Happy Independence Day

I wanted to wish everyone a happy 4th of July. I hope it is wonderful, safe and that you remember what a wonderful country we live in. Please, no matter what happens in the weeks and months ahead, remember the Pledge of Allegiance to the US Flag. That we are One Nation under God, Indivisible. 3 of those 5 words speak to our unity as a country. The other two speak what or rather who allows us and empowers us to have unity. I fear that we are loosing our unity to advance agendas that are about personalities and not our country. No matter what you hear people say, remember your pledge, and strive to bring unity to our divided land.

Time To Set The Record Straight

I have had a couple of people ask me recently why I did not like Johnny Hunt. So I feel the need to say publicly what I have told them as it appears there are those out there who equate dislike with critique. So here goes. I have a tremendous respect for Dr. Hunt for several reasons.

1. His genuine love for Pastors. With the way he and Woodstock plant churches, help pastors in need, train leaders and much more. Not to mention his availability to Pastor’s conferences around the US, he is a pastor’s pastor for a good reason.
2. His genuine love for the Gospel. Dr. Hunt passionately preaches the Gospel because, I believe, he is one who has been forgiven much. Neither Dr. Hunt, nor I grew up in a Christian home. But his situation was still much worse than mine. Yet God worked a miracle in his life and he continually proclaims it.
3. Dr. Hunt pulls no punches. In the pulpit and in person Johnny Hunt boldly proclaims the truth and does not dance around it. During my time at SEBTS Dr. Hunt was in our chapel several times and I saw him at other events. And every time I heard him, I was convicted of sin in my life. Every time God used him to get to some root issues in my relationship with Jesus.

And I could go on. I have the utmost respect for Dr. Hunt as a person and as a pastor. But he is human and I have yet to meet a human that I have not disagreed with in some way. I even married one . And while I love the fact the Dr. Hunt and Woodstock have done so many great things in the Kingdom and for the Kingdom, I would respectfully say, I disagree with their decision to give so little percentage wise to the CP. Why? Well, because it reminds me of the “do as I say, not as I do” attitude of my parents at times. But guess what?! That just goes to show you the beauty of the autonomy of the local church as practiced in the SBC.

So for the record. I am not mad at Dr. Hunt. I have great respect for Dr. Hunt. I am happy, even humbly proud that he is our President. I will support him in prayer and any other way God leads me to. And to those who have talked about me behind my back and said that I have made mean or bad comments about Dr. Hunt, if you knew me (which you obviously don’t) you would know that with Hans Wunch, what you see is what you get. If I wanted to call anyone on the carpet about something, I would not be subtle about it.

The Mission Trip… That Almost Wasn’t

My wife and I have just returned from a mission trip to the lower part of South Carolina. It turned out to be a great trip, but it had no where to go but up. In the week leading up to the trip the following happened. Most happened from Saturday night to Monday morning (we left after church on Sunday).

1. Issues with the site. Park management was not being helpful, in fact, they were being somewhat of a roadblock.
2. Two of our young people’s Grandpa died (the two young people are sisters)
3. Bus Battery was dead
4. Bus Gas stolen and fuel line cut (found this out on Saturday evening after all the auto-parts stores had closed)
5. Keys to the truck pulling the trailer lost
6. One of the leader’s Father-in-law died suddenly the day after we got there
7. No kids at said site (see #1) on day 1.
8. We have a new horror movie title, “Attack of the Chiggers”. A couple of people got flat eaten alive, looked like they had the chicken pox.

That is the bad news, the good news is

1. Site issues were worked out
2. Bus situation was resolved because a church member who is a mechanic just “happened” (not really, it was God all the way) to be at the gas station
3. Keys were found
4. We moved sites after the day with 0 had 30 kids at the new site and then 17 at the original site too
5. The group grew a BUNCH
6. Remodeled a bathroom for the place we stayed at.
7. Ate buffalo wings after touring the Charleston Market.
8. Everyone home safe and sound.
9. Most importantly, God was glorified in the whole process!

Forgive Me… I am really confused.

*Disclaimer* I am not one to bash other pastors, and I respect those who are in the leadership positions in the Convention (both state and national), so what I am about to say is not intended to speak ill of anyone. It is just an observation.*

Quote from newly elected SBC President Johnny Hunt

Hunt said one of his goals is “being able to inspire the younger generation that’s coming behind me to buy in and then step up to the plate and support” the SBC.

“… Instead of just constantly saying, ‘Give to the Cooperative Program’ or ‘Tithe to the Cooperative Program,’ I think what we need to do is show — especially the generation behind us — all that the Cooperative Program is doing, and spend more time showing what’s happening overseas, showing who’s being helped, showing who’s being cared for. (People then will say), ‘I want to give more to that source.’”

Help me understand. I really want to know, seriously, my tongue is not in my cheek. I am in the generation after Dr. Hunt. I know what the CP is doing. That is one of the reasons our church gives 21% to the CP. But if anyone should know a great deal about the CP and all the good it does it should  be Dr. Hunt. So why does Woodstock give less than 3% to the CP? Is he being misquoted in Baptist Press? Does he want churches around the country to follow his example? Again, I am not mad, I just am confused.

Speaking of Warning Labels….

This is my personal favorite Warning Label. It is found on 2-liter bottles of Dr. Pepper products. I must go now, I am learning to open 2 liter bottles with my eye socket.

I Propose New Warning Labels for Credit Cards

AP is reporting this story.

AP-AOL poll: Debt stress tears at your body, too

WASHINGTON – The stress from deepening debt is becoming a major pain in the neck — and the back and the head and the stomach — for millions of Americans.

When people are dealing with mountains of debt, they’re much more likely to report health problems, too, according to an Associated Press-AOL Health poll. And not just little stuff; this means ulcers, severe depression, even heart attacks. You can read the rest of the story here.

I think I will call my congressman in light of this new information and suggest he make warning labels mandatory on credit cards They could say, “Warning, use of this card may increase your chances of having a heart attack”

So How Do You Beat Debt? 10 ideas.

Well, that is the question that has plagued Americans for decades. Do I file bankruptcy? Do I stop paying on credit cards and wait and settle? Here are some ideas gleaned from Crown, Dave Ramsey and others to help you.

1. Pray and Repent. Ask God to help you get out of debt and ask Him for help in the process and to turn away from it. Our culture is so debt driven that we think it is normal to have debt. But since no one has helped me with my Challenge (see post below) I will conclude as others have said, that God has nothing good to say about debt. In fact, I dare say, He thinks (at least consumer debt) is a sin. And when we have sin, we are called to repentance.
2. Stop borrowing money. You cannot borrow yourself out of debt. So no Home Equity Loans (which if you use to pay off credit cards like we did is moving unsecured debt to secured debt. In other words, before all they could do is sue you, now they have ownership in your HOUSE!). Put the credit cards away or better yet chop them up. No more trips to the cash advance (loan shark) store. And you may ask… “But what if I have an emergency?”
3. Build a cash emergency fund. Not a line of credit, but a real amount of money. Some say $1,000, some say more. Whatever amount is right for your situation, that is what you should do (within reason).
4. Look for ways to increase your income. Maybe it is a pizza delivery job. Maybe it is helping at more weddings and funerals. Maybe it is throwing papers in the morning. I am good with computers. And during our struggle, I did computer work for extra cash.
5. Do a cash flow plan. This is a budget. Plan out what you will spend this month on paper. Every dollar has a purpose. How much are you spending on groceries? How much on gas? How much on dining out? Plan it out and then …
6. Look at ways to reduce outgo. Do you NEED the fastest Internet and highest cable package or sat? Do you have to have so many minutes on your cell phone package? Do you have to go out to eat 5 times a week and for lunch. Pack your lunch it is healthier too. Buy specials, use coupons etc.
7. The Latte factor. $5 a cup coffee can kill your budget (or drinks from the machine or other things that you pay too much for). Think about about it 1 cup a day during the week with 4 weeks in the month equals $100! Now that doesn’t sound like much, but if you invested that money each month for the 40 years that you work, you would have over $1million! HOPE YOU LIKE THE COFFEE.
8. No more Late fees. If you are doing your budget then you will know where your money is. Figure out which paycheck pays which bill. Those $25 (if your lucky) to $39 late fees and over the limit fees and NSF fees are killing you one mosquito at a time. Pay your bills early (not weeks, just days). Know that credit card companies have been known to (and this is documented) change their address, change your due date and even give you a due time, by 3pm on the 15, so if you pay at 3:01 guess what?! YOUR LATE! If you are not current on everything, get current.
9. Once you have your house in order by doing 1-8 now you are ready for the snowball (this is what Dave Ramsey is famous for).

• List out all your debts except your mortgage. Now re-order them regardless of interest rate from smallest to largest (the only exception here is IRS settlements and loans to family, pay those first!)
• Pay minimums on all your debts except the smallest and pay that off as fast as possible (have a garage sale, sell on ebay, whatever it takes).
• When you pay off your smallest, move to the next one and use the money you were paying on the first debt too, so here is an example.

Debt                Minimum    Payoff

Credit Card #1      $20               $200

Medical Bill           $30               $500

Credit Card #2      $50               $2000

So in our example here, when you pay off Credit Card #1 you take the $20 a month you were paying to it and apply it to the medical bill, then when you pay that off, you move the $50 to the Credit Card. PLUS whatever else you were able to find in your budget to pay it off. So it is like a snowball, and every time it rolls over it picks up more snow.

• I know sometimes you look at an interest rate and say, that 39% one needs to go first and that 0% needs to go last. But you need some early victories. And if this were all about math, you wouldn’t be in this bind in the first place.

10. Never stop giving to God and His work. I know what your numbers say, but God is not bound by numbers. When you start being a good steward of His money, then He may decide to bless you with more, IF, you are a faithful steward. Remember, your mess is not His fault. And your faithfulness will help you have a right view of money on the other side of your ordeal.

FREEDOM!!!! To Give

It was a July day in 2005. My oldest had just turned 6. My youngest 7 months. And in July of 2005, we were blessed to become debt free. Over the next few months, my wife and I would set aside more money for retirement. Money for our children to go to college. And money for a rainy day. Because, in the ministry, you know, the rain comes. And then we started something new. We started an account to save for Lottie Moon and Annie and others. Before, we always felt guilty because we wanted to give a lot to these offerings. But we just could not afford to. Now, by saving about $1 a day, we could give hundreds each Christmas to international missions. And on top of that we are able to put money in love offerings what we couldn’t before. Why I even caught myself giving to a Southern Gospel group the other day (and honestly, I am not a big fan of SG, sorry to burst anyone’s bubble).

My wife and I were discussing the things we have disagreements over. One major area, has dropped off the radar…. Finances. Why? Because we are in agreement. We, I believe, are where the Lord wants us. And there is nothing to fight over. And she said, I just wish everyone could get a taste of what this is like. And then maybe they won’t go back to it.

Well, I got to tell you, it sure is nice over here. And I am not bragging on me, because it was God that led us out of the wilderness and into the promised land. Now, we have NO desire, whatsoever, to go back. But your mileage may vary, but try it, and I bet just like “Mikey” you’ll like it.

My Debt Story

“90 Days Same As Cash” That is how I was hooked the first time. My wife and I had just gotten married. We were still in college and I found a guitar I had to have. So I bought it for 90 Days same as cash. Because, since my wife had a job, we could afford it. Well then her class load was too much and she needed to drop the job. And the 90 Days same as cash turned into 29% interest. So a $600 guitar wound up costing me… $1,147.

From then on my wonderful wife and I were slaves to debt. We loved it. We bought stuff we didn’t need. We bought stuff we couldn’t afford. 1 year no interest here. 18 months no interest there. I shutter to think about all the meals we charged in seminary that we paid off YEARS later. Well things were bad, but in Lynchburg, VA things got a lot worse. We bought a house 0% down. 2 years later we got a new 125% second, you know where you could borrow up to 125% of your home’s value. And we used it to pay off some cards. Which by the way is really stupid, because you are taking an unsecured debt and making it a secured debt. In other words, they will not come and take back the steaks you just charged at the store. But now that it is a home loan they can put a lien on your house. 1 year later, we are moving to SC. And our house sits in a depressed real estate market for 10 months. With us paying out ~1,300 in mortgage payments and utilities. During this time we borrowed from everything. Credit cards, retirement and the like. When the dust settled we were over $30,000 in debt and making less than that a year. You would think we would learn our lesson wouldn’t you?

Well, we did, but not at first. But we finally got to the point where we looked at our income and looked at our outgo, and realized the bleeding had to stop. And then some stuff started to happen in our church. Stuff, I felt like God was leading me to handle. But in so doing, would put my job at risk. And because I was in debt up past my eyeballs, I chickened out. It was then when I read a verse for the first time and it made complete sense. Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” (NASB). I unwittingly chose to enslave myself to something so appropriately named… “Master Card”.

Why am I telling you this? Why put it out there for the whole world to see? Because, I know I am not alone. There are other Pastors out there who have sold themselves into bondage, not to our Lord, but to another “Master”. And my prayer is that one of you (or many of you) will read this and the subsequent posts and realize it is not God’s will for your life to live in debt to anyone other than Him.

I know it’s weird. But I challenge you to prove me wrong with Scripture.

A Challenge…

I need some help. I am trying to find a place in the Bible where God says anything good about debt or owing someone something. You see, I have a problem. If I can only find where God says negative things about something, then I feel compelled to avoid it. God says nothing good about gossip, so I must avoid it. God says nothing good about sex outside of marriage, so I must avoid it. So help me. Help me find some place in the Bible where God says something, anything nice about debt, so I will no longer have to avoid it. Thanks!