March 2009.pub - Woodbury Lutheran Church

V O L U M E 1 5 , I S S U E 3Page 3UNINTENTIONAL INVESTMENTSHousing markets havecrumbled. In our area, housevalues are down as much as25%.As I write this, the stockmarket, which was upyesterday after reaching itslowest point in a 12 years, issliding down again.“I’m glad I don’t invest,” ayoung friend of mine said. “Iwould be really nervous now.I don't have enough money toinvest and maybe that’s goodbecause I’m not losinganything.”I hesitated briefly, pretty sureshe wouldn’t follow my lineof thinking and then plungedin.“You do invest,” I told her.“Every time you buy a pair ofdesigner jeans, or go out foran extravagant dinner, or takea vacation, you’re investing.When you spend money, youinvest. You’ve just chosen toinvest in expendable items.”She gave me a look that saidmy initial hesitation was righton the money (yes, that wasan intentional pun).“See,” I plunged ahead, “Godblesses us with money andhowever we choose to use itis an investment — whetherwe spend it or save it.”Many of us are unintentionalinvestors. We don’t plan ourspending, we don’t keep aspending log, and we can’ttrack where it went.What those people whobecome intentional spenders,i.e., intentional investors,discover when they tracktheir spending is that theystarted with far more moneythan they realized and theyu n c o n s c i o u s l y m a d e"Therefore do not worry, saying'What shall we eat?' or 'Whatshall we drink?' or 'What shallwe wear?' For after all thesethings the Gentiles seek. Foryour heavenly Father knowsthat you need all these things ...But seek first the kingdom ofGod and His righteousness, andall these things shall be addedto you." — Matthew 6spending choices — onegourmet coffee, one supersized“value meal,” oneextra pair of shoes at a time— that add up to a lot ofwasted opportunity.How about you? Are youtightening your spendingbelt during “lean” times? Doyou have a plan that wouldc a r r y y o u t h r o u g hunemployment or illness?Are you regularly spendingdown your debt in tobecome debt-free? Are youon your way to Biblicalfinancial freedom? Do youhave a life plan that willhelp you realize your goalsand dreams by investingwisely?Whether you’re strugglingor financially holding yourown in the new economy,now’s a great time to takethe first step to financialfreedom. Try tracking yourspending — especially thenickels and dimes. Ask forand keep receipts for everypurchase you make in anenvelope in your car or inyour purse. Every day, oronce a week, record yourspending. You’ll be amazedat what you invest inexpendable items withouteven thinking about it!The next step will be toestablish a spending planand a debt repayment planthat will set you on a cleartrack to full financial health.Then you can start using thebounty that God has givenyou and intentionally investit in Godly ways; in thingsthat honor your value systemand will have lasting impact.For more information onBiblical financial freedom,check the Life Planningsection in the WLC library orattend Managing OurFinances God’s Way classbeginning Sunday, March 8,9:30—10:30 a.m. in theEphesians Room (off themain sanctuary).B O O K D R I V EBring a bagful of gentlyusedbooks, DVDs andCDs to the library orEphesians room fromMarch 1 to April 15.Christian titles areespecially wanted. (Please,we c a n n o t a c c e p tencyclopedias, magazines,cassettes, Readers Digestcondensed books, oranything musty ormildewed).This 7-week video seriesincludes Biblical principlesand practical informationon spending plans, savings,investing, life planning,g i v i n g , a n d l i v i n gfinancially free. Speakersinclude Howard Dayton,Ron Blue, Rick Warren,Chip Ingram and others.For more information aboutB i b l i c a l f i n a n c i a lprinciples, or to register foro u r S u n d a y c l a s s(registration not requiredbut recommended so wecan order materials), call651-739-5144, ext. 236.— Vicki Strong, LifePlanning MinistriesClean your bookshelves, declutter your house, share witho t h e r s a n d f i n d g r e a t t h i n g s f o r y o u rfamily! Donated media will be outside thelibrary from April 19-26 as a FREE-FOR-ALL, where allitems will be fr ee and available to aeveryone!! Take a bagful of different titles toenjoy! Our prayer is that many will donate so that there willbe a large variety and quantity.Some titles may be kept for our church library, and any leftafter April 26 will be donated to be sold at the WoodburyLutheran Youth Lions Club garage sale.