Since being mobilized over a month ago I have made the commitment to read a Proverb a day and engage in regular Bible reading for the first time in years. Last night I was reading Proverbs 24 and became struck by verses 10 through 12:

10 If you falter in times of trouble,
how small is your strength!

11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

When I think about the last year of our life and I look at the next year, we have had some times of trouble and more are on the horizon. Nothing about what we are accomplishing is easy. It is a difficult road to travel, but my hope is to expose the danger of not taking this road. I want to keep you away from the death and bondage that debt brings. I can claim I didn’t know about your situation and I couldn’t help you; but I have lived it. I know you are living it to.

So after all this time I have to ask, “How strong are you?” Are you going to rise up and overcome or lie down and be overcome? The choice is yours. Let’s Roll!

**Update: Just in time for Christmas, and by popular demand (really, people emailed me asking this to be moved to the top), I bring this to the top! Makes a great Christmas present that allows you to pass on that not so subtle hint that they need to live debt free!!

Click Here to Purchase one!

I want to send a big thank you to Megan at Creator Design. She called yesterday, and their owner, after hearing our story, is doing the printing for next to nothing. That means that the T-Shirts are now $10 which includes shipping.

Absolutely no excuses now; order your t-shirt here. Get a few of them, empty out our closet so Amy isn’t cursing me the whole time I’m gone on my deployment

[Note added by Amy: Read this post for more info on the shirts.]

When I think about this topic, I think of people at the workplace who formulate plans that ultimately benefit themselves and not much else. I have worked with many people over the years that always had a scheme or scam of some type working. I have also seen (and even participated in) ones that were more of a win, win type of scheme. The individual coming up with it, and the organization they worked for both won.

Last month I was told that I needed to attend a week long course that is based out of Ft. Lee, Virginia. I had to attend this course during December while the rest of the Company was attending training that I previously had received.

Upon contacting the course representative, I discovered the next class being offered was not until the end of January; too late. I asked if there were any others. They mentioned there was one in a couple of weeks at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and it just had some cancellations which allowed for me to enroll. That meant I could fly home for a week and sleep in my own bed while I attend this course. If I were to have schemed or scammed this, it couldn’t have turned out as good as this! It feels great to be home!

One of my favorite journalist’s has joined the Army. Jerry Jacob from KY3 is now a fellow Soldier (or rather a soon to be fellow Soldier).  I emailed him last night and was surprised by a quick response from him. Already in step with how the Military works, he gave himself a Title that consisted of an acronym; CFN (Citizen for Now). You can read more about it here.

His decision brings me to an important question that in most cases for me was followed by an extravagant sales presentation. If time and money were not a factor, would you wake up and go to your job tomorrow, or would you do something different? Unfortunately spending and debt for most of us keep us from doing what we really want to do. We become trapped by our jobs or rather the income the job provides. Debt keeps us from pursuing our true dreams and our genuine calling in life. It really does become our master. The rich really do rule over the poor and the borrower really is slave to the lender.

Be free to live your life. Break the chains that are holding you back. Dare to be different; dare to be debt free!!

Tonight was the first night for our Financial Peace University course. The way our unit is split up for training, I will be spending a series of weeks at Mob Station with small groups at a time. Tonight we started with a group of nine of us that will be together for about six weeks. The course will be just a little accelerated (don’t tell anyone).

It is pretty awesome to see these Soldiers already understanding what it is all about after just one lesson. One of our single Soldiers is even experiencing a little buyer’s remorse for a laptop he purchased at Wal-Mart with his first check on December 1st. They will all be on board in no time