I’m a night owl, commonly staying up several hours later than the rest of my family. I use this time to do various tasks that I never seem to find time for during the day. So it wasn’t out of the ordinary when I decided to take up a late night activity to resolve my checking account spreadsheet with my online banking portal. With my wife and daughter comfortably sleeping, and my son hiding out in his room playing Xbox, I sat down at my computer around 11:00pm and got to work.

11:05pm: I notice a debit from Microsoft for $9.99 on that day. I call my son, Tristan, down from his room and interrogated him to find out what he bought, and why he didn’t have the purchase approved, and paid for (in cash) before initiating the online purchase as we had previously agreed.  He denied having any knowledge of the transaction.

11:10pm: I needed answers, so I searched and found the xbox live website. Using my main email address I logged on and found the billing information section was completely blank.

11:15pm: Slightly annoyed, I remembered that we have two xbox live IDs. Tristan’s account has all the billing information associated with it since he’s the xbox user. Mine is just the required parental account. I called Tristan downstairs again to get his email account name. He rattles off some cryptic name in some pseudo language where the letter “E” is replaced with a “3″ and the letter “I” is replaced with ’1.’ Standing up, I point at the chair and say, “Sit down and type it, please.”

Xbox live didn’t recognize his email address.

11:20pm: Unable to believe that the xbox live website doesn’t recognize the email address of a kid that plays xbox every waking second he possibly can, I attempt to reset his password.

Email address not recognized.

11:30pm: Digging my fingernails into my forehead I return to my online banking portal and notice that the charge also mentions the name “Zune,” which an online music and movie marketplace.   I call Tristan down for a third time inquiring if he knows anything about “Zune,” to which he again denies any knowledge.

11:40pm:  Conveniently, a  phone number was included in the bank account debit entry.  Punching the buttons unnecessarily hard, and dropping an f-bomb for each digit, I dial the number.

A voice says, “Your estimated wait time is 23 minutes.” Um, hell no. <OFF>

11:45pm: Staring at the screen in disbelief, I suddenly remember that I linked Tristan’s Xbox live account to one of my secondary email addresses, not his email address. I attempt to sign on, but I cannot remember the password.

Seriously?

11:52pm: Following the steps to reset the password, it asks the security question “What is your favorite movie?”  Easy: Happy Gilmore.

Apparently Happy Gilmore was NOT my favorite movie the day I setup the accounts.

The directions tell me that if I cannot remember the answer to my security question to dial the customer support number and talk to a representative.

11:55pm: Smelling victory, I dial the number. A voice comes on the line telling me my wait time is 3 minutes. It goes on to tell me that in order to reset my password I will need the email address, and the answer to the security question.

WHAT? <OFF> Forehead plant onto the dining room table.

12:00am: I’m so frustrated at this point I feel like someone has physically set me on fire.  I can’t believe I’m a simple password away from resolving this mystery. I channel my inner Happy Gilmore and go to my happy place. Then it comes to me. The first letter of the password is capitalized.

12:04am: I successfully sign onto my son’s Xbox live account and see the billing information. I call Tristan out of his room for a fourth and final time. “What’s that?” I ask pointing at the screen that says “Zune monthly reoccurring membership: $9.99.”

He responds, “Yeeeeaaah, you’re gonna want to disable that.  I signed up for a free month trial a few weeks ago.  I didn’t think I’d be charged for anything.”

I say, “Your free month trial turned into a month to month subscription. You didn’t read all of the instructions when you registered, did you?”

I disabled the membership, looked at him and uttered, “You owe me $10.”

He gives me one of those “Are you serious?” looks.

I stare at him, grind my teeth and say, “I’m not paying for your mistake.”

He moped up the stairs, returning from his room with a ten dollar bill.  I asked him to sit down beside me and we had a discussion about what we learned from this experience:

• Always read the terms and conditions completely before signing up for anything.
• Dad has a reason for why he wants all online purchases to come through him first.
• Sometimes you make mistakes, and you learn from them.  But you still have to pay for them.
• Mistakes don’t just affect yourself (emphasizing the hour of my time it took to unravel this mess)

Tristan’s a smart kid, and I’m confident he won’t make this mistake again.   He didn’t like having to fork over $10, but in the long run it will be a lesson worth learning.

As he headed back up to his room, he paused, turned around and said, “Dad, do you think you could write down the user ids and passwords somewhere, so we don’t have to go through this again next time we have a billing question?  I’m just sayin’…..”

I guess I learned something from this experience, too.

I’m not a mechanic. My wife reminds me of this every time I pop the hood of one of our vehicles when there’s a suspected problem. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.

I’m not Doctor Pizel, either, as I’m so gently told whenever a “discussion” occurs regarding whether it’s appropriate to take one of our children to be examined due to some bump or bruise or cough.

I’m not a vacuum cleaner repair person or a hair stylist either, but what does that matter?

The point is, I’m not going to let a little thing like having no knowledge of a subject stop me from at least attempting to fix or do something before I admit defeat and pay some outrageous fee to have it done for me.

The hot topic lately seems to be plumbing. There’s been a hand full of projects around the house that have caused me to strap on my tool belt, get my plumber’s crack mojo on, and develop my previously nonexistent DIY plumber skills.

Leaking Refigerator:

A few weekends ago, we moved our refrigerator off the wall, and cleaned behind and under it for the first time since we moved into our house. That was, ahem, 8 years ago.

A few days later, we noticed a puddle of water on the floor coming out from underneath the fridge.

Vonnie had the phone book out and was scanning for plumbers as I pulled the fridge out from it’s space in the kitchen cabinetry. I found that the water line to the fridge was loose and dripping. A few turns with a crescent wrench, and the dripping stopped.

Leak solved, and outrageous plumber bill averted!

Leaking Hand Sprayer:

The hand sprayer for our kitchen sink had developed a crack which would cause water to be sprayed across the kitchen every time the trigger was squeezed. I picked up a new “universal” hand sprayer for $7 from Walmart.

I was able to install it without any problems, but regardless of how much I tightened things, it kept leaking from the bottom. After some trial and error, and under pressure of threats to call a “real plumber,” I discovered that the term “universal” apparently didn’t apply to my kitchen faucet unit. I had to go to an actual hardware store and buy the replacement unit for my particular brand of kitchen faucet. Of course that was slightly more expensive at $25.

Drip gone, no plumber needed.

Dishwasher Door Latch:

On Thanksgiving day, the latch on our dishwasher broke. We did dishes by hand for months, but eventually Vonnie had enough and pleaded with me to get the latch fixed. I looked online and found the part only cost about $20 with shipping and handling. Receiving the part in the mail, and with my confidence boosted by recent DIY successes, I quickly tore open the package excited to get started. I quickly realized assistance was needed, as the electrical connectors didn’t quite match up.

I found a video on YouTube that explained exactly what I needed to do. I had the part installed, and the dishwasher running in under 15 minutes.

Side Note: Two lessons learned here:

1. Always research how to install a new part first as you will learn some valuable pieces of information. For example, I learned that it is a good idea to turn off the electricity to a dishwasher prior to messing with the connectors to the latch. Yes, there is real current going to the latch. I found this out when I received electrical shock #1 while trying to figure out on my own how to install the part.

2. Always carefully inspect the labels on your breaker switches. “Washer” could very well mean “Clothes Washer,” which you may not expect if some idiot put it between “Range” and “Kitchen Outlets” in the electrical box. I found this out when I received electrical shock #2 while connecting the latch after I thought I had turned off the current to the dishwasher.

Toilet:

The toilet in one of the bathrooms on the top level of our home was acting kind of funny. Sometimes, after flushing it, the tank would begin to fill up, then stop. When I caught Vonnie online investigating how much a new toilet would cost, I figured I’d better get to work.

The water pressure in our neighborhood is not very good. Therefore, we have a water pressure booster that kicks in when the water pressure drops below a certain point. After poking around a bit, I noticed that if I turned on the bathroom faucet after flushing the toilet, I’d cause a significant drop in water pressure, the booster would kick in, and the toilet would resume filling.

The toilet filling would cause the pressure to drop enough to not allow the water to come up into the toilet, but not enough to cause the water pressure booster to kick in.

I pulled out the manual to our water pressure booster, and adjusted slightly the needed pressure level that would cause the unit to run. I flushed the toilet several times, and it successfully filled each time.

Victory declared.

The cost of doing all 4 projects was slightly over $50. The last time we actually had a plumber come out on a service call it was $80 just for him to walk in the door. By my estimation, we saved hundreds of dollars just because I was willing to give something new a try.

Have you ever saved money by teaching yourself something new?

What comes to mind when you think of the stereotypical, sexy, attractive male? If the covers of magazines and romance novels are any indication, it’s a tall, tan guy with washboard abs, and of course a head of thick, long flowing hair.

However, there are signs that this viewpoint is changing.

Earlier this week, my friend and fellow blogger Suzanne Cramer wrote a post asserting that financially responsible men are attractive. Well, I’ve got some news, and it’ll knock the socks off of Suzanne and other women who share her viewpoint.

Bald men are more attractive because they’re financially responsible.

Don’t believe me? Let’s compare the costs of having that thick, enviable set of locks to someone who is bald. (BTW, I prefer the term follicle challenged):

Hair cuts:

A local discount hair cut shop will run a guy with hair around $15. Even worse, with some quick research I found that you’ll lay down between $23 to $42 per visit at a salon.

On the other side of the fence, I got a clippers for Christmas about 10 years ago, and I haven’t paid for a hair cut since. I shave my head every Sunday night.

Products:

Shampoo, conditioner, and hair gel. Yikes, how much does this stuff cost a guy with hair?

If I run out of shampoo, I go rummaging through the showers in my home looking for the discarded shampoo bottles everyone else thinks are empty, and the little slivers of soap stuck to the sides of the shower soap dishes. It makes no difference to me. If I can’t find any, a $0.99 bottle of shampoo will do just fine…and it’ll last me months.

Hair coloring:

As a man with hair ages, it may begin to turn grey. A DIY box kit has a price tag of around $15 – $20. I don’t even know how much it would cost to have it done professionally.

For me? Since I shave my hair off, I won’t have to worry about this. EVER.

Are guys with hair financially responsible? I don’t think so.

I’ve got a chrome dome.

I’m a lean, mean solar powered machine.

I’m not just attractive, I’m HOT like Mexico because  I save money, I’m financially responsible, and I’m bald.

You’ll never look at the follicle challenged  the same way again.

But sorry, ladies – I’m already married.

It had been a really rough week for my family.

A close friend of ours that lived in the neighborhood had passed away recently, and we had spent the entire week in crisis mode spending time with the family and other neighbors in support of each other. As most families, we have a daily routine. Dinner at 6:00, homework at 7:00, our favorite shows of the evening after that. That routine had been completely disrupted and my wife and I felt like our children had suffered from lack of attention from us.

On my way home from work , I decided it was time that we have some “family therapy.” I stopped at the grocery store and picked up something I knew everyone would enjoy.

As I was making dinner, I told the kids that they needed to get their homework done immediately after dinner, so that we could catch up on some of our favorite shows that were recorded on our DVR.

When the books were packed away, and pajamas were worn by all, we all gathered in the living room. I said that I was going to have a snack, and asked if anyone else wanted one. My family looked at me with that “what do you have?” kind of look. I calmly and slowly retrieved four ice cream desert dishes from our cupboard.  I then opened the freezer and pulled out a carton of cookies and cream ice cream, set it on the counter, and asked if anybody else wanted some.

The kids jumped off the couch, throwing their hands in the air screaming, “ME, ME, MEEEEE!” Vonnie giggled and copied their enthusiasm.

I dished up the ice cream, and put mine and Tori’s in the microwave for 10 seconds to melt them ever so slightly, just the way we like it.   All four of us sat on the couch and ate our ice cream with complete disregard for our “no food in the living room” rule.

After the ice cream was gone, we had what we call a “family snuggle” and watched TV for a couple of hours. Talking, laughing, and spending time together.

This wasn’t the kind of therapy that you get from a counselor, or one that we had to pay for by the hour.  We did all sit on a couch, but it was the kind of therapy that came from a carton, and it only cost us $3.48.

It was just the kind of family therapy that we needed.

“Unless Vonnie wants to go along to the mall with me…” our friend’s voice trailed off.

Sure, I’ll go. I can look for a spring coat for Tori,” said my wife.

A new spring coat for our daughter was in the budget, as previously discussed while planning our spending for that weekend. The coat was actually the final expenditure for the weekend as it drew to a close that Sunday afternoon.

In a whirlwind of activity, I got ready to go to the gym, Vonnie and her friend put on shoes, grabbed their purses and headed out door with my wife’s voice calling, “I love you!” as she was whisked out the door.

As I was driving to the gym, I started to worry. History told me this will not end well. Our friend loves to shop, and has had the effect of making the people around her spend money even if they hadn’t planned to. There have been times where an unexpected shopping trip just like this had resulted in a trunk full of bags, and a pocket full of credit card receipts. On the other hand, we certainly did discuss our expenditures for the weekend, and we had agreed upon an amount for the coat. Neither of us wanted a repeat of the $57 jar of candy.

I arrived at the gym and moved through my workout, but I couldn’t get my mind off of the potential for overspending. A million thoughts and questions raced through my mind.

• Would she fall victim to temptation and buy more than the coat?
• Would she remember our spending discussion, and the budgeted amount?
• Maybe she would actually find a sale!
• Maybe I should call her?
• Maybe I should text her?

After all of that, I decided that I should do something entirely different.  I concluded what I should be doing is trusting her.

When I came home, she was sitting at the kitchen counter, a small bag sitting in front of her. I kissed her on the forehead and asked her if she had found a coat. She indicated she had not only found a coat, but two shirts.

Slightly worried, I opened the bag, and pulled out the clothes as well as the receipt. Here’s what she bought:

1. Spring Coat: $10 (normally $25)
2. Two Shirts: $4.50 each (normally $11 each)

Total price: $19

Budgeted Amount? $20

My rock star wife slid in just under budget, with not only a coat, but with two shirts as well.

As Vonnie and I have progressed through our debt management program, we have worked hard at improving our communication with each other regarding finances, as well as the execution of the set budget. We’re not perfect at it all yet, but we can both feel that we are entering a new phase of our development. We are realizing that beyond communication, a healthy financial relationship also has to have mutual respect and trust. For Vonnie and I to be able to watch the other drive off in a car with someone to go shopping and trust that they will honor the spending limits we had agreed upon is a wonderful feeling.

What do you think, how much do you trust your significant other?

Imagine a large glass jar filled to the top with your favorite kind of candy. How much would you pay for it? $10? $20?

How about $57?

This past weekend, Vonnie and I attended a benefit for her aunt who was recently diagnosed with cancer. There was a wonderful outpouring of support from the community through donations of items to sell in a silent auction. Vonnie, being her usual rock star self, visited business throughout our community and accumulated a dozen or so items to contribute to the auction. We also put together a basket of items we personally donated, and spent time helping setup and run the event.

Given the time, energy, and money we had already given, I personally didn’t think it was necessary for us to bid on any of the items in the auction. I meant to have a conversation with Vonnie ahead of time concerning her thoughts and decide our course of action together. But the days proceeding the event were busy, and some last minute changes in plans resulted in that conversation not happening.

When the time came for the auction, Vonnie bid $10 for an item called “Candy And Cash.” As the name suggests, it was a glass jar filled with candy, with visible bills of money rolled up inside of it. The estimated value was $50, so I assumed the rolled up bills accounted for most of that estimated value. We had an impromptu conversation at that point – I expressed that I wasn’t going to bid on anything, and she expressed that the candy jar was the only thing she would go for.

Perfect, right? Not quite.

Our conversation failed to address how much she would increase her bid. When the auction was over, she excitedly informed me that we had “won” the item.

For $57.

I smiled, but inside I was was wondering what (besides the several alcoholic beverages she had consumed) would cause her to bid that much on a jar of candy, regardless of whether it had some cash in it or not. I held out hope that maybe there was enough cash inside the item to make it worth it.

We dumped out the candy and found four $1 bills.

Someone had grossly overestimated the value of this item. On one hand our purchase was essentially a donation to her aunt’s family, so it went to a good cause. On the other hand, we just spent $57 on an item that contained about $5 in candy and $4 in cash. I began to point out the time, energy, and money we had already poured into the event and how if we were going to bid $57 on something we could have at least chosen an item that was worth an amount remotely close to the bid. As you can imagine, we were quickly heading down the path of an argument. Not because either of us was right or wrong, but because we had differing expectations of the situation. Lucky for me, I realized that the conversation was not going to be fruitful, and just accepted what was done, was done.

Lesson learned.

Had we had a real conversation about what we were going to do that evening, we would have agreed upon our course of action. We would have shared our thoughts, and come to an agreement together as to whether we would bid on something, and what our maximum bid would be. Our expectations would have been in sync, there would have been no budgetary surprises, and no potential for an argument.

And maybe, just maybe, we could have avoided a $57 jar of candy.

I recently registered for the Twin Cities marathon, which will be held in October of this year. It will be my third marathon, so I’ve been through the training before. However, as a refresher, I dusted off a marathon training book I had purchased several years ago and began reading.

The first chapter is quite inspirational. It reflects upon the time and effort it takes to train for a marathon. By the time race day arrives, months of work have been put in, and hundreds of miles have been logged in preparation of the big event.

The thing that stands out for me is that the author urges the readers to remember to enjoy the actual race. After all, the goal of marathon training is to condition the mind and body to push through adversity and run for hours continuously. Any marathon training program will have already had the runner perform this several times. By the time race day arrives, these goals have already been accomplished. All that is really left to do is to put those skills on display.

The emphasis of the writer is on the journey. It’s through the journey of increasing mileage, losing toenails, sore muscles, and weekly long runs that the next 9 months of training will transform me once again into a marathon runner. On October 7th, starting at 8:00am, I will enjoy the crowds cheering, the music blaring, and the mystique of a race called marathon.

The race is not the goal. It is the reward.

Paying off debt can be put into a similar perspective. My wife and I have been making payments to our debt management program for two and a half years, and have another two and a half years remaining before our credit card debt is completely gone. During this time, we have been and are continuing to figure out how to handle our finances the correct way. Budgeting, communicating, as well as learning and practicing self control.

It is through this 5 year journey of arguments, tears, failures, practice, successes, and repetition that my wife and I will become financially responsible. By the end of our program, our goal is to be living within our means, have an emergency fund, and be saving for our kids’ education as well as our own future in retirement.

Our last projected payment to our debt management program is June 28^th, 2014 after which our credit card balances will all be zero.

But that’s not the goal, It is simply the reward.

Photo Credit

The caller ID showed an incoming call from the wife of a couple with which my wife and I are close friends. I answered the phone with a quickly forgotten  humorous remark as the voice on the other end was shaky, asking for a favor.  Our friend and her teenage daughter were having a huge argument and they needed a third party to step in and mediate the situation.

Our friends are working through marital issues, and have recently separated as they attempt to work through them. Their teenage daughter has taken it especially hard, and is very angry.   The 90 minutes following our arrival at their home included voices surging into screams,  and used tissues being strewn across the kitchen table.  At times, our friend cried so hard that she could barely breathe. Watching a family being ripped apart at the seams was an indescribable event I never wanted to witness, and it made my heart hurt.

In late 2009 my father was diagnosed with prostrate cancer, having his prostate removed the following February. His follow-up visits were encouraging as his PSA tests came back with the desired “undetectable” results. Unfortunately, recent tests have shown his PSA level again rising which could mean that there is still cancer in his body. His doctor is recommending that he begin radiation treatment as soon as possible.

The primary struggle in my adult life has been financial in nature.  I’ve laid awake at night staring at the ceiling for hours wondering how we were going to pay the next round of bills. I’ve looked at the balance of our checkbook wondering where the money was going to come from to buy groceries for the next week. It’s a horrible feeling that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone, and one that I hope to never again experience. But I’d take that feeling every single day of my life over the possibility of losing my family, or having to deal with a life threatening illness.

The truth is, I’ve never felt closer to my wife and my family than I do right now. I’m in love with Vonnie more now than I have been at any time in the more than 18 years that I’ve known her. I recently shared this with her,  to which she responded, “Yeah, you’ve been so wonderful, loving and patient lately…..it kind of worries me – like you’re trying to make up for something. ”

That statement also made me realize that I will never, ever fully understand the complexities of my wife’s female mind,  nor will I ever be able to “win.”  But maybe that’s the point, and why life is so much fun with her in my life.

Over the last year, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, exercised regularly, and am eating quite healthy. At my last  physical, due to my family history with prostate cancer, my doctor recommended having an exam to get checked out.  The doctor with the self proclaimed “thinnest fingers in town” gave me a clean bill of health, for now.

Tonight, as I ready myself for bed, I’ll brush my teeth, look in the mirror, and see a 38 year old man who is in the best physical condition of his life.  Then, I’ll tuck into bed the best two kids that a father could ever ask for.  Finally, I’ll crawl into bed, and wrap my arms around my beautiful, and loving wife. As I slip peacefully into unconsciousness, I’ll think of how thankful I am.

Thankful that money problems are all I have.

Photo Credit

So, how was your Christmas?

Mine was simply fabulous. In fact, it was the most enjoyable Christmas I’ve had in years, thanks for asking.

What made this Christmas so different? Come with the spirit of Christmas past as we revisit the Pizel family holiday tour of 2011:

First, we see a family of four sitting in their living room on Christmas morning. There aren’t as many presents under the tree as their had been in previous years, but the kids don’t seem to notice. Both children got several gifts that were at the top of their list, and they are mauling their parents with hugs and Thank Yous. Their parents spent the least on Christmas gifts this year than they had in any previous year, but were able to provide great gifts through finding great sales on Black Friday (afternoon), using online coupon codes, redeeming Swagbucks for Amazon.com credit, and buying some used computer games via Craig’s List.

Next we see the same family of four at a large family gathering. They are at a sister-in-law’s house who got married in March, had moved into a new home with her husband and their blended family. She had always wanted to host a family Christmas, but never had the room to do so. Everyone is having a great time even though there is no gift exchange. The entire family decided that getting together was the most important thing, and that no gifts were needed. In the last few years, this family’s Christmas gathering has gone from a full fledged present extravaganza, to name drawing for a single gift, to this year no gift exchange at all. We see the family attending a late night candlelight service, and then returning back to the house for a few more hours of socializing.

Finally, the family is at the father’s parent’s house. Together, they decided that gifts would only be exchanged between the three grandchildren. The family’s niece was excited beyond words as she opened two large boxes stuffed with babies, a play high chair, a play bouncy chair and countless other accessories that she had wanted. They were gently used toys that the daughter had outgrown, and through a phone call the niece’s mother had indicated that giving those toys would certainly be welcome and appreciated. As the kids played with their gifts, the adults had a great time catching up and playing cards.

As we return to the present, I think back at Christmas 2011 with a smile. My wife and I kept our gift giving to our kids and to each other in line with our budget, and almost completely eliminated gift giving outside our immediate family. We removed what had been for us the main contributor to stress of the holiday season. With our minds not focused on finding gifts for everyone, we were able to really relax and enjoy quality time loved ones.

I got everything I wanted for Christmas this year, how about you?

In November I had a series of posts published in the CareOne Community discussing positive things that have resulted from my journey out of debt. This post was meant to be the last in that series, but I held back writing it because quite honestly I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable revealing this previously undisclosed part of me to my online friends.  However, as the weeks have gone by, I have felt a growing desire to write this post.

As is typical of many young children, I gave my parents a hard time about having to get up on Sunday morning to go to church. We lived in a small town 15 miles from the slightly larger city where our church was, and I went to a private Lutheran grade school. My argument to my parents was that I felt like I went to church every weekday, so why couldn’t I just sleep in on the weekends?

As a college student I didn’t attend church services at all unless I went home for the weekend. As a married young adult, my wife and I went through phases of going frequently, and then not. However, even when I would attend services, I would rarely identify with the that day’s particular message. I’d often find my mind drifting away, thinking instead about the football game that would be on TV afterwards, or things that needed to be done that afternoon.

That all changed in June of 2009 when my family reached our financial breaking point, and we could no longer meet all our monthly obligations. While looking for answers, I found myself praying. A lot.

Suddenly the messages I heard on Sundays seemed aimed directly at me. Messages of trusting in God, how God will provide for me, and how no matter how bad things seem right now, they are only temporary. I also found that the hymns sung during the service had meaning to me and applied to my daily life.

Worshiping on Sunday mornings has become something that I look forward to. It gives me the strength to carry on through whatever troubles me – whether it be problems incurred due to being in debt, at work, or in my marriage.

For a long time, I wondered why God would allow me to struggle through this very difficult experience. Now, I think of it differently. Regardless of the fact that I continue to screw up time after time, I ask myself why God continues to provide me with solutions to each and every one of those mistakes. I don’t have an answer to that question, I can only be thankful that he does.

Recently, I heard a sermon on this subject that really hit home. The message was that God has a reason for everything that he allows to happen to us. There is a reason why I am going through this journey out of debt. Maybe it is the vehicle through which he is teaching me to be a better father, a better husband, or bringing me closer to him. Maybe through this journey I have, or will meet someone who was meant to inspire me or touch my life in a certain way – or possibly vice versa. Maybe it’s all of the above.

I don’t know the answer to that either, but I’ll ask God when I meet him.

Our church service always ends the same way:  with the benediction. It is my favorite part of the service because it prepares my mind for the coming week. It reminds me that God is always present, always watching over me. I find that comforting and I hope it leaves you with a similar feeling.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious onto you.                                                                                                                                                                                                          May the Lord look upon you with his favor and give you peace.

Amen.