BYB Sunday: No Debt Load

Welcome to Blog Your Blessings Sunday.

I've been reading a lot lately about how people nationwide are struggling financially as gas and food prices rise. The stimulus payments that will start to flow to Americans tomorrow will, by necessity, go to help fill the gap these higher prices are causing. I realize steep inflation is forewarned in the Bible, but living through it doesn't make it easier.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "Two pounds of wheat for a day's wages, and six pounds of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" Revelation 6:5-6 TNIV

Complaining (again) yesterday about our tiny home and how hard it is to keep clean when it seems gremlins follow me to mess up what I fix, my understanding opened. Many people right now carry vehicle loans and mortgages, and as prices skyrocket, it becomes harder to pay for them.

I may never like this sardine can of a house, but it's time for me to once again count my blessings that we fully own our vehicles, land, mobile home, and house under construction. And because we followed what God showed us and did not get a loan or charge credit for building supplies to get in our house sooner, we don't have debt making it even tougher to pay the essentials.

Living in 800 square feet with eight people and a Great Dane may challenge us and make me want to scream at times, but at least the added stress of losing the little we have does not exist like it has for us before and does now for others.

Thank You, God, for this. It is a blessing indeed.

But what if you have that mortgage, loans, or car payments choking you? Is there blessing you can find when you're feeling strangled by gas and food prices?

I believe there is, but like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so are blessings. These you must search out and find yourself. (Try asking God, first.) In the mean time, take heart. Spring is upon us and there's no finer time to learn to plant a garden or manage indoor vegetable-bearing plants to help ease the cost of food. And to look into hydrogen powered cars fueled by water... (Jim's new hobby)

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Tech Tags: food ~ gas ~ price increase ~ inflation ~ stress ~ blessing ~ finances ~ struggle

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New Tactics to Make You Pay

Welcome to Blog Your Blessings Sunday.

Bought a new car with payments lately? Then maybe you're familiar with one of those little boxes affixed under your dash that ensure your lender payment as spoken of at USA Today. You know, the one that beeps incessantly if you default on a payment and then shuts off your car entirely if you don't punch in a code given only by your lender once you make that payment.

Lenders are getting tough about getting their money, and customers are getting cranky about it. Next thing we could see is these little black boxes on our homes locking us out, or worse. But let's face it. Lenders have a right to their money, and on time.

If we don't like it, we shouldn't borrow. Or we should be patient and long suffering to save our money enough to buy outright; a difficult feat, for sure, but if we don't want little black boxes controlling our lives, worth the second look.

Realistically, this is a warning of tougher standards ahead, and rightly so. Spending is way out of control and debt loads soar. Now is the time to make changes before consequences for payment defaults become so severe people land in prison.

Don't laugh. It could happen. Thankfully today, we still have time to change. And that's the biggest blessing.

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Super Bowl 42

We're good old fashioned New Englanders who love football.

Think the Patriots win the Super Bowl to go 19-0
and make New England once again hold
the World Series and Super Bowl titles simultaneously?
And in such a short time period?

We do.

Go Patriots!

UPDATE:

Well, we thought they could, but never said they would. Boohoo, the Patriots lost to the Giants by three points. :-( Jim is so bummed. Well, upset and disgusted is more accurate.

Never count anything as done or won before it comes.

You know, all this season I listened to the talk about the Patriots and Tom Brady and shook my head, reluctant to go along. You can be lifted on a pedestal only so far before God knocks it down. Even though I would have loved to see the Pats go undefeated, I'm glad to see the loss. New England can get so full of itself. (Who can't?)

I can't think of a better way to keep pride in check than to let a team win everything only to be defeated in the game that counts most. Reminds me of my son's small fry team a couple years ago.

No one could beat this one team, and they seemed to be full of themselves. Then our team came along and beat them. The last inning was a killer. We were in overtime and our team finally made a run. This other team was home team and could have taken away the win, but their three worst players were at bat, including one who was obviously physically challenged.

It was a fabulous win for our team and incredibly tough for them. I'm sure it's the same for the Giants and the Patriots on a larger scale.

The agony of defeat is, well, agony. Fortunately, it lasts for a time and then we move on. The Patriots will do the same. Good effort, Pats, and congrats Giants.

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Technorati Tags: Super Bowl ^ Patriots ^ NY Giants ^ New England ^ win ^ lost ^ New Englanders ^ Red Sox

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Red Sox World Series Champs!!!

The Red Sox did it--won the world series again. Woohoo!!!!!!!!

Yay Sox!

The only down sides? The Sox are away so they can't celebrate at home and IJ couldn't stay up and watch the game tonight because he has school early tomorrow. But he'll be pumped. And Boston will probably celebrate in style when the team returns home.

I didn't get a Red Sox World Series champs shirt when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, but by golly, I'm gonna get one this time.

Time to celebrate, Red Sox Nation!

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Technorati Tags: World Series ^ champions ^ Red Sox ^ Red Sox Nation ^ Red Sox gear ^ Red Sox shirt

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BYB Sunday: The World Series

Welcome to Blog Your Blessings Sunday.

The Red Sox are 3 and 0 in the World Series. Need I say more???

Yes. I do.

GO SOX!!!!

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Technorati Tags: Red Sox ^ BYB Sunday ^ blessings ^ World Series

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Busy & California Fire

Whenever I don't post for a while it's no doubt because I'm super busy with things I must attend to offline. Some of things I've been doing are:

• editing the local newspaper
• working on health initiatives for our elementary school
• attending the Muse Online Writers Conference
  
• getting back on top of housework that got out of control
• preparing for NaNoWriMo next month
• working on Christian Writers Group International (CWGI) paperwork and soon website
  
• redesigning my blog template which entails learning CSS as I go
  
• creating a medical log for my gram (I'm so relieved that's done--for her sake.)
  

I have many more things to do, and I can only focus on one at a time, but all of this means blogging has been at the bottom of the list. However, there are some house things to post about.

Stay tuned and be safe. And keep praying for those in California. If you have a moment, I encourage you to read April Lorier's post about the fires. It opened my eyes to the severity of the situation.

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Technorati Tags:  busy ^ California ^ fire

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