Faces of Grace

I said I wanted to start writing a series called, "Grace Uncovered" but I think the churches idea of calling it "Faces of Grace" is way better.

Today was another Reflection Service my church does to allow the body of Christ to minister to the, you know, body of Christ. It's a way of saying "It isn't just about the pastors up front." One of the stories today really stood out to me. My buddy Ronnie shared how his marriage was in trouble and that one of our elders, Ric, had helped him and his wife through it. They are in a much better place now. Ronnie continued sharing saying that he was convinced that he and his wife wouldn't be married right now if it wasn't for one of our elders coming along side them and helping them fight for their marriage. As a result, I've seen first hand how Ronnie fights not only for his own marriage but for the marriages of others as well. He's a man of God but that was a result of older men coming into his life and investing in it.

That sounds profoundly biblical. Sadly, that's not always the case in some churches. Unfortunately, I have another friend who is going through a divorce. His wife claims he's an abuser and went to the elders with this accusation. Making a long story short, his elders didn't fight for the marriage, didn't support him in anyway, and allowed the marriage to dissolve.

I love that my buddy Ronnie had the confidence to share his marriage was in trouble in front of the entire church. I love that my elders fight for marriage because they take the biblical mandate seriously. I already wrote my thoughts on divorce and how it's a blight on the kingdom of God. I've known Ronnie since he was in high school. I've known his wife Crystal since she was in junior high. It would've broken my heart deeply to see them get a divorce. Instead, because of the examples of our godly elders Ronnie is not only still married but also leading a home bible study and also pastoring and investing into the lives of others in much the same he people invested into him. Ric Rodeheaver and Ronnie Gonzales are two of the "faces" at Grace EV Free La Mirada. I'm grateful to have such wonderful examples before me.

SMART Conference 2014 – Chris Hogan Recap

Chris Hogan is a popular speaker on the topics of financial education and leadership. He also works with business and high-profile clients across the country, helping them develop strategies to increase revenues, build wealth, and secure their financial futures.

It was a pleasure to meet with him backstage and listen to him share his vision. Chris’ passion is about preparing for retirement. Retirement simply means being financially independent and having the freedom to do whatever you want to do, whether that’s full-time ministry, starting your own business, traveling the world, or having floor seats to the Lakers. Okay Chris didn’t say that last one, I did. But you get the point.

When Chris talked about going into full-time ministry or going on a mission’s trip, I started to wonder, “What would it look like for missionaries to not have to ‘raise support’ in order to do what they want to do?” I’m not saying “raising support” is a bad thing. It’s certainly a responsibility for the body of Christ to play active roles in supporting our missionaries and pastors financially, but wouldn’t it be awesome for some people to enter retirement as missionaries? They would be able to write a newsletter that contained an explanation of ministry endeavors and a request for prayer without having to ask for money? By doing so, they would essentially be saying, “We’ve GOT this because we’ve been faithful stewards our whole lives of the blessings God provided, and we don’t have to worry about money anymore.”

Chris’ mantra is, “You work too long, too hard and put up with too many weird people to come to the end of your life and have nothing to show for it.” Isn’t that the truth! So why is it that most people don’t think to plan for retirement and instead act like it’s never coming? Let me let you in on a secret. Retirement is coming. You either view retirement with complete terror or as a glorious achievement. The latter can’t happen without planning and actually doing something about it. That was Chris’ main point. It’s time to start do something about it… no matter age in life.

I’ll end this with one of Chris’ stories. He spent 20 years as a banker. One day, he was in a meeting with a relatively young couple trying to convince them that they needed a financial plan. In short, the young couple basically blew him off. A week later the husband called and asked for an appointment. Chris said to himself, “Why would you want another appointment when you guys blew me off last time?” but he agreed to meet anyway. This couple returned with pens and notepads completely engaged and writing down everything coming out of Chris’ mouth. Obviously Chris noticed the dramatic change and asked the couple what had happened.

The young husband explained that he had received a call that week from his 87-year-old aunt who needed help cutting the grass. He went over to do just that, but the lawnmower broke down and he had forgotten his lunch. He thought to save time, he would go inside and make himself something to eat at the house. When he opened the refrigerator, he found nothing but sour milk. When he opened the cabinets, he found 7 cans of dog food. His aunt, however, did not have a dog. You can fill in the blanks.

When Chris was telling this story he got a little emotional (and so did I). With a crack in his voice he said, “That’s not okay.” Then repeated his mantra, “You work too long, too hard and put up with too many weird people to come at the end of your life and have nothing to show for it.” It’s a truly heartbreaking story. We live in the richest country in the world but have the most broke people. A big reason is simply not having a plan.

After hearing Chris speak, I’ve decided that I’m going to shorten my retirement plan pitch. When young people ask me, “Why should I plan for retirement? I’m young,” instead of going on about the importance of starting early, having self-discipline, the power of compound interest, the dream about being financially independent and even pointing out the obvious like “You won’t be young forever,” I’ll just say, “Do you like dog food?”

SMART Conference Review – Rachel Cruze

This was my first live conference with Dave Ramsey. Since I became an Endorsed Local Provider (ELP), I got in for free. Yes, that’s really nice. I didn’t know what to expect. As it turns out, I ran into several people I knew like, old high school friends, fellow church members, family friends, my dentist, old college buddies, and even my ex-girlfriend (Although I ran and hid from her so I didn’t technically “run into” her.). In the next few blogs, I will be providing a recap of the speakers and the short highlights of their topics.

The first speaker was Rachel Cruze (Dave Ramsey’s daughter) and she spoke about Smart Money Smart Kids, which is basically a book describing how her father impacted her life by raising her to be wise with her money. It was great to hear directly from her perspective and how being responsible with money, sacrificing, and delaying immediate gratification were essential parts of shaping her character. She quoted Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” An inheritance isn’t always money. It’s often a legacy.

The impact her father had on her life was inspiring. I looked at it as an opportunity to do the same with my girls. It excites me to be their father and fills me with a sense of purpose to impact my girls in the same way.

Highlights:

• Teach the value of work and spending wisely.

Apparently, when kids learn that money comes from work instead of their parent’s back pocket they tend to treat money differently. What? You mean mom and dad won’t be around forever?!

• Teach your kids that they can go to college with no debt.

I’m not sure how many people in the crowd had student loans, but I’m guessing at least a couple of people said, “Now they tell me.” So what you’re saying is that going $90,000 in debt for a bachelor’s in Art History isn’t a good idea?

• Giving is the antidote for selfishness.

It’s in our nature to be selfish. In order to fight selfish tendencies, you have to train yourself to do the opposite. We know that if we want to get in shape it will require some exercising and dieting. Well, the same is true for becoming a generous person. It requires giving.