{"id":305519,"date":"2019-11-13T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/great-money-milestones\/"},"modified":"2024-10-08T00:16:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T04:16:57","slug":"great-money-milestones","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/great-money-milestones\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Money Milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our purse strings are tied to our heart strings. Financial advisor Art Rainer encourages believers to showcase the generosity of God by giving generously to those in need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2019-11-13.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:28:50","filesize":"26.41M","filesize_raw":"27690247","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2082,2851,2810],"tags":[4525],"podcast_series":[8315],"cwp_profile":[9582],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-305519","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-finances","category-growing-spiritually","tag-finances","podcast_series-the-marriage-challenge","cwp_profile-art-rainer","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/305519\/great-money-milestones","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/305519\/great-money-milestones","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"jFEdcKWgEf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/great-money-milestones\/\">Great Money Milestones<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/great-money-milestones\/embed\/#?secret=jFEdcKWgEf\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Great Money Milestones&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"jFEdcKWgEf\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Our purse strings are tied to our heart strings. Financial advisor Art Rainer encourages believers to showcase the generosity of God by giving generously to those in need.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2019-11-13.pdf","transcript_content":"<strong>Bob: <\/strong>This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Wednesday, November 13<sup>th<\/sup>. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson; I\u2019m Bob Lepine. There are biblical ways to think about money, and there are worldly ways to think about your finances. We\u2019ll talk about the difference between those two approaches today. Stay with us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. As a pastor with a lot of young couples in your local church, do you think the average young couple in most local churches today is headed in a good direction when it comes to money; or do you think they are headed in a direction that\u2019s going to cause problems for them later? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Boy, oh boy, Bob, that\u2019s a loaded question. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> It is; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> I would say it all depends. My first thought was: \u201cBoy, a lot of them are probably headed in not a good direction.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yet, then, I think there are quite a few that have really\u2014I think in some ways, because of 2008 and 2009, have seen the devastation money can have. They\u2019ve said, \u201cI\u2019ve got to have a plan,\u201d\u2014so that\u2019s encouraging. <br><br><strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think the thing that I feel bad about for the kids coming out of college is the amount of college debt that they have; it\u2019s from school loans. It\u2019s devastating; and I feel there is a sense of hopelessness: \u201cCan I ever get out of this?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; I think the average young couple\u2014where they are starting today is different than where we started, because I didn\u2019t start with student loans; but if you are starting today\u2014and you\u2019ve got $40,000 in student loans\u2014and you\u2019re trying to buy a house, or you\u2019re trying to have a child, or you\u2019re trying to do this and that, you\u2019re just starting with a bigger burden already in it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt\u2019s interesting to me\u2014we\u2019re talking with Art Rainer this week, who wrote a book called <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em>; and Art, welcome back. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Thank you for having me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, you work at an institution of higher learning. I\u2019m guessing that more than one or two of the students there are taking out student loans so that they can get a seminary degree. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> We are very passionate about trying to keep our tuition down and our costs as low as possible. We\u2019re a seminary, which means that we are sending out ministers, pastors, missionaries\u2014not just in our own state and nation but, literally, around the world\u2014so because of that, making sure that our students don\u2019t take on student loan debt. Now, we can\u2019t completely prevent them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Art:<\/strong> But we can do everything in our power to reduce the likelihood of them getting student loans; because if they have student loans, then their ability to\u2014say, go overseas and be on a mission field diminishes dramatically. What we want to do is\u2014we want to, obviously, prevent that burden from happening as much as possible; but across the nation, it is absolutely a problem. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> You\u2019re right. College students\u2014they are graduating with a ton of debt; and likely, they are entering marriages with a lot of debt. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> By the way, we\u2019ve got one of your graduates on our staff at our church. He\u2019s a graduate of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, and he has no debt owed to Southeastern. He still has undergraduate debt that he is paying off; but he was able to get through seminary, in large part, because you\u2019ve made this a priority there to try to help these young men and young women, who are going to this seminary, not incur debt; because you know that\u2019s going to encumber them as they try to do what they are studying to do. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Yes; it\u2019s mission critical for our school. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> What about you, Bob? I was thinking about\u2014there is the parent side of this school debt as well. When you are a parent, you are trying to help alleviate debt for your kids. What did you do with yours, Bob? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, here was what we did. We tried to set aside money so that our kids could get a basic college education: maybe, two years of community college and finish up at a state school\u2014we\u2019d have enough money to kind of cover that. If they wanted to go somewhere bigger, better nicer, they\u2019d either raise the money themselves or they\u2019d get scholarships to be able to do it. By God\u2019s grace, none of our kids graduated with student debt. They look to us today and say, \u201cThank you so much,\u201d because they are looking at their peers\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014and they recognize what a head start they\u2019ve got in life and the choices and the options that are available to them, that their peers can\u2019t even consider, because they don\u2019t have the school-debt issue. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI recognize some families can\u2019t put aside the money to save for two years of community college; but I would say to those families, \u201cLet\u2019s help your son or daughter figure out how the part-time job and a work study something\u2014do everything you can to try to fight going into $30,000 in debt per year for your kid to go to some elite school.\u201d That\u2019s my predisposition on it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> I think, too, a lot of times, as parents, we don\u2019t pray about this. With college, we started praying because we were in ministry from the time we got married. We weren\u2019t making much money; and we thought, \u201cHow are we going to do this with our kids?\u201d God provided in miraculous ways. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> But part of that, too, was talking to our kids about: \u201cThis college costs this much, where this college costs this much.\u201d We would kind of: \u201cYou can go where you want,\u201d\u2014but we\u2019re kind of leaning\/helping them lean toward the cheaper end; but they were really wise in that, too. The same with our kids\u2014by God\u2019s grace, they didn\u2019t have any school debt out of college as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes. You\u2019re talking, not to the moms and dads, in this book, <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em>. You\u2019re talking to the kids, who are the ones who are graduating, getting married, and have some of this debt. They are thinking: \u201cHow do I get from where I am today? We owe the school a bunch of money; we\u2019re trying to put down a down payment on a house; we\u2019re trying to start a family in all of this. How do we ever get to where we are solvent? We can\u2019t even think about setting aside money for our own kids\u2019 education; we haven\u2019t even paid for ours yet.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou\u2019ve got a pathway in the book, <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em>, and most people are stunned at where you start. The first step, in your journey to getting financially solvent, is\u2014what? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Start giving. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Okay; everybody hear that?\u2014Milestone\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Milestone One. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014One: \u201cIf you are trying to get solvent; and you\u2019ve got a lot of money that you owe people, and you\u2019re trying to get\u2014start giving.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> \u2014\u201cstart giving.\u201d This is not an Art Rainer thing; it\u2019s a Bible thing. As you read in the Bible about money, and money management, we see that giving is to be our priority. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Stop and think about this: We\u2019re to share the communicable attributes of God. As followers of Christ, we want to be like God. So, God is loving; we want to be loving. God is gracious; we want to be gracious. Guess what?\u2014God is giving. The giving-ness of God: \u201cGod so loved the world\u201d\u2014what did He do? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> He gave. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> He gave. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThe giving-ness of God is one of His communicable attributes. You can\u2019t be Christ-like and not be giving; am I right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> You\u2019re absolutely right. I like to showcase the generosity of our God by simply walking through the principles of giving that we find in Scripture. First of all, giving is to be a priority: Proverbs 3:9, among other places, that we are to give our first and best. What that means for us is take a portion of our gross income\u2014so before taxes\u2014and commit that to God. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPrinciple Number Two is: \u201cTo make sure that giving is done proportionately.\u201d Now, what do I mean by proportionately is that, those who have more, give more; those who have less, give less. We give according to what God has given us. We see that throughout Scripture. You can point to Malachi 3:10, where it talks about taking a tenth and giving that to the storehouse or to the local church. I don\u2019t want to get hung up on that\/on the ten percent; but it is a proportion of what we have\/what we have been given. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPrinciples Number Three is: \u201cTo give sacrificially.\u201d Giving sometimes is going to hurt and, actually, should hurt. If we follow what we see in Scripture, it\u2019s not always comfortable; it\u2019s not about the leftovers. If you\u2019re making\u2014giving a priority; meaning that you are using the first thing that you do with your money is give\u2014it\u2019s going to be sacrificial. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen, finally: \u201cGiving is to be done cheerfully\u201d: \u201cGod loves a cheerful giver.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs we look at those four principles, we see God leading us in each of them. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tPrinciple Number One: \u201cGiving is to be a priority.\u201d Where do we see that? God gave His first and His best\u2014His one and His only Son, Jesus. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cGiving is to be done proportionately.\u201d Where do we see that? Well, God, who owns everything\u2014the Creator of the sun, the moon, the stars\u2014gave us the gift that simply could not be matched\/the largest gift that has ever been known. He gave proportionately. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWe\u2019re to give sacrificially.\u201d How does God lead us in that? Maybe, a little bit more self-explanatory in the sacrifice of Jesus. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen \u201cWe\u2019re to give cheerfully.\u201d That\u2019s actually found in \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIsaiah 53:10, where we see God finding pleasure in the crushing of His own Son. It says that He found pleasure in that. Now, of course, you have to ask the question: \u201cWhy?\u201d or \u201cHow?\u201d\u2014\u201cHow can that happen?\u201d Well, God was looking through the lens of eternity; and He saw the outcome. Isaiah 53:10 says that He looked at the seed\u2014He looked at me and you\u2014and what the outcome would be <em>because<\/em> of the sacrifice of His Son. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tSo even in the midst of sacrifice, we can still find joy; because we are looking through the lens of eternity. We\u2019re seeing that: \u201cOkay; what will happen with these resources\u2014God is going to take these resources and do things and impact lives in ways that we simply cannot and may not even know until we\u2019re on the other side of eternity.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Art, what would you say to a couple that\u2019s listening, and they are thinking: \u201cMilestone One is be generous. Let\u2019s be generous.\u201d They\u2019ve <em>never<\/em> done this. Where do they start? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Okay; well, I think ten percent is a great goal to get to. If you have not given, and you\u2019re just reluctant to doing so, start with, at least, one percent. Start\u2014I always say, \u201cStart somewhere and then watch what God does.\u201d More than likely, if it\u2019s one percent, you\u2019re going to realize, \u201cWell, that actually was not that much money, and I can give a little bit more.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> It starts somewhere. Start at that one percent, and then\u2014and I include this in <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em>\u2014it\u2019s called the \u201ctake-off\u201d; it takes you to months four and seven: \u201cOkay, go to three percent; then go to five percent; and then seven; and then by the end of the year, you are at ten percent.\u201d So, make it a goal. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, at the same time, some listeners would say, \u201cI have been giving a tithe or ten percent all of my life.\u201d I would say, \u201cWell, let\u2019s revisit what it means to give.\u201d Is your giving sacrificial, or has ten percent become a box that\u2019s just been checked? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You check it; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Then, you feel like you\u2019re good; you\u2019ve done your deed. If that\u2019s true, then, even though you are giving more than this person, who is giving one percent, it still doesn\u2019t mean you are necessarily giving biblically according to what the Scripture teaches us about giving; because of that element of sacrifice is missing. It\u2019s a great goal to get to, but don\u2019t let it be a limit. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI mean, we look at the New Testament giving. They are going <em>way<\/em> beyond the ten percent. Even when you look at the Old Testament, you start looking at the number of times that they are commanded to give\u2014it actually gets above that ten percent mark as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You know, we said, \u201cThere is a path, and it starts with giving\u201d; and then we kind of got stuck talking about giving. I want to make sure we get down the rest of the path here for folks and just kind of walk them through it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut I just want to say\u2014because there may be some folks, who are listening, and they are going: \u201cI know why <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is doing shows, where they are talking about giving\u2014you guys are a nonprofit. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u201cYearend is coming up, and you\u2019re going to be sending us direct mail.\u201d Let me just say, \u201cWe believe, first of all, that your primary giving should be to your local church\u2014so that\u2019s number one. If you ever hear us say anything different than that, write us and tell us; because that\u2014we don\u2019t want you taking away from the ministry of your local church to support us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tBut we do want people, who share the vision and the values of this ministry, to say: \u201cI want to invest there. I want to see this expand and grow. I want to be a part of what God is doing through this ministry. I want it to be a part of <em>my<\/em> ministry.\u201d We\u2019re not starting here to be manipulative; but we are starting here because the Bible says, \u201cThis is a part of how we are to live as kingdom-minded people.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, let me get to the rest of the path; because you start with giving. Then you put money aside for an emergency fund, and you say $1,500 is a good number?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> \u2014$1,500 to cover what I call a minor emergency; so if your tire goes flat\u2014if your washer for some reason no longer works or your dryer no longer works\u2014you have money set aside for that. I don\u2019t want to understate the importance of that $1,500. Right now, 40 percent of Americans can\u2019t afford an emergency that is $400 or more; so getting to that $1,500 is a big deal. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Once you are giving, and once you\u2019ve gotten to $1,500 that\u2019s in this rainy day emergency fund, next thing you say is: \u201cIf your company has got a 401k or 403b retirement thing, you give as much as is being matched by the company\u201d; right? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. Some companies have what they call a company match. What happens\u2014you put three percent into your retirement account; and they agree to match, maybe, 100 percent up to that three percent\u2014so an additional three percent. If your company\/if your organization offers some type of company match, take it. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s free money right there. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> I would argue to say it\u2019s earned money, because it\u2019s a part of your employment there; it\u2019s a part of your benefits. If you\u2019re <em>not<\/em> participating in that\/if you are not getting that match, then you are leaving money on the table. Even if the company match seems small, I can\u2019t explain enough how important that small amount can mean over a <em>long<\/em> period of time\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> \u2014because you have something that is called compounding\u2014it\u2019s where your money is basically making money off of itself. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019d be amazed what the $125 a month you are putting aside\u2014what that winds up looking like in 15 years. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> There is a chart in <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em> that demonstrates the power of compounding. I assume that somebody sets aside\u2014when they are 16\/17\/18, through their summer job\u2014$2,000 a year: $6,000 over a three-year period of time\u2014and that\u2019s it. They simply invest that $6,000 in the S&amp;P 500, which is just a\u2014it\u2019s an index in which you can invest. If the return mirrors that particular index, then from ages 16 to 65\u2014and I\u2019m using real returns from the S&amp;P 500\u2014that $6,000 turns into $600,000, and that\u2019s the power of compounding. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt may seem like a small amount of money\u2014three percent; it may seem small\u2014but over a long period of time, it can actually equate to a lot of money. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, take advantage of a retirement account. Then make sure you get rid of all of your debt, except the mortgage. You say it\u2019s okay to have a mortgage; you\u2019re paying that down\u2014it\u2019s an appreciating asset. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, get rid of the credit card debt; get rid of the school debt; get rid of anything that\u2019s on your car loans\u2014pay all of that off. Leave your mortgage alone. Then start to save three to six months of living expenses for a major emergency. You\u2019d like to think\u2014if you lost your job, you could go for six months, in an emergency situation, and kind of live on what you\u2019ve got saved. Then the next thing is to put 15 percent of your gross income toward retirement and then save for college or pay off your mortgage. You end with: \u201cLive generously.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You start with \u201cGive,\u201d and you end with \u201cLive generously.\u201d Giving is the starting place; but generosity is really the goal; isn\u2019t it? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. Our goal is to manage our money in a way that allows us to advance God\u2019s kingdom\u2014that allows us to use our resources to live and give generously. We\u2019re not talking about financial health just for the sake of financial health. Admittedly, I have no interest in that. I get excited about helping people get financially healthy so that, then, they can be a part of reaching their community and the world for Christ. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>I always say that you\u2019re not getting out of debt so that you can simply go buy another toaster. If you need a toaster, that\u2019s fine\u2014you can go buy it\u2014but that\u2019s not why you are getting out of debt. You are getting out of debt because there\u2019s an unreached people group\u2014so a group that has never heard the name, Jesus; nobody has gone to tell them, yet on the other side of the world. You\u2019re getting out of debt so that that group can hear\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014about Jesus. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> \u2014about Jesus for the first time. You are getting out of debt so that people in your community can hear about Jesus\u2014sometimes, for the first time. That\u2019s the motivation. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAs believers, we\u2019re motivated by something entirely different than momentary satisfaction, something entirely different than just simply making sure that you have the newest and best car, an upgraded home\u2014not that those things are bad in and of themselves\u2014but if they become the motivation, you\u2019re going to find yourself discontent. You\u2019re going to find yourself <em>frustrated<\/em> because they are never going to deliver on the promise\/the supposed promise that they make. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tGod has wired us for generosity. We are designed for generous living; we\u2019re designed, not to be hoarders, but conduits through which His generosity flows. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> We already know you\u2019re an outlier because, at age 16, you started an IRA; okay? So, we know that; but how old are you? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> I\u2019m 37. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019re married. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> I am married. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> How many kids? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Three. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Married, three kids; you\u2019re in higher education, which is not a field that is known to be a place where you make a ton of money. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Have you paid off all debt except your mortgage? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Yes; and the mortgage is very close to being paid off. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019ve got three to six months\u2019 worth of living set aside somewhere? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Yes; and a little bit more because my wife is more of the Saver. I\u2019m a Saver, but she\u2019s like a real Saver. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Oh, my goodness! \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> I sacrifice for her sake by actually allowing us to have a little bit more in there so that she is more comfortable. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Are you putting 15 percent of your gross toward retirement? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> More; yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, you\u2019re living this. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Yes; which means that you are going to be making decisions. You\u2019re going to\u2014that are going to look a little bit odd at times. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So, do your kids get swim lessons, or\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> We\u2019ll throw them in a pond and tell them to paddle. [Laughter] \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u201cMove the arms.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Do they get new notebooks when they go to school? You\u2019re able to pay for the basics. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> They do; they go to a public school in our area. It\u2019s a really good school\u2014not that I have anything against private school\/homeschooling\u2014but we\u2019ve just made some decisions that allow us to make generosity a priority. That\u2019s our motivating factor\u2014even for paying off our mortgage\u2014that\u2019s why we are doing it so that we can live and give more generously. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I\u2019m just wanting people to hear, \u201cIt\u2019s not impossible.\u201d This is not something you read; and you go, \u201cWell, nobody can actually live like that.\u201d Art and his wife are doing it, and there are others who are doing it. The liberation that comes\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s what I was going to say\u2014the liberation; the word I think of is \u201cfreedom\u201d\u2014and most people, when they think about money, that\u2019s not what they think\u2014they think, \u201cbondage\u201d; they think, \u201canxiety.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI can remember lying in bed, not being able to sleep, sweating, thinking about college fund for my kids, think about paying the mortgage; and freedom was so far. You know why? I had no plan\/had no milestones\u2014just doing the American thing, living paycheck to paycheck: \u201cOh, I want those. I\u2019m going to buy that.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWhen we got on a plan and said\u2014okay; here is the thing\/here\u2019s the thing\u2014when you have a plan and you start to live it\u2014again, we didn\u2019t use the envelopes; but it could be envelopes or not envelopes\u2014but you still have to have a plan, and a budget, and these milestones you are living by: \u201cYou can go to the movie\u201d\u2014this is what I always say to people at our church\u2014\u201cand you can buy the big popcorn! You know why? You can live in freedom because\u2014why? First of all, I\u2019m giving; I\u2019m putting money away; [etc.]\u201d Then, I walk in there, and it\u2019s like I don\u2019t have to be, \u201cOh, I\u2019ve got to get the little, tiny\u2026\u201d\u2014it\u2019s like\u2014\u201cLet\u2019s enjoy the movie, because we\u2019ve taken care of those things.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br>Again, it\u2019s not simple; but it\u2019s like you said, Art\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> It\u2019s a disciplined life. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dave:<\/strong> \u2014you\u2019ve got to make hard decisions that really are important that matter, and you\u2019ll sleep at night. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> That\u2019s how the milestones build off of one another. They get you started; and it\u2019s amazing\u2014when you get to Milestone Seven or to even Milestone Eight\u2014and you look back on it, you say: \u201cWow! It\u2019s amazing what God did through this. It\u2019s amazing how God...\u201d It\u2019s because you took these little steps, all along the way, that allowed you to experience living and giving generously in ways that you just weren\u2019t able to do before. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<br><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Thank you for helping couples. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Thank you for helping us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Art:<\/strong> Thanks for having me. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I hope a lot of couples will get this book. I would love to see small groups of young couples\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Ann:<\/strong> Yes. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014going through this material together and holding one another accountable, and challenging one another, and saying: \u201cLet\u2019s do this. Let\u2019s get out of the spin cycle we\u2019re in, and let\u2019s start to live in alignment with God\u2019s desire for us and to advance His kingdom.\u201d <br>\u00a0\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe\u2019ve got copies of Art\u2019s book, <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em>, available in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. Go online to FamilyLifeToday.com to order, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. Again, our website is FamilyLifeToday.com. You can call to order the book, <em>The Marriage Challenge<\/em>. Our number is 1-800-358-6329\u2014that\u2019s 1-800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t know if we realize this, as parents; but how we talk about money\u2014our kids are paying attention. In fact, Mary Ann and I used to have conversations about: \u201cYes; what are we going to do about that? What about that expense?\u201d Our kids would get anxious; they\u2019d get nervous\u2014like, \u201cAre we going to the poor farm?\u201d They didn\u2019t know what the poor farm was; they just heard us talk about that. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tDavid Robbins is here with us in the studio. You were shaped by conversations you heard your parents have. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>David:<\/strong> Oh, yes; I vividly remember, in high school, my parents starting to talk about money, intentionally and together, in a way that they had not previously in this refreshed and renewed way. It marked me because I saw their oneness grow. I saw how on-the- same page they got. I remember some of those financial meetings, where I just wanted to close my ears and go into the other room; but I also remember how they would get up from the table and go for a walk and keep talking. It shaped my life; it shaped my view of money. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you are asking yourself\u2014like, \u201cWhere are we even, and where do we even start?\u201d\u2014I loved Art\u2019s suggestion that he shared about just having a conversation with your spouse about your money personalities, especially in your current season of life. Obviously, we don\u2019t want to make it accusatory; but talk together about what personality you think each other reflects when it comes to money: being a Saver, or a Spender, Investor, or Ignorer. <br><br>We do this often with pre-marriage counseling and as newlyweds\u2014and we kind of enter out of the gate well\u2014but then life just takes its course, and we just settle into: \u201cWell, this is who we are when it comes to money.\u201d But God has more for us than that. It will shape you to have these conversations, and it will shape your family. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes; that\u2019s a good word. Thank you, David. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAgain, we\u2019ve got copies of Art\u2019s book in our <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> Resource Center. You can go online to order at FamilyLifeToday.com, or call 1-800-FL-TODAY to order a copy of the book. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can join us back tomorrow when we\u2019re going to talk about important conversations for fathers to be having with their preteen and their teenage sons. This is a significant time of life for those young men, and we want to talk about how dads can be involved in helping shape them into the adults that God wants them to be. Joel Fitzpatrick is going to join us tomorrow. I hope you can be back with us as well. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our hosts, Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas; a Cru<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>Ministry. Help for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2019 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/305519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305519"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=305519"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=305519"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=305519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}