Being Blessed With Debt

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being completely helpless and lost?  I felt that way in November of 2007 when I was scary close to losing my house, my marriage and possibly everything I had.  Fortunately we found Dave Ramsey and began to read his books and implement his principles.  Now here we sit years later having passed through the horrible experience of actually losing a home to foreclosure.  We have even lost several rental properties, sold cars and RV's, eliminated unnecessary items, cut cable TV and our home phone because we hated our debt more than we loved that STUFF.

Today we look back and laugh.  Hard to believe that any of this would be funny but it is.  God has an amazing sense of humor.  I believe that God speaks to us often.  Sometimes we are too consumed with ourselves and therefore we fail to pay attention.  Let's just say that he found a way to get my attention.  Too bad for me that I was not listening the first time.  

But now, that nightmare that I lived for 16 months has turned into a massive blessing.  My wife and I started teaching FPU in January of 2008 and have not stopped.  We teach anywhere from 3-5 sessions a year.  We have helped to bring Dave's wisdom to hundreds of families and in the process they have paid off well over a million dollars in debt.  

So now I can honestly say that I have been Blessed with Debt.  What a blessing it has been!

You Can't Buy Love

Isn’t it amazing how retailers love to shove holidays down our throats.  Before Thanksgiving the Christmas decorations are up, and then, just as fast, they disappear to a sea of pink and heart shaped balloons.  Valentine’s Day is a retailer’s dream.  We all feel the pressure to do something great for the one we love on this one particular day.  I guess that’s normal.

That is the problem with being ‘normal’.  It’s normal to have huge credit card bills after Christmas.  It’s normal to be checking the mailbox every day for your tax documents to come in so that you can run to your tax preparer and get your refund.  It’s normal to be freaking out about the economy.  It’s normal to be excited that February is only 28 days because there are two less days that your money needs to last.

The problem with all of this is that ‘normal’ is broke.  I don’t want to be normal.  I would rather be weird.  It is weird to spend cash instead of borrowing money at 18% on a credit card.  It is weird to not need your tax return to pay off your Christmas debts.  It is weird when you have a budget that you and your spouse prepare before the month begins that actually works.

I guess the weirdest thing that you could do is to take your spouse to attend Financial Peace University for their Valentine’s Day gift.  Rather than spend money that you don’t have on something that will not last, try making an investment in your marriage that will last your lifetime.  

Men:  if you are reading this and you have debt, your wife is terrified right now.  She may not tell you but she is.  She desperately needs the security of knowing what the plan is.  She needs an additional 3-6 non-sexual hugs a day.  Some of you may need to look up the term non-sexual.

Women:  if you reading this and you have debt, your man is feeling like less of one.  The pressure of being unable to provide for his household is crushing him. Take him by the hand and tell him that the perfect gift would be to attend this course together.

The best thing that you can do is to get on the same page and start fighting this together.  Financial Peace University is a 13 week course designed to do exactly that.  By the time this article comes out, FPU will have already started.  However, it’s not too late.  When a husband and wife are on the same page, slaying the same dragon, and fighting together for their family and their marriage, powerful things happen.

You can read more about FPU by going to my website.  You can see video testimonies of people who have recently graduated from the class.  You can also call me and I will be happy to answer your questions.  Don’t be normal, be weird.  www.ChinoHillsMortgageMan.com  (909) 539-3484