I love telling you about great books to put on your library shelves. But, don't leave this one on the shelf. Pick it up and read it cover to cover!

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is a Christian classic that was written in a jail cell. John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Puritan pastor in the seventeenth century (1600’s).

​John was arrested for his faith and teaching which did not line up with the Anglican Church viewpoint at the time. From his jail cell, he wrote down a dream. Wow! What an intricate dream!

This allegory (symbolic story) follows Christian, the hero of the story and a pilgrim on a journey from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly City. An allegory is a story on two levels. On the first level Pilgrim’s Progress is a literal adventure story with all kinds of twists and turns. But, there is a second level to the story. The symbolic story is the story of every Christian who tries to live a pure Christian life. We each have our own adventure of trials, temptations, and tribulations.

John was not a godly little boy or young man.

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. ​

The Bible has something to say about all of life, including government and economics. God is our provider and boss. All authority and power resides with God. We ignore God's authority at our own peril.

"Then Jesus came to them and said,"All authority in Heaven and on earth belongs to me," (Matthew 28:18 NIV (c)1984).

God also owns everything in world and all who live in it.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it; the world and all who live in it," (Psalm 24:1 NIV (c)1984).

Stewardship

God then delegates authority, responsibility, and wealth to people and institutions. What? Well, let me explain. God is the owner of everything and we are His stewards. We take care of His property for Him. The best biblical illustration of this is the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 24:45-51 where the master of the household puts a servant in charge of his household, possessions, and other servants while he goes away on a trip. When the master comes home, he will reward or penalize the servant based on the servant's care of others and behavior.

God places us in charge of his people and possessions. We are his stewards, accountable to him for the job we do in caring for what is entrusted to us.

Economic Stewardship

"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

"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

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

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment," (I Timothy 6:17 NIV).

God Owns it All!

We look at our financial situation with a standard of living in mind to make us happy. We pursue financial goals using biblical principles. We tithe, give, stick to a budget, and stay out of debt so that we can enjoy an affluent lifestyle. When we struggle financially, we are surprised and, often, angry.

God has a different perspective, being more concerned about our character than our comfort. He is forming Christ in us. In His eyes, everything belongs to Him and He can do as He chooses. We belong to Him, our money belongs to Him, and our stuff belongs to Him. His heart is to use these things for His glory.

God's heart is also to bless us! He gives us things to richly enjoy, lavishing us with good gifts! He has the freedom to do what is best in our lives, without asking our permission. Our family's standard of living has remained consistent throughout our married life while our income has varied greatly. When there is more month at the end of the money, the Lord provides supernaturally.

God Wants it All!

Extravagant living begins with surrender. Acknowledge that everything you are and everything you own is His. He doesn’t not want competition in your heart. Fully surrender to His Lordship!

Extravagant living is not what we have, but what is in our hearts. A surrendered heart bubbles with joy.

God is More than Faithful!

Last time we talked about reasons to start your own business and pitfalls in Starting Your Own Business I. Today, let's talk about character traits of a good businesswoman and choosing what kind of business to start.

Upbeat/Positive Attitude

Starting a business requires faith in God. It is hard, if not impossible to start a business if you are not trusting God, knowing you can trust Him no matter what.

My friend, Brad, lost his job and, a month later, got into a car accident. Both times, he kept his eyes on the Lord, proclaiming to all who would listen, "God allowed this to happen. So He will bring good out of these situations." His faith encouraged others, but more importantly his faith sustained him through the trials. He believed that God keeps His promises even when bad things happen.

If you start a business, bad things will happen sometimes. Customers won't pay, orders will be lost, mistakes will be made, sales might slow down--will you keep your eyes on Jesus when these things happen or give in to worry?

Integrity

My husband, Mike Curtis is the most godly man that I have ever met. He has never told a lie, cheated on someone, taken revenge, or done a dishonest thing in his business. As a result, customers trust him to keep his word and do good work. They know that they get what they pay for because he is trustworthy. Can people trust you? Are you a woman of integrity? Are you tempted to cheat, steal, or lie? Do you give in to temptation in these areas?

Walk uprightly with the Lord and God will bless you in all your ways, including your business. Have a reputation that is above reproach. God will take care of your business if you honor His Name. A good reputation will not only be good for your business, but will bring glory to God!

Hard Work

"What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?" I asked my friend, Zack, a young man of eighteen.

"We're going over to my grandparents' house to do some lawn work for them," he answered with a big smile.

"That is so sweet of you!" I commended him. I silently made note that his attitude at serving and working hard was different than other young men his age and I told him so. I was impressed.

"Oh, I enjoy hard work," he grinned.

Wow! Someone who enjoys hard work is miles ahead of the game. Learn to love working hard. Profitable businesses are built by hard work. If you are considering starting your own business, plan to work very hard!

Going the Extra Mile!

We try to go through our house each year before the school year starts and clean out the clutter in our home school room. If you are like me, your home is full of piles of papers, stacks of books, and a wide variety of every type of clutter possible to exist. Loved ones comfort me: "Your home is lived in." I smile, knowing the truth--my house is a mess right now!

Once the clutter is taken care of, I can take a deep breath and get back to work. Clutter makes me feel oppressed and a tidy house makes me feel productive and energetic.

I notice that my house is not the only thing that gets full of clutter. My email inbox can fill with clutter. My purse can accumulate all kinds of mess. My car can look like a locker room floor sometimes.

But, the worst clutter of all, is the clutter that builds up in my heart. It can damage my relationships and keep me from homeschooling effectively.

Clutter in our Hearts

What can build up in our hearts that is so damaging to our lives and homeschooling? Well, women can tend to be savers. We are so sentimental. We save cards, notes, letters, movie tickets, newspaper clippings, and recipes. But, we can also hold on to hurts, anger, resentments, negative words, and memories of negative episodes in our lives. We remember something our husband did or said on our honeymoon (15 years ago!) or the Mother's Day that our son said, "I wish I had a different mommy." We take these things out from yesterday and examine them closely, remembering how they hurt and experiencing more pain from them today.

We remember failures too. Our own failures are etched in stone, along with our husband's failures which we often build a shrine to, keeping them alive forever. We remember mistakes our children have made and can label our children based on these mess-ups.

"We are a sarcastic family," "None of us can control our tempers," or "This house is full of lazy pigs," are all things I have heard homeschooling moms say. Our words reveal the clutter in our hearts. I would rather hear moms say, "We are learning to be kind," "Our family is growing in anger management," and "We are learning to be tidy!" Now, that may sound silly to you, but how we view our family affects how we homeschool our children.

Clutter Check-List

With the economy shaky, many businesses are downsizing. Our children's soccer coach lost his job a year ago and is starting his own personal training for children business. He is now leading our homeschool coop's P.E. class. One of my musicians (I am a worship leader) injured his back and is starting a T-Shirt company. His designs are amazing and I look forward to wearing his products. After months of job searching to no avail, my niece is beginning to sell Avon. Our pilot friends lost his job in flight instruction and has started a home improvement and repair company.

My husband and I have had a family business since the early nineties, enjoying the joys and challenges of self-employment. Several years ago, we incorporated our business, making it an umbrella for several businesses, including my new publishing company, Powerline Productions, that my friend, Laura and I are getting off the ground.

It seems that I am surrounded by people who have, or are starting, their own businesses!

Reasons for Starting Your Own Business

Reasons abound for starting your own business. What a blessing it would be to be your own boss and have a flexible schedule. You could plan your work hours around the children's school hours and family needs. There is potential to make more money, thus sowing more into the Kingdom of God. You also have the opportunity to cultivate your own leadership skills and impact employees and customers. There is so much to make starting your own business attractive, why doesn't everyone start their own business?

Here is a little reality check. If you are used to working nine to five, or some other forty hour a week job, starting a business will be a shock. Most business owners put in at least 70 to 80 hours a week, especially when they are getting their business off the ground. Many times, there is no profit (and thus, no paycheck) for two to three years. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but, for the most part, starting your own business is a huge undertaking, best begun with lots of prayer and clear direction from God.

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD," (Proverbs 21:30 NIV).

The most important reason to start your own business is that God calls you to start a business. His heart and plan is for you to be blessed so that you can be a blessing to those around you. If God's plan and destiny for your life includes starting your own business, it will impact the people around you for His glory. That doesn't mean that it has to be a ministry, but that you minister through it to your employees and customers. Don't even try to start a business that isn't God's will or plan for your life. If a business doesn't honor the Lord, it is not God's will.

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed," (Proverbs 15:22 NIV).

Get counsel from trusted friends and family members before beginning your own business. What do they think? Write down their counsel and prayerfully consider it! It is good to talk to mature Christians, other business owners, and people who know the real you to get a broad range of counsel and insight.

Pitfalls to Owning Your Own Business

Before we talk about the character traits necessary to owning your own business, let's talk about three very big character flaws that cause problems for business owners. If you see yourself in these pitfalls, don't despair. The Lord can change and mature us in Him. Work on these areas and get them straightened out before you start your own business. I have seen these three things cause businesses to fail.

"What are you doing?" my husband asked. "Are you coming to bed soon?  You've been on the computer all night."

"And all day too. I'm making room on my hard drives. They are both full. I deleted 4,000 emails today. Now, I'm deleting duplicate picture files. My camera is 10 megapixels and the files are large. Also, there are a lot of video files from Shine and Phoebe..."

"Okay, Honey. It's fine. Don't explain. I'll see you in the morning."

I had 600 somethings on my computer. My computer friends told me that my computer has enough space that I will never fill it. Hah! Little do they know!

Clutter in my Life

I can fill anything--an empty drawer, an empty bookcase, an empty room, and an empty hard drive. I create piles of papers and books wherever I go. If I walk into a room, I will leave behind a pile of books.

But, filling up my hard drives was a wake-up call to me. I have a problem with clutter. There is clutter in my homeschool room and clutter in my computer. I might join a support group.

"Hi, I'm Meredith Curtis and I'm a pack rat. I hate to get rid of anything because one day I just might need it. How do other people live without collecting piles of things?"

There is just one thing to do. I told my husband that I need to buy a computer with a bigger hard drive and we need to buy a bigger house. He's not buying it. He suggested a family project. My family is not thrilled about the Curtis De-Clutter Adventure.

My problem runs deeper than filling up space. This is a problem that only God can handle. I need wisdom from Heaven on what to keep, what to give away, and what to throw away. There are many things that I should hold on to or I will just need to spend money to replace them in a few months. Homeschooling requires many books, file folders, and computer files.

My Plan for Clutter

There is one person in our life that we seem to spend lots of money on. Sometimes we don't even realize how much money we spend on her. We don't like to think of ourselves spending so much on that person, but we do. If you want to grow in godliness, stop spending so much money on yourself! There, I said it.

Without realizing it, we think about things we want and need, laying our plans to purchase these things now or later. We are bombarded with messages from advertising on television, at the movies, in the mall, in the newspaper, on billboards when we drive, and from the people we love who know exactly what we "need." Somehow our mind gets wrapped around the idea that buying lots of stuff will make us happy, take away the pain in our lives, help us to become more organized, or help people to love us more. We know, of course, that stuff won't make us happy, but we are bombarded with the lie so often that we start to believe it.

Secret Stuff Area

We each have a secret stuff area. That is the area where we really believe that purchasing items of that kind will make us happy. My secret stuff area is shoes...it is just amazing how quickly a new pair of shoes can brighten up my day. Flowers, chocolate, clothes, music, CDs, DVDs, jewelry, electronic equipment, bling, designer purses, software, or accessories might be your secret stuff area. Maybe it is not so secret. Maybe it is more than one area...you just love to buy stuff for yourself.

We kid ourselves into thinking that the money we spend is all on others, but if you are honest and list everything you spend, you will find that you purchase all kinds of things for yourself. You might buy snacks, drinks, new clothes, comfort foods, music, books, or accessories on impulse when you are out shopping for the family or running errands. We don't think about it, but it adds up.

The Real Issue

The money we spend on ourselves isn't the most important thing, but rather the preoccupation with making ourselves happy and feeding our appetites. Greed, the desire for more stuff, is an appetite. When we feed it with little snacks (a bag of Combos or a bestseller at the check-out line), we are feeding the appetite of greed. What do we really need? How much do we really need? Can we wait to purchase this item later? How much more stuff does God really want us to have?

I'm not trying to sound harsh, but spending money on ourselves reveals the self-centered nature that is needing to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Another thing that reveals this selfish attitude is how unhappy we become when we cannot have what we want because our finances are tight. Is this really how a Christian lady should live and manage her money? How we spend our money reveals our heart and our priorities.

Examine Your Heart