Delayed Gratification

Delayed gratification. Or you may remember the idea as deferred gratification. These are terms you probably haven’t encountered in quite a while. Do you even recall what it means?

Thankful

Have you ever thought about what it means to give thanks? Wouldn't you be thankful rather than give it away?

A Teachable Spirit

I was nervous when I submitted my first story to an editor to be published in an anthology because I didn’t know if I was a good writer and because anything new is usually exciting and scary at the same time. Not only did I have no idea what to expect but, as any writer understands, I was super sensitive about this baby I had birthed, these words on a page.

How Should You Handle Requests for Prayer

Today I'd like to highlight a short post by Lillian Humphries on her website, Connected Christian Women, that addresses how to handle requests for prayer. Her post resonated with me this past week when someone asked me to pray for a member of their family.

How To Encourage Someone Who Is Hurting

Sometimes it's difficult to know how to help someone going through a painful season in their life. When my world as I knew it came crashing to an end, compassionate people met my needs in a variety of ways. Hopefully, some of the ideas below will help you show love and kindness to someone who is hurting.

George Muller's Incredible Trust

By Fran Lee Strickland @FranLStrickland

A few years ago I read a book that forever changed how I view money and God’s ability to provide for those who trust in Him. It is the true life story of a man who petitioned God through prayer to meet his every financial need. Before he became a Christian he attended seminary at the behest of his biological father because preaching was one of the best ways to make a good living in nineteenth century Prussia. Neither he nor his father believed in Christ so it was purely a decision to insure his future earning potential.

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Mr. Müller documents his raucous youth and disregard for the heart of God even as he attended seminary. Eventually he realizes he at least needs to act as a Christian if he’s going to be a preacher. After all, it just wouldn’t look right to the congregation if he didn’t outwardly walk the talk. He writes of his many attempts to turn his life around through his own resolutions and the sheer futility of that struggle. After multiple tries  to be “the real deal”, he pretty much gave up on the idea. Soon afterwards he was introduced to a man whom he claimed was the first person he had ever seen pray on his knees. This humble act of submission and the man’s genuine commitment opened his eyes and heart to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and it became the turning point in his life. 

When George Müller began preaching in 1832 at Bethesda Chapel in Bristol, England, he was by then a committed Christian. To make a long beautiful story short, he determined not to ask any human being for financial sustenance, He would depend wholly only God. As a result, he decided to move the tithing box away from the front of his podium so he would be unable to see what each parishioner tithed. He did this because he did not want to bias his sermons toward those who gave more to the church than others. In addition, he instructed his deacons to pray each week about what his salary should be. He would be content with what the Holy Spirit led them to pay him.

Click to access Amazon

The book, The Autobiography of George Müller, is his daily journal of financial struggle and how God met every need. It is an amazing story of how Mr. Müller not only trusted God for his and his wife’s needs as they ministered to others, but how God prompted him to build orphanages for the children whose parents had died in the war. Before all was said and done, Mr. Müller built several orphanages and clothed, fed, and educated thousands of children without ever asking anyone for financial help and without going into debt. His only requests were in the forms of prayers. The donations whether they were money, food, clothing or other items sometimes came from acquaintances and sometimes from strangers, but they came—often just in the nick of time. He recorded daily each of the needs he encountered and how each one was met.


One of my favorite stories that he chronicles is about a sweet woman who contributed much of her inheritance to the church and orphanages. When she told Mr. Müller what she intended to do he sat her down and had a long conversation with her to ensure she had “counted the cost” of giving away funds she might need later to survive her twilight years. She responded that she would give five shillings more as proof of her decision to give cheerfully to the Lord. Meanwhile she sewed clothing to earn money for her daily needs. As a result of giving so much to the church she did indeed end up penniless when she was elderly having given up her luxuries and retirement fund so others could have food and shelter. When she became so feeble that she could no longer sew to make a living, she recounted God’s provision to her that was provided in the form of other people who stepped forward willingly and selflessly to take care of her without her ever having to ask for help. Her story, observed by Mr. Müller,  was a faith builder for a man who was trusting his own daily needs to Christ.

George Müller’s life has been an inspiration to many. Even today his legacy lives on through the George Müller Charitable Trust. The trust exists today to advance evangelical Christianity and to aid any disadvantaged persons including orphans. The trust receives donations by check or electronic donations online but never solicits or participates in fund raising activities remaining true to its founder's belief in prayer. I encourage you to learn more about Mr. Müller through his own autobiography, his other writings, and the links below.

Müllers                  georgemuller.org              Wikipedia - George Müller

I would love to hear who has inspired you with his or her unshakeable faith!

Money, Frugality and Stewardship

By Fran Lee Strickland @FranLStrickland

I like to generate posts that “entertain, encourage and inspire” so this month I want to offer encouragement as well as information on the subject of money. Not only do most of us need encouragement with money, we need information on how to make it, spend it wisely, invest for the future, and how to manage debt or avoid debt all together.

Since so many blogs are established on the subject already, there is no need for me to re-create the wheel so to speak, so I’m going to point you to other blogs that are already well written, well researched, and speak to everything from saving money to earning to sharing, all important aspects of the medium we use to barter for goods and services.

Like I said, there are hundreds of blogs on everything finance, both secular and faith based. So that you do not become overwhelmed, I have chosen five that I like because of their content, appearance, and simplicity. Four of them are faith based. I personally believe you just can’t beat biblical wisdom for money management because I have witnessed these principles work well in the lives of those who practice them. I’m still, even at my age, working to incorporate faith based tithing, saving, and debt management into my own life.  If I had heeded these truths early on in life, I would be financially sound now. But, it’s never too late to start! I believe if you are breathing, there is always hope.

• One of my favorite blogs on all things finance is Wisebread, Living Large on a Small Budget. There are articles about frugal living, budgeting, travel, entrepreneurship, making extra money, investing, and the list goes on. This is a secular blog with access to the Money Tips Network that seeks to provide informative money tips from trusted personal finance blogs of which Wisebread is one.

Wise Bread: Living Large on a Small Budget

• Another good resource for money management is Dave Ramsey. He is well known for the Debt Snowball Plan for getting out of debt. His website hosts several good articles as well as financial tools. He is also the author of the popular book, The Total Money Makeover. His is a rags to riches, back to rags, then back to riches story. I always figure if someone has been there, done that, and then gained control their advice is probably worth heeding.

Dave Ramsey

• I discovered the blog, The Frugal Girl, when I was researching stewardship of all resources, not just money and found a post directed to Christians about environmentalism. You can read it here: Dear Christians: It's Ok To Care About the Earth. I agree with Kristen that we should be very conscious of preserving the earth for future generations. Kristen also blogs about “wise spending, DIY, contentment and simplicity.”

The Frugal Girl

• I came across the next blog when I was looking for ideas of how to make extra money. The article I found can be read here: 50 Ways To Make Money. I really like the idea of roasting and selling coffee! The website for Bible Money Matters has a pop up that invites you to subscribe to its email. By doing so, you are notified when a new post is uploaded to the site. Otherwise, click through the pop up, and you have access to many well-written posts concerning all things money.

Bible Money Matters

• The site SeedTime Christian Personal Finance caught my attention because of the free finance lessons via email. I signed up for the Investing Basics Course. Immediately, I received an email with a checklist for the course which includes subjects from 5 Traditional and 5 Non-traditional Ways to Invest Your Money to information on Roth IRAs to Investing in Your Beliefs. The lesson titles intrigue me and I look forward to receiving the daily teachings. I also received an email outlining some lessons for purchase if I want to pursue further study in other areas.

SeedTime - Christian Personal Finance

My hope is that whether you are struggling financially, simply wondering how to make a little extra money, or seeking information on how to save for retirement, you will find encouragement and answers in the blogs I have shared. Be sure to look for my next post that will highlight a man whose life story forever changed the way I view my relationship with money and strengthened my belief that God can and will provide.

Before you go, I would love to hear from you. Did any of these resources provide guidance that was new information and did you find encouragement to help you become your own successful money manager?

In God We Trust

As an accountant I am thrilled with the advances in financial technology. I love to pay bills online, deposit a check without driving to the local bank, and transfer money between accounts without leaving my comfortable chair. Oh, and what about the gas station?  Isn't it convenient to slide a plastic card into the gas pump for payment versus walking into the station to pay cash?

These wonderful hi-tech developments have made life easier in the world of commerce, but it occurred to me as I was looking at a dollar bill recently, that as our society eventually becomes cashless the words “In God We Trust” will no longer accompany financial transactions.

God’s word says if His people will consecrate their money as well as their lives to Him, then He will bless them.

How did the words “In God We Trust” come to be imprinted on the coins and currency of the United States?

In the late 1800s a man wrote that if the United States were destroyed at some point in the future and later dug up from the rubble, it would be considered a heathen nation because there would be no coins found honoring God to prove otherwise. So, Congress was moved to engrave its coins with the now famous words. Then in the 1950s a strong consensus persuaded Congress to declare “In God We Trust” as the nation’s motto. Soon thereafter the vote was cast to also include it on paper currency. I believe these actions reflected the general populace’s belief that God was supreme and the tenets of the nation echoed those beliefs.

Do you think it has made a difference for our nation that our forefathers recognized the authority of God?

This question reminds me of the story of a long ago king who reigned over a very prosperous and powerful nation and it gives some insight into the consequences of denying God’s authority and proudly claiming our own ability to prosper.

The Book of Daniel relates the story of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who has a dream about a tree so tall its top touched the sky and could be seen to the ends of the earth. It was a beautiful tree and its abundant fruit provided for many, in fact, the Bible says it provided food for all. But a messenger comes down from heaven and demands the tree be cut down and its fruit scattered. Nebuchadnezzar goes on to tell Daniel, his advisor, the tree will be given the mind of a wild animal and will wander the land until seven times pass by him. He says this will happen so everyone will know the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth.

Daniel interprets the dream as a warning to the king to humble himself and realize that his power and wealth are from God and not through his own making.  Nebuchadnezzar, who is proud of his accomplishments, ignores the counsel.  About a year later the king is surveying his kingdom from the roof of his palace and comments out loud that Babylon is the great city that he has built by his own hand and for his own glory. Before he even finishes speaking, a voice reminds him of his dream and that it is about to come to pass. Subsequently, he is driven insane for seven years, and he wanders aimlessly into the desert where he lives with the wild animals. Nebuchadnezzar himself says when he finally looks toward heaven to acknowledge God’s sovereignty, his sanity, kingdom and wealth is restored. He then goes on to declare to the world that he, Nebuchadnezzar, now praises and exalts and glorifies the God of Heaven because He is just and has the power to humble those who walk in pride.

Have you ever had a time when lack of trust in God left you in a financial desert? Or perhaps you had a prideful moment of believing that you were in total control of your life only to be humbled shortly thereafter?

For more information on the history of In God We Trust check out the links below:

https://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_God_we_trust

Disconnected

Today I had a problem connecting to the wireless network in my home. The router seemed to be working, but my phone and computer refused to communicate even with cellular data enabled and I was frustrated at being disconnected from the world. I couldn’t check the weather, listen to my playlist, download a new app, check updates on social media, or post to my blog until the connection was restored.

I am naturally introverted so I tend to enjoy my quiet time, but after a while I get tired of me and long for interaction with friends and family who provide stimulating conversation and warm fellowship. This longing reminds me that humans are not designed to live in isolation and that we should seek connection with others, but we also need to step away from the world regularly and seek time with God.

People are not electronics and cannot stay connected to the world all the time. Overload can occur and frequently does with current busy schedules. This happened to Jesus after he heard about the beheading of his cousin, John the Baptist, and the crowds continually pressed upon him seeking healing. He realized that he was running on empty and needed to disconnect from the world for a while and spend time with God. Matthew 14:22-25 tells us,

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from the land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.” (NIV)

The notes in my Bible indicate that Jesus stayed on the mountain by himself for six to nine hours. That is quite a long time! He spent much of that time in prayer and because of it he left the mountain refreshed enough to perform a miracle. His example shows us how important it is to take time to disconnect from the world to pray, meditate on scripture, and relax. Who knows? Perhaps we might, like Jesus, be refreshed enough by God to do something above our own natural strength?

How did Jesus disconnect?

• Found a quiet place with no distractions
• Spent time in prayer
• Guarded his quiet time regardless of the storm brewing nearby

How do you disconnect from the world and spend time with God?