Thursday, March 15, 2007

Crown Study

Now that my wife and I are empty nesters, we thought we'd take a class together. So we joined a Crown Financial Ministries home group.

While pursuing the American Dream (i.e., education, house, groceries), we've accumulated some debt. So this study is designed to put some discipline into our money management. And shift our view of Whose resources we've used to get ourselvs into the hole with.

We have to do a pile of home work every week, memorize scripture, and pray for the other members of our group. We have log books that accompany each of these activities. It's incredibly regimented, this Crown Financial Study.

One of my weak points is scripture memorization. So I've incorporated the memory verse into my daily quiet time by memorizing a small chunk of the verse and meditating on it and praying it through. The verse is 1 Chronicles 29:11-12. But we have to memorize the Living Bible version of this verse. Today's chunk went like: "Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord..." (dang it! I had to look because I already forgot). So I'm thinking, my motorcycle is His... this blog... my dreams... my future... my wife... everything is His. I'm not used to praying that way. I'm used to praying and asking for stuff. I got stuff, but I got debt to go with it.

This study is regimented. You'd think I'd like it being an ex-marine and all. But I wasn't the world's greatest marine. The discipline part of it and the taking the orders are what were most difficult for me. So, this study will be a challenge.

The "before and after" pictures below are a perfect example of where I am in life with my finances and this study:
June, 1983. I'm pretty sure I'm stoned. Seventeen years old.
Just a few short months later... probably November, 1983. "Yesterday I couldn't spell U-S-M-C. Today, I are one." Eighteen years old.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude...you look like you rolled right off the set of Fast Times at Ridgemont High!

Chris Goeppner said...

can you say:
! all i need is a tasty wave and a cool buzz and im good

J Dub said...

All right, all right, all right.

You know what they say about high school girls...