In This Issue:
Dick's Column | Transforming Truths | News You Can Use | Your Point of View
Spotlight | Market Indicators | Ministry Builders | Resources

Dick's Column

Dear G$ Friends and Colleagues,

Over Christmas week, Sibyl and I, two sons and daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren spent eight days in Costa Rica on a hiking tour. And hike we did – in the rain forests, the cloud forests, on the hardened lava flow of a still active volcano, in the mountains, along the Pacific coast. We rafted down a jungle river, paddled outrigger canoes to secluded beaches, swam at the base of a 180' waterfall, and stood in awe of the beauty of God's creation and the myriad of creatures that inhabited the forests.

As I reflected on our time, a number of thoughts that seemed relevant for this column occurred to me. One was that the cost for such an adventure would have been prohibitive had it not been for years of trying our best to live out the principles you and I teach in Good $ense – live within your means with contentment, save a little bit on a regular basis, stay out of consumer debt, and be generous in your giving.

Living out those principles since our marriage in 1962 led us some years ago to a place of freedom to bless our family and give to God's work in the world in ways we never dreamed possible. I pray that each of you will have that experience.

The other insight arose from the fact that the success of our trip was almost totally dependent upon the wisdom and leading of our expert and trustworthy guide. He took us to places we wouldn't have known to go. He showed us things we wouldn't have seen. He told us how to equip ourselves for the conditions we would be facing each day. We might have been able to exist in Costa Rica for eight days without him, but it would have been mere existence in contrast to the wonderfully exciting time we had.

It's that way with the journey of life isn't it? We need the trustworthy guidance of God's spirit to take us to where He wants us to go; to show us things we wouldn't otherwise see; to equip and empower us for what lies ahead – so that life is rich and full and not merely a matter of existence.

May 2007 be a rich and full year for you and your ministry as a result of the Spirit's wisdom and guidance.

In the Spirt and for the cause,

P.S. Tim Lightfield, a Good $ense Regional Associate in North Carolina, has developed a seven week Devotional based on G$ principles. It's aim is to provide individuals with a low commitment (ten minutes a day) and low cost opportunity to explore and reflect upon what Scripture has to say about financial stewardship. Check out Tim's website at www.financiallyfaithful.com to find out more about the Devotional and its availability.

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Transforming Truths

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." – Galatians 5:22-23a

When I was 17 I spent a summer working at a golf course. After several months of working in the pro shop, the owner said he and his wife were going on an overnight trip, so I would be in charge of the place. I couldn't believe it. I was just a high school kid.

The day they were gone was incredibly busy. By the end of the day the cash register was brimming with so much money the drawer would barely close. I could have let friends play for free that day (I wasn't a Christian at the time), but chose not to. I could have easily pocketed some of the money, but didn't. The level of trust they placed in me somehow encouraged me to prove trustworthy.

I couldn't wait for the owners to return so they could see how much money the golf course took in that day. After that, I was often left to run the pro shop without supervision and was allowed to use the boss' expensive car to run errands.

In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells a similar story. He describes a man going on a journey who entrusts his property to three servants and then returns to check on how they did. Two servants rose to the occasion, putting the money to work so that it earned even more. To them, the Master said, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." But the third servant hid what he was given out of fear. The Master gave him a harsh rebuke.

We've all been entrusted with much—abilities, relationships, financial resources, and more. Take a moment to take stock of your abilities. Sure, you've worked hard to develop them, but you were given the raw ingredients and opportunities for their development. Think about your most important relationships and the divinely orchestrated circumstances that brought these people into your life. And now think about your financial resources—the opportunities you've been given to earn money, along with any financial gifts you've been given.

Now consider this: what if the Master returned tonight? Would you be found faithful in the wise use of all that He has entrusted to you? We need not live in fear of His return, but it's helpful to live in anticipation of His return, for we all long to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

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News You Can Use

Holiday Hangover

As has become normal this time of year, lots of folks are feeling the pain of going overboard with gift buying this past holiday season. As reported by the Associated Press, a Consumer Reports survey found that 23 percent of people say they will not pay off their holiday bills until March or later.

Editor's View: If your church is offering a Budget Course during the first quarter, holiday overspending will likely still be fresh in many of the participants' minds. So, remind them that their workbook contains a very powerful, yet underutilized tool: a gift list. Encourage them to fill it out, set aside money each month for gifts, and look for deals on appropriate Christmas gifts throughout the year.

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Financial Optimism

Americans are feeling "moderately upbeat" about their finances. According to a Pew Research Center study, 67 percent expect their financial situation to improve "some" or "a lot" this year. Among other findings, there's almost an even split between those who say they are "living comfortably" (38 percent) and those who say they are either just meeting expenses or that they don't have enough for the basics (32 percent). One other finding of note: 38 percent of workers say they have no retirement plan other than Social Security.

Editor's View: Americans are notorious for their confidence. That's a good thing when taking on a challenging goal like getting out of debt. It's not such a good thing when optimism is not matched by action, which is often the case when it comes to money management. For example, fully 68 percent of today's workers say they are confident that they will have enough money to "live comfortably throughout retirement," according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. However, over half of all workers closest to retirement age, those age 55 and older, have less than $50,000 actually saved for their later years. Let's be encouragers of optimism and action.

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Credit Confidence

The number of people who say they use credit responsibly is higher than those who actually do. According to a survey from Fair Isaac Corp., developer of the most widely used (FICO) credit score, 89 percent of adults say they use credit responsibly. However, less than 75 percent have a credit score of 650 or higher, the minimum threshold for getting good interest rates on a mortgage, car loan, or other credit. The survey also found that only 41 percent of people understand what goes into a credit score.

Editor's View: The most effective step people can take to keep their credit score high is to pay their bills on time. That accounts for 35 percent of a person's score. During the Budget Course or in one-on-one counseling sessions, encourage people to get their free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus by going to www.annualcreditreport.com. It's important that they know their score as well. Unfortunately, while the report is free, the score is not. It can be purchased from Equifax for $7.95 when visiting the company's site during the process of ordering a free credit report.

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Media Hungry

The average American spends nearly 10 hours of every day using some form of media: TV, the Internet, radio, movies, or reading. As reported in the Chicago Tribune, new Census Bureau figures show that the average person spends the equivalent of two months of every year just watching TV.

Editor's View: If people are going to consume so much media, perhaps we can do more to guide their media choices. How about recommending that counselees see Millions, a fun and quirky movie about a child's joy of giving. As for books, let's make sure those we influence have read The Treasure Principle. And, of course, please recommend the two free eNewsletters we launched last year to foster wise, God-honoring money management in the lives of those we serve. For more information and to sign up yourself, go HERE.

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Spotlight

Making Changes That Last

The Good $ense Ministry is in the change business. No, not the change that jingles in a person's pocket. The change that occurs when people move from financial bondage to financial freedom. And the change that occurs when people become more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Positive financial and life change are the goals of the Budget Course and one-on-one counseling sessions.

But how does change happen, particularly lasting change? Primarily, it happens through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. However, we have a role to play as well in bringing about changes in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve. That includes Bible study and prayer. And it includes the principles contained in a fascinating new secular book, Change or Die.

Author Alan Deutschman looked at the worlds of medicine, law, and business and saw very vividly the difficulties of making changes. For example, he learned that after having open-heart surgery very few patients go on to make the lifestyle changes their doctors tell them they must make in order to avoid having another heart attack. That's where he came up with the name for his book. Told quite literally that they must make some changes or risk dying, fully 90 percent fail to make the recommended lifestyle changes.

Deutschman concluded that the conventional approaches to change simply don't work. Especially ineffective at fostering change are head knowledge and scare tactics—what he calls "facts and fear." However, in each arena that he studied Deutschman also found programs that, against all odds, do foster life change.

From such programs Deutschman identified three steps to lasting change. He calls them "Relate," "Repeat," and "Reframe." Relate involves forming a relationship with an individual or community that inspires you, gives you hope, holds you accountable, and provides mentoring. Repeat is about cultivating new habits. And Reframe has to do with learning new ways of thinking about your life and the situation you want to change.

Not surprisingly, each of these principles can be found in Scripture. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 speaks to the importance of community and accountability ("relate"), Ephesians 4:25-32 describes the new habits of a new believer ("repeat"), and 2 Corinthians 5:17 talks about the ultimate "reframing."

Even though it looks through a secular filter, Change or Die provides powerful examples of the principles of change in action. Its reminder about the importance of community and accountability is especially helpful. This year, why not suggest that Budget Course participants form accountability groups facilitated by a Good $ense counselor? Encourage them to meet on a regular basis for 6 to 12 months, discussing challenges, sharing victories, asking questions, and spurring each other on.

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Market Indicators

Luxury or Necessity?

A new study from the Pew Research Center shows just how quickly various possessions change their status from luxury to necessity in the minds of those who own them.

The first slide below shows that just 10 years ago most people considered a microwave oven and a home computer luxuries. Today, they've become necessities. The second slide lists several items that didn't even make the list in 1996, either because they had not yet been invented or because ownership of such items was rare.

Of course, whether an item is considered a luxury or a necessity is up to the individual—well, it's up to the individual and the billions of dollars being spent by advertisers intent on getting us to think of their products as necessities!

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Ministry Builders

Getting the New Year off to profitable start – Part II

We mentioned last month that the first quarter is a high impact time for the Budget Course and provided some ideas to optimize it; here are some more.

• Check out the promotional assistance available on the Good $ense website HERE.
• Help your Pastor by suggesting some stewardship messages to be given prior to the Course
• Examples of stewardship messages are on the four CD's in the Expanded Edition, and others are listed on the Good $ense website HERE.
• Open registration 3-4 weeks prior to the Course to give folks plenty of time to register and to do the Pre-Work.
• Handout the Pre-Work at the time of registration. A copy is located on the PowerPoint CD, or you can download a copy HERE.
• Make sure your team members are familiar with the content of the Course and in attendance so they can help answer participants' questions during the work sessions.
• Order your Participant Guides for each person attending no later than seven to ten business days before the Course. To take advantage of quantity discounts, click HERE.

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Resources

• TRAIN-THE-TRAINER EVENTS for Budget Course Teachers and Counselor Trainers will be held at Willow Creek March 23-24; June 22-23 and November 16-17. Click HERE for Budget Course information or HERE for Counselor Training information.
• SOLUTION SEMINARS for churches that wish to raise the bar of stewardship ministry will be held at 36 locations around the country mid-April through mid-May. Check the website after February 1st for locations and times.
• DEBT REDUCTION WORKSHOP – Consider following up your Budget Course with the two hour Debt Reduction Workshop as additional help for those with serious debt problems.

To register for Good $ense events or order resources, visit the Good $ense website, or contact Customer Service at 800-570-9812.