"I have hidden your word in my heart." - Psalm 119:11a

Our country's economic difficulties are leading to lots of talk about new rules and regulations. New standards are being developed for who qualifies for a mortgage, a car loan, and a credit card. With credit drying up people are being forced into crisis, or into better money management habits, or both. But if new and improved money management habits are to last, it's going to take more than new rules and regulations. It's going to take renewed hearts. Read more...

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How One Church is Dealing With Tough Times
As our rocky economy ripples through all of our lives, churches are seeing a decline in giving. Some are cutting programs. Some are trying to trim operating costs. Some are communicating with their members. Granger Community Church falls into that last category. Executive Pastor Tim Stevens even used his blog to post a letter click here sent to all Granger members about the economy's impact on the church. Read more...

Housing Crisis Worsens
Another 85,000 homes across the country were lost to foreclosure in October, the 34th consecutive month when foreclosure activity rose compared with the same month a year ago, according to a story on CNNMoney.com. Many more prospective foreclosures appear to be waiting in the wings, as 7.5 million homeowners-one-fifth of all homeowners-now owe more on their homes than the homes are worth. Read more...

Credit Card Crisis May Be Next
With the foreclosure crisis in full bloom, there are signs that credit card debt is about to turn into a crisis of its own. According to a New York Times article, lenders wrote off some $21 billion in bad credit card debt in the first half of this year, about 5.5 percent of outstanding credit card debt. Analysts think that could climb to nearly 8 percent over the next year and a half. Creditors are responding by raising interest rates, making credit more difficult to obtain, and decreasing credit limits. That last change may lower some people's credit scores even if they make no changes in how they use credit. With a lower credit limit, they are likely to be using a higher percentage of their available credit, which can knock points off their score. Read more...

More Willing to Talk About Money
With so many people feeling some financial pain these days, more people seem willing to talk about money. So far, the evidence is mostly anecdotal, but people who talked with CNN for a recent story, including an Arizona woman who lost two homes to foreclosure, said they've even been mentioning their money woes to total strangers. "I'm not embarrassed because so many people are in the same situation," she explained. Read more...

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