Topical Tuesday 18 - Financial Peace Update

Last month I started Financial Peace University, Dave Ramsey’s course on beating debt and building wealth. I just finished the fourth class last night and, in those four weeks, my finances have already changed quite a bit.

Our challenge the first week was to save $1,000 in a baby emergency fund and, as you can see in the picture below, I’ve hit that goal and even earned a little interest.


The next challenge I tackled was creating a zero-balance budget in which every dollar I make has a name. After three or four nights working in spreadsheet, I was able to create my budget and I now know where every dollar I make will go.

Tied in with the zero-balance budget was beginning to use a cash envelope system for my expenses. This system involves looking at how much I have budgeted for things like groceries, gas and restaurants, pulling out that much cash from the bank, placing that cash in an envelope, and only spending money for those categories with that cash. And, once the cash is gone, I stop spending money. The idea behind this step is that it hurts to spend cash way more than it hurts to use a debit card and people generally spend 12-18% less when using cash. So, now I’m on a straight cash system, pulling dollars out of envelopes whenever I want a latte or whenever I need something at the grocery store.

I know that it’s only been four weeks of me trying to get a handle on my finances and put them at peace, but I feel really good about the direction I’m heading. At this point I miss having my Monday nights free to hang out with my fiancée or read comics, but learning sound financial principles has been more than worth the time. It really is my hope and prayer, though, that these changes become a pattern in my life, not just some blip on the screen.

Music Monday 18 - Album of the Year

The Grammy Awards were last night and Taylor Swift walked away with the biggest prize: Album of the Year. Looking at the nominees, one could argue that it was a down year for music. When Black Eyed Peas can be nominated for album of the year, it’s possible that the pool from which to select was a little watered down. I’ve nothing against Taylor Swift and I’m happy that Album of the Year was won by an artist who writes her own songs. Looking at my favorite albums from last year, though, my list is a bit different than that of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Grammy nominations were only open to albums released on or before August 31, 2009; here is my list of favorite albums from 2009 released up to that date.

U2 – No Line on the Horizon
I’m kind of shocked that U2 wasn’t nominated for that many awards. They are my favorite band and No Line on the Horizon was a good album. Not as good as Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby, but still classic U2.

Muse – The Resistance
Muse is another of my favorite bands and they never get any love from the Grammys. Black Holes and Revelations was the best album of 2006 and didn’t get a single nomination. The Dixie Chicks won Album of the Year that year. The Dixie Chicks, dude.

Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King
I have seen Dave Matthews Band live more than any other band. And, while I don’t smoke weed like a good portion of their fans, I still dig their music and their crunchy groove. Big Whiskey was a great album and tribute to the band’s saxophone player, LeRoi Moore, who died from complications from an ATV accident. Of my favorites, this was the only album nominated for Album of the Year; obviously, I think it should have won. At least it got beat by Taylor Swift and not Black Eyed Peas; that would have been a tragedy.

Matt & Kim – Grand
I heard Matt & Kim on XM Radio, forgot about them, and then was reminded when I heard their songs on commercials for Bacardi and on previews for Community. It’s fun and frantic music, which I enjoy listening to with the windows down on a nice day.

Kelly Clarkson – All I Ever Wanted
My girl Kelly may not look as good as she once did, but she can still pump out some solid pop music. I should be more embarrassed to have a Kelly Clarkson album on this list, but then I remember how much I like Celine Dion.

Those are my favorite albums released last year, well at least of the albums released from January 1, 2009 – August 31, 2009. I’m not really into the indie music scene, so I’m sure I missed quite a number of great albums.

What was your favorite album from last year?

Theology Thursday 13 - RSVP to God

In our Crazy Love study group we were talking about how we experience God and what that looks like for different people. We discussed how we often limit experiences of God to these big emotional moments that seem to happen often in the Bible but not very frequently in our own lives. When we limit our experience of God to huge, flashy moments, we miss out on the opportunity to experience God on a regular basis, in the pedestrian things of everyday life.

To experience God in our normal, everyday lives, I have often talked about inviting God to be a part of our day. Wherever we’re at, whatever we’re doing, we can invite God to be a part of that. If we’re driving to school, we can invite God to be a part of our commute. If we’re working in retail, we can invite God to be a part of our interactions with customers. In our group, however, my friend, Ron, suggested that it was ridiculous to think that we can invite God to be someplace since he is already there. God is everywhere, so how can we invite him to be someplace he already is? Instead, Ron suggested that we should change our perspective and thought process: instead of inviting God, into our day, we should make the effort to sit before God in all that we do.

We can sit before God on our drive to school and we can acknowledge that we are before the throne of God while working; we just have to remember that we are always in the presence of our omnipresent God. In our discussion we used the analogy of listening to a lecture: the lecture is going on whether or not we pay attention, so it is up to us to listen, respond and engage with the lecture. The same can be said about God: he is always present so it is up to us to listen, respond and engage with him.

I am not entirely sure what entering the presence of God in our daily tasks looks like, but I would like to find out. I do know that it can begin with those spiritual disciplines that are already a part of our lives. I know that now, before I sit down to read my Bible, I want to take time to truly enter God’s presence and acknowledge that I am sitting before the creator of the universe, reading his word. When I pray I don’t want to begin with a haphazard greeting, but I want to picture myself stepping before the throne of God, acknowledging is infinite greatness but knowing that he has invited me there.

How do you step into God’s presence in your daily tasks?

Leadership Wednesday 15 - Leading Through Writer's Block

I woke up on a Wednesday morning to write a post for Leadership Wednesday. I sat staring at my computer, completely incapable of coming up with anything worthwhile to write. I don’t presume that I ever write anything worthwhile, but in this instance nothing was coming out, nothing at all. My mind raced through current events or conversations that I recently had, but nothing struck a leadership chord and I couldn’t think of anything to write.

After 30 minutes of blankly staring, I realized that nothing was going to come, no matter how deeply I stared at my monitor. So, I left my keyboard and went on with the rest of my day. As I was reflecting back on that experience, though, I saw a leadership lesson rising to the surface. I was unable and unwilling to persevere through my writer’s block. Since I mostly write for the practice and experience, my inability to persevere didn’t have any consequences. However, as leaders, when we fail to persevere, there may be a number of known and unknown consequences.

Perseverance isn’t an option for leaders; we must persevere. Perseverance isn’t required when things are going well and the world is as it should be, but neither are leaders. If nothing ever diminished or a opposed a vision, leaders could simply cast a vision and move on. As Bill Hybels says, though, vision leaks, and leaders must persevere even when they feel like giving up. If it’s just a stupid blog that nobody really reads, perseverance doesn’t matter. But, in the weightier issues that hold real value, perseverance is necessary, as are leaders who will see those issues through to the end.

Topical Tuesday 17 - R.I.P., Finances

I never had a piggy bank growing up and, even if I had, the money wouldn’t have stayed in there long enough to make a difference. I’ve never been one to save my money very well which, at 7-years-old isn’t that big of a problem, but at 28-years-old and seven months from marriage, it becomes a much bigger issue. Knowing that I need to learn more about controlling my finances, I enrolled in Financial Peace University. FPU is Dave Ramsey’s 13-week course designed to help people save more and get out of debt.

I’m very excited for what could happen over the next 13 weeks as I learn financial principles that I have probably never even thought of. Last night was our first class and I already have my first assignment: to put $1,000 into a savings account as an emergency fund within one month. I’ve never really thought about that before, I’ve saved some money, but I’ve never given myself a goal and a timeframe to reach that goal. In all honestly, $1,000 isn’t that much money but, to hit that goal, I’m going to have to make some changes, something I am more than ready to do.

As the class began last night I sent out this tweet: “1st of 13 weeks of Financial Peace University. I should have started P90X at the same time.” Someone responded to that tweet and said I should replicate the practice of people starting P90X, by taking a before picture of my savings account and then an after picture. I’ve decided to do that and post it here; I think that will add some accountability and take away the stigma of people knowing how little I’ve saved.


If you’re interested in my progress through FPU, check back here as I’ll be writing about the experience and what I’m learning.

Music Monday 17 - First Album

I got my first CD player when I was 13-years-old; it was very exciting for me. It was a large boom box proudly purchased at Circuit City, when your order would still come out of the back and down a conveyor belt. Until that point in time I had been living in a world of cassette tapes, almost wearing out the tape of the soundtrack to The Lion King. But when I got my first CD player I was ushered into a world of lasers and optical readers, which I would proudly inhabit for the next decade.

Along with my first CD player came my first CD. I had a lot of options back in 1994. The musical landscape was populated with the likes of Pearl Jam playing their grunge rock and Ace of Base trying to usurp ABBA’s throne as the most popular Swedish export not found at Ikea. Among the numerous musical choices at my disposal, though, one artist rose above all the others. The first CD I ever purchased in my life was none other than Alapalooza by Weird Al Yankovick.

In my defense, in 1994, I was firmly rooted in the nerdiest period of my life. I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation religiously, I played Magic: The Gathering every day and spent my time at summer camp that year reading the Star Trek Encyclopedia. So, in light of how I chose to live my life, a Weird Al Yankovick CD made perfect sense. I was a nerdy kid from the suburbs so I wasn’t going to be listening to Snoop Doggy Dogg and I hadn’t yet developed a crush on Lisa Loeb.

It’s a little embarrassing that my first CD was a Weird Al Yankovick album. I look back on that purchase as a significant moment in my life, though. It was the first CD I bought for myself and that purchase helped me shape my own musical identity, independent from whatever my parents listened to on the radio.

What was the first album you ever purchased?

Freeform Friday 10 - Settlers of Catan

I want a new drug, one that won't spill
One that don't cost too much or come in a pill
I want a new drug, one that won't go away
-Huey Lewis and the News “I Want a New Drug”

Thankfully, I’ve never been addicted to any substance in my life, except for the laughs of children. I’ve never once had to think about going to rehab, even though it seems like it might be fun to hang out in Malibu or Colorado with a bunch of celebrities. I’ve never found myself under the power of addiction, but the game, Setters of Catan, is giving me a small glimpse of what that might be like.

Catan is a game of strategy and expansion, which is difficult to describe if never played. The game involves resources, roads, dice rolls, settlements, cities, trades and victory points. In the end, like any game, it’s about winning, and that may be the greatest addiction of all. Catan involves a lot of strategy and a lot of luck, but most everyone has a chance to win. So whether a player has won numerous times or is still waiting for that first win, there’s always the possibility that victory lies within the next game.

I’ve honed my skills and strategy by downloading electronic versions of Catan for the Xbox and the iPhone; these versions only help feed my addiction. The electronic games are like a quick fix until I can sit down at a table and test my skills against human opponents. Those human opponents, my friends, aren’t helping my addiction either; they’re enabling me by volunteering to play every time we get together. I could stop playing if I wanted to, I just don’t want to. And you can try to make me go to rehab, but I’ll just say, “No, no, no.”

To what game have you ever found yourself addicted?