Wednesday, January 01, 2014

New Year - New Beginning with Money

It is common for Christians to foolishly mismanage their money and then blame God for not blessing them financially.  Rod Rogers

It is a lot easier to slide into a money hole than it is to climb out of it!

Some of us, may not be in a lot of debt, but we have disconnected how we spend our money with our relationship with God. We buy the house, car, or goodies that we want without asking God how He wants us to spend the money that He provides.

“But I worked hard for that money; I should be able to spend it how I want!” This attitude is the one many people take, without acknowledging that it was God that provided them with the means and opportunities to earn that money.

God forgives our mismanagement or lack of management with money, but He doesn't take away the consequences.

You may not be willing spiritually or emotionally to acknowledge that God owns it all and has entrusted us to manage His money. Whether you are willing to acknowledge it or not, the truth is that all that we have is His. We are just managers of the money.

Managing money His way multiplies what you have.

Some simple steps to get on track financially. Take one step and He will show you the next one. Find your step and practice it every day for one month:

1. Acknowledge the truth that God owns it all.

2. Keep track of how you are spending the money. Write it down as you go.

3. Ask the Lord how He wants you to spend His money today.

4. Get your money in cash, put it in envelopes, designated to where it goes. Use REAL money!

5. Freeze your credit cards in a block of ice for a month. Don’t use them!

6. Before making a purchase (other than must-have food or gas or medical), write it down, then wait a week and see if you still need it.

7. Make a spending plan pray about it, and stick with it.

[For more info, go to the money page on our website.]

Monday, December 30, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR from LIVING WELL

Can you believe that 2013 is ending? 

The year has had many challenges - our communities destroyed by fierce tornadoes, our government with its many controversial incidents, terrorism continuing destruction, and too many people that we know who left this world at young ages.

Amidst the challenges, views of the Divine shine through. God’s strength and peace carried our communities through desperately terrifying days. We learned that we must continue to trust in God, not in men. Evil was hunted down. Those who are absent from us are living in His Presence. We personally saw God at work in many couples who were reconciled and healed.

Along with us, 16 fellow-believers experienced God’s compassion for beautiful African kids living in a slum. We saw the excitement on their faces as we taught, sang, and played together. Our lives changed forever. We saw God raise up funds to continue the Wisdom Community School for another year - enhancing their education and their campus. 

In very unexpected and exciting ways, God provided the funds for clean, fresh water for the school. He has provided the funds for 12 children to go to the 7th grade next year at a school in another community.

As a God who does more than we ever expect, He has now provided $21,500 of the $25,000 for a second classroom building for WSC!!! Only $3500 to go!

We are returning to Zambia in a couple of weeks. The scope of the mission has expanded tremendously since we first scheduled this trip! Our plans:
  • Pastoral Marriage Conference in Kitwe for 50 pastor couples
  • Dedicating new water well at WCS (donated by Lakeview Baptist in Guthrie)
  • Giving Christmas gifts to the students of WCS (donated by Berean Class, PCBC)
  • Presenting textbooks (donated by PCBC Awana children)
  • Teaching two Sunday evening marriage meetings
  • Preaching on Sunday morning
  • Teaching fire safety to WSC and other groups (by John Holinsworth)
  • Meeting with potential contractors for classroom building #2
  • Presenting other school supplies for WSC
  • Training marriage educator in Nairobi
  • And anything else God presents to us!
And we hit the ground running when we return on February 1st. In February and March, we are teaching two weekend marriage retreats, heading up Together Forever marriage event at our church, and teaching a date night. It’s the busiest time of the year for marriage events!

We still have lots of preparations for the trip, coming events, and funds to raise. Please pray with us for all of those. Besides our own expenses for the mission trip, we pay for all of the expenses of the pastor couples and take them marriage and Bible study materials. And the airlines continue to find new ways to make these trips cost more. We will pay several hundred dollars just for baggage!

Does the beginning of a new year energize you or motivate you for a new start? Read this post about the New Year - New Beginnings in Marriage; and read our next post about New Year - New Beginnings with Money. Or go to this link for a pdf of both and more!

Thank you for your continued support! We could not continue this ministry without you! We love and appreciate you and your support of what God is doing! Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards
P.S. Please pray for the Lord to provide the remaining $15,500 for the Zambia mission trip.
(We have already paid for our tickets and a deposit for the conference meeting space.)