Financial Fitness Freedom From Debt by Mike Peek We began the year, 2006, deeply in consumer debt. We were a household of four, husband, wife, with two children: a boy, and a girl. We had good jobs and were driving new automobiles. From the outside, we were living the American dream; however, we were in a budgetary crisis. We were living paycheck to paycheck. It was as if our checking account was a money laundering service, moving money from our employer to the debt industry. I was a master juggler; therefore, we never missed a payment and had FICO scores above 800. I knew what we would have available, after making credit card payments, automobile payments, mortgage payments, and utility bills to spend on groceries, clothing, and lifestyle. We would use the amount, between what we owed, and the credit limit to pay for things. I was even able to predict interest, thereby, avoiding going over the credit limits. It would be a strain for awhile, then we would get a credit card in the mail...
This past weekend; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I spent 8 hours each day alongside 100 other Christians who came from all over the United States. We were in Houston, Texas, preaching the gospel in open-air, passing out tracts, and talking with people. We were broken up into 10 teams of 10. The event was Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas. On Friday and Saturday we surrounded the outer complex of Discovery Green in Downtown Houston, the location of what was called the Super Bowl experience. On Sunday (game day) we surrounded the outside of the stadium. One could not enter or exit Discovery Green on Friday or Saturday, or enter NRG Stadium on game day without having heard at least a portion of the gospel. The gospel that we preached, is the same gospel that Christians have been proclaiming through the ages. “That in Jesus Christ, and for our salvation, God has entered human history in a unique way.” 1 God became flesh in the person of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ and...
I have worked in the health care industry for more than half of my life. From doctors to nurses to ancillary personnel high consumption is the norm. To live on less than one makes as abnormal. Several years ago, we made a conscious decision to be abnormal. I recently wrote about our journey through the seven baby-steps as laid out in Dave Ramsey’s book, The Total Money Makeover. I wrote both about our successes and our struggles. Today, living in baby-step seven, we find ourselves in a much different place than we were just a few years ago, much-less, when we began that journey. “There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another pretends to be poor, but has great wealth.” (Proverbs 13:7, NASB) Often, in the media, and among the populace, there is a misunderstanding about wealth and income. A high income does not mean wealth. Income usually defines level of consumption rather than wealth. Income is what you bring home but wealth is what you have. If you spend everyth...