Finance

This is a series of posts containing excerpts from my latest book, Oxen, which releases on Tuesday, October 30, 2012! Pre-order your copy today and receive 20% off!

If you were given the choice of an “empty manger” or an “abundant harvest,” which outcome would you choose? I may never have the privilege of personally meeting you, but I do know one thing about you: If given the choice, you would select an “abundant harvest” over “empty manger” every single time.

An empty manger is barren. It represents hunger and potential famine. The manger once held food, but now it is cleaned out. It has nothing left over. To more fully comprehend this, imagine that your entire house is void of food – the pantry, cupboards, and refrigerator are completely empty.

An abundant harvest is presented as an alternative outcome. I liked the sound of this much better than an empty manger. An abundant harvest suggests that we have a full manger – all of the time. Dictionary.com defines “abundant” as “present in great quantity; more than adequate; oversufficient.”

As I pondered these two potential outcomes. I sensed a life-changing moment approaching. I knew if I could truly grasp the wisdom contained within this verse, my life would be radically changed. As I read Proverbs 14:4 again, I saw what made the difference between an empty manger and an abundant harvest: oxen.

Proverbs 14:4  Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. (NIV:1984)

Read the verse again. What leads to an empty manger? No oxen!

Look at the verse again. What leads to an abundant harvest? Oxen!

The DIFFERENCE is Oxen.

QUESTION: Do YOU have oxen?  PRE-ORDER your copy of Oxen today!

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This is a series of posts containing excerpts from my latest book, Oxen, which releases on Tuesday, October 30, 2012! Pre-order your copy today and receive 20% off!

As I describe in my book I Was Broke. Now I’m Not., I was the youngest of six boys, but I was the first to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University. Because of an amazing employer that had a college tuition reimbursement program, I was able to further my formal education and obtained a master’s degree in business administration from Clemson University. My career had moved rapidly upward and so had my salary, but even with all of these tremendous blessings, I was broke. Every single dollar I earned was deposited into our bank account, but all of it was delivered to one of our many debts or to pay bills by the end of that very same day.

My manger was empty.

I don’t know if you have ever watched cattle eat from their mangers, but they will stand eating at a manger until all of the food is gone, and then they will lick the manger clean just to ensure all remaining scraps are consumed. This described my financial situation. I could scrape together enough money to pay the bills, but beyond that there was absolutely nothing left over. Every single spare dime we gained inevitably departed our presence – never to be seen again. Our version of “licking the manger” was running out of money and then physically turning our piggy bank over to find enough coins to buy food off the dollar menu.

The same scenario played out every single month. We made money, and then we consumed every last dollar. Just like the oxen, we would be faced with an empty manger and were forced to stand around waiting for the next paycheck to refill it. It seemed like there was never enough for the moment, let alone storing up for the future.

On the day I encountered Proverbs 14:4, I realized that the writer shares two potential outcomes: an “empty manger” and an “abundant harvest”.

Two Potential Outcomes – Proverbs 14:4

1. An empty manger
2. An abundant harvest

QUESTION: If you were given the choice of an “empty manger” or an “abundant harvest,” which outcome would you choose?

Read the entire series (available after October 30, 2012)

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This is the first in a series of posts containing excerpts from my latest book, Oxen, which releases on Tuesday, October 30, 2012! Pre-order your copy today and receive 20% off!

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. Proverbs 14:4 (NIV:1984)

I will never forget the day I first read Proverbs 14:4 in my Bible. My family had embarked on a journey to become financially free, and I was reading the entire book of Proverbs to find verses providing wisdom about money and money management. Many verses in Proverbs were already well-known to me and had made a profound impact upon my life. Proverbs 22:7 (The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender) motivated me to pursue debt freedom. Proverbs 13:22 (A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children …) challenged me to think generationally, ensuring I leave a financial legacy, so I could position my descendants to prosper.

Proverbs 14:4 never registered on my radar until that day. Its wisdom gripped me and stopped me in my tracks. Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. I read several Bible translations for this verse to ensure I fully understood its message.

• Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. (NIV:1984)
• Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests. (NIV:2010)
• Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. (KJV)
• Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. (NKJV)
• Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. (ESV)
• Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. (NASB)

I grew up on a small farm. We raised or grew just about anything and everything. We had pigs, cows, ducks, and chickens. Our crops included corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay. I loved growing up on a farm. It is where I learned the value of hard work, about sowing and reaping, the cycle of life, and how everything in God’s creation is interconnected and dependent upon each other.

Maybe Proverbs 14:4 connected with me so strongly because it was talking about a life I knew that included farm animals, farm equipment, and a harvest, but I think the real reason it connected with me is because it described my financial situation – my manger was empty.

QUESTION: Do YOU have an empty manger financially?

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“How do I get my spouse to work with me on our finances?”

This is a very common question I encounter in the world of personal finances! The non-participative spouse problem is real, and it can be extremely frustrating.

First, let me say these two things:

• Finances are one of the top causes of marriage fights and divorce.
• Until both spouses are on the same page financially, it is impossible to maximize your financial potential.

So, recognizing how important it is that you work together, I submit the following strategies to bring the reluctant spouse on board with planning the family’s finances.

1.  Plan out your conversation

• Take time to write down the reasons you would like to have your spouse’s active help in managing the family’s finances.  The Financial Planning Checklist can help you with this.  Include your dreams in this list.  That 25th anniversary trip you have always dreamed of, the boat you’ve always wanted, paying for your daughter’s wedding, paying for your children’s college, etc.
• Look into some potential ways to improve your financial management.  I highly recommend putting together a monthly spending plan BEFORE the month actually begins.  You can find FREE copies HERE. Complete a personal finance study like the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. Study.

2.  Talk with your spouse

• Arrange for a babysitter to watch your children, and schedule a night out with your spouse. Go to a nice dinner and then to a coffee house. Tell your spouse you have something you want to discuss that is VERY IMPORTANT to you. TRUST ME.  When you tell them you want to discuss something VERY IMPORTANT with them, you WILL have their attention! This sort of statement is NOT something your spouse hears every day.
• Share your concerns with your spouse. Explain in terms of unrealized dreams. Here are some examples:”I am concerned that if we do not work together to plan our finances, we may not get to go to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary” and “The children are growing up so fast, and we have not started saving for their college yet” and “We have earned over $500,000 over the past ten years, and we only have $1,500 in savings.”  DO NOT PUT THEM INTO A DEFENSIVE POSITION. IF YOU DO, THIS WILL NOT BE A PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSION. Don’t say terrible or hateful things like, “Our finances stink because of your ignorance, and this is all your fault.”

3.  Take Action!

• You have had the discussion. It might be appropriate to back off for a little while to let your spouse process everything you have shared. At some point, however, you need to take action! Sign up for the class.  Set up an evening for you both to prepare a budget once the children are off to bed.

By the way, marriage is grand, but divorce is at least a hundred grand! I’m convinced that if most people knew how much divorce would really cost them, they would be much more willing to spend the money to figure out a way to work together!

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Questions:

1. Are you living paycheck to paycheck?
2. If you missed one paycheck, have you saved enough money to pay your bills on time?

Statistics continue to show that somewhere between 50% to 70% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

Bankruptcy is a very close relative to paycheck to paycheck living.  People who choose to live this way are just one illness away from disaster. Just one job layoff away. One paycut away.

Marriage distress and divorce is a very close relative to both bankruptcy and paycheck to paycheck living.

If you are living paycheck to paycheck, I must ask:

Why would you put yourself in this position?

The stress is not worth it! The energy required to determine when each bill will be paid is exhausting. Why would you allow your marriage and financial future to be jeopardized?

If I can not give money away and save each time I am paid, something is broken. Having a car payment, a student loan payment, a furniture payment, and credit card payments might allow me to look good, but there is no way it is worth the stress of paycheck to paycheck living.

Financial margin allows you to stop the stress and despair.

If you are stuck in the paycheck to paycheck life, here are some practical steps you can take to get OUT of the madness!

1. Pay cash for all future purchases.  No more debt.  It is the first rule of holes – When you are in a hole, stop digging!
2. Spend all of your month’s money on paper BEFORE the month begins. It is called a budget, and it is AWESOME! Apply the basic rule: INCOME – OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO.  You can get started by clicking on “TOOLS” on the top of the page or by clicking HERE.
3. Refuse to believe the lie that you must have debt.  You do not HAVE to have debt. I have personally seen hundreds of people accomplish major improvement in their personal finances. Many have went all the way to total freedom of debt (except the house – some including the house!).

I want financial freedom so much for you!  I feel a HUGE WEIGHT on my heart to help you achieve financial freedom!  I want to help you! It is why I wrote I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. – to help you prosper! You CAN do this!

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