Personal and Family Financial Resources

I've spent quite a bit of time as a counselor and minister reading, reviewing, and teaching materials on personal finance. The following list are some of the most useful resources that I recommend to people on a regular basis.

Workbooks

How to Manage Your Money – Larry Burkett
Until people have an attitude change about money, it will continue to control and confuse them. This workbook is an excellent tool to get readers on track toward a liberated financial life. This bestseller contains newly updated material, plus a step-by-step, in-depth study of God's principles for money management.

Family Financial Workbook – Larry Burkett
Finances are the leading cause of marital breakdown and strife. Family Financial Workbook is one of the best tools a family can have to manage their finances with God's direction. With a comprehensive collection of easy-to-follow worksheets, practicality is key feature of this great resource.

Books

Your Money Map – Howard Dayton
Based on the phenomenally popular Money Map concept created by Crown Financial Ministries, this book outlines a simple roadmap for organizing one’s finances through life. The author’s expertise and financial experience come to light as he guides readers on a journey toward Biblically based, true financial freedom.

Free and Clear – Howard Dayton
Overwhelmed with debt? Becoming debt-free may seem an impossible dream for many, but it is actually an attainable goal. Learn how to overcome your struggle with debt by applying God's principles to managing your finances with this practical, encouraging, never-give-up book.

Reference

The Money Answer Book – Dave Ramsey
This quick and simple, question and answer book is a great resource for equipping individuals with key information about everyday money matters. Questions and answers deal with 100+ of the most-asked questions on many topics including: budget planning, retirement planning, personal buying matters, saving, investing, and more.

Crown Spending Plan - Crown Financial Ministries (free PDF)
Short but sweet. This booklet contains helpful information regarding becoming debt free, making a budget, shopping tips, and more. Contains worksheets to help establish and track your personal spending plan.

Websites

http://www.crown.org/ - Crown Financial Ministries - Simply the best at what they do. There are many resources available on their site - many of them for free.

http://www.crownmoneymap.org/ - Crown Money Map - A free, interactive website where users can learn and document your journey towards financial freedom.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/ - Money 101 - A step by step guide to gaining control of your financial life. Excellent tips and other quick and easy information on a variety of important topics.


Note: For a more detailed information regarding Crown Financial Ministries, please see my previous review of this organization.

No Room

To date, I have not included much in the way of devotional writing on this blog. In the spirit of the holiday season I offer the following piece. I hope it blesses someone.

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No Room

Although I have heard and read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth dozens of times, there is a certain piece of the story that never ceases to amaze me. Just try to imagine for a moment what the atmosphere must have been like in Bethlehem on that wonderful, momentous day. We know, from the opening verses of the second chapter of Luke (which is also confirmed by historical records), that this particular day was exceptionally busy. For, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, issued an order that every citizen and subject of the empire must journey to their ancestral hometown in order to pay taxes.

Imagine the chaos! This empire-wide taxation was something that was unprecedented and, therefore, probably somewhat in disarray. There were thousands of people, no doubt, all converging upon the small town of Bethlehem at the same time on this very unusual day. There must have been tremendous confusion in the air as the streets flooded with travelers from far and near. There were so many things going on all at once. Some were trying to figure out where to report to pay their taxes. Others were trying to secure accommodations for their family. Every merchant in town was out peddling his goods trying to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to boost sales. Roman soldiers patrolled the city streets on foot and on horseback trying to keep the peace. There was surely a family reunion on just about every street corner since each person belonged to the same ancestral hometown as nearly everyone else in their entire extended family. This day in Bethlehem was like no other.

But this day was also a unique and extraordinary day for quite a different reason. For while everyone tended to their own affairs in the bustling streets of Bethlehem, prophecy was being fulfilled in their very midst. The fullness of time was come (Gal. 4:4). Micah predicted this day would arrive when he wrote, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). Isaiah, too, foresaw this very day when he penned the words, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). This day would change the course of human history. This day would forever split time into two eras, B.C. and A.D. This day would introduce in an unparalleled way the One who is the King, Savior, Messiah, Deliverer and Redeemer of the world.

One would expect that the town officials would roll out the red carpet. One would think that Mary and Joseph would be greeted with a ticker-tape parade. Surely the crowds would part in reverence to the solemn carpenter and his fatigued, expecting wife as they prepared to present the world with the greatest gift of all time. Amazingly, however, quite the opposite was true. Mary and Joseph wearily trod though the gates of Bethlehem without celebration and, virtually, without notice. Even though what was about to take place in the lives of this couple would proverbially turn the world upside down, at that moment they were merely two more faces in the crowd. No one seemed to care that Jesus was about to enter into the world. The collective attitude of those present in Bethlehem on this day is encapsulated by the Gospel writer, Luke, with the words, “there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

No room in the inn? No room for Jesus? How could this be? How is it possible that an entire city of people (and with the exception of a few shepherds and wise men, the entire world) could be completely oblivious that Emmanuel (God with us) was about to break onto the scene? The answer is rather obvious. People were so busy running around taking care of their own business believing, as people tend to do, that their agenda is more important than anything else going on around them. There was no room for Jesus in the inn on that holy night because no one had room for Jesus in their hearts and in their lives.

The collective mindset is really not much different today. Most people simply don’t have room for Jesus. They are too busy with business, careers, education, interests, hobbies and countless other pursuits and have no room available for God in their lives. In our nation alone, multiplied thousands of people have no room in their lives to go to church even one time a week. Humanity hasn’t learned much in the past two thousand years since the birth of Christ.

Sadly, even we Christians frequently declare with our attitudes, actions and with the way we manage our precious time that we have no room for Jesus in our lives. At least we often do not put God in the place of prominence that He deserves. We repeatedly busy ourselves with the many cares of life to the extent that our prayer life and overall commitment suffers. We rightly put great effort into being successful, but it is often at the expense of neglecting the aspect of our life that should be the highest priority, our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Therefore, I propose that beginning with this holiday season we make room for Jesus in our hearts and in our lives like never before. Let us put away all excuses and leave the failures of the past far behinds us. Starting right now, let us commit the very best of our time and energy to our private devotion to God and to working publicly for His kingdom. Make room for Jesus in your life today and every day.

The Keys of the Kingdom

Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Recently I preached to our congregation at River of Life on the subject The Keys of the Kingdom. There was an overwhelming response so I promised to post my notes online in addition to the audio podcast that we routinely post for Sunday sermons. At the end of the post there are links to both the notes (PowerPoint) and to the audio. The notes will make for an excellent Bible study on the topic of salvation in the Book of Acts. Any Christian could easily study these verses together with a friend who is seeking to know the beauty of the new birth experience (John 3:1-7).

Here's a summary of the message...

Jesus proclaimed to the Apostle Peter in Matthew 16:19 that He would give unto the Apostle the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" (see text above). Virtually all commentators agree that these keys are the message of salvation that the Apostle Peter delivered on the day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts. In response to the questions from the convicted crowd Peter proclaimed that all should repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38). Many gladly received this message and there were three thousand souls born into the church on the very first day.

But this is not the end of the story. There are a grand total of four accounts in the Book of Acts that provide the historical details of many people experiencing the salvation message consisting of repentance, water baptism in Jesus' name, and receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Chapter two, in which the three thousand Jews were saved was just the first account. In Acts chapter eight, salvation came to Samaritans (people of mixed Jewish and Gentile descent) in the exact same way. In Acts chapter 10, salvation came to the Gentiles also in the exact same way. Finally, in Acts chapter nineteen, the new birth message was received by "certain disciples" who were believers, yet ignorant of God's plan.

The beauty of these historical accounts is that they all reflect the exact same plan of God. Namely, when one receives the "born again" experience foretold by Jesus and experienced by the New Testament believers, it always consists of repentance, water baptism in Jesus' name, and being filled with the Holy Spirit. What a marvelous, life-changing truth!

Download and view the PowerPoint notes (right click, Save Target As)

Download the MP3 audio sermon (right click, Save Target As)

Or, listen to the audio now (use embedded player below)

What Should Christians Do About Halloween?

Every other year or so I give a presentation at River of Life entitled: What Should Christians Do About Halloween?

Download my notes and slides for this study (ZIP file - MS Word and PowerPoint formats).

A Pentecostal Response to the Washington Post

Below is my personal response to the Washington Post regarding the now well-known cartoon disparaging people of Pentecostal faith.

The actual cartoon can be found at:
http://wpcomics.washingtonpost.com/client/wpc/po/2008/09/09/

I encourage others to also respond to the Washington Post and voice your view on this matter. Here are some emails to which you can send:

CEO-CarolineLittle@wpni.com; executive.editor@washingtonpost.com; VP-Sales-Ads@wpni.com; VP-Classifieds-LocalProducts@wpni.com; ombudsman@washpost.com

(Click on image for larger view)

To whom it may concern:

I was personally and profoundly offended by the cartoon by Pat Oliphant that appeared in your publication on September 9, 2008. I was perplexed to discover that a supposedly reputable newspaper would publicly and openly mock and ridicule the biblical experience of speaking in tongues – an experience that I hold in reverence. I would expect this of Hollywood and the entertainment industry – but the Washington Post?

However, my personal feelings quickly gave way to bewilderment regarding a much larger issue. You see, I am not alone. How could the Washington Post deliberately attempt to deride such a large and diverse religious group of people who revere and/or encounter the biblical experience of speaking in tongues? One can only conclude that you are uninformed with respect to exactly how widespread and mainstream this belief is. Allow me to enlighten you.

Recent statistically valid and reliable research published by the Barna Group revealed that 36 percent of all American adults are Pentecostal and/or charismatic Christians. (This is not just a percentage of Christians or church-goers –this is all American adults.) The study specified that one of the criteria for being included in this category is the belief that “the charismatic gifts, such as tongues and healing, are still valid and active today”.

There are currently more Pentecostal and charismatic Christians in the United States than any other single religious designation.

• 46% of all U.S. Protestants are Pentecostal or charismatic
• 49% of all U.S. Evangelicals are Pentecostal or charismatic
• 23% of all U.S. Protestant churches are Pentecostal or charismatic congregations
• 40% of all U.S. non-denominational churches are Pentecostal or charismatic
• 36% of all U.S. Catholics are charismatic in belief and practice
• 65% of all predominately African-American congregations in the U.S. are Pentecostal

In total, there are over 80 million Pentecostal and charismatic Christian adults in the United States who consider speaking with tongues to be a sacred experience. Furthermore, Pentecostal beliefs and practices are growing rapidly in the United States and, even more dramatically, internationally.

Perhaps you thought Pentecostals are an isolated group of uneducated people who deserve to be humiliated. Perhaps you didn’t know exactly how mainstream the belief and practice of speaking with tongues is. Or, perhaps you just deliberately wanted to disparage and marginalize this group. In any case – whether ignorance or arrogance - your actions in publishing the Oliphant cartoon are reprehensible, indefensible, and completely unacceptable.

I join the chorus of many other voices who insist that the Washington Post publish a prominently displayed apology for its unabashed mocking of a religious belief cherished by numerous Pentecostal and charismatic Christians in the United States and around the world.


Sincerely,

Kirk VanOoteghem
Ordained Minister and Executive Pastor