Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. (1 Tim. 6:17-18)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Wealth Creation from a Christian Perspective

My story is not that unique, but I would be considered weird by most Americans.

Ten years ago, I began living the typical American life. I got a steady job, got married, purchased a home (with an almost 100% mortgage loan), and had one car payment. I knew enough about money to not do some really stupid things in life, but I didn't really have a strong foundation of financial knowledge.

Over a five year period, my wife and I had two children, sold our first home at a decent price, moved into a more expensive home, and I started a small business with a lot of debt. To say the least, my business did not go as planned, and I woke up one day having a Dr. Phil moment - "so how's that working for you?"

Around the same time I started my business, I happened to pick up in a local bookstore this obscure book called Financial Peace by some guy named Dave Ramsey. After I read his book, something inside me immediately resonated with Dave's message, and I started rethinking how we were doing our family finances.

A little over three years ago, we encountered some difficult life circumstances which really forced us to get "gazelle intense" as Dave would call it, and we began to focus with laser-like intensity on becoming debt free. We sold our home, used the equity to pay down almost half of our debt, got on a serious written plan. Eighteen months later we became totally debt free and our net worth went from around -$100,000 to +70,000 during that time frame. My wife and I are now focused on spending money on purpose with a wealthy mindset.It's time to do "rich people stuff" when it comes to spending money!

Over the last year, I have been doing intense research and reading on how to create wealth today during the great information age. The Rich Christian, Poor Christian blog is a result of the information I have gleaned in my studies. This is my journey of discovery: wealth creation from a Christian Perspective.

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