I know it sounds cliché or even corny, but my family actually goes around the table at Thanksgiving and shares what they are thankful for. If I’m being honest, that sounds like a bit much for me this year. The cynical side of me has taken over lately and I have found myself focusing more on the losses than I’d like. Probably because there are a lot of losses. But, today I “closed the books” for October and it really hit me hard, [Read more…]

The Budget

John Maxwell said, “A budget is telling your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went.” During my tenure at Sunridge, we have always taken the budget process very seriously and worked diligently over the years at transparency to build trust and confidence that every dollar given to Sunridge is used to fulfill our mission. [Read more…]

What a difference a year makes, right?! A year ago, I promise you I was not thinking about where I left my face mask, where I could grab a bite to eat, or even where to use a restroom when traveling. Unfortunately, these and so many others, were ordinary occurrences that we took for granted. Because I like to find value or the lesson in everything, it got me thinking, what have I actually learned during my time in the “Q” (quarantine).

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Typically, around this time of the month I get pretty excited to share with you either some insights into the church’s finances or something that’s been on my mind that I think will be helpful for personal finances. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so much of what we normally do has been altered. That’s why last month I thought it would be helpful to share some practical tips on how to prioritize your finances, especially if you are in crisis mode. You can read that post here if you missed it. Like so many of you, this extended time at home is forcing me to watch, listen, read, and engage in ways that I usually don’t, at least not in a long time. [Read more…]

If you have read any of my posts over the past few years, you know that my wife Diane and I are passionate about helping people get out of debt, stay out of debt, and providing the tools to create a financial future that is filled with generosity and peace. On January 26, 2020 we launched our Winter session of Financial Peace University.

By far the largest class we have ever hosted at Sunridge, there were over 100 people that committed themselves to this 9-week program. As a class, they had over $2.8 million dollars in non-mortgage debt and over 265 credit cards. From my perspective, they were so engaged and so excited to start working through the 7 Baby Steps toward financial peace. The class was ready to learn about retirement planning and that is when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everything. Not just FPU was disrupted, but the way we all were accustomed to doing everything. [Read more…]