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims. At the beginning of the book, you meet Samuel and he shows you his village. Then we go through his entire day with him, from putting on his stockings to doing his chores, from helping with the rye harvest to gathering mussels for the evening meal.

My children loved this book when they were little. Children love to learn about other children! Samuel is obedient and prays before he goes to sleep. The family says a blessing before their meals. It’s refreshing to see prayer included in a Scholastic book. I don’t know if this has been edited out of more recent versions. The photographs are vivid and attractive. There is a also a section in the back where you can learn more about Samuel Morton, Plimoth Plantation, and the rye harvest at the back of the book. 

Another year is winding down. Sigh. In so many ways it's been a great year. But, if you are like me, you can think of things that you wish had happened differently. Maybe your days were hectic and stressful instead of peaceful. Maybe you encountered learning struggles that you weren't prepared for. I hope that you will look at all of these things as learning experiences rather than failures.

No matter how long, or short, your homeschooling journey has been, there is always hope for transformation.

Peace & Joy from the Inside Out

Mom sets the atmosphere for the home. No matter how we try to hide it, if we are struggling with stress and insecurity, our homes will be filled with tension. If we carry our burdens to the Lord and trust Him to take care of us, real peace will be inside our hearts. This peace will flow into our husband and children too.

We can transform our home school in an instant by being positive instead of negative. So often, we focus on the negative instead of all the blessings surrounding us. From flowers in our gardens to chubby little smiles, we can see the gifts of God all around us. Learn to thank God for all the things you enjoy: health, family, teaching, good food, pleasant smells, beauty, music, art, friends, and celebrations. A momma filled with joy spreads life to everyone around her.

Major on the Majors

Sometimes we can get caught up with things that are trivial while the important things are neglected. We can focus on the problems with our son's handwriting instead of his hatred for reading. It is more important that he learn to read. We can focus on our daughter's difficulty in drawing, but ignore her inability to memorize addition facts. What are the most important things? What should your priorities be? I encourage you to read my book, The Seven R's of Homeschooling. I talk about Relationships, Reading, wRiting, Rhetoric, aRithmetic, Research, & Right Living.

Back to a Lifestyle of Learning

Several years ago, my niece was spending the summer with us and it was her birthday. The problem was that Mike was in seminary and we had NO money, not even money for extra food. We were living on hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and eggs for dinner. I really wanted her birthday to be special, but so far--nothing. I woke her up that morning and told her that I wanted to bless her for her birthday but had no money to buy anything for her, even food for a special dinner.       

"But God has lots of money," I told her "And He can give us a special birthday dinner."  Katie Beth nodded her head--even at the age of two she trusted the Lord. The three of us prayed together.          

Later that day, we went to a food pantry (a ministry similar to Harvest International) where we paid two dollars for two bags of food. That was the only day ever (it never happened before or afterward) that they had cake mixes there. I chose a cake mix (her favorite flavor) from the "pick one" table and then a frosting can from another "pick two tables". God was soooooooooooo good!!!!!!!

Love is in the air! St. Valentine's Day has just been celebrated and all the chocolate in pink and red wrappers in 50% off. My favorite time of year! Pink and chocolate combined...at a great deal! The roses are still lovely, gracing the dining room table. Heart shaped cards are on the buffet, a reminder of being loved by my family.

Love is an emotion that wells up inside my heart when I watch my children sleeping, see them win an award, listen to them. or hear them talk about the Lord. So often, I am proud of them, not just for their achievements, but for who they are and who they are becoming.

Love, of course, is more than an emotion; love is a choice to do good for someone else at cost to your own personal comfort. Love is all about the other person, giving them your best, trusting God to take care of your own needs. We are commanded by God to love one another deeply from our hearts, to seek their good, to lay down our lives, to care about their interests, to honor them above ourselves.

So, we experience love as a daily decision and we experience love as a delightful emotion.

But, of course, there are those times, when it is hard to sing the songs of love and devotion, when I must cry out to the Lord....

Teach me to love when my son walks around the house in his socks, wearing them out and getting them filthy dirty, after telling him at least 877 times to put his socks on or go barefoot. After all, we live in Florida. We really don't need to wear socks and shoes.

The stores are filled with hearts, chocolate, and roses in every shade of pink and red imaginable. As a lover of pink, chocolate and roses, this just may be my favorite time of year to shop!  It's St. Valentines Day! Yes, St. Valentine's Day--I know that sounds a little odd to your ears. When I was a little girl, that's what we called it. But in recent years, as all holidays are secularized and materialized more and more, St. Valentine's Day became Valentine's Day. 

Who was St. Valentine and why do we celebrate love on the day we've set aside to remember him?  Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome during the reign of Emporer Claudius. He was know for his kindness and selfless love. He was arrested for his faith and imprisoned, but managed to send and receive letters from his friends and fellow Christians. Emporer Claudius tried to convert him to Roman paganism to spare his life, but Valentine shared the Gospel with the emporer instead. Before he was martyred for his faith in Jesus, he healed the eyes of his jailor's blind daughter.  

In the Late Middle Ages, when courtly love and romance became the rage throughout Europe, St. Valentine's Day became associated with love and romance. Both romantic love and Christian martyrdom are things to celebrate.  St. Valentine stands in the "great cloud of witnesses," in Hebrews 12, cheering us on! St. Valentine's Day can be celebrated in either direction, or both directions. We can celebrate the romantic love we share with our sweethearts or we can remember those who have given their lives for the Gospel of Christ.

If we are celebrating St. Valentine's Day with our sweetie, there are many options.  He, of course, can buy us a dozen long-stemmed roses and a big box of Godiva chocolate.  We can go out to a lovely dinner and gaze into each other's eyes.  But, of course, those things cost money.  So, what are some inexpensive ways to celebrate the romance you share with your husband?  Here are some things Mike and I have done:

• Pack china, crystal goblets, a tasty lunch, and sparkling grape juice. Go on a picnic in a pretty spot.  Bring a beautiful comforter to sit on and be careful with the china and crystal!
• Buy a package of Valentines for children.  Write little notes to your husband on each one and hide them throughout the house.  Make most easy to find, but hide some so that they won't be found until later
• Make a CD of romantic songs and dance outside on the patio in the moonlight
• Make a scrapbook of your relationship from its conception until now. Look at it together. 

• Tell your children how you met, how your husband proposed, and other fun stories. Your children will love this!
• Wait until the children are in bed and have a romantic dinner by candlelight ALONE!
• Read old love letters out loud to each other!

"We are going out to Outback for dinner tonight," Sue mentioned cheerfully while we were working in the nursery together one Sunday morning.

I must have had a surprised look on my face because she quickly added, "We just got our tax return."

I pinched my lips together. Mike and I had done several financial counseling sessions with Sue, and her husband, Bob. They were constantly spending more money than they had, landing in debt to creditors and family members. Each year, I watched their tax return disappear in days, always going toward things I would consider frivolous.

But, how people spend their tax return is their own business, isn't it?

Maybe not. How we spend our money is always God's business. So how can we honor the Lord by how we spend our tax return?

 How should I spend my tax return?

 Your tax return should be spend as prayerfully and carefuly as you spend the rest of your income. This is money you have paid the government, or your employor has paid the government for you, not a windfall of free money. As with all tthings financial, your tax return belongs to the Lord.

Should I tithe from my tax return?

That depends on whether you tithe from your gross or net income. Your gross income is the money you make before the U.S. government takes its cut through taxes. Net income is your income after taxes are paid. If you are self-employed, you are more likely to tithe from your gross income before you pay your taxes. The return you get has already been tithed from, but you might give an offering.

If you work for a company, you probably don't even see your gross income because the company pays the taxes you owe to the government before they write your paycheck. If you tithe from your net income, then you should tithe from your tax refund.

Should I pay off debt with my tax return?

This is a great way to spend your tax return. If you don't need to use this money to pay bills, you should pay off debt with your tax refund. You can throw a large chunk of money at debt, making a huge difference toward the process of becoming debt-free. If you are paying a mortgage on your home, consider putting some or all of your tax refund toward paying off you house. For many Christians, a mortgage is their only debt. What a great way to work toward being completely debt-free.

If your refund check is large enough, you may be able to elimiate an entire debt such as an old medical bill or school loan.

They were the best of times, they were the worst of times! 

College years are so exciting with friendships, opportunities to meet new people from all over the world, and the thrill of learning and growing. But, college can be stressful--those exams and papers! I have three people living in my house right now who are attending college. The end of the semester is crunch time around here, and sometimes stressful. 

But, my kids are successful in college! They make good grades, share their faith, and build strong friendships. Mike and I managed to not just survive college years, but to thrive! How can you be successful in college? Here are some tips that work for our family!

Put Christ First

When the pressure of crunch time comes--a paper is due, an exam is on the horizon--don't neglect your relationship with God. More important than your GPA and keeping your scholarship, walking in the favor of the Lord must take high priority. 

My daughter, Jenny Rose, sets Saturday aside for the Lord (we happen to meet on Saturday right now because we don't have our own church building). She prays, reads the Bible, encourages her friends, practices with the worship team, goes to sound check, and sings on the worship team at church. She realizes that this means losing an entire day that could be devoted to studies, but she doesn't care. She knows the truth, life goes better when you put Jesus and His Kingdom first.

Work Hard

If you are in college, school is your job. Learning is your vocation. Be excellent at it. Don't just try to "get by" or "pass the class." Make up your mind to be excellent at all you do. Set aside time to study and treat those times as if you are heading off to work. Be diligent. 

Zack is working two jobs and going to school. Some weeks the only time I see him is at LIFE group and at church. He works hard writing papers, doing projects, and studying for exams. Yes, he misses out on some fun things and will have to wait until the end of the semester to see certain movies, but Zack knows the truth: All Hard Work Brings a Profit!

Know Your Professors

Every instructor has preferences and expectations that are different from every other professor. Learn about your  professor's teaching style and expectations by reading the syllabus and paying close attention in class during the first few weeks of the semester. Ask questions if you are unsure of what his/her requirements. 

Go see your professor during office hours when they are available. My oldest daughter teaches English at UCF and she loves for students to ask for help or just come by to chat during office hours. One on one conversations will help you clarify information. Professors are happy to help students with difficult concepts or assignments.   

Take Assignments One Phase at a Time

Last time in Where to Invest Your Money - Part 1, we discussed investing in the Kingdom of God, your dreams, other people, and a home business. This time, we're going to talk about literal investments and where to place our money so it can grow.

Invest in Stocks

My grandparents invested in stocks and lived off stock dividends when they retired. My father  invested in some unknown companies in his younger years: Intel, Microsoft, and Home Depot. Those investments carried large returns for my parents.

Purchasing stock in a company is like buying a tiny part of the company. If the company is successful, you will get a portion of the profits in the form of dividends. Ideally, you want to buy low and sell high for short term. But even better, invest in stable companies for the long haul.

When you invest in stocks, you can go online to buy stocks directly or you can purchase them through a stockbroker. Either way, you will pay a small commission fee. Your stock portfolio (collection of stocks) should contain a variety of stocks from different business sectors. My portfolio contains oil, pharmaceuticals, technology, electric companies, retail, and transportation. I prefer good, solid companies, or new companies that hold promise for the future.

Many factors affect the price of stocks: health of the company, political events, economic events, catastrophic events, and the market itself. When the company is making a profit, it might put all its profits back into the company or give generous dividends to its investors. Most companies do a little of both. But, don't invest money in stocks that you cannot afford to lose because investing in stocks is risky, especially in today's economy.

Invest in Bonds

When you purchase a bond, you are loaning money to a business, city government, or federal government. The city you live in may want to build a sports stadium so they sell municipal bonds to its citizens. When you purchase one, your city will pay you back by the due date on the bond, or earlier.

U.S. Savings Bonds finance the federal debt. When you purchase a U.S. Savings Bond, you lend money to the United States federal government. The interest that you see in the federal budget goes to pay bondholders the interest promised them when they bought the bond.

If a company declares bankruptcy, bondholders lose when the company defaults on the loan. Bonds that have a high probability of default are called junk bonds and are very speculative investments.

Invest in Gold

"I need to buy a new pair of shoes," I whispered to my friend, Laura.

After several negative events in my life, the most recent had been the final straw. I was feeling discouraged, sad and angry. But, I knew that shopping would make me feel better. Or, at least I thought it would make me feel better.

The dangerous thing about shopping is that it can make you feel good, just as eating chocolate can cause a lift in your emotions. However, this is a temporary feeling. A compulsive shopper experiences this emotional lift over and over until they crave it. Eventually, shopping becomes addictive and cause problems in personal finances, which can lead to marriage problems and other relational break downs.

This is how shopping becomes compulsive, and before we know it, we cannot stop spending money even when we want to. Maybe you are compulsive in small ways. Maybe you have to shop at certain times, for specific items, or during crisis situations.

Coping with Compulsive Spending

There are several things that you can do to control your compulsive spending.

• Get rid of your credit cards and use cash only
• Keep track of all your spending and try to figure out why you spend when you do
• Avoid temptation
• Understand the real reasons behind why you shop.

 
Why You Spend

The problem with plans to cope with compulsive spending is that it doesn't deal with root of the problem. Compulsive spending is an addiction. Like all addictions, they are so hard to break free from because they seem to have a life of their own.

Addictions help to dull pain, usually emotional pain. Whether it's drug abuse, pornography or shopping, an addict finds temporary relief from pain by indulging in the addiction.

Jesus, the Bondage Breaker

"Have you finished typing your paper, Shine?" I asked yesterday.

"Almost..." she replied sheepishly. 

I looked over at the computer to see her Facebook page filling the screen.

"I'll exit out," she offered quickly.

"You're grounded from the computer for the rest of the day," I admonished.

Wisely, Shine said nothing in reply.

In the last few years, homeschooling teenagers has taken on a whole new set of problems in our house. Internet has been around for a long time, but never really affected us too much until the last few years. There have been times that my children have opted to "research" on the internet, rather than using the books and resources we have checked out from the library.  But the real culprit in our house has been Facebook. My teenagers love it.  All their friends love it and have pages too. I have a Facebook profile myself and have enjoyed finding old high school friends and keeping in touch with distant family members. But, these online communities can be addictive and consuming. Can any of you moms say “Amen”?

Yesterday & Today

Back in my day, we talked on the phone for hours on end. My teens prefer texting, which I like because it saves minutes. Yes, as a teenager, I spent time on the phone with friends having conversations my parents could not hear, but Facebook takes it to a whole new level. Why do teens love these places online? Well, teens have always wanted to connect with other teens with a great desire to build relationships and to feel close to others. Plus, there is that build in "radar" for attractive members of the opposite sex. No matter how godly your daughter or son is, they will notice when a handsome boy/pretty girl walks into the room.

Facebook is a large social network on the internet. Your child has a profile page where she posts notes, pictures, and personal information. Yes, these pages can be made private so that only his "friends" can see them. But, here is the important thing to keep in mind:  Who are all these people your child is adding as friends? Are they really who they say they are? Predators are a huge problem online, but this article is not about that! (I'm not dismissing predators as a huge, scary problem, just not tackling it today.)

Profile Pages

Profile pages give children the opportunity to put their best foot forward with the prettiest pictures, exaggerations about accomplishments, and all kinds of "little white lies" meant to impress. Friends add friends of friends and give access to their personal information to young people they don't even know. I'm sure if they met these young guys and gals in person, they would be shocked to find out who these people really are...rather than the image portrayed on their page.

"All my money is gone," my friend moaned, rubbing his hands over his face as if to erase the pain of the dreadful reality he was facing.

"All of it?" I asked with a little bit of trepidation. He was the father of four children and the husband of a very pregnant wife. I was mentally trying to fit them into our already filled household so that they would not end up on the street. Was this just a matter of God not providing on their behalf or was this a demonic attack?

There was an awkward silence that followed which I finally broke.

"What happened to all that money?" I asked the thirty-two year old man in front of me. My question caused tears to stream down his face and I felt terrible asking.

"I don't know. I just don't know."

Tim's Story

Here is what happened. Tim had been in a car accident, had to stop working, and ended up foreclosing on his house. HIs wife worked for awhile, but was soon pregnant again with complications that required her to stay home. But God did not forget this young family. The insurance company gave Tim a sizable settlement that was five times the amount of money he made in a year. Six months later, it was all gone and they were back in the same situation they found themselves six months after his accident. If you could have been a mouse in Tim's pocket, you would have watched the money eek out toward bills, vacations, needed clothing, needed medical expenses, and many items that Tim had always dreamed of owning (cars, computers, sound equipment, video camera, and a motorcycle).

Was Tim experiencing bad luck? Did TIm just lack wisdom with money? Had God abandoned him? Was there sin in his life that the Lord was punishing?

My immediate suspicion was a spirit of poverty. What? A spirit of poverty? Yes. Let me explain.

Patterns of Poverty

Upon investigation, I found that a pattern emerged in Tim's life. Whenever there was a large financial gift or windfall of money, it always completely disappeared. It was often spent on "necessities" or things that Tim just couldn't live without. When the money was gone, many of the items purchased ended up breaking, being lost, or sold. It seemed to be a pattern that after the money was gone, there was nothing to show for it!

Walt's Story

Walt was a completely different story. He had an ability to make wealth. Whenever he came across a little extra money, he put it aside and let it grow. When there was enough, he would invest in something with the money. Walt started businesses, bought homes, and sent his kids to college debt-free. He never made a truckload of money, but he managed it well.

Often, I could only imagine what Walt could have done with Tim's money (the insurance settlement, several inheritances, and many large tax refunds). Why did it seem to take so much more money to keep Tim afloat than it did Walt, and, at a lower standard of living?

The Monkey on our Backs

Another wonderful Christmas. It all went so quickly. Instead of flying home to California, Aisha was with us for the holidays. We enjoyed having her in Florida and appreciated her family lending her to us.

We had our usual traditions: decorating the house and tree together as a family, Christmas devotions, traveling dinner, and festive Christmas dinner. Everything was delicious and fun.

Best of all, everyone was off from school, college, and work. We enjoyed full days together without meetings or very many responsibilities. It was so nice to relax with my children.

It is time to celebrate! We celebrate because we are loved! We celebrate because God is good! We celebrate because we are safe in His love! Let's celebrate with the Lord and His Word so that we can bring in the New Year with style! 

Another year is over and a new one is about to begin. The world has its way of celebrating this transition, but God has a better way! No matter what has happened this past year, God has been faithful to you! Even if you don't believe that right now....it's true! 

The Promise Keeper

Jesus is our Promise Keeper! He has protected you this past year from untold tragedy, misfortune, and peril.  We look at all that has happened, but so often we don't think about what might have happened. Maybe you lost your house this past year, a terrible thing, but you still have your family. Maybe you lost a loved one this year, but you are not here in this world alone. Imagine the destruction that could have come your way that the Lord prevented.  

If only we could see with spirit eyes the battle all around us. Angels protecting our health, lives, loved ones, possessions, and honor. We can only see what God allows to make us stronger in Him, not all that He keeps the enemy from inflicting. I encourage you to enter 2016 with worship, prayer, and God's Word. Why not gather together on New Year's Eve with other believers who are serious about the things of God. Seek His face together as the New Year starts. Forget the ball dropping in Times Square! How about worship instead! 

Our Celebration

"You are a great leader and you love being in charge. I think the problem is that you always want to be in control. It  seems to be difficult for you to have others in charge."

Derek nodded his head, so I continued. 

"Here's the problem, Derek. You are contending with Jesus. He wants control of your life, but I don't think you trust Him enough to let Him be charge, call the shots." I stopped talking. There was silence. After awhile, I continued, "If you resist His authority in your life, He will keep fighting you. If you keep resisting Him and He lets you run your own life, you will make a mess of things. Either way you lose."

"I don't think I trust God enough to give Him control."

The Problem

This conversation shocked me. Derek was the perfect Christian on the outside. He even did all kinds of things that no one ever saw. He had his Quiet Time every day, worked hard at his job earning the respect of other employees, and was a faithful man.

Why did he have such a hard time trusting God? ​

With the economy in shambles and our government running up the national debt, we need some financial peace and hope this Christmas. If you are like our family, you are cutting corners where you can, making gifts instead of buying them, and doing your best to simplify Christmas. Some of you are thanking God for your family's employment and others are praying hard for a job.

Melanie is in my spinning class at the Y. We have been praying for her husband's employment for almost a year. During this year, she and her husband, Stormy have learned so much from God about His plan and purpose in their lives. Melanie and Stormy have become more patient and prayerful as the Lord has helped them to grow so much in Him in 2010.

Meredith: Melanie, you encouraged me so much last week in spinning class with your testimony of God's faithfulness to your family. Thank you for sharing the story, not only with our spinning class, but with my readers. Can you share a summary of the last couple of years to bring us up-to-date?

Melanie: I would be happy to! 2 1/2 years ago, my husband's job ended and he was offered 2 jobs to choose from. Stormy and I planned and chose the one with the most investment money behind the company and the longer projected outlook. We planned to take the job that was the most secure, or so we thought.

Stormy took a job with a hotel development company in Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia. This new company had a 25 year lease with the state of Georgia to revitalize Jekyll Island with a new convention center, retail stores, and condominiums. Also, Reynold's Plantation has a Ritz Carlton and The Ritz decided to build a new ballroom and add an additional wing of rooms. There was plenty to keep Stormy busy for the next 5-7 years. We had our plans.

Meredith: Tell me more about these plans.

Melanie: We decided to buy a home at Reynolds to enjoy while we lived there, while still keeping our Lake Mary home because our children all live in Lake Mary. We made lists of things we would do.

Stormy and I bought a home on the water that needed lots of work. The house had fallen into disrepair, but it had good bones. We hired an interior architect and a landscape architect. We had renovation plans, dock plans, and landscaping plans.

Last year, at Thanksgiving time, we had just gotten approval from the architectural review board of the development to proceed with plans for our new house. The bank had already approved our loan for the renovation project. We had our plans, but God had other plans.

Meredith: The Lord often does have other plans while we are busy with our plans. How did you find out that God had other plans?

Melanie: The first week in December, Stormy drove to Jekyll Island for the ground-breaking ceremony. All the dignitaries were there and everything was going as planned. He drove on to Reynold's Plantation later that day and was told by a co-worker, "Be sure to look for a press release tomorrow."

Stormy assumed the press release was about the ground-breaking, but discovered the next day that the relationship between Reynolds and the state of Georgia had been severed.

Stormy called me and I said, "What does this mean? We have plans!"

We went through Christmas last year without much worry. We made more plans. We decided to sell the house...put "blush and lipstick" on the house to make it look good so it would sell.

God provides financial surplus so that we can save for the future, give to the needy around you, and invest. The purpose of investing money is to grow your money or to produce an income. Where should we invest our money?

Invest in the Kingdom of God

We are told by Jesus to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) and that where our treasure is reveals is where our heart is too (Matthew 6:31). So, we should not serve money as a master or seek to grow rich (I Timothy 6:10), but we can use money to serve the Lord by investing in the Kingdom of God. Supporting missionaries, tithing to our local church, giving to the poor in Jesus' Name, supporting Christian ministries, and blessing Crisis Pregnancy Centers are all ways we can invest in the Kingdom of God.

When my husband, Mike was a young man planning to go to seminary to answer the call of God on his life, an older man invested in the Kingdom of God by investing in Mike. He gave him a sales job with a generous base pay and commission. This money paid tuition at seminary, the beginning of a lifetime of ministry. Not only was this man investing in the Kingdom of God, he was investing in my husband's dreams.

Invest in Your Dreams

 We invested in my husband's dreams too. Before we had children, we both worked. But, Mike and I lived off of his income and saved mine. We put the money in savings, along with the extra money Mike earned, to use during our seminary years. We could have lived extravagantly during those early years of marriage, but instead we were very frugal so that we could invest in Mike's dream, the call on his life.

God puts dreams into our hearts. Invest in making those dreams come true. Do you have a dream to paint? Invest in painting lessons. Is it your ambition to write a book? Invest in software to help with the layout. Is your dream to fly a plane. Flying lessons are expensive, but you can put a little aside each month until you have the money to invest in your aviation dream.

Invest in Other People

"What's wrong, Lew?" I asked the young father of three at our church.

"Oh, just trying to figure out how I am going to pay off our Christmas debt," he replied, pushing his shaggy blond hair back from his forehead.

"You can celebrate Christmas without going into debt, Lew." I looked him straight in the eye and shared with him what I will now share with you!

American Christmas Spending

Economists watch carefully about how people spend their money. If there's lots of spending and charging, then the economists smile and pronounce it "good" in an economic sense.

January finds moms and dads trying to figure out how to pay off the debt that has turned out to be much bigger than anticipated. Does God smile and pronounce this "good"?

God calls debt, even Christmas debt, foolishness. Make up your mind to NOT go into debt for Christmas.

Start this Christmas season with a plan.

Make a List, Check it Twice

Make a list of all the things you need to purchase for your family Christmas. List gifts you want to give, decorations, food, drinks, travel, and entertainment.

Now it's time to look it over. Go back and prayerfully review your list. Is there anything you can delete? Is there anything that can be substituted with something less expensive. For example, instead of buying an expensive roast, can you eat turkey or ham instead? Instead of attending the laser light show at fifty dollars a ticket, can you attend the church Christmas play for free?

Now it's time to check it twice. Do the same thing you did before, except be ruthless! Cut and substitute to bring your expenses down to the financial amount that you can actually afford.

A Bargain Christmas

Should I re-title this article?" I thought to myself, "Because everyone I know thinks that they don't make enough money. They will read the title and think that there is no way they can live below their means."

Is this an impossible dream or can people on less-than-desirable incomes live below their means? This is an important concept to address because it is one of the secrets to financial success, along with seeking the Kingdom first and delaying gratification.

If you are living beyond your means, you have accumulated debt because you are spending more than you earn. If you have debt, becoming debt free will necessitate you living below your means and using the extra money to pay off debt. It always costs more money to be in debt, so get rid of the debt and begin to live below your means.

Taking the Second Step in Financial Maturity

"Well, we live within our means," you might say. "We have no debts, but we have a hard time saving any money." That is a good step toward the goal of living below your means, but it isn't good enough. You see, if you are living within your means, you have nothing saved up for your retirement and nothing left over to give away (I'm not talking about tithing--that should be done first!).

To live in financial freedom, we must learn to live below our income. The extra money we find can go to our savings account for future purchases and investments. The eventual goal for the Christian is to be dependent on no one, but to pull our own weight, financially and otherwise. We also want to be able to give to the poor.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each of us should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each should carry his own load," (Galatians 6:2-5 NIV).

We talked about God's abundance in Extravagant Living I. Remember that God owns it all, He wants it all, and He is more than faithful. We also decided to let Christ speak through provision and lack of provision. Let's talk some more about enjoying the lavish blessings of the Lord. I want to enjoy extravagant living!

Stick with the Plan

"It would make more financial sense to let the bank foreclose on my house," my friend, Jack declared and went on to explain why.

"What do you think?" Amy asked, glancing at me when Jack was finished with his logical reasoning.

"It's a lack of integrity," I replied immediately. Christians pay off their debts and keep their word.

Financial principles don't change with the times or economic cycles. They are consistent. God wants us to have integrity, keeping our word and commitments in all areas of life, including finances. If we borrow money, promising to pay it back, then we pay that money back. Our yes is yes!

God's methods of handling finances work! But, more importantly, they are His commands to be obeyed. Don't forget His principles for managing money.

• Tithe first
• Hard work is God's method of provision
• Give generously of time, resources, talent, and money
• Stick to a budget
• Be kind to the poor
• Save for the future
• Care for family's needs, including older relatives (not government's responsibility)
• Invest wisely

Trust God