In 1998, I was living comfortably and enjoying the single life. I had a nice little condo, friends and money to burn. Life was good until I found myself unemployed. My great life had very quickly taken a downward turn. In fact, I felt as if I were in a downward spiral. I didn't have any savings, and I was using my credit cards to pay my bills. How was I ever going to get out from under all this debt? I knew I would find another job, but how would I make it until the job came through? Even worse, was I going to have to settle for the first job I could find? I was in a tough spot with few options. I knew I needed help so I went to my best and favorite resource, my dad.
Although I am an only child, my parents did not spoil me. My parents have always worked very hard, and they instilled the same work ethic in me. I didn't expect my dad to just hand me money. I knew he would give me some sound advice on how to work through my situation. That plea for help led to a series of conversations over years that eventually turned my financial life from wondering how I was going to pay my rent to owning several rental houses. The lessons my dad taught me on managing my money are captured in He Said It! I Did It!
Over the years, I've come to realize that during the many conversations with my dad, I've been learning and didn't realize it. And Dad has taught me much more than how to manage money. He and my mom have taught me how to have an abundant life. They taught me to love God, to be a good manager of all that God has given me and to help those in need. The lessons from my father came in handy when I decided to marry my wife Susan. Those lessons prepared me to be a more responsible husband.
I've come to learn that it takes money to build God's kingdom and to help others. There are too many people who do not understand the basics of personal finance. With all of my education, I still failed to fully grasp personal finance until my dad provided me with valuable instruction. The goal of our book is to present the basics of personal finance in a way that anyone can understand and apply biblical principles to those concepts. All of our efforts will be well worth it if just one person reads this book and creates abundance for themselves and their future generations. We hope that thousands will find inspiration in our story about finding abundance through discipline and vision. This book is about lessons I learned from my father, which he grew to understand from our Heavenly Father. I pray that you find these lessons from my Father valuable. |
