Archive for June 2007

Jerry Falwell

Jerry Falwell passed away a month ago.

I will tell you this.  Whether you agree with Falwell's positions or not, you cannot dispute the following facts.

1.  He was a man of great vision!

  • Jerry Falwell was given a God-inspired vision to reach Lynchburg, VA.  He took hold of that vision and unabashedly proclaimed from the mountain tops, streets, and anywhere ears were present to listen!
  • He was given a vision to start a university.  From its start in 1971, it has grown to over 20,000 students.

2.  He flat got it done!

  • Thomas Road Baptist Church has grown to a membership of over 22,000 people.
  • Liberty University has grown to over 20,000 students.

3.  His integrity was unquestioned!

  • With all of the heat that Jerry took from his opponents, they would have LOVED to have something on him to derail his vision.  It never happened.

4.  His family was STRONG!

  • You look at Jerry and you see his wife, sons, daughter, and grandchildren.  A tight family.  What better legacy could anyone leave than a TIGHT family?

5.  He aimed HIGH

  • He purchased the land for the university on a prayer (he didn't have the money).  By the time the note was due, the money was there.
  • He bought a MOUNTAIN for the university.  God can move mountains.  He can also give mountains!

At the end of the day, let the people say what they want or wish, but let the FACTS show that I was a great father, husband and that I took hold of the God-inspired vision given to me and DROVE it to completion!

Let the FACTS show that I had a TIGHT family.  Let the FACTS show that I got it done.  Let the FACTS show that I had unquestionable integrity.  Let the FACTS show that I aimed high.

Thank you, Dr. Jerry Falwell, for a life well-lived.

Should I replace my car?

Well, my 10-year old car is starting to make decisions that could alter our relationship.

First, she decided to die in the middle of my 10-year anniversary evening.  As you can see in the comments to this post, my MOTHER actually wrote a comment telling me to dump the car.  The car's brakes went out.  When Jenn went to get the oil changed and tires aligned, they made her sign a waiver because the oil wouldn't register on the stick and the tires were too worn to align.  While at the oil changing joint, someone HIT the car.  Now, the stupid vent fan won't operate again in the low setting (I've had this problem before – $19 fixes it).

Total expenses since September 2006 have been around $1,200 (around $120/month).

I was wondering, if your 66-year-old mother tells you "ON THE INTERNET" "THROUGH YOUR BLOG" to get rid of the car, should you?

UPDATE TO STORY:  You won't believe the rest of this story.  More on this in the next couple of weeks.

I want to meet with Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey is one of my financial heroes!

It was a book that Dave Ramsey wrote that helped position me to truly pursue financial freedom.

The name of the book?  Financial Peace, Revisited

Jenn and I became debt-free in 14 months by learning the most powerful word in the English language – NO!  The experience birthed a passion in me to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances!  So much so that I left corporate America and negotiated myself a massive pay cut to do so.  Don't feel sorry for me!!! I LOVE what I do and I no longer have to work for a living!  I am on a CRUSADE!

Part of this CRUSADE must be to meet with Dave Ramsey.  I would love to be able to meet one-on-one with Dave Ramsey to obtain mentoring and to be able to learn from him!

Some questions I will ask Dave when I meet with him are:

  • How do you balance family with your work?  The opportunities are endless at this point to do something other than go home to your family – what helps keep your family the highest priority?
  • You wrote your first book, type-set it yourself, and had it self-published.  What did you learn from that process?
  • You are in a field that can be emotionally draining.  What keeps the passion high for what you do?
  • What do you look for when hiring a new employee?  What are the absolute MUST-HAVES?
  • Has your mission/vision changed since you started?  How has it changed and what helped you figure this out?

Dave – I want to meet with you!  Tell me when and where.  I'll be there, buy the lunch and ask all the questions!

Bishop T.D. Jakes “Positioning Yourself To Prosper”

I just finished listening to Bishop Jakes speaking in the series "Positioning Yourself To Prosper"

You need to listen to this!!!

Below is a list of things I wrote down while listening:

  • Sometimes it feels funny to share how God is blessing you => Like we should be ashamed or something.
  • Why don't we need classes on "How To Be Poor?" FUNNY!
  • God blesses people through premier relationships
  • The fact that young people have to start out with no money is a CURSE!
  • If I catch you in a paycheck cashing place, I'll shoot your tires out!
  • You better not let me catch you with a rent-to-own TV!
  • If I sound angry about this (people's financial condition), it is because I am!

Words that come to mind when summarizing this series are – challenging, inspiring, motivating, action, thankful