As we begin transitioning to the fall (apple cider and fantasy football!), we start settling back into routines that may have ended or been disrupted over the summer. Hopefully though, as things pick back up, we leave margin to relax, be in the Word, and even play. (Yes, adults too!)
This is also the time of year we start seeing fall holiday decorations in the stores and suddenly remember that Christmas is coming again. I hope that doesn’t put dread into your mind as you remember paying off last year’s Christmas bill.
Fortunately, if you, like myself, missed out on financial guidance growing up, there’s still hope! Marriage money fights, collector phone calls, the stress of living paycheck-to-paycheck, student loans, and credit card debt do not have to be ongoing in your life. (Trust me from personal experience!) It’s so easy to become trapped in the world’s ways of handling money: Debt. Out-of-control spending. The Lord doesn’t want this for our lives!
Many high schools are now offering some form of a finance class for graduation. That is great for our teens. I didn’t have that finance help years back. So after high school I blindly attended college, as it seems everyone else around me did too, and I graduated with quite a bit of debt. Bringing that into marriage was hard. Finally, I joined a Financial Peace class when my husband Andrew and I had been married two years and had a six-month old baby. I learned that a budget is simply putting a fence around your finances, meaning you’re free to spend in whichever categories you’ve chosen. It took me a while to create my first budget. Fortunately, there’s now a budget app, EveryDollar, which makes it super easy to sync with your bank, and, for those married, keep you and your spouse on the same page. After my rocky start with finances and learning how to budget, our family finally became debt-free! You can too.
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce. Proverbs 3:9
Finances are so important as we consider how to be stewards of what God has given us — time, treasure, and talents. Being a good steward is a tall task made harder if we are overwhelmed by money troubles. This fall, we want to give you an opportunity to hit the Scriptures and figure these things out in a friendly group setting.
Whether your finances are at rock bottom or you just want to do a little better, we invite you to invest in our nine-week Financial Peace University (FPU) class on Thursdays from 6:00-7:00pm, starting September 17th. Learn step by step how to budget, pay off debt, and invest for your future! We will walk through God’s ways of handling money so we can live a debt-free, generous, and more abundant life.
This course was created by a husband and dad, Dave Ramsey, whose real estate investments unexpectedly went south, rendering his family broke. Crying in the shower and calling out to the Lord, he humbled himself and was able to pick up the pieces and start over again in the next handful of months.
He began realizing that others around him didn’t know basic money skills. They don’t teach these anymore in school, and many parents don’t know to teach their children. So in a church basement with a slide projector, he used his recent failure and started teaching what would become Financial Peace University.
Class will be held right here at church and childcare is available. You may register independently for $70, or with a spouse, friend, or family member for $100. The cost includes your workbook for the experience and access to Dave Ramsey’s online resources for one year. Learn more and sign up using this form. If you have additional questions, please reach out to info@browncroft.org.
We can’t wait to see you soon!
Emy Sewnauth & Matt Denkenberger (your FPU leaders!)
