More Good $ense — August, 2007
The monthly e-publication from the Good $ense Ministry
In This Issue:Dear G$ Friends and Colleagues,
I heard something on the radio the other day that reaffirmed the importance of positive goals related to our Spending Plan. During a major battle in WWII, a doctor on the front lines was running low on morphine. So rather than automatically administering it to badly wounded soldiers, he asked them how much pain they were in. To his great surprise, 75% of them said the pain wasn't that great and they didn't need morphine.
Read more...
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. – James 1:19 (NLT)
Every time my wife and I spend time with our friends Rob and Amy we can't help but notice how much we enjoy talking with them. Eventually I started trying to figure out what it is about their communication skills that's so unique. And I soon realized it has a lot to do with how well they listen. Read more...
News You Can Use Profiting From Poverty
A lengthy article in BusinessWeek looked at the ways in which companies are targeting the working poor, luring "unsophisticated shoppers by the hundreds of thousands into a thicket of debt from which many never emerge."
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Prosperity Gospel Spreads
In a recent cover story, Christianity Today detailed the rapid spread of the prosperity gospel in Africa. The article stated that throughout sub-Saharan Africa, "prosperity-tinged Pentecostalism is growing faster not just than other strands of Christianity, but than all religious groups, including Islam."
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One Perfectly Expensive Day
While couples are united on their wedding day, a new book describes how the wedding industry skillfully separates them from their money. "One Perfect Day" author Rebecca Mead told Newsweek that in our consumerist society, "you're not a bride, you're a consumer of bridal products." The book takes an often-humorous, eye-opening look at today's weddings. Read more...
ATMs Giving Way to AGKs
What's an AGK, you wonder? No, it's not a new type of assault rifle. It's an Automated Giving Kiosk, an ATM-type device that enables churchgoers to make their donations with the swipe of a credit or debit card. They're now in place at a small but growing number of churches. According to an article in Time magazine, one factor driving interest in the devices is a new IRS regulation that all giving—even gifts under $250—need a receipt.
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Among personal finance writers and teachers who offer methods for getting out of debt, there's a debate as to whether it's best to focus on debts with the lowest balance first or those with the highest interest rates. Some even get pretty heated about their point of view. Those in favor of focusing first on debts with the lowest balance, regardless of interest rate (the process endorsed by Good $ense), say that approach enables people to completely pay off their first debt quickly and experience a valuable psychological boost in the process that is far more valuable than the what may be a few extra dollars in interest.
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Back-to-school shopping has become a big business. Among the roughly one-quarter of households with school-age children, each one plans to spend an average of over $560 getting their kids ready for the start of school this year, according to the National Retail Federation, stocking their kids with everything from crayons to computers—over $18 billion in total. The charts below show what percentage of households with school-age children plan to spend money in four key back-to-school categories and how much they plan to spend.
With all that shopping comes a prime opportunity to help kids learn about money. Read more...
One of the roles of the stewardship leader is to help individual core team member's spiritual growth and reflective exercises can help do that. Beginning stewardship team meetings with a reflective exercise can help individual growth and prepare hearts to hear God and each other in the midst of ministry.
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Budget Course Participant Guides – Don't forget to take advantage of quantity discounts when you order participant guides for your fall courses. Click HERE to check it out.
Train-The-Trainer Events - The next training for Budget Course Teachers or Counselor Trainers will be held at Willow Creek November 16-17. Click HERE for Budget Course information or HERE for Counselor Training information.
40 Day Spiritual Journey To a More Generous Life – This best selling 40 day devotional from Rev. Brian Kluth is now available at discounted rates to your ministry. Check it out HERE.
Debt Reduction Workshop – Consider following up your Budget Course with the two hour Debt Reduction Workshop as additional help for those with serious debt problems.
Pursuing Spiritual Transformation: GIVING - For those looking for a small group study to go beyond the Budget Course, consider this seven-week study that deals with money, debt, a biblical lifestyle and developing a heart of compassion. Read more...
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