He's Gone

A moment ago I received a text message at work. It simply read, “He’s gone.”

Our son had left for Anthem, the next step in his life journey. As I read the short message my eyes started to leak again. Partly because I missed him and partly because my heart went out to my wife. I cannot fully understand a mother’s love but I know that things like this parting are much more painful for Brendon’s mother.

I’m trying to remind myself that this is a normal part of life that every parent goes through. Many of them more than once but we will be spared that since Brendon is our one-and-only. I also keep telling myself that this is a good thing because this next nine months is going to be such an incredible time of rich life experiences and growth for Brendon. My last resort is to remember that he will be back next summer when the program is over. Notwithstanding these truths, it is still difficult to grasp that he is gone. Sometimes I wish I could see that giggly little boy again that struggled to sit up without falling over.

Life Exuberant

Last week I went on a hike into the Sawtooth Wilderness of Idaho with the Discipleship in Action (DIA) students from my church. This hike was to provide the students with an opportunity to get to know each other better and was also part of their training which focuses on character development. Many of these young men and women had never experienced mountains like we had here in Idaho and for some this was the first time they had attempted such a strenuous hike.

By contrast, I started hiking soon after I was out of diapers. I have visited hundreds of alpine lakes in the wilderness areas of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and logged thousands of miles on backcountry trails. So, I was going along to help out as a friendly guide. I hoped that perhaps I would have an opportunity to share some of my wisdom and be allowed to speak into the lives of some of these students. How odd it seemed to me later when I realized that it was me who was receiving so much from them.

I've spent so much time in the alpine wilderness that I sometimes take for granted the majesty of God's creation. Watching so many of these students taking it all in with wide-eyed wonder reminded me of how privileged I was and how great is my God. It was pure joy to listen to them talk excitedly about how grand the mountains were or how clear and beautiful the water in the lakes was.

There was one event that spoke to me most profoundly though. We were all gathered on the shore of Sawtooth Lake and I recalled when I was a young teenager on just such a hike with my youth group. I remembered how much fun we had jumping into the ice cold water so I started shedding clothes and prepared to get in and lead the way. I've never been one for jumping in so I stepped out about halfway to my knees and stood for a few seconds waiting for my feet to get numb. Instead, they started sending jolts of agony up my spine as the icy tentdrils of the glacier fed lake stabbed into my flesh. I couldn't get out of the water fast enough. I tried a few more times and then confessed my defeat. Maybe it was just the seed that was needed though because one of the students (Cory) made her way down to the shore, perched on a rock, and then took the plunge.

Cory came up out of the water hollering with delight and after she got out and stood on the shore she encouraged the others to try it. As they came down to the water she gave them this wisdom: "Don't let your feet touch the water or you will feel how cold it is and lose your courage. Just get on the rock and jump in." What an incredible picture of faith. I knew the water was going to be cold and I was willing to make some sacrifice but I needed to know ahead of time how cold it was going to be. I needed to analyze it, measure it, and prepare myself for it. Once I took time to assess the cost I lost heart and allowed fear to overcome me. Some of the other students worked up the courage to jump in and others gathered close by to thinking about it so Cory dispensed some more wisdom: "Take someone's hand and do it together. It's easier if you do it with someone else." Indeed it is. That is the power of community. God designed us to live in community like this so that we could build each other up and do even greater things, things that we might not be able to accomplish on our own.

Sometimes we need encouragement from someone like Cory to rise up to the challenges in our lives and sometimes we need the shocking cold of glacier water to make us feel truly alive. And sometimes we need a slice of humble pie.

Live Like No One Else

A few months ago I read Dave Ramsey's Book, "The Total Money Makeover" because I had heard so much about him from people who had attended Financial Peace University (FPU). I thought it was pretty good but frankly it didn't meet the expectations that Dave Ramsey aficionados had helped me set. But, I was still intrigued so I watched a couple of the FPU videos.

Wow!

I can see now why Dave has had such an amazing impact on so many people. His energetic and charismatic delivery of financial wisdom leaves you feeling like there really is hope for your financial situation no matter how bad it is. Encouragement of this sort is hard to come by. I left feeling good about some of the wise financial choices I had made in the past and motivated to move myself to the next level by dealing with the poor decisions and completely getting rid of debt so that I can live the life God intended. I've done a good job saving for retirement and giving to God's Kingdom but I've done a less than stellar job of spending wisely, saving for a rainy day, and managing debt.

Dave's guiding principle is: If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.

If you're looking for another get-rich-quick scheme then Dave is not your guy. If you want to learn what it's going to take to have financial peace and you're willing to roll up your sleeves and get to work then he'll give you a step-by-step plan to do so and provide you with the tools to make it happen. Some of Dave's wisdom seems to defy logic. For example, he suggests that you pay of the smallest debts first and then apply the payments from the smaller debt to the next larger. He calls this process the "Debt Snowball". My analytical alerts instantly went off when I read that because logic would suggest that you pay off the debt with the largest interest rate first since it makes more fiscal sense. Other financial advisors I have read in the past would agree. Dave's position is that if you were smart then you probably wouldn't be in debt in the first place. Instead, he proposes that we are emotional beings not purely logical ones and the reward of paying off the smaller debt is what motivates us to tackle the next one. It's hard to argue against that.

The Bible says in Proverbs 22:7 that "…the borrower is the slave of the lender." Dave continually points out just how true this is. I find myself in a position right now where my debt is keeping me in bondage because it is preventing me from being able to make a transition from a secular vocation to ministerial one. Furthermore, it is a source of stress recently due to the uncertainty of my current job. There's not much peace or joy to be found in my current financial position.

I don't agree with Dave on everything though. In fact, I somewhat disagree with the meaning that he pours into the "later you can live like no one else" part of his principle. Although Dave is a strong proponent of tithing first, he seems to have few qualms about what is done with any money left over after you have met your saving and giving objectives. I struggle with this. I can't forget Jesus' admonition to the rich you man: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21 What a hard truth. This is one of those passages that read pretty clearly but we decide to add a lot of shades of gray to. For myself I mean that I create certain boundaries in my mind and call one side righteous and the other side sin. For example, I have certain ideas about what an acceptable car, house, or vacation is right for a Christian and what would be an unacceptably greedy choice. So, in reality it seems I have just drawn a line in a different place than Dave has. I might be more comfortable with Dave's views on this subject if there was perhaps a bit more emphasis on what the Bible teaches about Christian giving. Maybe the deal is that I'm doing poorly at giving out of my need and I'm wanting a Dave Ramsey to encourage and motivate me there too.

In summary, recommend Dave's books and I highly recommend Financial Peace University to anyone who wants to effectively manage their finances. If you don't want to be in a position in your retirement where you are forced to get your recipes from "101 Ways to Cook With Alpo" then a dose of Dave might be a good idea for you. I've already got my emergency fund established and am working away on the debt snowball. I want to be free to serve the Kingdom and leave a legacy for my son and future grandchildren. I want to experience financial peace. Don't you?