I Don't Need It

Don't Waste Your Life...read it.

2009-07-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Jason called me on his way home from work today: "What do you want for dinner," I ask. That familiar question that used to always lead to a friendly discussion...Mexican? nah, had a burrito for lunch....Chinese?...maybe...I've been craving it ever since Pastor Brad mentioned it in church yesterday...Buckhead? (our favorite restaurant within walking distance...has outside seating and a nice view of the city)...I DO like their rolls...well, think about it and I'll see ya when you get home...k, love you bye.

But not anymore!

Today I got up off the couch, put 2 cans of beans in a pot, a jar of salsa, boiled some rice, and dinner was ready in 10 minutes. I kept it warm until Jason got home, we ate in 10 minutes and guess what? Not only did we spend under $3.50 for dinner (PLUS we had leftovers), we had the entire evening to run some errands, take a walk, and actually relax and read and get ready for tomorrow! I also started a little photo project on my refrigerator that I've been meaning to get to. I didn't change the world tonight, but little by little, I am learning to be content.

Because I am spending less time sitting at a table in a restaurant waiting for someone to wait on me, and less time shopping, looking for that "good deal", I have more time to read, pray, and talk with my husband about God's working in our lives. Right now we believe God has us in a season of learning. I am thankful for all the great men and women of God who have gone before me who have exercised their gifts of teaching and have written wonderful books. They could have gone to ballgames, taken a nap, gone hiking, or read a pointless novel, but instead they searched out scripture, and shared its blessings with others.

I am reading "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper. I can't describe the effect it has had on me. Just read it. You can download it for free here: http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/ It is about much more than money, but Piper says that 15% of Christ's teachings relates to money and lifestyle...which amounts to more than He taught about Heaven and Hell combined. How we spend our money and time shows others what we treasure.

Piper says, "If we look like our lives are devoted to getting and maintaining things, we will look like the world, and that will not make Christ look great. He will look like a religious side-interest that may be useful for escaping hell in the end, but doesn't make much difference in what we live and love here. He will not look like an all-satisfying treasure".

God, in His mercy, is teaching me, the slowest of learners, how to treasure Him! How pathetic am I, that the Creator of the universe has to hold my hand while I take baby steps to trusting that He can satisfy my every need!

Thank you God for your longsuffering while I slowly turn away from things that contribute to wasting my life. As you become more and more my only treasure, open up opportunities for me to show you to others, only give me boldness.

I don't need tylenol

2009-06-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I woke up with a headache. I was sore and just felt blah. I went to work and continued to be in a funk. I felt stressed and irritable. I just wasn't feeling right. I didn't like feeling this way, so I started to pray that God would show me what was wrong...why I couldn't get my groove back. I was reminded of the truth that focusing on your suffering does not give relief. So I started to pray for others. I have several people on my heart for various reasons, and I began to focus on praying spiritual blessing and physical health for them. Within minutes I forgot about my own "issues". I rejoiced that God was true to His nature, by showing me that "in His presence is fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11).

I know this has little to do with giving up earthly gain for God's definition of gain, but I am not feeling particularly inspired tonight, but wanted to write since it has been too long.

An update on how the finances are going...we haven't eaten out since we started seeking gain. We have kept our weekly grocery spending to under $50, and have not gone shopping for anything nonessential (which may be a broad term, but in our case right now "nonessential" means anything other than food and toilet paper). Of course, dog food, gas, and my trip to PA are added in there...we were still able to pay $1850 on a credit card. But more repairs were added to one investment property, so we haven't made much progress on the original $7000.

However, we know we are on the right track and have gotten into good habits to keep us from spending. Mainly, seeking our pleasure in God and not anything else! Piper says in his book "Desiring God": "we can be content with simplicity because the deepest most satisfying delights God gives us through Creation are free gifts from nature and from loving relationships with people". This has proven to be true so far! We do not feel at all like we are denying ourselves anything. We are keeping our eye on the prize, which is BEING DEBT FREE, and in turn free to do with our money and time MORE for God!!!

I don't need anything I see in a commercial

2009-06-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

In the money chapter of John Piper's book, Desiring God, he asks, "Are you awake and free from the false message of American merchandising? Or has the omnipresent economic lie deceived you so that the only sin you can imagine in relation to money is stealing?. I believe in free speech and free enterprise because I have no faith whatsoever in the moral capacity of sinful civil government to improve upon the institutions created by sinful individuals. But for God's sake let us use our freedom as Christians to say NO to the desire for riches and YES to the truth. There is great gain in godliness when we are content with the simple necessities of life."

All commercials do is cause discontentment, because we become aware of another product we don't have that could make life "easier" or that we "deserve". It's time for me to get mad when I see something being advertised in a way that makes me discontent. Mad that I've let something steal my joy, mad at the arrogance of merchandisers who think I am so shallow and gullible that I will run right out and buy their product or service because I will believe their created myth that it will somehow make me happy. Without ever having been very materialistic, I can still see a difference in my attitude toward life in these past weeks that I have been avidly seeking joy and peace and contentment. I'm finding it...in meditating on the truth of the Scriptures, and in worshiping God. And God is blessing my desire to seek Him by opening my eyes to true blessings and joy.

I spent 4 days in Pennsylvania with my family this past week. I was blessed by just being able to relax and laugh and enjoy my siblings and cousins. My joy was increased when my cousin's 4 year old little boy told us with a huge smile on his face that he got saved last week! No material thing could give me the profound feeling of joy and contentment in being able to hear and see in person the joy on a little boy's face who knows he is a child of God. He is very excited to know that God can now hear his prayers :)

Little Noah's announcement in turn spawned a conversation about Jesus with my brother-in-law, who was not raised in church, has recently begun going to church with my sister and brother, and has questions about what it all means. He is seeking God and what a blessing it was to share Jesus with him! I felt completely inadequate to help him understand, but I pray that God is even now transforming the words from my fumbling lips into belief and hope and faith in my brother-in-law's life. Hersheypark was fun, but it didn't compare to the thrill I got from hearing someone I care about asking questions about God and Jesus, and thirsting after more!

I crave more of these blessings. I don't need a 2009 car. I don't need a newer computer. I need more talk of Jesus with loved ones!!!!

Had I been spending my money on TVs or expensive clothing or a big house, I would not have been able to afford to take off work to go to Pennsylvania for my cousin's baby shower. I would have missed out on many blessings!!

Thank you God for allowing me to go to PA last week. Thank you for reaching down in mercy and answering Renee's prayers to save Noah. I pray he will serve you and seek you every day and remain faithful to your word. Thank you for Chad. I don't know his heart, but if he hasn't yet, I pray he will fully acknowledge his need for you and fully receive your indescribable gift of salvation. Forgive me for wasting time and money on things that are not expedient.

I gained today

2009-06-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning, there was a note taped to the kitchen door that read, "I loved your blog entry. Have a great day. I love you now more than ever. -Jason" When I was in the shower getting ready for work, my brother called and left a voicemail. He asked a question pertaining to our plans for the rest of the week (I'm staying with him while I visit Pennsylvania) and finished the message, as we always do, with "I love you, bye".

At work, I was greeted by smiles and friends. I received comments from my clients tonight like, "you're the best", "I feel much better, that's good stuff" and "thank you, I feel really good". One actually said "you are a blessing to me, thank you". Most of my clients tonight were regulars, and I had a blessed conversation with each of them. When I arrived home and checked facebook, I had a wall post from a friend who said "I'm so glad I know you".

John 15:17 "This I command you, to love one another". I am thankful to God for the people in my life who love me. I have gained love today.

Thank you God for friends and family. Thank you that you ARE love, and because of your love, we can love you and others. I want your love to overflow through me to others!

I don't need meatloaf

2009-06-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

It can be argued that ordering meatloaf in a restaurant is risky at best, and usually quite avoidable, as far more promising delights are usually an option, such as oh I don't know...mush. In our most recent restaurant debacle (in our travels and concerted efforts at avoiding cooking at all costs, literally, we have had many less than satisfactory restaurant experiences), I had little choice but to order meatloaf...which admittedly sounds curious but you will soon understand. We had a $25 gift certificate purchased from restaurant.com for $2, but in order to use it, we had to spend $35. Before continuing I would like to point out that this extravagant expense of eating out was before, and possibly the cause of, our setting the goal of paying off $7,000 in 3 months so that we could "live simply that others may live".

At this particular local restaurant, which shall remain nameless except that I can tell you the name is an alliteration beginning with the word "Buffalo" and ending with the word "Bob's", and as an aside it should be mentioned I was quite disappointed to meet neither a buffalo named Bob nor a guy named Bob capable of imitating, replacing, or in any way should attempt to steal the name of "Buffalo Bill", most of the items on the menu were $6.99. It would take several "Buffalo Bob" burgers to fulfill our financial obligation and we weren't in the mood, if this mood indeed exists, to ingest 5 lbs of beef, though in hindsight this fatty fate would have been preferable to the one that actually befell us.

Searching the menu for the most expensive things so that we could reach a bill of $35, we ordered the most expensive appetizer ($8.49), and my husband found something he would enjoy...the Rib Platter ($16.99), meaning I merely had to spend $9.50. The choices in that price range were pasta, which I ruled out as imprudent at a burger joint, though, again, the hindsight thing..., various chicken dishes, which I simply don't really like chicken or steak unless it is cut up and put in something, or meatloaf. I can't help it, I like meatloaf, okay? So I chose meatloaf.

When the waitress informed Jason that they were out of ribs, ("oh, and pork chops"), he had to make a quick thinking decision on the next most expensive thing, which was the sirloin. To finish the story a lot quicker than I began it, the sirloin was inedible (which has to be BAD and I mean BAD for it to be defined as "inedible" by my dear, but very food-loving husband), which was evidenced by the fact that the waitress apologized for it while setting the plate down, but set the plate down nonetheless. My "meatloaf" was, well, exactly that...a loaf (miniature as it was), of meat. No sauteed onions, or spices, just a little loaf of meat covered in gravy. Unfortunately for me, the degree of unsatisfactory-ness of my meatloaf was overshadowed by the less-than-unsatisfactory-ness of the dried up, pointer finger sized imposter of a steak on my husband's plate.

The waitress returned a few minutes later, noticing my husband was not eating his steak (he made a noble effort, I assure you), and offered to bring him something else from the kitchen. He humbly asked for the pulled pork sandwich, which was about as disappointing as my meatloaf. The waitress brought the bill out, not charging us for the appetizer or the steak, but charging us for the pulled pork sandwich and the meatloaf, and said to come back another time to use the gift certificate because "we are better than this, I promise". However, the bill was still $18, which was more than if she would have just charged us full price for everything and let us use our gift certificate! So we requested she just charge us for the steak and let us use our gift certificate. After 2 more attempts at getting the bill correct, and a rude response from the waitress because of our insistence we not be overcharged, we finally were able to leave...hungry, $12.38 poorer, and annoyed, though our mood quickly changed when we stopped by Starbucks on the way home to use a gift certificate given to us for Christmas, and got exceptional customer service and quality product.

I'm enjoying searching out daily things in my life "I don't need". I am relishing the contentment that comes with focusing on Christ and the cross rather than this world. Right now my goal is financial, but ultimately spiritual...wanting to get out of debt, so I can in turn use all money that comes through my hands in a God honoring way. I'm so glad I don't need this :)

I definitely don't need macabre meatloaf. I need more fruit...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

God, thank you that I live in a place where I have easy access to nutritional food and it is affordable. Forgive me for wasting so much of the money you provide to pay someone else to make it and serve it to me. Give me the motivation to consistently reserve money for better things than eating out, like helping someone who can't afford to eat at all. What else can you reveal to me that I don't need?

I don't need another blue shirt

2009-06-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we made a goal to pay off a $7,000 balance on a credit card by our birthdays...mine is September 4th and Jason's is September 15th. So, that's 3 months. That's what, just over $2,000 a month? The debt is recent, and a result of some work we had to do on 2 rental properties we bought about 6 months ago. It's an interest free credit card, and as credit card debt goes, this isn't that "bad"...we haven't paid interest on it, it is for repairs to an investment, and we have the means to pay it off quickly, IF we are REALLY frugal.

In the past we have not been very good at sticking to budgets. We are masters at talking ourselves into "needing" a night out to dinner, or finding good "deals" that shouldn't be passed up. After reading a little bit of Dave Ramsey's book, "More than Enough", I realize the goals we had were strictly financial. We wanted "out of debt" or "to have a $1,000 cushion" in savings. We didn't have a vision of what we could do with our money if we weren't spending it on ourselves. The motivation was security or ease, and it wasn't enough. We were too eager to have that immediate gratification that comes from buying something new. We were too lazy to cook, and found it too easy to just go out.

We very easily could have had enough money in the bank to pay for those needed repairs if over the past 3 years since we have been debt free and both working good paying jobs we would have been diligently saving rather than blowing it all. We were too easily blown off course by the lure of ease...But here's the thing, to say "no" to spending, I have to change my view completely on WHY I want to be debt free:

-It's not security: God says "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind...your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you". And Romans 14:17 tells me exactly what the "kingdom of God" is..."not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost".

-It's not so I can get a bigger house or a better wardrobe. "And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content".

The reason I want to get out of debt is:

1. So I can be free to put whatever I earn wherever God tells me to put it. I don't know exactly where that will be right now, but I can't wait to find out!!

2. So I can move on from past financial mistakes and look to the future to pursue God's definition of gain..."godliness with contentment is great gain".

3. To begin relying on God to provide what he says he will provide and not rely on credit cards as a crutch. He says, "I will never fail you or forsake you".

My cousin's baby shower is next Saturday and we are supposed to wear pink if we think the baby is a girl and blue if we think it's a boy. I want to wear blue, and was thinking it would be nice to get a cute new blouse to wear to the shower. Then I remembered, "godliness with contentment is great gain". A new blue shirt is NOT great gain. I have 3 blue shirts in my drawer to pick from. I like all three of them. I am content to wear a shirt I already have!

Thank you God for granting me contentment in this small thing. Forgive me for spending so much time and money laying up treasures on earth. I pray for more of your righteousness and joy and peace!

Let's just do it

2009-06-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

I read this in John Piper's book, Desiring God, today: "Three billion people today are outside Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of them have no viable Christian witness in their culture. If they are to hear--and Christ commands that they hear--then cross-cultural missionaries will have to be sent and paid for. All the wealth needed to send this new army of good news ambassadors is already in the church.

If we, like Paul, are content with the simple necessities of life, hundreds of millions of dollars in the church would be released to take the gospel to the frontiers."

It took a moment for this to sink in. Really? We could do that? I fought back tears as I realized the tragic implications. Mr. Piper, you are right when you say we are too easily pleased. To make it personal, I am too easily pleased. I prefer dinners out, exciting vacations, and various "creature comforts" to the much more lasting and desirable joy of seeing a lost person accept Christ. I prayed and repented and that's when I began to seek gain. "There is great gain in godliness with contentment". I want the eternal gain of God's reward. I want the gain of contentment in my life on earth. I want the gain that comes from the blessing of loving others.

How do I do that? I think God is showing me the first step is to get rid of debt. We went library hopping to get 4 of Dave Ramsey's books. I will be reading them, making goals, and documenting our progress in this blog.

God, I want to receive the joy and peace that comes only from you. Thank you for the strength and health to work and earn money. Use my strength, health, and money for your purposes.