A Money Transformation

Believers know their lives changed after accepting Christ and studying God's Word. But many may not realize that money plays a big role in that transformation. God uses money to shape our character, no matter how we use it.

But trust me, handling finances His way is always better. Today, Kingdom Advisors President Rob West talks with financial expert Ron Blue about that. Then it's your calls at 800-525-7000.

800-525-7000. I'm Steve Moore, a money transformation. That's next on Money Wise Live. When he says that following God's financial principles will change you, often dramatically. Ron, a delight to have you back on the program. Thanks, Rob.

Steve, good to be with you again, as always. Ron, take us on your journey of discovery, if you will, about how God uses money to transform us in our walk with Christ. I know this has been really a hallmark of your teaching for a long time. Well, you know, I started out on Wall Street and learned a lot about finance there. And I had an accounting firm for seven years and did a lot of personal planning for entrepreneurs and professionals. And then when I became a Christian and began reading Larry Burkett's work, really, and some of Howard Dayton's, I began to realize that everything that worked in the financial world had its roots in biblical wisdom. And so I've been to God's work of redemption and restoration in and through people's lives, and often that occurs as they handle money. I believe that money is a revealer of the heart and an entry to the heart, and is one of those kind of bottom-line things when it comes to managing my life, according to God's wisdom. Billy Graham said that when you get your attitude about money right, the rest of life tends to change.

It tends to fall into place. Well, that's certainly been my experience as well. And, you know, the late Larry Burkett, you mentioned him just a moment ago, he took it perhaps even a step further around when he used to say, the way we handle money is the clearest indicator into someone's spiritual life. Would you agree with that?

Oh, absolutely. I think that almost every speech I give, I quote that and say that if you give me your checkbook and your credit card statements, I can tell you what your goal is. Your priorities, your values are. And I can even see how you spend your time to some extent.

I see how often you go to the grocery store and which grocery store you want to go to that you like to shop at. And also then it reveals what I give and how I honor the Lord from the wealth that he's entrusted to me. So absolutely, I agree with that, Rob. You've learned along the way as you've watched men and women handle money God's way. Well, first of all, I think that they've come to the conclusion that God owns it all. And that changes everything about the way that I shape life.

I become a steward as opposed to an owner of the things that I'm entrusted with. I think that another thing that happens is that they tend to be content. And they are content because they have an eternal perspective and they know where they're headed. And they know that there will be ups and downs relative to this life and money.

But they're content with where they are. And they trust God and his wisdom to give them the wisdom to make the financial decisions that are true to his word. They believe, in other words, that God is interested in their financial life, will give them wisdom and guidance and direction.

He will always, he says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And that comes with money. I learned that when husbands and wives talk about money, that it's one of those things that can be either a barrier to their communication and life together, or it can be a unifier. And once they learn how to talk about money, they solve a lot of communication problems.

Yeah, that's so true. Well, I'll tell you, what you just described is something everybody wants. We want contentment. We want peace of mind. We want better communication.

And that's what happens when we apply God's truth. We'll unpack this even more right around the corner. You're listening to MoneyWise Live. Your host, Rob West, our guest, Ron Blue. I'm Steve Moore, and we're going to take a brief pause, and we'll come back and take some calls later in the program, 800-525-7000.

We'll be right back. Break down all your financial options to a basic four, and then shows you how to keep it all chugging along in the right direction on the same track. Never Enough, three keys to financial contentment. Available when you click the store button at MoneyWiseLive.org.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I couldn't have had the procedure I needed without CHM's help sharing the bills. That letter from a member displays Christian Healthcare Ministries' purpose to glorify God and serve His people.

CHM is the original non-insurance voluntary health cost sharing ministry, enabling its members to share the cost of each other's medical bills. Call 800-791-6225 or visit chministries.org. If you're feeling that it's time to make a change in where you work, maybe you should investigate the possibility of a position with Moody Bible Institute. Moody Bible Institute is looking to fill a number of full and part-time positions in education at Moody Publishers and Moody Radio. You'll find positions in management, clerical, professional, and non-skilled labor. It may be worth your time to take a look at the more than 40 position openings available now. You'll find each job description online at moodyjobs.org.

That's moodyjobs.org. How do you reach people who call themselves Christian but don't know Jesus? Find out by reading The Unsaved Christian. Dean Ancera was a cultural Christian. Today, he pastors a thriving church and he wrote this book to offer starting points that lead to deeper conversations. You'll be equipped to confront cultural Christianity and lovingly share the gospel to the cultural Christians in your life.

Cultural Christianity is a huge mission field in desperate need of missionaries. Get your copy of The Unsaved Christian at moodypublishers.com. How did you feel the last time you made a not-so-good decision? As Pastor Andy Stanley points out, Our decisions are like the steering wheel of our life and so you get decision-making right, you get life right. In his new book, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets, you'll learn five critical questions to apply to every decision you make so you can feel confident you're getting it right.

Request your copy with any gift to Money Wise of $25 or more at moneywiselive.org. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, all sorts of things will change in your life, whether you realize it or not. And one of them is your approach to money, God's money which he gives to us to manage. And here to talk to us about how that changed his life is author and teacher Ron Blue.

Ron? Ron, just before the break you were describing some of the realities. When we recognize that God owns it all, it changes everything in our lives, not only in our relationship with money, but also in our relationship with the Lord. And, you know, one of the things you've talked about for a long time is the importance of this idea of answering the question, how much is enough?

And that's really a key part of this as well. Talk about the fruit of being able to define your financial finish line when you embrace this idea. Well, when you set finish lines, you know when you've arrived, and if you don't set finish lines, you never stop. And I think the two biggest areas of finish lines and financial freedom, really, are what's the lifestyle that I want to choose? You know, we mentioned a time or two, the two Harvard MBAs that set finish lines on their lifestyle before they left Harvard.

They did it right. And consequently, when they receive rewards for what they do, they know how much to keep and how much to give. I think setting a finish line, even on accumulation, is important so that I know when enough is enough. In fact, from a worldly perspective, enough is never enough. From God's perspective, there is an answer to the question, how much is enough?

And it will give you great freedom when you set those finish lines. Well, the reality is when you begin to walk in faith, including in your financial life, it changes your goals, your financial goals even. How have you seen the goal-setting process change when you recognize God's ownership? Well, when you recognize God's ownership, and you establish a lifestyle, and then you begin to think long-term about what you would like to do financially, you find, first of all, that you can't accomplish anything unless you have some financial margin in your life. So, when you recognize that you're handling God's money and that He has plans for you, it changes the way that you manage the money that He entrusts you to have. It changes perhaps even your thinking relative to education. One of the biggest decisions that parents have to make is, do they provide a Christian education or send them to a Christian school or do homeschool or public schools?

And public schools are not long by any means, but money is just a tool to be used to accomplish God's purposes. And He calls me to be salt and light in this world, and therefore, when people look at me, they should not see someone better, but they should see someone different. Different priorities, different values, different goals, different objectives, with the resources that God has entrusted to me. So everything changes, and you mentioned a moment ago it can even change your communication in marriage, but how have you counseled couples where one spouse really understands this and has embraced it, perhaps even invited the Lord into their financial life, but the other spouse isn't on board, and there's really tension there with money at the core of that.

How have you counseled them to move forward in that? First of all, my mentor, Dr. Hart Hendricks, said, God did not give you a spouse to frustrate you. And what he was reflecting was the fact that we're two different people. We've been raised differently, and our values are different, and so we have to learn to live together, and we live together out of one checkbook, typically.

Plus, it changes a lot of other things. Yesterday, I got a call, for example, from somebody that I've known for years, and she said, You know, you changed my life by the advice you gave me when I was in my first marriage. When you gave me counsel, I said, Well, what did I say? And I said, Look, God needs your marriage to work more than he needs your money. She wanted to tithe. He wasn't saved. He didn't want to tithe. So I said, You need to honor your marriage as probably the higher priority. God has all the money he needs. And she said, He still gives testimony to how that changed his way that he viewed the Savior.

So it can really change everything in our marriage relationship. You know, if you had Judy, she got saved before I did it, and if she wanted to tithe off the income that I was earning, I'm not sure I'd have ever even looked at the Gospel, because it would have been such a threat to what I was attempting to achieve. And even though Judy was saved, was a Christian, you were like-minded in many areas. I have to presume, Ron, that all through the years that you wrote all these books that people have on their bookshelves, that even you guys saw some things differently when it came to your money and your finances, and there was some growth and some learning, probably most of it on your end, that had to happen, right?

You couldn't be more true, Steve. Judy and I, we've communicated, but we have a financial advisor. And the reason we have a financial advisor is I required all of our client managers at Ronald Bloom County to have an advisor, and the reason is a third-party facilitator may not tell you something new about money, as in my case, but he sure did help the communication between Judy and I. And just having him sit in on a meeting where we talked about money really facilitated a better relationship when it came to money. And I always counsel people it's not his money, it's not her money, it's God's money. And the way you spend money and the way you communicate about money says an awful lot about your marriage.

It can be a great help to your marriage, or it can be a great barrier to your marriage. That's exactly right. Ron, just a couple of minutes left. You've said in more than one book that money is a tool, and you described that a moment ago, but you've also said that it's a test and a testimony.

Quickly mention those last two. What do you mean by it's a test and it's also a testimony? Well, like Paul said, I've learned to be content, I've learned how to have a little, and I've learned how to have a lot. So a lot of times God uses money to test, actually I would say to build my faith, and so it can be a test. Secondly, it without question is a testimony because how I live, how I treat money, how generous I am, how content I am is an incredible testimony to the rest of the world. And I think right now in the culture we live in, if I can demonstrate contentment, confidence, peace, joy, good communication, the world would look at that and say, wow, if money speaks to somebody's life like that and it works, then does it speak to all of my life?

Yes. And so I look at money as maybe being an evangelistic and discipleship tool. Well, it's also a testimony to the next generation as our children learn to live by holding money with an open hand and delighting in the possibilities of biblical financial stewardship. Ron, thanks for being with us today, my friend. Always a joy. Thank you for having me. Bye-bye. You can read more about transforming your life with biblical financial principles in Ron's book, Never Enough, available at moneywiselive.org.

And we'll be back with your calls after this. Do you feel like your hands are tied with debt preventing you from serving God? If you have credit card debt, Christian credit counselors can help. Through our debt management program, we can get you out of credit card debt about 80 percent faster while honoring your debt in full. For more information on how Christian credit counselors can help, visit christiancreditcounselors.org.

That's christiancreditcounselors.org or call 800-557-1985, 800-557-1985. You probably have a strategy for your finances, your career, even your retirement. But do you have a strategy for your giving? At the National Christian Foundation, we can help you create a giving strategy to inspire your family, maximize your resources, and leave a lasting legacy of faith.

To learn how, visit moneywise.org slash ncf. Hebrews 4-12 says, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Here's Beth Moore with a quick word. Beginning to end always refers to the kingdom agenda of God in earthward matters, what he's completing on this planet. And he said, I've said eternity in your hearts, but you cannot fathom what I'm doing with time toward eternity.

And that I make all things beautiful in their time. Now mind you, God does not say he has set salvation in the hearts of men. God has set eternity in all of our hearts. So this is a lesson that would apply every single one of us. This speaks to every single human being, whatever country they're in, whatever government they're under.

No matter what color they are, creed they are, what kind of work they do, this is true of all of us. Not salvation, but he said eternity, where there would be something in us that is constantly hinting. Something that drives us toward the things of God. We cannot get away from it.

We can drive ourselves crazy, we can drink ourselves into a stupor, we can take every kind of medication, we can get our hands on, we can stay busy, we can stay in an absolute captivity of activity, but we cannot finally get the thing to die. It is said in our hearts that we know something, something exists far beyond this. We know it.

We know it. Beth and Tim are thankful for the grace gift to serve you. Your letters, prayers, and support are a vital part of this program. To request this month's thank you gift, text the word GIFT to 57682. Again text G-I-F-T to 57682. Or go to bethmoor.org forward slash donate.

That's bethmoor.org forward slash donate. Hey, it's great to have you out there today. You're listening to MoneyWise Live with your host, Rob West.

I'm Steve Moore. Now here's our phone number, and best of all, we have a bunch of open lines right now. A bunch, of course, could mean anything from bananas to, well, I don't know, a highly technical radio term.

More than likely, in this case, it's bananas. But we have opportunities for you to get in. 800-525-7000. Any sort of financial question, anything you're quizzical about, any conundrum you might be dancing around, give us a call today.

800-525-7000. We begin, Rob, by going to, let's see, how about Selma, Alabama, and Jolene. Nice to have you there. What's on your mind? Hi, God's blessing to see you in yours. Thank you.

I have a question. I am a young senior who, in my generation, was brought up to do without, repair it, or save you money until you can get it. And so at this point in time in my life, I am in the need of a water heater. Because of that COG lifestyle that I practice with money, I have been denied any type of credit for anywhere. And I was wondering if you knew of any firms or any banks or anywhere, any advice you could give me on that as far as I need to get, I would say, approximately $1,000 for a water heater installation and all of that that's applied to it.

Yes, yeah. Well, unfortunately, Jolene, there's really not a quick fix here, and the lending process does rely heavily on credit scores, which to your point, because you've conducted your business the way you have, which I don't disagree with at all, unfortunately, it's leaving you with a lack of credit, which can be just as damaging in some cases as having bad credit, although it can be remedied quicker even though it is, at the end of the day, in both cases, going to take a bit of time. You know, the most effective way for you to do something like this would be to open a credit card, either a secured card, or if you don't have enough credit to get an unsecured card, a secured credit card. Basically, what that means is you would put a certain amount on deposit with your bank, let's say $200. They would then issue a credit card against it, but the $200 limit is secured by the amount on deposit. Now, every time you charge something, they wouldn't pull it out of your checking account. If they did, that would be a debit card. They just know that it's there, so if for some reason you didn't pay it off or pay it as agreed, then they could take the money that's on deposit.

So they are secure at that point. The benefit to you, though, Jolene, is you could establish credit this way. So what I would do in this case is put a recurring charge on that card, something that's a budgeted item, maybe a utility bill or something like that, that just hits that card every month. You pay it off in full, and you, of course, don't accrue any debt. Therefore, you don't pay any interest. And in doing so, that card would be reported to the Bureau with you being an on-time payer. So that's going to take care of over the next six months or so starting to establish credit. It's not going to deal with a short-term fix. So in the meantime, do you have any margin on a monthly basis that you could start to sock away some money?

Because it could be that if you can, let's say, pay for half of the water heater up front, then perhaps they would. Yes, I can do that. Yes. Okay.

All right. So I think that's the key is just look at perhaps using the in-house finance company of the plumber. I'd probably go to some of the larger outfits in your area. Look for the biggest companies out there that tend to have more in the way of financing options. Let them know that you are going to put a good bit down and just see if even though you have a lack of credit, they would extend this to you. It's a nominal amount. Obviously, you'd be focused on paying it off quickly.

If not, then I think at that point, you'd have to delay this as long as you can and either try to save for it or try to establish some credit over the next several months in the way I described, perhaps using a secured credit card. Uh-huh. Yeah, because I know it's been about five years since I had a tank and it is rusted and I've been praying and I have all my prayer warriors praying with me that the tank doesn't leak. It's not leaking so far.

And we have been praying that the hose, that it doesn't rust to a point where it just blows its stack and not wind up in a bad situation. Well, yeah, that certainly would be. We believe God is in control of that, you know. Well, Jolene, have you made your church family aware of this situation? Because perhaps somebody, especially this time of year, might be willing to step in and provide some assistance. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely, I have, yes.

And the answer to that is yes. But your advice on checking the largest plumbing companies, putting down the most that I can and see what their, you know, financing are. So that would be the best way to go versus establishing, well, shall I say, the fastest way to go versus going to the bank to get this secured credit card account. Correct, although that could be something that would help you down the road if you ever needed to do something like this again, because you could begin working on establishing a credit file and, you know, getting enough credit history that you could have a score that would allow you to do things like this.

Again, not for the purpose of getting you into debt, but just getting you to a place where you have the ability to conduct business with a credit score that's used more prominently than ever now. So I would try these options. Hey, be sure to check back with us, let us know how it turns out. We appreciate your call today. In fact, Jolene, if you'll stay on the line for us for just a moment, we'd like to get some information from you. And we're glad that you called today, and we trust that God will answer that prayer even before the Christmas holidays roll around.

That would be a great way, I think, to approach the holidays, not having to worry about whether you have hot water or not. And you keep us posted. God bless, thanks so much. 800-525-7000 is our phone number.

We have open lines. If you have any sort of financial question, just call right now, 800-525-7000. Rob, we have a quick e-mail. This is from Julie.

She says, hi, Rob, thanks for the show. I listen daily. We are working really hard on our spending plan, and we've come up with an extra $300 a month. We don't have any emergency savings, and we have $5,000 in credit card debt. So how should we prioritize this month's surplus, pay down credit card debt or build up our savings? Yeah, Julie, thanks for listening regularly. And this is a great question because it's one that a lot of people face, and that is that when you're trying to get your financial foundation shored up, i.e., you don't have an emergency fund and you need one, you have credit card debt, you're trying to dump debt.

Thank you. Investing is more than just returns. It's an expression of who you are and what you value. Does the way you invest your money reflect your identity as a Christian? At Eventide, we design investments for performance and a better world so you can invest with the confidence to reach your financial goals while remaining true to your Christian values and commitments. We call this investing that makes the world rejoice. More is available at investeventide.com. For 30 years, Soundmind Investing has been helping Christians reach their financial goals with step-by-step guidance for investors at every stage, from those just getting started to those getting ready for retirement. Through scriptural principles and practical suggestions, SMI offers financial wisdom for living well.

More information, including a short video webinar on profit and peace of mind, no matter what's happening in the market, is available at soundmindinvesting.com. Is there a place for you in heaven? Find out when you read Heaven and the Afterlife, a one-volume set of Erwin Lutzer's hallmark works on eternity. Heaven and the Afterlife lifts the veil on eternity and reminds us that this world isn't all there is. This book will challenge you to seek what cannot be lost before it's too late. Heaven and the Afterlife, available online or at your favorite Christian retailer. For more videos like this, visit moodypublishers.com. or e-mail, all free.

Make the healthier choice at todayintheword.org. Would you like your life to be infused with joy? Would you like to interject an eternal dimension into even the most ordinary day? Author Randy Alcorn says you can when you discover the Treasure Principle. In a concise, power-packed style, this newly revised and updated book offers a six-step plan to finding the immediate pleasure and eternal rewards of the Treasure Principle. And once you discover it, life will never look the same.

The Treasure Principle is available when you click the Store button at MoneyWise Live. With SRN News, I'm John Scott. Presidential electors coast to coast are casting the votes that are expected to choose Joe Biden as the nation's next president. President Trump says the election fight is not over. The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history underway, with health workers getting the first shots. Hospitals are rolling out the first small shipments as boxes of frozen vials arrive at locations around the country.

The injections begin an effort to try to beat back the coronavirus as the nation's death toll nears a staggering 300,000. The Cleveland Indians changing their name. They don't know just to what or when. After months of discussions, the American League team is dropping the name. It's been known since 1915. Stock's finishing mix today. The Dow lost 184 points.

The Nasdaq gained 62 and the S&P was off 16. This is SRN News. Welcome back to MoneyWise, where we do our very best to remember that God owns it all. We want to be good stewards, good managers. And in order to do that and understand that and find help to apply that, we look directly into God's Word, the Bible. If we can help you today as you work through your own personal finances, give us a call, 800-525-7000.

Out to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Brandon, sir, what's on your mind? Hey, so I currently work a job with 1099. And I was wondering how it's best fitting to tithe and also manage the money with taxes not being automatically deducted. Yeah, it's a great question, Brandon.

So a couple of things. Number one is I would take a step back and just look at the whole principle of the tithe. I love using the principle of the tithe as really the starting place for your giving. If we do that, we look at the tithe as based on the increase. So the question is what is your increase on a monthly basis? And you can look at that on a gross basis or on a net basis. I would tend to say I like the idea of your increase being your gross income, the amount coming in.

Now, not related to a business that has business expenses, I'm talking about the total increase coming into you as an individual before you would take out for taxes and before you'd put any retirement savings aside or you'd pay health insurance or anything like that. But at the end of the day, we don't want to be legalistic about it. Remember, God wants your heart. And I think the idea that we would be faithful givers is really first and foremost.

And it's between you and the Lord at the end of the day. And so I think starting to give systematically and proportionately, which is what we're called to in the New Testament, proportionate giving, I think is really the key. So if you wanted to tithe on the gross basis, what I would do is say you'd take 100% of what comes in and you'd take a tenth and you'd send that on. I would say to the storehouse, your local church, and then beyond the tithe you would give perhaps even sacrificially to other ministries that the Lord places on your heart. If you wanted to start, though, and you were not prepared to do that, you want to work up to that, and you said, you know what, I'd really rather do it on a net basis, well then you'd simply say, okay, after the income comes in and you take out what belongs to Caesar as a self-employed individual, not only the federal but also Social Security tax and all of the tax that would be due, then you could do it on that basis and you'd just get a net amount that really would be your money to keep. And again, I think that's between you and the Lord how you approach that, but at the end of the day it's going to be 10% of the increase that you would give as a tithe.

Does that make sense? Yeah. So as far as putting whatever after my living expenses and tithing and everything along those lines, what would you also recommend for not necessarily retirement as far as an investment portfolio?

Yeah. So would this be, when you say not necessarily for retirement, what would be the purpose of this money? As you think about the money you're describing right now, what's the ultimate objective for its use? Just so that it can grow, I'm looking to go to college and everything like that so that it can grow over about a year and hopefully I can draw that and put it into the college and tuition and everything along those lines. Got it.

Yeah. You know, Brandon, as much as I love the idea that you as a young man just kind of getting started here would start to establish some long-term investment portfolios, if your time horizon is anything less than five years, certainly what you're describing in a year, I wouldn't be an advocate of you putting this at the risk of the market. Because bottom line is, we know that over the long haul, a properly diversified stock and bond portfolio is going to be the very best place to build wealth if you're systematic in your investments and you've got a long time horizon. And by long time horizon, I would say typically 10 years plus. But if we start looking at this in six and 12 month increments, nobody knows where the market's going. We had a huge run up last year, despite the fact that we were in the midst of a pandemic. Now we've got all kinds of changes coming and could the market continue to go from here up?

Sure. But could it roll over? Could we even hit a recession in the next couple of years, even over the next 12 months?

It's possible. And so we don't want to try to time the market and that's what we would have to do if you were to say, I want to invest knowing I'm going to pull it out in 12 months. You could end up withdrawing less than you put in just because of the time horizon. So I would encourage you to go ahead and put this in just an online savings account at Marcus or Capital One 360 or Ally Bank.

You'll earn about a half a point, meaning one half of one percent in the form of interest. But the best thing is the money will be safe and secure and you'll know that it'll be there when you're ready for it 12 months from now. Brandon, we're glad you called today. God bless you. Thanks very much. Dade City, Florida. Bonnie, how can we help you?

Yes. I am going to be 68 tomorrow and I will be retiring in May. I'm in the drop program at school and I have to move that money within 30 days that I retire, which will be May 30th.

What do you suggest? Yeah, Bonnie. Well, first of all, happy birthday to you one day early. That's exciting. And congratulations on your upcoming retirement.

That is also exciting. Let me ask you, I will answer your question, I promise. What do you feel like God has for you in this next season of life? What are you most looking forward to?

I have no idea. I am so confused as to what I'm going to do when I grow up. Okay. Well, just remember, your calling doesn't have an expiration date. So I'm confident the Lord has a lot in store for you in this season where you have the most wisdom and experience to use in serving him and encouraging others. So here's what I would think about with that drop money. I would be interviewing some Certified Kingdom Advisors there in the Dade City area because you're going to want to roll this over and you're going to want somebody who's got some real professional expertise managing this for you. This is money you've accumulated throughout the whole of your working life and this is not something just to stick on autopilot. I think it's something that a competent investment professional, especially a Certified Kingdom Advisor who brings God's perspective to bear in light of these decisions, can really help you think through, first of all, what is God calling you to in this next season? Do you need to generate an income off of these investments?

And if so, how much? And what is the right portfolio to make this last, hopefully, as long as you're here and the Lord tarries so that it can be available to supplement your income needs but not take any unnecessary risk? So I think that's your next step. So I'd head over to MoneyWiseLive.org, click Find a CKA, and then put in your zip code.

And I'd interview up to three and find one that's a good fit for you and really make sure he or she is really curious about what God has for you and talking to you about how they would handle this money in light of your goals and objectives and I think that'll be the best next step for you. Bonnie, will there be a party of any sorts tomorrow? Probably not. I'm alone. Okay. All right.

Well, then we're going to have to sing to you right now. Happy birthday to Bonnie. Oh, boy. Happy birthday to Bonnie. I sure hope there's cake. Happy birthday to Bonnie. And, Bonnie, God bless you as you look forward to whatever God has for you because you have many, many more years to go, all right? All right. Hey, God bless.

Thanks so very much. You're listening to MoneyWiseLive. We'll sing to anybody for anything, but if there's cake, well, that just encourages us. 800-525-7000.

We'll be back with more phone calls after this. Many people adopt an attitude toward marriage and finances that it'll all work out somehow, but sadly, it often doesn't. Financial woes can devastate a marriage, but there is a better way.

God's Way. Money in Marriage God's Way by Howard Dayton will help you discover God's approach to growing your finances, strengthening your relationship with your mate, and cultivating Godly joy. Money in Marriage God's Way is available when you click the store button at MoneyWiseLive.org. The financial wealth you leave behind could be the best thing that ever happened to your loved ones or the worst. In Splitting Heirs, giving your money and things to your children without ruining their lives, Ron Blue explains why it's important to make these decisions now instead of forcing your heirs to do it later. Splitting Heirs will foster a real appreciation for the precious resources that God has entrusted to you, and it's available when you click the store button at MoneyWiseLive.org.

This is Barry McGuire. I'm a car guy here to help you understand God's purpose for your life through the eyes of a layman. Here's where we are today. The 35 million of us who are going to church solid in the Word and praying for our country are basically waiting on our politicians and popes to get America back on track. But that's not going to happen because America has lost faith in its politicians and rarely enters church without being invited. You are the world's view of the church. Their only view of what Christ actually looks like. Your role as a Christian is about God living in you and being seen through you to the point that people want to have what you have. Indeed, you are Christ's ambassador to your world. Putting it more clearly, you are a witness for God, either for His defense or His prosecution, with everything you would do and say throughout the entirety of every day. Your job is to ignite revival outside the walls of your church by moving everyone every day closer to Jesus.

For help doing that, go to ROTW.com. If you're feeling that it's time to make a change in where you work, maybe you should investigate the possibility of a position with Moody Bible Institute. Moody Bible Institute is looking to fill a number of full and part-time positions in education at Moody Publishers and Moody Radio. You'll find positions in management, clerical, professional, and non-skilled labor. It may be worth your time to take a look at the more than 40 position openings available now. You'll find each job description online at moodyjobs.org.

That's moodyjobs.org. Rob, one of the glorious things about this radio program is that, well, let's see, I'm doing some math in my head here. This program started back in 1988. It's been 30-plus years, maybe 32, 33 years, something like that. And during that time, many, many, many times, people have called in wanting to help other callers.

And they don't even know one another. They just get to know one another by listening to this program and hearing how God has blessed and used others in the kingdom of God. And someone has reached out and wanted to help us in a special way this Christmas time, right?

Well, that's exactly right, Steve. You know, whenever we have somebody on who's in just a real desperate situation, the need is obvious, the need is genuine, it's amazing how you, our listeners, God's people respond. And they start calling and saying, how can I help this person?

I want to send some money. I want to be a resource. And it happened just today with Jolene, who was describing what was going on with her hot water heater. We had three phone calls from people saying, how can I help? Well, good news is coming early next year. In fact, in the first couple of weeks of January, we're going to be rolling out the Money Wise Helping Hands Fund.

And we are so excited about this. Bottom line is, you will be able to help people that get on the air that have a real need. And when God pricks your heart and you say, I want to be a resource there, our team is going to be able to look at each one of these situations, vet the need, and actually, the money that comes in will be sent directly to you. The money that comes in will be sent directly to whatever the need is.

So not in the form of cash, but it'll go to the plumbing company or the utility company or whatever it is where the need exists. We'll be able to get the money right there. And so we're so excited about it and we'll have more details on that. But that's just one of the great new things that's coming on this program, Steve, next year, as we look for new and better ways to serve you and serve God's people. We'll be the MoneyWise Helping Hands Fund. I love it and it's always wonderful to see God's generosity manifested through his listeners, his saints, and the people that listen to this radio program and we want to thank you all in advance for that. Let's go back to our phones here.

It is Plains, Illinois. Hi, Kathleen, what's your situation there? I have, anyway, I am not working. My husband is and he supports us and I have two adult children who are living at home, my sons, and they make a substantial amount of money. And our house is paid off, but we are getting older and my husband doesn't really understand that the money we have and what he's making is not going to, you know, there's things that come up that we have to take from the money that we are saving for. I don't know how to get him to understand the importance of the boys helping us financially not only for our benefit but for their own because they're 23 and 26 and they've turned down apartments because of not liking the rules about the parking and, you know, not being able to have their friends park their cars there and, you know, silly things like that.

Anyway, so it's like we go, well, I guess we're not moving. They think they're going to stay here until they get a house. And so I don't know how to, it's not that I, I mean, I do want them out of the house, but I wouldn't resent them being here if they were contributing anything. I just wanted to ask for $50 a week and that's like nothing for what they're making.

Well, Kathleen, I couldn't agree more with what you're talking about here. There is nothing wrong with expecting your adult working children to pay some rent if they're still living at home. Unfortunately, you are, and I realize this is not your decision alone, which it sounds like you would have things a bit differently, but you and your husband are making it very easy and actually very enticing to stay right where they are and not move out on their own to take on the real world and learn what it means to manage God's money and deal with the bills that come and the rules and the responsibilities of being an adult. And unfortunately, as much as you all might want to and your husband might want to be a help to them because he loves them, you're doing them a disservice at the end of the day by not putting parameters around their time with you, both in the form of saying that we're going to require you to contribute to the expenses because not only is this, do we not have the resources to fund some of these expenses, but number two, we're not encouraging you to assume your responsibilities as an adult now that you're working and get out on your own.

And I think beyond the financial requirements on a monthly basis, having a clearly defined exit plan that says you can stay here for six months, and when the six month rolls around, if you don't have anywhere to live, you're going to need to leave, and you're going to have to find something, and so you better start looking now, you better have a plan. And even if you all wanted to take the money they were sending you and just put it into savings without telling them, perhaps, to provide security or a helpful gift as they're moving out on their own, that would be fine, again, if you have the ability to do that. But at the end of the day, you've got to establish the parameters that are going to help them begin to establish themselves as adults and not place an unnecessary burden on your financial situation, which, as you said, is already pretty tight. So I think at this point you've got to sit down with your husband and say, listen, we don't have the resources and we are doing them a disservice by continuing to allow them to live here without contributing anything financially, and at this point there is no reason for them to leave, which is not in their best interest. I would ask the Lord to give you some wisdom on that, and then I would recommend perhaps this strategy of, A, putting a clearly defined timeline on this that you and your husband would agree to, whatever that is, maybe it's a year, maybe it's six months, you all agree on that together, and then secondly, decide are you going to take the money you asked them to start contributing to the family expenses and keep it, which would be perfectly appropriate because you're absolutely taking on some additional expenses as a result of them living there, or, and this may make your husband feel better, are you going to take it and sock it away so that you could help them when it's time for them to move out, and perhaps that's how you kind of help them get launched.

In either case, that's really what needs to happen. So ask the Lord to give you some wisdom, ask the Lord to give him real clarity in terms of seeing what's actually going on here, and then I would approach him with that conversation. Kathleen, you're not the first person we've heard from who's been in this situation.

Often it's the husband who is playing hardball a little bit more than the mom, not that you're playing hardball. We think you're recommending the very right thing for your children's growth, and we wish you the best. Thank you very much for that. Quickly, Indianapolis, Indiana. Adam, we have just a couple of minutes here. What's going on in your life, sir? Okay, concisely, I was saving up for a home. I had built my credit score up.

I got into a car accident. The gap insurance fell through because of some paperwork stuff. They are eventually going to pay it, from what I understand, but in the meantime, the auto loan sent me to collections, and it's absolutely crushed my credit, and I wanted to see if you had any advice for me. Yeah, you know, Adam, unfortunately, there's really not a quick fix to this, and anybody who can tell you they can, quote, unquote, repair your credit, I wouldn't do it, because really anything that can be done, you can do yourself. The key is to really get this situation rectified in the form of, you know, getting these amounts paid off and then having them noted appropriately on your credit report, so when the time comes, even though they went to collection, and that will be there in terms of the history on the credit report, as soon as those accounts are zeroed out and therefore paid in full, and then you replace all of that negative history, which is going to temporarily, as you said, really trash that credit score, as you can begin to reestablish yourself with paid-in-full accounts and new credit that's on time moving forward, I think that's really going to be the key. And so, you know, I think, unfortunately, there's not a solution here apart from you beginning to reestablish yourself as an on-time payer. So just give this some time, let it play out. If you say you are going to eventually be reimbursed and therefore you can, you know, take care of these accounts, that's obviously the key.

Stay on top of that credit report and make sure once those are paid in full that it's noted appropriately, including with those collections accounts, and I think that's about the best thing you can do moving forward. And gap insurance, Rob, can you briefly explain what that is and how we should or shouldn't have that? Well, it just depends on what type of, you know, insurance you have, Steve, but gap insurance is, you know, for many folks, this is where its coverage in the event of an accident where you've been badly damaged or totally your car, it covers the difference between what the vehicle is worth and what insurance is coming in so that really everything can be paid at that point. Gotcha, gotcha. Okay. And then lastly, before we put a bow on it for today, we were speaking about the generosity of God's people. Well, someone has come to us privately and said, I want to help the ministry, and give us the details on that, Rob.

Yeah, really grateful for this situation as we head toward year end. We work off of a budget here at MoneyWise Media, as you might imagine, and so making sure in these challenging times that we see all the resources we had budgeted come in. We had a friend of the ministry step up to say, I want to make sure you get there as we close that gap headed toward the end of the year. And so this couple is going to match every dollar that's given to MoneyWise Media between now and 12-31. So, if you faithfully listen to this radio program, you count on the wisdom from God's Word, and you show up to enjoy the community that is the MoneyWise listeners and callers, we would just ask that you prayerfully consider a gift here at year end.

What you can know for sure is that it will be used wisely and your impact will be doubled. Just go to the website, MoneyWiseLive.org, click the donate button, or you can call any time after the program is over and just tell the wonderful folks 24 hours a day that answer the calls that you'd like to make a gift. We'll be sure it gets matched and we want to thank you in advance. Yeah, and thank you very much for giving us consideration in that way. This program wouldn't have been on the air for over 30 years were it not for your generosity. For Rob West, I'm Steve Moore. Thanks for listening.

MoneyWise Live is a partnership between Moody Radio and MoneyWise Media. God bless you again next time.