YIELD: Pause. Assess. Proceed. Produce.

Does your life feel like a never ending cycle?  As seasons change and years roll by, we have to wonder whether or not we are advancing or moving forward.  Are we maturing?  The passing of time and age does not necessarily equal growth and advancement.  To move forward we must be teachable.  The book of Proverbs begs us to love wisdom and discipline.  We have to welcome correction, and even appreciate rebuke.  We should be open and sensitive to deepening convictions and then adapt to God’s latest personal instructions for our lives.  We have to copy the Bereans and search the scriptures for our own deeper understanding when we hear a striking message. Moreso, we have to apply God's word and make adjustments along the way.  Let's not be like a dog chasing its tail, with low standards of monotonous achievement.  Scripture gives a more graphic depiction, saying some are like a dog returning to its own vomit (Proverbs 26:11).  Don't part...

How have you been approaching God lately? With OBEDIENCE or with SACRIFICE? “God required animal sacrifices as a way for His people to temporarily atone for their sins and draw nearer to Him.” ~ christianity.com -Obedience is better than sacrifice. -Obedience is faith-based. Sacrifice is works-based. -Both can be necessary in some ways, however, one is greater. -Obedience is based on an intimate and mutually loving relationship between you and God. -Sacrifice can be given in a distant or non-existent relationship between you and God. -Obedience is proactive. Sacrifice is reactive. -Obedience points to Jesus Christ. Sacrifice points to the law. -Obedience is our response to the gospel. Sacrifice was a response to sin before the gospel. -Some have only engaged with God using the method of sacrifice and NOT obedience. -Obedience is God saying, “Join me in this. Walk with me.” Then we respond with, “Okay, let’s go!” Sacrifice is us pleading, “Let me make it up to you. Let me pay you back. ...

On April 15th, 2013 our family made our final  debt payment which happened to be my  undergraduate student loan. On that day we  began a beautiful journey living debt free.   Listen to me share my excitement in My Video Blog 12 Hours Before We Became Debt Free .   Click here to see Our Family Debt Free Scream video created a few months after we paid all of  our debt. We’ve enjoyed moving forward financially and building wealth for our family rather than paying financial tribute to the past.  For us it started in college. We stumbled upon Dave Ramsey’s radio program on our local Christian radio station and heard call after call from people who were trapped and restrained by their debt and their financial decisions.  As two single college kids who happened to be friends we were individually sold on following Dave’s principles before we ever earned a dime. We realized that starting off our marriage with a conservative risk averse finan...