The Great Recovery

Last Thursday night, July 21, Dave Ramsey delivered a free simulcast message called, "The Great Recovery." We watched and decided to formally join the movement at www.thegreatrecovery.com. Go to the website and take a look around.

Essentially, in this time of national debt crisis, Dave is calling for a movement from the individual, to the family, to the neighborhood, to the community, to recover our personal economies by saying no to debt, by being educated financially in this respect, either through his program (Financial Peace University) or through other God-centered programs like Crown ministries. He calls for us to put our hope in Christ Jesus and to learn to handle God's money the way God instructs us in the Bible.

In Dave's words (from an e-mail I received today):

"We believe that by helping our own families out of debt and into a life of saving and wealth building, we experience a personal recovery. Our giving increases and our churches benefit. Our spending increases and our communities benefit. It's an upward and positive cycle happening in towns all over this amazing nation.

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night."
— Psalm 1:1–2


We tend to look to others for the answers. It's easy to ask, "What can I do?" and hope someone else will fix things. But, we're underestimating ourselves. One believer standing up, doing the right thing is like one lamp lit. The darkness around isn't quite as dark. Then another lamp is lit. And another. And another. All that light chases the darkness completely away.

It's kind of like that with this economy. One family inspires another family, and so on. Someone has to lead. Someone has to be the first to go against the grain of society and declare, "No, I don't want to do things the way everyone else does. I'm going to live like no one else." The Great Recovery can reverse the tide.

Debt is not one of life's pains we just have to live with. We don't have to accept that credit cards and car payments are a way of life. It's bondage! We can live differently, and we should. Faith is a funny thing. We don't always see a huge impact from our first steps. But those first steps mean everything. You've taken your first step by joining The Great Recovery."

I hope Dave doesn't mind that I shared his words with you here. Eli and I feel very strongly about this and are working to get ourselves out of debt. As of this past spring, we have only a mortgage and Eli's student loans until we are FREE! Praise God for His provision! We still have a lot of debt, but if we don't take care of our personal economies as directed in the Word, who will?

I hope you'll take a minute to consider joining The Great Recovery and making a difference in your community, one family at a time. It's not easy, but it's definitely worth it. To totally steal Dave's line, there's only one place to find Peace, and that's with the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus.

Cheers.