Hello CCA ?
“Tell your money where to go.” That’s the “Big Idea” for the Annual Financial series I have done for years. I love it and you will too. We are on week 2 this Sunday – build your Generosity Plan.
Spoiler alert: tell this week’s PFD ‘where to go.’ Don’t wake up next week and wonder where it went. ‘Money talks’ and for the naive it says ‘goodbye’.
CCA loves to talk about money. Handling money well makes families happy! CCA builds happy families.
“As long as we don’t know what God wants us to know, we can’t possibly do what God wants us to do. And the result? The devil is able to keep us in bondage.” Barry Cameron
Here’s a suggestion for getting years of benefit from the free PFD you may have received today. You can view it as a windfall and spend it with little thought or you can view it as a gifted opportunity to be well off for years to come. May I suggest the latter.
DT’s simplified PFD plan for “telling your money where to go”.
- Give. My ‘first order’ is generosity: gratitude and honor to the Author of life and grace.
- Save. My $1000 Elementary Emergency Fund. I will never again have to use “plastic credit” for emergencies. I will show you 4 places to save so you are always ahead of the money curve.
- Pay. Pay off debt. My PFD is bringing me closer to my DFD. (my ‘Debt-Free-Date’). I will stop going further in debt by buying on “time payments” that rob next months and next year’s wages.
- Enjoy! God gives me everything for my enjoyment. 2 Timothy 6.17. I will make some family and friends memories. I rejoice that the Lord takes pleasure in me.
Dave Ramsey suggests 7 Baby Steps for good use of your resources:
Baby Step 1: Save $1,000 to Start an Emergency Fund
Baby Step 2: Pay off Debt Using the Debt Snowball Method
Baby Step 3: Save 3–6 Months of Expenses for Emergencies
Baby Step 4: Invest 15% of Your Household Income Into Roth IRAs and Pre-Tax Retirement Funds
Baby Step 5: Save for Your Children’s College Fund
Baby Step 6: Pay off Your Home Early
Baby Step 7: Build Wealth and Give
Kelly and I have already spent our PFD. We are ever so grateful and we had it spent when we first made our 2018 Spending Plan in October 2017. Half is in savings awaiting opportunity to donate it to our October 19-21 Mission’s Conference. The second half went into savings awaiting repairs so we can sell our old house and pay off our new one. Kelly and I have for years followed what we encourage you to do. A Spending Plan “is people telling their money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” John Maxwell. (Dave Ramsey said he wished he had said it so well ?)
Using God’s unlimited resources under God’s direction brings God’s protection.
See you Sunday
Deryl Titus
Here’s some scripture to prepare for learning more this Sunday:
““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
Matthew 13:44 NIV
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.””
Luke 6:38 NIV
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV
“Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.””
Luke 12:15-21 NIV
“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16 NIV
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.””
Mark 12:41-44 NIV