Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

'Til Debt Do Us Part?
by Tom Goodman
October 29, 2008

"That money talks, I'll not deny.
I heard it once. It said, Good-bye."

Can you identify? Richard Armour wasn't the first to observe this truth. "Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone," the wise man said in the Bible's book of Proverbs, "for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle" (Proverbs 23:4-5).

The market meltdown has impacted everyone. A doctor friend recently joked about the status of his retirement plan, calling it his "201K," seeing as how the value of his 401K investments had been cut in half.

I've found six steps to financial security in the book of Proverbs, and I want to share them with you this Sunday. We're promoting November 2 as "Friend Day" at Hillcrest, so I hope you'll bring someone with you.

Does it seem odd to think of the Bible as a book of financial advice? I read a survey where only 51% of Americans agreed with the statement: "The Bible contains valuable teachings about the use of money." That means that, while 80% of our country claims to be Christian, only half of our country says the Bible has anything practical and useful to say about money!

Maybe the other half has just never read the Bible. Did you know that in the ministry of Jesus, 1 out of 6 verses in the Gospels has to do with the right and wrong use of material possessions? Of the 38 parables recorded in the Bible, 16 have to do with the right and wrong use of material possessions. Jesus spoke about how we gain and use money more than any other subject! And that's just in the Gospels. All total, someone counted 40 Bible verses on "baptism," 275 verses on "prayer," 350 verses on "faith," 650 verses on "love" -- and a whopping 2,350 verses that relate specifically to finances and material possessions.

Could there be anything in those 2,350 verses to help you with your financial anxieties?

This is an important subject especially if you're married, because we all know the strains that financial insecurity can place on home life. In fact, the latest issue of Time magazine ran a story with the headline, "Will the Market Kill Your Marriage?"

So, this Sunday is a good day to bring friends to a practical Bible study. I want to show you the six steps to financial security that I've found in the book of Proverbs! Join us together @ 10!

Urgent: Help us free up paved parking spaces for our guests this week by parking along Greenslope Drive or on our gravel lot between our MPC and the Anderson softball field.

--Tom

Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored." Some things to look for...

Song of the Week, posted every Sunday.
Links to Your World, interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday.

Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them!

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Winning Ways - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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'Til Debt Do Us Part? by Tom Goodman October 29, 2008 "That money talks, I'll not deny. I heard it once. It said, Good-bye." Can you identify? Richard Armour wasn't the first to observe this truth. "Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone," the wise man said in the Bible's book of Proverbs, "for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle" (Proverbs 23:4-5). The market meltdown has impacted everyone. A doctor friend recently joked about the status of his retirement plan, calling it his "201K," seeing as how the value of his 401K investments had been cut in half. I've found six steps to financial security in the book of Proverbs, and I want to share them with you this Sunday. We're promoting November 2 as "Friend Day" at Hillcrest, so I hope you'll bring someone with you. Does it seem odd to think of the Bible as a book of financial advice? I read a survey where only 51% of Americans agreed with the statement: "The Bible contains valuable teachings about the use of money." That means that, while 80% of our country claims to be Christian, only half of our country says the Bible has anything practical and useful to say about money! Maybe the other half has just never read the Bible. Did you know that in the ministry of Jesus, 1 out of 6 verses in the Gospels has to do with the right and wrong use of material possessions? Of the 38 parables recorded in the Bible, 16 have to do with the right and wrong use of material possessions. Jesus spoke about how we gain and use money more than any other subject! And that's just in the Gospels. All total, someone counted 40 Bible verses on "baptism," 275 verses on "prayer," 350 verses on "faith," 650 verses on "love" -- and a whopping 2,350 verses that relate specifically to finances and material possessions. Could there be anything in those 2,350 verses to help you with your financial anxieties? This is an important subject especially if you're married, because we all know the strains that financial insecurity can place on home life. In fact, the latest issue of Time magazine ran a story with the headline, "Will the Market Kill Your Marriage?" So, this Sunday is a good day to bring friends to a practical Bible study. I want to show you the six steps to financial security that I've found in the book of Proverbs! Join us together @ 10! Urgent: Help us free up paved parking spaces for our guests this week by parking along Greenslope Drive or on our gravel lot between our MPC and the Anderson softball field. --Tom Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored." Some things to look for... Song of the Week, posted every Sunday. Links to Your World, interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.HillcrestAustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.