Want To Live Beyond Rich? Details Here!

Sometimes you read a book that inspires and encourages you to take control of your life and do bigger and greater things.  Sometimes you read a book that makes you feel like you just met your new best friend.  Sometimes you read a book that is so practical and helpful that before you are done, you have a detailed plan for how to accomplish a goal.  Sometimes you read a book that is all three things at once.  Jen McDonough's newest book, Living Beyond Rich is just such a book.

In her bubbly, encouraging, girl-next-door style Jen  details for the reader the personal struggles and gradual progression of her family from debt free living to amassing over $150,000 worth of debt.  Like most Americans, they didn't mean to go into debt. They were just average hard working folks, raising a family and enjoying life.  They thought they were getting ahead when in fact they were barely getting by. They thought they were being smart with their money but gradually inevitably they moved from a small house to a larger one, from a short commute to work to a longer one, from small expenses to larger ones, always trading up and adding on.  All along they were sinking more and more into debt but calling it refinancing their way to successful living.  Suddenly one day, their world comes crashing down when their youngest son is diagnosed with Type I diabetes and two working parents with health insurance can't afford the monthly medical care with their maxed out credit cards, car payments, mortgage, 401 K loans and other expenses. 

Never one to give up when times are hard, Jen and her family embrace Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and begin a new way of life.  Working through their own resistance and misconceptions about money, they downsize their lifestyle, they pick up extra jobs, they pay off loans and credit cards, they sell off stuff (yes the boat and the car have to go!)  and they make it.  It isn't an overnight transformation but a slow steady progress.  In the process they not only pay their son's medical expenses but they also travel across the country to enroll him in special treatment.  What is the end result?  The family is back on track financially and they are closer and more solid than ever.

This isn't just a book about one family's struggle with debt though.  If it were it would be a good read for a few hours of entertainment.  This is a book that will inspire you and motivate you to change your perception of your own lifestyle and finances.  This is a book that will encourage you to make a difference in the world starting with your own family.  This is a book that is going to make a dent in the universe.  Read it, do it, be blessed!! 

You can read more about Jen and her incredible journey here:  Jen's Blog

Check out the book here:

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Dave Ramsey aka Flat Dave

I'm not sure if my Sunday School class was trying to tell me something today but when I arrived in class, I found a laminated picture of Dave Ramsey sitting in my usual chair. Well, actually, he was standing in the chair but it was a surprise none the less. It's true I guess that there are not many opportunities that pass by without me mentioning Dave and his get out of debt plan or his budgeting or winning financially. Sometimes I'm not sure what I talked about before I got involved in the Financial Peace University that our church runs. This is my third time being involved as a facilitator and I'm as excited about each class now as I was the first time I attended. I still watch every video with rapt attention and laugh at the jokes as though I heard them for the first time.
My class had a lot of suggestions about what to do with the laminated picture of Dave. Probably the best one was that we rename him Flat Dave and like Flat Stanley mail him all over the world taking pictures of him in various locations. I think this is an excellent idea, maybe with the added comment of how the individual he is with is using his program, getting out of debt and changing their family tree. Or maybe it could be an opportunity to proclaim, "I'm debt free!" and have a virtual Dave in the picture. Let me give this some thought...maybe this is the opening I've been looking for to join Dave's team and combine my traveling goals at the same time...you never know what doors God may open with a crazy thing like Flat Dave.

PRAYER REALLY WORKS

Dave Ramsey, known for his plan for dumping debt, has 5 steps out of debt (not to be confused with his 7 baby steps to winning financially). You might find the third step surprising. It is: Prayer really works. That's right, positioned right in the middle of stop borrowing money and get an extra job is this step: Prayer really works. Dave by the way tends to be pretty direct about the message he wants to get across. He doesn't say, "Try not to borrow so much." He says "STOP BORROWING MONEY". And when it comes to prayer, he doesn't say, "Try praying about it". He makes the statement that "PRAYER REALLY WORKS". We all know that anyway, right? So why do we usually pray as a last resort?

I am reminded of last summer when my mother-in law was in the hospital with a broken hip. The biggest problem wasn't that she had a broken hip. The biggest problem was that she was terribly confused and agitated. She kept trying to get out of bed so she could "get to the hospital". Trying to be the helpful daughter-in-law, I first tried using logic. I very calmly explained that she had broken her hip and needed to stay in bed. In a very irritated voice, she informed me that she knew she had a broken hip and that's why she was trying to get to the hospital. Next, I tried using authority to get her to calm down and stay in bed. I told her she wasn't allowed to get out of bed and the doctor had given orders for her to stay in bed. This approach was no more successful than the first since she felt she knew better than any doctors in the place and was happy to correct them at any time. Feeling desperate after 2 days of trying to get her to calm down, I suggested we pray about her situation. I was somewhat surprised when she took me up on it. I held her hands to pray and she started immediately, telling God that she was in a terrible fix and she didn't mean to irritate the people around her who she knew were trying to help her, but she just didn't know what else to do. I followed her words with my own request that she be able to rest and put her confidence in the people around her who were there to help her. It was an amazing moment. It didn't miraculously clear her mind or calm her down but she was more cooperative and she didn't try to get out of the bed again prior to her surgery. Like Dave Ramsey, I have to say, PRAYER DOES WORK--IF YOU USE IT.