Dave Ramsey, Lois, Pearl, and Francis

Kopp Disclosure
(John 3:19-21)

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Financial Peace University Preview: part 1

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Lois moderated "Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University" for our family of faith avec friends from the community.

That was several months ago; which I'll get to in a succeeding section of this edition.

If you've just watched the preceding video, you'll notice DR's blue shirt which ain't a Brooks Brothers no-such-thing-as-special; which I'll get to in a succeeding section of this edition.

It brought Pearl and Francis to mind; which I'll get to in a...

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If you've never taken DR's FPU course and want to know how to make the most out of your finances during these tough times, you've gotta take it.

If you're like me and want to learn how to control $, stop struggling to make ends meet, and not let finances ruin relationships, you've gotta take it.

Annnnnnnd if you're within driving distance of our family of faith, be sure to sign-up to take it with us when next offered because Lois is a superb teacher/moderator of the course as well as one of the most humble, selfless, and sacrificial saints to ever cross my path in nearly four decades of ordained pastoral ministry.

I learned sooooooo much.

It cured my addiction to plastic and taught me how to use $ for the glory of God rather than allowing $ to use me for...

It taught me how to model Someone better in personal stewardship.

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As I took the course, I was struck by how many of us noticed he wore the same blue shirt for every session.

I figured he either didn't care what we thought of what he wore or filmed the whole course in one day; but realizing that would have meant non-stop filming for over 24 hours, I continue to assume the former.

That reminded me of how Jesus felt about, uh, superficial things like clothes (see Matthew 6:19ff.).

The continued observation of DR wearing the same blue shirt for every session also brought Pearl to mind (RIP).

As only a "church lady" can, she made an appointment with me to say how much she hated my beard.

To make a longer story shorter, it was the typical parishioner pathological transference.

Her son had a beard and her son hated her and my beard reminded her of that and...

Younger and much more naive, I said I would shave it off if it would make her feel better about, uh, me along with...

The next Sunday as I saw her approaching me after worship, I expected appreciation and affection for my clean-shavedness.

Instead, she shook my hand, then held my hand between hers, tilted her head in a sickening kinda condescending way, and said, "Now about your moustache!"

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I've been giving away as many symbols of imperial priesthood as I can to follow Jesus.

Yeah, I know I've been kinda OCD about it in the last several editions; but He's rebirthing me and I feel increasingly/exponentially...free!

Now I'm struggling with whether I'm more blessed by giving away than...

Oh, uh, yeah, He said something about that too.

Be that as it/He is, now I'm selling really prized symbols/stuff or just giving 'em away if someone's tight or strapped in order to get an instrument or two to build upon this latest call to serve rather than be...

Cliff and Joplin accelerated that.

For the last eight or nine months, I've been starting almost every day with Francis' prayer; and more often by compulsion than choice if you know what I mean.

You can google it or just listen to the next video.

In short, I have no clue where all of this is headed but I'm pretty sure of the Head.

I have never felt in less control of my life and ministry.

I have never felt as clueless as I am right now.

I keep learning from folks like DR, Lois, Pearl, Francis, and...

I'm more excited about worship and homiletics and care and, for the first time in a long time, dirty service for Jesus than ever before.

I'm more in love with the family of faith entrusted to me and others than ever before.

The Lord has even healed by heart for those who've really hated me and been nasty to me in a Christian kinda way over the years; and tenderized my heart for more personal confession and repentance for how I have...

Nothing has changed in my passion/prayer for knowing Jesus, making Him known, and trying to love Him by loving like Him; but everything has changed about my sense of enfleshment.

ONJ, to quote somebody out of context, was right: "Let's get physical!"

Again, I'm leaving the imperial priesthood to get dirty for Jesus.

That prayer of Francis is like contacts on my soul.

I can't stop saying it and praying it and wanting to live it for Jesus.

I feel like I've just grabbed onto the coattail of the Holy Spirit for a ride to...

I feel, uh, great in a very undershepherding kinda way.

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Blessings and Love!