The Last Financial Crisis

Before tackling the current financial crisis let’s look at the one that just happened seven short years ago. Back in 2001 it was the golden age of the internet. Billion dollar valuations of companies grew on trees and we were all going to be millionaires by 25 and retire billionaires by 30. It was a time of extravagance and money flowed freely.

During this time I was a couple of year into my Christianity and was newly married. I had gotten it into my head that God wanted to bless me and thought that these blessing were flowing through credit. I had gone wild and bought anything and everything that they would let me buy on credit including a house. Three weeks after buying the house I was laid off from my job due to the economy. I hadn’t even made the first payment on the house.

For the next 2 years my wife and I struggled along as she worked full time and I tried to start/run a business in the technology field. After 2 years we were stripped of just about everything (including the house) and found ourselves renting from her dad once again. I struggled another couple of years with the business until we started having kids. A couple of events happened and I found myself hitting rock bottom.

The Turning Point

The turning point for me was when I got into a business financial dispute with a really good friend that cost me our friendship. I remember sitting in my car with my wife looking at her knowing that if I didn’t change things that I could very well lose her next. It was at that point that I decided to quit the business and go get a job and try to take care of my family the way that a real man of God should.

Since that time my wife and I have been extremely blessed. I believe that choosing to make my family’s needs a priority as opposed to mine allowed God to come into our situation and allowed His blessing and provision to flow. We are more blessed today then we every have been in order lives.

(You can read my perspective on Christian priorities in my post – Priorities as a Christian)

The 2008 and Beyond Financial Crisis

Today’s financial crisis isn’t much different then the one that happened seven years ago. There was money flowing and people were looking to get rich quick and retire young. This time around though it was real estate that was the catalyst for what we are facing. The only difference this time around is that the housing sector is far larger then the technology sector and therefore is and will impact far more people. I do not remember any government bailouts for technology companies seven years ago but we have already had one for the Financial sector and now the auto industry is asking for one as well.

Last time there were several factors that I personally contributed to that allowed the financial downturn to affect me. I had far more debt then I should of. I also had switched jobs not long before getting laid off to a newly created position that was easily expendable (so I found out later). The position I transferred from was one of the few positions that actually remained when all was said and done and hindsight shows me that God was trying to protect me from what was coming. In the last financial crisis I contributed a lot to my anguish and I know and understand that now.

This time around I feel that I am in the right place with God and in the job that He wants me to be in. We have a little debt (still more then I would want) that is easily manageable. I have been tempted at times to fly the coop at my job but have stuck it out and am glad that I did. This time around I should be in a much better place to ride this storm out.

So why do I still get scared as if I am going to lose it all?

Who’s in Control?

I get scared at times because I listen to the news a little too much. I hear the unemployment reports and hear of people getting laid off. At first I was really into the watching and reading the news as it was happening and was finding myself getting more and more depressed. I was easily losing my temper around my wife and kids and had little motivation to do anything. I was down trodden because I felt like I was not in control and my destiny was uncertain. I felt like at any moment I could get that call into my boss’s office to be told that today would be my last day. It was terrible.

Things got to the point that my wife noticed and we started talking about it. She looked at me in unbelief as I quoted her statistics of layoffs and other end of the world jargon that the news channels and internet had been spewing for weeks. Her look of unbelief was not at the actual information that I was saying but at the fact that it was coming out of me. She was pretty quick to remind me that whatever you feed grows and whatever you starve dies. She told me that it was pretty evident that I had been listen to the news more then God.

Her wake up call was the equivalent of getting a smack on the face.

For the previous weeks we had not been to church hardly at all and I had been consumed with all of the bad news floating around. The next day I downloaded several podcasts from various ministers that I know have good Word. I spent the next week listening to them during the day at work and by the end of the week things were looking much better from my perspective.

See, the world is going to tell you that this thing is going to hit you and take you down with it. If you listen to it you are giving the world control of your life and there is a very good possibility that it will do exactly that. But if you stop listening to what the world has to say and listen to God, you will find out that He has a plan ready and waiting for you and is eager to share it with you. His plan is that this financial crisis will have a minimum impact on you. In fact it is His will for you to prosper during this time so you can help other through it. What we have to do though is to make a conscious decision of who we are going to listen to – the world or God.

Fighting the Good Fight

After having the conversation with my wife I made the decision to make God’s Word the authority in my life. At first I was consumed with the Word and I was taken out of depression and was actually a pretty happy camper. Bad news would come but would go as quickly as it came. In my mind even if I got called into the office to be laid off I knew that it would be apart of God’s plan and therefore had nothing to fear. Things were going great.

After that first week I tapered off in listening without realizing it. By the end of the second week I was starting to slip back into listening to the news and into being depressed. Over the weekend I realized what was happening and hit the Word again that following Monday. Since then I have been pretty consistent with listening to the Word and have been doing pretty good.

Another thing that I noticed is that even when I am in the Word if I get really tired then I become more vulnerable. When overly tired I struggle a little more in fighting back the news of world. I now realize that as I continue to take in the Word that I need to make a conscious effort to catch up on my rest as well. The devil always looks for the weak or tired to go after so we need to makes sure we stay up on both.

Conclusion

Bad things are going to come an go. The Bible says that it rains on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45). I believe that God always has a plan to cushion the blow though. You may have been living it up and now this financial crisis has or is about to catch up with you. You may have done everything right and did not get caught up in what was happening but still are now effected. Either way God has a plan to bring you out. Sometimes it is hard to understand or except that but He is our father, our dad.

Jeremiah 29:11 says:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The thing that always helps me in situations like this is to think of how I would be if my son was in the same situation.

If my son came to me and said “Dad, I played the real estate game and messed up, can you help me and my family out?” how would I react? Would I say “Well, that’s too bad, I hope you figure something out.”. No, I would help him. He might get a lecture from me but I am not going to leave my son and his family out in the cold because he made a mistake. I would do everything in my power to take care of him and help him get on his feet.

There is nothing that I would not do for my son.

I believe that God is the same way. There is nothing that He would not do for us. We just need to come to him. When we come to Him He will reassures us that He is in control and that he is going to take care of us (Deu 31:6). Anytime I get scared or concerned about something that has come my way there He is to let me us that everything it going to be alright. He is such a good dad.

Jobs come and go, houses, cars, etc the same. But God is always there, constant, never changing. He loves us and is more then willing to take us in and take care of us and our families. We just need to give Him the chance.

To combat this concern I have to separate what I think people would say about me from what I know God says about me.

While the last few years have been tough living the type of Christian life that I was taught I know that I have grown in God at the same time. Church and the Word of God are important and necessary in your Christian walk but so is having a one-on-one relationship with God. I know that in early in my Christianity I focused on Church and the Word while over the last few years the focus has been on relationship. At this point in my life I feel that I am learning to balance between the two.

The one thing that I have learned through this process is the love that a father has for his son. As I have seen my my kids grow up I can see that God see me in the same way. There is nothing that I would not do for my kids and I know that God is the same way. They may need a pow-pow from time-to-time to remind them not to do certain things but I only do that because I love them and want them to grow up respectable and safe. I know that God sees me in the same way. There are times that I want to go and do things that are not the best and he will guide me back to the right path.

It is tough enough to be a Christian but putting your victories and failures out their for the world to see makes it a little tougher. I do it though not because I want to try and show off but because I hope that if people see my struggles that turn into victories that it will encourage them to continue on in God.

Personally I feel pretty comfortable with my relationship with God and do have daily contact with Him. Recently I started reading several times a week out of my Bible and have started to listen to messages from different churches via Podcasts while at work. I feel that I am where God wants me to be and the recent step up in reading and listening are just the next step in my journey with Him. Also I have setup a personal journal that only I have access to where I can express my feelings good or bad and allow me to have another avenue to interact with God.

All-in-all it has been a good year and I feel that I have grown in my relationship with God which where I think we all want to be.

Well here is a nice list of updates of what I have been doing the last 7 months:

1. I quit the Media Ministry. I went to one training session and knew it was not time to get involved.
2. I quit school. Was not the time either. I was not spending as much time with my family as I wanted. Also it was very expensive verses the return. 
3. Started making some good, steady, money from blogging which helped our cash flow.
4. In addition to the blogging I got a steady side part-time job doing web design.
5. In addition to that I have had more side web design projects then I have wanted (OK, I wanted them).
6. Prayed for the last 5 months about buying a bigger house and finally put the deposit down this past weekend on it.
7. Have been pretty steady in going to church during that time.
8. Had a “Connection” with my pastor. No, I have not met him but he said a couple of things in a service that I felt spiritually connected me to him/the church.
9. Joined a “Connection Group” from the church. Went to the first and only meeting so far. It was cool. Really nice people.
10. Feel like I am closer to God then ever. I am led more by His peace then ever before in my life. I am comfortable with not moving (if at all) until He tells me it is time to move.

That’s it. 7 months wrapped up in a 10 point list.

The last 7 months have been good and I really feel that God has been working on my character during that time. The biggest area that He has been working on me has been managing my time between being a good Christian/husband/father/son/employee/business owner. It can be challenging, some days are better then others, but I am here and still kicking.

I am not making any promises on when the next post will be or frequency of posts. I am still alive though and throw something up here when the spirit moves me.

Until then…

The reason for that is that I could just not take what was being said and done in the movie any more. The things that were really getting to me was how extreme the people where in the movie.

See I come from that type of background in my Christianity. The first church that I went to when I got saved was not as “extreme” as this but they were religious. The only thing that I can say about them being religious was that it heavy. You just felt burdened down by all of these things that you could or could not do. I saw the same thing in that movie.

In one seen there is a little girl who likes to dance but then she starts talking about how she should only dance for Jesus and not herself or “in the flesh”. She says that she like to dance for herself but she knows that it is wrong. Dude, there is nothing wrong with dancing. Now where in the Bible does it say not to dance. In fact it says that David danced. Enough said.

The thing was is that I have not been to a religious church in orver a year so I got used to not feeling that weight. But while I was watching that movie I could feel the weight.

All I can say is that the people in that are extremists. I really think that people need to take a step back and figure out why they believe what they believe and why they do the things that they do. I found as you do that your priorities shift and you end up getting closer to God and your family.

Enough said.

Technorati Tags: Jesus Camp, Christianity, Jesus, God , Church

In my own life I have been experiencing a little bit of adversary lately at my job. It really is not an one person it is just the particular position that I am in and the responsibilities that come along with it.

Like most people I was hired to fill a need and/or fix a problem. Like most people I found out that the problem was a little bigger then I anticipated coming into the job. Because the scope of the work is quite large it has caused some frustration for me and for the people my position was designed to help.

Unfortunately when I have received feedback from the people I am trying to help I have not responded the best to it. Most of the times I have taken offense and have gotten mad. Fortunately I have an understanding boss who see both sides and does his best to smooth things out.

I really did not think of this situation in spiritual terms until I read the email this morning. The email reminded me that the position that I am in is a great opportunity for me to advance into a totally new career. As the scripture in the email said: “A wide door has been opened to me”. What I did not realize is that the devil does not want you walking through that door to receive the blessings that God has for you.

In my situation it really is not the people that I have the opposition with – people are people. It is how I react to those people regardless of how they act towards me. I am here to help them, that is my job. If they do not like how I help them then they have every right to get rid of me and get someone else. I do not want that and I am sure they do not either.

So what is my part? It is to chill out and be compassionate towards them. Also, if I am walking in love and someone really gets out of hand I know that God will remove that person (I have had this happen on several occasions in the past).

This goes back to what I say a lot in this blog – you need to self evaluate. You need to find out what part you play in a situation and fix that and then most times that will fix the issue.

Anyway, I hope that if you are finding yourself in a similar situation that this has been helpful.

Technorati: Christian, Christian Living, Walking in Love, Adversary

As you may know the famous Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin died while filming by a stingray. It was a total fluke of an accident but it happened none the less. I was surprised to see the news on Monday morning like most people. What did shock me though was my reaction to his death – I was devastated.

I was not devastated because I knew the man or even watched him all that often. I was devastated because he was young, a husband, and a father to two very young children. I thought of the sorrow that his wife and kids must be facing knowing that they are never going to see their wonderful father on this earth in person again.

I then begun to think about my wife and kids and how sad it would be for them if I were not around to see them grow up. It was a lot to take in. There is a time for mourning but you cannot stay there too long without it affecting you and those around you.

Yesterday I was extremely numb. I did not know what to say to my wife or my kids. We just ended up going for a walk around the neighborhood when I got home from work. Then, when I got home I went to bed – it wasn’t even 9 o’clock.

This morning I spent some time with God to just sort out what I was feeling and why.

I came to a couple of conclusions that allowed me to have some closure on the issue. If anything it has given me time to reflect on my own life and to value it. It has allowed me to look at me life and the lives of my family and see how blessed we truly are.

Philippians 4:8-9 says –

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

What God helped me to realize was that even though he was gone, I was still here. I needed to take a look around and see the blessing that were in my life and think about these things.

The mind is far more powerful then most people understand and we as Christians have to be in control of it. We can choose to dwell on death and sorrow or we can look at the good things that God has done for us.

There is a time and place for mourning, but stay there only as long as necessary because although someone may have left, you are still here.

Technorati: Death, Christianity, Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter

Last night at church our Pastor talked about the reason that our church was there. It’s purpose was to influence people for the gospel, to be a shining light in the darkness. He talked about how he and his wife heard God tell them to come to our area and start a church and how that simple act of obedience has effected thousands. He said that the main reason why they stepped out in faith was that they had a burden for the people of our area. They had God’s heart.

This got me thinking about who I am and what is my influence on those around me. In the last year or so I have mostly concentrated on my family and trying to get them to the place that they should be. During that time I would struggle with the thoughts that I was not involved in ministry and that I was not “helping people”. But during those times God would remind me of the impact that I am going to have on the world be having my house in order. During that time my burden was for my family.

Now as my wife and I settle into this new place that he has brought into of a new state, new house, new church, and her staying home with the kids that burden is beginning to change. The burden is now beginning to be for those around me. It is for my church because they have a nice web site, but God has blessed me with talent that can make it better. This translates into the church having an image of excellence that people will be attracted to. Then when the come the church points to Jesus.

The burden is also turning to others outside my circle of influence too.

I saw a man on the street the other day that was asking for money to eat and for a pair of shoes. He only had flip flops. My heart broke not only due to his situation but to mine – I honestly did not have the means to help him.  I wanted so much to take him to lunch, buy him a pair of shoes, and give him some cash. I did not like being in the situation of not being able to help him.

Then a few days later I was watching the local news and they had a segment about a brother and sister that were in foster care. They were both in their early teens and were visiting a farm together. This was a special time for them because they were not in the same foster home and did not get to be together very often. Another heart breaking experience as I wished that their was something I could do with them. But having 3 small kids I was limited in what I could do.

The point of my Pastor last night and my point today is that we cannot get so comfortable or focused on ourselves and our needs that we do not see the needs that are around us.

If we are really walking in God’s light we are going to be blessed in every area. What we need to realize though is that God not only blesses us for us – he blesses us for those around us too. I am starting to come to the next chapter of my life that the blessings that God has given my can be used to help others. This is another progression in walking with God.

So I say all of that to say this – where ever you are in your life, whether you are just starting out as a Christian or you have been serving God for 100 years – know who’s child you are - God’s. Know why you are in the place of life that you are at – He will tell you. You may not be in the most ideal place in your life but be thankful anyway. I guarantee that no matter your situation that there are people that have it worse then you . And you know what? God wants to bring you out of your situation and then use you to help those people.

So stand up and be proud that you are God’s child, he loves you, His Son died so that you may live – live like you are a child of the King as raise your head up.

I do not usually go on like this but I really believe that someone that is going to read this really needs to hear it. Remember, no matter what your situation is, God can and will make it better. Tomorrow is another day.

Lord, I just pray for whoever may read this post that they would know that You love them. I pray that they would know that You know about their situation and that you already have a plan to bring them out of it. Lord, I pray that you would grant them the wisdom to lead them out of the situation and the boldness to take those steps. Lord, You are God in heaven, and you are here on earth. You are with us always even when we do not think that You are around. I thank You for being here. I thank You for your Holy Spirit and for peace. I thank You that you peace is here right now. Lord we love you, we thank You, and we trust you Lord. We give you are lives and our hearts, in the Name of Jesus, amen.

May the God of peace be with you.

In last week’s service they announced the first of a few classes to become members of the church and eventually serve in a ministry within the church. Feeling good we signed up for class that was supposed to be this past Sunday.

During the week I picked up a little side job to bring in some extra cash since the wife is staying home now. I was gearing up to take on more projects on the side also. On Friday I got an e-mail from a company that wanted so refreshing of their web site and a little marketing direction.

After a 1 hour + “free” consultation on that Saturday and 4 e-mails from the company on Sunday (I did not respond to them) I was feeling pretty worn out.

We could use the extra cash coming in to make things a little more comfortable financially and that job would have been a nice chunk of change. The thing of it was that the little bit I was taking on was wearing me out to the point that I did not want to got to the first class that we had signed up for at Church.

In talking with the wife we narrowed it down to the fact that we are really used to biting off more then we can chew and then rushing around. This is really not what God wants.

We decided that we are going to give it another couple of months before we consider the whole membership/ministry track at church. Also, I am not going to pick up extra projects on the side, not right now, maybe somewhere down the road.

The thing is that we have small children that need us to be around. If we spend the time now to be there and nurture them then we and then are not going to face as many issues when they are older. We chalked this whole thing up to a “growing up” lesson.

Technorati : Christianity, Church, Family, God, Jesus, Ministry

Ever since my first child was born, my wife after 6 weeks of maternity leave would go back to work. With our move from California to Texas during her pregnancy she did not have a job to go back to this time. Therefore she started the job hunt.

Before we had left California my wife and I had a real heart-to-heart talk about what we really wanted for our family. For me it was to have a nice house, in a nice area, that we could reasonably afford. For her it was to stay at home with the kids. With the way that things were in California neither of these things were possible.

At the end of last year we jumped in the car and headed to Texas to “look” at houses to possibly move. Fast forward 2 months we were living in Texas in an apartment while our paid off house was being built. I cannot even begin to go into how much of a miracle this was and all the other things that lined up perfectly to make this happen (that is a post all on it’s own).

Fast forward 6 months more and our new son is 2 months old and it is time for my wife to find a job.

One month after starting to look and several “your too qualified” rejections by companies we know that something is not right. After all the miraculous things that God did for us to get us to Texas this job thing was not lining up.

After taking a look at our budget and doing a couple of adjustments my wife got her desire – to stay home with the kids.

One month into her being home God has confirmed in our hearts that this is what he intended all along. Peace has returned to our house and the kids are loving it.

The lesson in this is that God is a good God and when you make His priorities your priorities he backs you – 100% of the way. He really is able to above and beyond more then you can ask or think.

Technorati : Christianity, God, God’s plan, Stay at Home Mom