FPU Preview Class

Last night was our preview class for Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.  We watched a 23-minute introductory video with Dave.  He does a really great job engaging his audience and breaking down the walls we might have to listening to his advice on improving our financial lives.  A couple of things Dave said in the video have stuck with me. 

1. He asked us all to stand up, close our eyes, and point in the direction we thought was north.  Then we were to open our eyes and see where everyone was pointing.  Funny thing – we were pointing in every which direction!  Dave’s point was that a lot of times we just don’t know what direction we are headed and that can be disasterous – especially financially.  His goal is to get us headed “north” financial – to get on track.  I know I can do better with the finances I’m blessed to earn/have, but I’m not so sure I know where “north” is yet!
2. Dave said something to the effect of “No matter where any of us are in our financial lives, we can all do at least a little bit better.”  How true.  We may or may not be in financial dire straits, but we can do better.  And who wouldn’t want to do better?

Anyway…there is STILL TIME to sign up to be a part of FPU. Click here and register online at our website for best price.  We’d love to help you reach “financial peace.”

My Bumper Crop

So, gardening has always had this strange appeal to me.  So this spring/summer, I finally got around to planting some things.  I planted some tomatoes, cucumbers and a watermelon.  So far, so good.  The cucumbers reached “maturity” today, so I harvested.  I think I had nine total, but I left one on the vine hoping that it continues to grow.  The tomatoes still have at least 3 weeks left, and probably five more for the watermelon.  My little man (Jackson) and I have enjoyed going out to check our garden each day and view the progress.

Anyway…you see the two pics of my cucumbers.  The one pic is representative of my lack of photography skills.  The other snap is inspired by my favorite food blogger, Abbie K!  You can check out her great photograhpy and recipes here!

Am I really going to post about “Jon and Kate Plus Eight?”

Yes, due to the wonders of Cable television, I have access to all kinds of great programming like the Discovery Channel (Survivor Man, Whale Wars, Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, etc.), TLC (Jon and Kate), The Food Network, History Channel (Band of Brothers), HGTV, and more.  And let’s not forget ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and ESPNU.  Who needs network TV these days?

Anyway…Courtney and I have enjoyed watching Jon and Kate Plus 8, mainly because their sextuplets were close to the same age of our oldest.  They are just a little older and we could watch Jon and Kate and get a preview of where Jackson was headed.  But, as many of you know, it was announced last night that Jon and Kate were officially separating and pursuing the dissolution of their marriage.  Yep, it’s sad.  It reminds of our recent message series we did at church called “Desperate House Lives.”  It one message, we talked about how much planning, time and effort goes into the wedding.  Hour upon hour, dollar upon dollar, goes into the event of the wedding.  But a wedding does not a marriage make.  And we talked about how happy weddings are – parties, gifts, ceremonies, gatherings.  Lots of fun.  Everyone loves that.  But how sad is the separation and divorce on the back end?  No parties.  No gifts.  No celebrating.

I don’t blame either Jon or Kate.  I don’t know them or enough of what is happening with them.  Statistically, they were destined to fail.  Most marriages end in divorce.  And on the show, Kate mentioned once how parents of “multiples” were even more likely than the average couple to divorce.

But here’s an observation.  Particularly recently on the show, Jon and Kate have both stated repeatedly how they do everything for the kids.  I’d have to go back and watch, but I’m pretty sure that is the theme of their lives since they went from 2 to 8 kids in 9 months.  It’s hard not to be about the kids when you’ve got so many.  And they keep saying things like, “I do it all for my kids.  I only want what’s best for my kids.”

Do you want to know what is best for your kids (and mine)?  That their dad loves their mom and their mom loves their dad.  And that mom and dad realize that the best thing for their kids is not clothes, toys, a big house, money, etc.  The best thing for their kids is that mom and dad prioritizethe health of their relationship.  It’s not about the kids.  It’s about mom and dad being healthy and loving in their relationship.  That is what those 8 kids need.  That is what my 2 kids need.

I wish I had heard on the show, “Yeah, Kate and I are getting a3 babysitters to come over so we can go out on a date night tonight.  We need this.  We realize that the most important thing for our kids is to show them that I love mommy first and foremost, and they come next line after my relationship with her.”  And for Kate to say the same thing as Jon.

So many of Jon and Kate’s viewers are sad today.  They long to see a family survive and thrive.  Perhaps we could all say a prayer for them and hope that they will come to a point of humility where they learn how to love and serve each other instead of themselves, and the kids.

Desperately Impractical

This past Sunday in our “Desperate House Lives” sermon series, I made the point that always being practical can be a romance killer in our marriages.  Sometimes, you’ve just got to be impractical!  I want to applaud two desperately impractical couples in our church – Cary and Amanda Penrose and Dan and Katie Griffin.

Cary and Amanda are the worship leaders at our church.  Both are in seminary, Amanda works fulltime, and Cary works at The Bridge and at another part-time job.  Wow.  That is busy.  They don’t have any children yet, which gave them the opportunity to do something very impractical – something all of us probably wish we would have the impracticality to do:  they drove to California and back over a period of ten days!  Of course, they made several touristy stops along the way, but what a valuable model of impracticality.  I mean, who drives to California?  For fun?  That’s crazy!  But what an opportunity to travel, see the USA, and spend some valuable time bonding with your spouse!  “Way to Go” Cary and Amanda!

Dan and Katie Griffin are taking impracticality to a whole new level!  Dan and Katie are both currently jobless, but due to their apparent adeptness towards financial freedom (check out Dan’s side job – www.savvydollar.org) , they are taking a 5 month vacation that begins in New Zealand!  Are you serious?  Yes!  Dan and Katie are newly weds, without kids, and have the guts to take advantage of an opportunity of impractical proportions that they may never get again!  And why not?!?  Our number one relationship and responsibility after God is our spouse.  Doing impractical things that show we love each other, build the relationship, and make memories is a great way to keep romance alive in our relationships and our marriages healthy.

I know that not all of can be as impractical as the Penrose’s and Griffin’s, but all of us can learn from their example.  Here are some ideas for being impractical as a couple:

• Take a vacation.  You really do need it.
• Go to that expensive restaurant on a birthday or anniversary.  Celebrate!
• Let the grass grow an extra week and take a day trip somewhere one Saturday.
• Plan a coffee date with your spouse.  Pay for a babysitter or work an exchange with another couple where you watch their kids in return for their watching yours.
• Practice the 10 second kiss!
• Do something – something different.

Your marriage is too valuable.  Keep the romance alive.  Become a student of your spouse.  Be a servant in your home.  God wants to move your marriage from “Desperate House Lives” to “Dream Marriage.”  It can happen.  But is takes work.  And impracticality.

Contest Winners!

Thanks to the many gracious women (and men) who submitted pictures of their laundry rooms and were unwittingly entered in to the “Cleaniest or Dirtiest Laundry Room” contest at church on Sunday.  Congrats to Debbie G. for having the cleanest laundry room and to Kristen S. for being the gracious winner of having the “dirtiest” laundry room!  (See pics below!)  All of the pictures helped us to introduce the idea that we all have some stains in our lives.  For good or bad, we have been “stained” by our family of origen and that is reflected in our adulthood.  The Bible says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).  In other words, whatever “training” we received in our childhood shows up in our adult years.  And, if we don’t make some changes to eliminate the stains, our children are doomed to repeat the same cycle we are in as we pass the stains along to them.  It’s time to break the “stain cycle.”

If you missed Sunday’s message on removing family stains, be sure to listen to the podcast of the message by clicking here.  And don’t miss this coming Sunday as we continue to exam our “Desperate House Lives” and uncover the scandel that is rocking many homes led by kid CEO’s!

Debbie's Fancy Blue Machines!

 

Our "dirtiest" laundry room winner!

Desperate House Lives

This coming Sunday (Easter), our church is kicking off a new series of messages called, “Desperate House Lives.”  Yes, it’s an obvious play off of the television show “Desperate House Wives.”  But here’s the point - our lives as individuals or families can reach the point of desperation.  The dreams we had envisioned for our relationships or families have taken a turn for the worse.  What happened?  You happened, that’s what!  We are all a product of our upbringing.  For good, or for bad, we were all “stained” by the environment in which we were raised.  And whether we like it or not, these stains show through in our lives and relationships today.  Is there hope?  Can we change?  Absolutely.  Join us @ The Bridge over the next six weeks as we seek God’s wisdom in doing a little “house cleaning” and “stain removal.”  Here’s how will spend the six weeks:

• Week 1 – Dirty Laundry
• Week 2 – Kid CEO
• Week 3 – Dynamic Communicators
• Week 4 – The Bedroom
• Week 5 – The Reality of Marriage (and how to turn it in to a Dream Marriage)
• Week 6 – The Power of the Vow

Make an investment in yourself and your family (or future family) by being a part of this series.  Click here for directions to our church.  We meet at the Kid’s R Kid’s preschool in Morrisville at 10:30am every Sunday.

Mommy Blogging – Two Blogs to Read

As per usual, I am having bloggers block.  My mind is elsewhere.  And I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to do some things I like to do like:

1. Keep up with my wife’s blog.
2. Keep up with my sis-in-law’s blog.

My buddy Fleegle couldn’t make our weekly breakfast this week (his 2 year old is sick and keeping them up a lot the last two nights), so I spent much of the time catching up on these two blogs.  I love reading both of their blogs because:

1. They are about people I love
2. Both of these beautiful women love God and are transparent about their lives and faith.

Living a life of faith is not always easy.  So reading their musings encourages me on the journey.  I hope you’ll check out their musings as well and find encouragement for your journey.

Wali na kuku and Food Shuttle

Courtney made Wali na Kuku for dinner tonight.  What is Wali na Kuku?  It is the other recipe I brought home with me from Tanzania.  “Wali” is rice and “kuku” is chicken.  For the most part, it is a rice, chicken, onion, and puree’d tomato soup.  Oh, and lots of salt!   It’s amazing.  Pics below.

Also, over the weekend, some of us Bridgers volunteered at the Inter-faith Food Shuttle that is located near the Farmer’s Market.  We didn’t know exactly what we would be doing, but we ended up dismantling and washing many of the racks they store food on.  It was glamourous work, but needed.  It was great to serve.  The best part is just being able to connect with those who volunteered and “do life together.”

Chris looks like he's dancing!

*Fondue Date Night

Courtney and I scored tickets to the Carolina Hurricanes game tonight!  We are going with the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce, compliments of Progress Energy.  We have “luxury suite” tickets!  We have VIP parking, and the luxury box will probably have all the food we can eat!  Lucky for us!  Go Canes!

(Fondue Date Night is an inside joke between Court and I and a reference to an “Everybody Loves Raymond” episode.)

College Fantasy Football Champ

Well, out of being a part of two college fantasy football leagues (among friends), I managed to win one and place third in the other!  Today was my victory lunch for winning the one league.  The guys surprised me with a trophy and Ed got a trophy from Carl for a side wager (pictured below).  Also pictured below is Guy with his last place gift.  Thanks for the victory lunch guys!