The Financial Box

In this section, we usually talk about leadership and financial ideas. Today, I want you to start thinking about your financial goals for the next year. I’m certainly not a financial advisor, so proceed at your own risk! If you have not read the blog above, you should start there so that this might make a little more sense to you.

Another of my boxes I title the Financial Box. You’ll see my boxes have a tendency to alliterate. Honestly, this box is the easiest for me to think about and to set goals. I hope it isn’t a reflection of what is most important to me, but I do find it the easiest. I think this is the simplest one because it’s easy to define. It’s concrete. I can put numbers on it. Most of the other boxes are less definable for me.

With all my boxes, but certainly for this one, I start my planning thinking more than a year out. I usually start with thinking about where I want to be in twenty years. What do I want my life to look like? It’s usually a little fuzzy, but the overarching picture in my mind is being in my eighties and being vibrant. I want to be the old guy at my grandkid’s wedding that has a little pep in his step. I then dial back to ten years, and the picture gets a little clearer. I can usually think and plan about ten years out, but this tends not to be very motivating to me. It’s when I get to three years out that the picture gets a little clearer for me and provides me a solid direction on my compass.

It's with a three-year plan or idea for my finances that I develop my one-year goals. How much do I want to strive for my total income? How much do I want for investments? How much and where am I giving? How much debt do I want when I retire?

This box for me requires lots of prayer. It’s easy for me to get the work-life balance out of kilter. I have a tendency to be a workaholic. In my past, my excuse was: I am doing this all for my family. Often, I was really working a lot for my own ego and or a way of hiding. You younger guys need to really think through this one. It’s easy to climb the ladder and find that it’s on the wrong wall. Remember what is eternally important. That is not to discount the value of work at all. I believe work is a form of worship. In fact, the Hebrew word for work and worship are the same.

Money has been one of those ideas that I have struggled with over the years. I used to believe that money was the root of all evil, but it is the love of money that gets you into deep trouble. I want you to definitely plan and think about your resources and what you should be doing with them, but try not to focus too much on the income side of things. Income is important. No money, no mission. You have to feed your family. But be wise how you spend your money. Always, always spend less than you make.

Money has been cheap the last decade. That is going to change and is changing dramatically. Interest rates are going to continue to move north. Do not leverage yourself excessively. Warren Buffett says that you can see who is skinny-dipping when the tide goes out!

Don’t freak out about the economy. We have been here before, and we will be okay. You simply need to be prudent and have a plan. And the plan is to spend less than you make.

Read on, my friend, to find my next box.

Author: Dr. Curtis Brown

The Family Box

Financial goals and fitness goals are usually easy for me to come up with some targets. This one, the Family Box, I think is the most important one and is the hardest one to come up with objective measurable goals. It’s easy to say that I want to improve my marriage or my relationship with my kids, but how do you measure that?

For this one, you’ll want to spend some time on it and really think about it. How are you going to improve your marriage? I have found wishful thinking doesn’t move the needle very much. I usually set goals such as consistent date night or time alone together. Committing to vacations or long weekends is a measurable thing. Reading a book on marriage or attending a marriage conference or retreat are other ideas to consider.

If you’re married, this is your most important relationship, and you want to get this one right. You need to really study and know who she is. All my family members have done Enneagram tests, and we know our numbers. I have found this extremely helpful for understanding not only my wife but knowing myself too. I am a 5 on the Enneagram. My wife is a 7. If you know anything about the Enneagram, then you know that we will have conflict, especially on vacations. You can take the personality test here.

We 5s need some downtime and time alone to think. Most 7s are ready to go and try to have as many experiences as they can. My battery gets renewed with a good book and a cup of coffee. My wife gets energy from doing things. We are different, and knowing our differences has helped us extend more grace to one another. Become a student of your wife and your family.

I’ve found that coming up for goals for my adult children is most difficult. My goals now are usually around the idea of spending time with them. I want to be intentional and create time and space for good conversation. The more time we spend with them, the better I know how to pray and support them. My wife really facilitates this in our family. She will try to have a family meal weekly. Having healthy relationships with my adult children truly is a blessing from the Lord, but I believe it doesn’t happen by accident. You need to be very intentional.

Spend some time on this box and think about your marriage and your relationship with your family. How can you help your wife be all that God has made her to be? Ephesians tells us that we should love our wives as Christ loved the church. Christ died for the church. What things in your life may need to “die” so that your wife can be presented spotless? Are there issues in your family that need to be addressed? Are there relationships that need to be repaired?

You are the leader of your family. Get this one right.

Author: Dr. Curtis Brown

The Fitness Box

My health goals are probably my second easiest to come up with, and one of the hardest to ever complete. It seems like I’m always having a weight goal that I never reach. I tell people that I lost 50 pounds this year—the same five pounds ten times!

I think the reason these are “easy” goals to set is because they are fairly concrete. Goals such as being healthier do not really work, but saying “I want to drop fifteen or twenty pounds” is objective and measurable. There are all sorts of books and articles written about goal-setting. One of the most important ideas about goal-setting is that goals are measurable. Another important concept is to have a timeframe that you commit to, such as: “I’m going to drop twenty pounds in the next twenty weeks,” or something like that.

I have read that if you write your goals down on paper, you are significantly more likely to hit your goals. If you write them down and tell someone and have them hold you accountable, then you are really more likely to hit your goal.

As I get a little older, I’ve found that my health goals change somewhat. For instance, this coming year, I need to have a colonoscopy. I will have that on my list, and no, I am not excited about this one. I used to have a goal to run a marathon a year. Now, I try to run one or two half marathons a year. For some of you, getting a physical done this year should be a goal. Most guys are so busy they don’t stop and get a checkup. They will get their oil changed in their truck consistently, but find it difficult to get in for a personal tune-up.

Gentlemen, take care of yourselves. We need to keep you around a little while longer. Your family will tend to follow you in just about everything. So, if you take care of yourself, they are more likely to take care of themselves. If you start eating healthy, your family will follow. Maybe not the next day, but if you stick with it, they will follow you.

This box that I have titled my Fitness Box, I also call my Personal Box. I will have some personal development goals here, such as reading so many books a year. I’m going to try to set some writing goals for this year too. One year, my goal was to learn about options trading.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself: What do I want to weigh by July 4 of this next year? When was my last checkup? What is my strategy for getting healthier in the coming year? Is there a skill I need to learn or improve upon this year? How many books am I going to read?

Remember to write down your goals somewhere so that it’s easy to review them on a weekly basis. And don’t forget to think about what your next step is for each goal.

Author: Dr. Curtis Brown

The Work Box

I wanted to place this box in the part of the newsletter that’s usually devoted to someone outside of church. It’s at work that most of us have contact with people who are “outside” the church. It’s at work that most of us have the best chance of being a light in a dark world. It’s at work where people see how you respond to pressure.

This one could follow under the Financial Box as well. I have always broken this one out because it’s a big box for me. It’s true that most of my income comes from this area, but I separate it out. I do think there is overlap in all my artificial boxes, and this one is no exception.

I do usually set financial goals in this box for my work, but I want to focus on bigger ticket items. If I get these things right, then the financial goals will take care of themselves.

Again, I will usually start with a longer-term view, but my actionable items are generally in the next twelve months. With all my goals, I do a review at six months (usually in July) to make sure I do not need to make any midcourse corrections. I’ve found that this box is the one that gets the most midcourse corrections. Life is full of curveballs, and you have to be flexible and adapt to current situations. The pandemic is a perfect example. It crushed any hope of meeting numerical goals during that first year. I had to stop and reevaluate everything that year.

I think all of life is spiritual and that work is a form of worship and ministry. I keep this in mind when I’m thinking about my goals for the coming years. I want to use my business as a platform to minister.

So, I want to summarize my process again here. I break down my goals in these five different areas. You could make an argument that you only need three boxes or maybe even more than five. I’ve found these five tend to fit my life pretty well. In each box, I will come up with 3–5 specific goals and one BHAG. BHAGs are the most challenging and probably the most motiving for me.

Each week, I will spend 15–30 minutes and do a quick 360-degree view on where I am and where I am heading. I usually journal this stuff. The thing that helps me the most is to write down what my next step is for each goal. Sometimes my next step is to hurry up and wait. I do not have an actionable item every week for every goal. I also review my next steps from my last week to help hold me accountable to action. If I do not make the next step, I need to have a good reason why. I am usually pretty easy on myself on this one.

I want to challenge each of you to strive to have the best year ever in 2023! You certainly do not have to do what I do, but I want to encourage you to do something. Stop and think and pray and plan. Examine your life. Where are you and where do you want to be in the next few years? What steps do you need to take in the next few days to move you toward your goal?

I am longing to hear the Messiah say, “Well done, my faithful servant.”

Author: Dr. Curtis Brown

Retirement Part 5: Seasons

You may recall, in previous articles, we broke life into four segments or seasons. They were Childhood (birth to the beginning of school), Education (4, 5, or 6 to completion of college, grad, or trade school), Work/Career, and finally Retirement.

What we all know is that each segment has seasons of its own. Certainly, kindergarten or grade school is not the same as middle school, nor is middle school the same as high school, and high school isn’t like post-high school education. Your work or career also doesn’t remain the same—it evolves over time.

Well, wait for it . . . retirement isn’t static, either. Retirement usually evolves through four common seasons within the season. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. This should be helpful whether you’re anticipating retirement or are already retired and trying to figure out what is happening to you.

Phase (or Season) One is Vacation.

This is the time of reveling in your newfound freedom. You can do what you want, when you want. No schedule, no mandates, no stress. This usually lasts about a year or so.

Then, oddly, you begin to miss a routine and begin to ask, “Is this all there is?” That leads to Phase Two: Feeling Loss and Feeling Lost.

The big five in the loss category are loss of routine, identity, relationships, purpose, and for some, power. Our jobs or careers set our daily, weekly, and annual routines. They give us an identity and a position in the world. They provide a sense of purpose or doing something worthwhile and productive. And they create a network of relationships that help fill our need for community.

The loss of these things is significant and affects each of us sooner or later, and more or less dramatically. For most, it usually and eventually leads to a feeling of being lost. Who am I? What am I doing? Where do I fit? Why am I here? The age-old existential questions. Unresolved, they can lead to one or all of the three Ds: divorce, depression, and decline. Eventually, you decide this can’t go on, so you make a decision to move on and into:

Phase Three: Trial and Error.

This is a time of exploration, of answering “How can I be me and make a meaningful and fulfilling contribution to my world?” Try new things, learn new things, get involved in things that interest you, that you enjoy, that are important to you.

And this time of exploration leads to:

Phase Four: Reinvention and Rewiring (think of this as squeezing the juice out of life, or the Golden Years).

Whatever your trial-and-error phase leads you to pursue, to be satisfying, it will probably involve helping other people. Most people I know who are retired and happy are serving in some way or ways. They’re sharing their experience by teaching or mentoring or just being a friend; they’re helping with things at church and/or charities that mean something to them. They’re being a great spouse, parent, grandparent, neighbor, or friend.

So here we are. In this final season of life, we discover that still, nothing is settled: life continues to be a process of change, growth, and evolution. We continue to become.

And through it all, the one constant, the one thing that never changes is God, His love for us and His presence with us. My greatest challenge, and most rewarding practice, even in this time of retirement, is spending time with Him and trying to recognize Him in every moment and experience of life. No matter how I change physically, mentally, or experientially, that challenge will always be before me, and will always give me satisfaction and peace.

Author: Dave Gillogly

David and Goliath Reexamined

That’s right, you’re about to read another blog about one of the most famous Bible stories out there: the classic tale of good vs. evil, big vs. little, David vs. Goliath.

Most studies of this story result in some form of encouragement. Something like, “Be brave like David,” or “We are Israel, and Jesus is David; he fights for us to vanquish sin and evil represented by Goliath.”

Both interpretations are certainly valid and indicated by the text, so I will not say they are wrong; however, I would like to take another look at this story and closely reexamine the text surrounding the character David and his actions. If we look close enough, we might come to see a different side of David in this story; or at the very least, we might see hints of a side of David that is fully revealed later during his rape of Bathsheba and his ruthless assassination of Uriah.

To illustrate my point, I would like to examine three specific incidents in the 1 Samuel 17 that indicate, albeit rather subtly, a certain side of David.

The first: David’s father asks him to send bread and cheese to his brothers and their commander. Upon arriving, David asks questions, his brothers find out he is there, and Eliab, the oldest, responds with this somewhat out-of-place comment: “I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

What could he mean by this? Perhaps Eliab is jealous of David. After all, in the chapter before, David, the youngest, and not Eliab, is anointed by Samuel to eventually rule over Israel. Or perhaps there is a hint of truth in Eliab’s words. Siblings do know their siblings the best, after all. Perhaps David really is conceited at this age and does revel in violence. His later life story would certainly confirm what Eliab might have seen in him.

The second: If David, the man after God’s own heart, arrived with pure motives, what would one expect his first question to be upon seeing the Philistine champion? The text says it is: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Or wait a second . . . let’s go back and read the text.

The first question out of David’s mouth is actually: “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?” Strangely enough, the text also indicates that the men around David had already told him what would be done. So why does he ask multiple times? He knows the answer, but perhaps he is really weighing the options of standing up to this Philistine, considering the reward to be granted. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with receiving a reward, but if David is truly a man after God’s own heart, why does he first seem concerned with a reward, and then secondly in keeping God’s name exalted? The order does not seem right for a man after God’s own heart.

The third: David slings the stone, killing the Philistine. The stone sinks into his head, and he dies. David runs up and cuts the head off the giant, lifting it to show victory. This is an understandable gesture in the heat of battle, but really, not necessary because Goliath was already dead. Keep reading.

David holds on to the head, as a trophy. He goes to the tent of Saul with the head of Goliath. He goes to Jerusalem with the head of the giant. Jerusalem, by the way, is approximately 20 miles away (I measured on Google Maps, so hopefully this mileage is accurate). About a day or two’s travel by foot—enough for the head of Goliath to begin emitting some wonderful smells. The point here I am trying to make is simply, “Why did David cut the head off Goliath if he was already dead? Why did he also feel the need to carry the head of Goliath around with him, all the way back to Jerusalem, and most likely for some time after?” Perhaps David’s trophy was very important to him. Perhaps he took distinct pride in his actions. Perhaps he wanted to show off to the people of Israel what he had accomplished.

Alone, each of these observations would not amount to much. Altogether, I believe they present a compelling undercurrent to the typical Sunday school story of David vs. Goliath. David, while certainly heroic and brave in facing the giant Goliath, had a great deal to gain from his actions. In fact, one might argue this is precisely why he faced Goliath, to advance his own kingdom after having been anointed by Samuel the chapter previous. Filled with visions of glory and a coming kingdom, the innocent boy David, who bravely champions the name of the living God, may not be as innocent as we first thought, and why should we expect him to be a paragon of virtue? He did commit some serious sins during his reign, sins that caused the deaths of many. Maybe we should reconsider the pedestal we have placed the man after God’s own heart upon, or at the very least, realize that his actions may have had a variety of motivations, some of which were not aligned with the kingdom of God.

Some general questions to end this blog:

In what ways am I trying to appear like I am advancing God’s kingdom, but really am advancing my own?

Given the right circumstances, what violence and evil deeds am I capable of committing?

Had David remained a shepherd boy, perhaps Uriah and Bathsheba would have remained married and raised a beautiful boy. Perhaps 70,000 people would not have died in a plague from a prideful man’s actions. The point here is simply, with great power comes great responsibility, and even a man after God’s own heart ends up in the story as a rapist and a convicted murderer, largely due to the power of his position.

What sins am I willing to overlook in someone simply because they hold a position of power or claim to be doing something for God?

Author: Seth Brown