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Friday, May 21, 2010

Praising The Lord!!!

Wow.  That is all I can say right now.  Wow.  God is so good! 

As you all know we are saving and saving and saving to go on a trip to Israel and Jordan in October.  You also know that originally we had planned on going for our 10 year anniversary in 2012 until Dr. Jimmy DeYoung announced that he was taking a group from our church.  That moved our trip up 2 years and reduced our time to save DRASTICALLY.  We took the matter to the Lord in prayer and stepped out in faith that we would have the trip paid for BEFORE we left the Atlanta airport.  We didn't know exactly how much it would cost when we started saving but we set a goal of $10,000.  Now we know that it will cost over $10,000.  It's going to be closer to $13,000 if we want to take any spending money with us for souveniers and the like.  Thankfully the travel company (Joshua Travel) includes tips and 2 meals a day in the price of the trip.  Bubba and I will be responsible for getting to New York City and then back to Atlanta from New York City after our trip.  That is where part of the extra expense will come in.  So, why am I "wow"?!?

We have already sent in our deposit and the rest of the money is due by the beginning of August.  It is the end of May and we have saved over $9,000!!!  Unbelievable.  I honestly didn't know if we could do it.  I mean, we are putting a HUGE chunk of our income into savings every pay period.  This is the part that blows my mind:  as much as we are saving, we haven't stopped tithing, giving, grocery shopping, or setting aside money for essentials (oil changes, gas, monthly bills, car insurance, clothing, etc.).  We set our budget, tightened our belts, gave up our monthly camping trips, and reduced our "out to eat" fund, among other things.  I am blown away! 

I've listened to Dave Ramsey for several years now.  We used his steps to set a budget and get on track with our retirement.  I would always marvel at folks who would call into his show and say they paid off thousands and thousands in debt in a year or 2 or 3.  Then they would say they did it with 4 kids and the husband's take home pay was $50,000 or something like that.  I'll be absolutely transparent here:  if we had car payments or credit card payments or college loan payments, we would NOT be able to do what we are doing.  God's Word is CLEAR when it comes to debt:  The borrower is slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7).  Are you making payments to everyone and their mother?  Do you have more month than money?  You DON'T have to live that way, you CAN see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I've told y'all before and I'll say it again: Dave Ramsey's plan is plain and simple and easy to follow if you are serious about getting your financial situation under control.  Go to his website, check out his books from the library.  I would start with this one:


You too can stand in awe at God's goodness and see His Hand on your life when you look at your finances.  You are choosing to stay where you are.  I thank God that Bubba and I got sick and tired of our financial mess, found Dave Ramsey, followed his simple plan, and finally honored God with our money!

Standing on His Promises, Mrs. Bubba

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