Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Cordell Thomas, Duawne Starling
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000004
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00:22 Hello, and welcome to Urban Report...
00:24 Today, we are going behind the scenes of two of 00:27 Dare to Dream's new programs 00:29 "Magnify Him" with Duawne Starling 00:32 and "Take it to the Bank" with Host Cordell Thomas... 00:36 Join me now, as I talk to my co-host Duawne Starling... 00:40 on the set of "Magnify Him"... 00:42 Hello, we are here on the set of "Magnify Him"... 00:48 and I am here with my co-host of "Magnify Him"... 00:51 Duawne Starling... Yvonne: Hi Duawne... 00:53 Duawne: Hi Yvonne... Yvonne: I am so... 00:55 I can't even tell you how thrilled I am that you are a 00:57 part of Dare to Dream and Magnify Him and some other 01:01 programming that we are talking about. 01:03 It is such a blessing to have you... and I am finding that 01:06 the Lord is just sending the right people... you know, 01:09 as we have need, He just fills that need. So, I would love 01:14 to let the viewers know just who is Duawne Starling... 01:18 Duawne: Oh Lord... you know what, I always tell people 01:21 I am a very simple guy. I don't broadcast so much what I do or 01:28 things that I've done, God has really blessed me to be able to 01:34 have sung with a lot of different people in this 01:36 industry... Yvonne: Okay, now, I am going to 01:38 kind of... I know I am going to kind of push envelope a little 01:41 bit but I really do want the viewers to know just your 01:45 pedigree... so... Duawne: Okay, I will start... 01:48 Well, I love God, I love gospel music, 01:51 it's what I do, I have worked with Kirk Franklin, he was the 01:56 very first... all of the Winans, 02:00 Fred Hammond, Yolanda Adams, Richard Smallwood... 02:03 Yvonne: You are naming my favorites... 02:05 naming my favorites... Duawne: Donni McClurkin, 02:11 there are others, let's see.. Dolly Parton, Wynona, 02:17 I am at a loss actually, at a loss actually, but it's 02:23 been a lot of people, it's been a lot of people, 02:25 I've been fortunate and a lot of times, God would just give 02:29 me the opportunity to do something once, you know 02:31 sometimes... like for instance, I remember saying that I wanted 02:35 to sing with Patti LaBelle, because I just remembered her 02:38 being this phenomenal singer... growing up... 02:41 watching her... and I said, you know I want to sing with her 02:44 you know, I just kind of said it and one day... I actually had 02:48 that opportunity-you know, but but it wasn't as if I was 02:50 singing background with her or singing on her record, 02:54 it was just, we were in the same place at the same time and, 02:57 you know, someone said, "Oh, he sings," and so we stood 02:59 there and we sang a song together... 03:01 Yvonne: Wow!... wow! Duawne: you know, so I am a 03:04 simple guy, I love the Lord, I love my family, I love music, 03:08 I love what I do, I love being stretched... 03:12 I am being stretched right now.. as a matter of fact, 03:14 Yvonne: Yes, yes, it's a new part of your journey... 03:17 Duawne: Yes, yes... Yvonne: What would you say has 03:19 been, if you could name, if you could talk about, maybe, 03:23 two highlights of your journey, I know you've had so, so many, 03:27 but, let's talk about first your musical journey, 03:30 what would you say, would be, two of the highlights of 03:34 that journey... Duawne: The first one that 03:37 comes to mind, I was singing background with 03:39 Donni McClurkin... we were in Hartford, Connecticut, 03:41 and this was, I can almost tell you the year, 03:44 it was March of 1999, I believe, we were doing a concert 03:52 and Donni-he has a powerful ministry and oftentimes 03:58 he would leave the stage during the Alter Call and he would pray 04:02 for people, he would lay hands on people, 04:03 and I would always assist him, but this particular day, 04:07 he had the alter call, but he never left the stage... 04:11 and I am thinking, there was this one little guy-and I say 04:13 little guy because he was short and he might have been 04:16 a teenager, he came up to the front and immediately my spirit 04:20 was crying out to him and his was crying out to mine... 04:24 and I could see that he was just like... troubled... 04:28 I didn't know what it was, but I could see that he was going 04:31 through something and so we were singing, "Stand"... 04:34 and I am thinking, "Doesn't Donni see him, why isn't he 04:38 going to pray for him?" and I just kept hearing, 04:41 "Go, pray for him" and... but that wasn't my 04:45 personality, my personality was the guy who stays in the 04:48 background... you know, the assistant... 04:50 Yvonne: Right, right... Duawne: And God said, 04:52 "Go, pray for him"... I just heard like... 04:55 almost as if there was a yelling in my ear... 04:58 "Go, pray for him"... and I said, out loud, 05:00 I said, "Why doesn't Donni pray for him?" 05:03 and God said, "Because I want you to go pray for him" 05:07 and so I went down, and it took a lot of courage, I went down 05:11 and we were... it was a platform so our feet were like at the top 05:15 of their heads... so I had to walk down, 05:17 Yvonne: My... my... Duawne: and I went down and 05:19 I touched him on his shoulder and I started praying for him... 05:22 and I just prayed until God said, you know, 05:25 "You're done" and so I went back up on the stage 05:29 and I could see that something broke in him... 05:34 there was a release in him and it was a release in me... 05:37 and after the concert, I wanted to go and introduce myself 05:41 because his eyes were closed the whole time... 05:42 so he didn't know it was me... Yvonne: So he didn't even know 05:46 who was praying for him... Duawne: But I believe he did 05:47 know I believe he knew, but he didn't see me... and so when I 05:52 started to head down after the concert, the Holy Spirit said, 05:54 "You've done what I asked you to do, anything from this point 05:57 on is in yourself"... So I said, "Okay"... 06:02 and I kept, I kept going... and we walked off stage and 06:06 I've never seen him again... but his face, I carry his face 06:10 with me... I know I'll see him again... eventually... 06:13 Yvonne: Amen... Duawne: But that was the night 06:16 I realized that I am not just a singer... I am much more 06:19 than that... I am a Minister... and I may not stand up at a 06:23 pulpit and deliver a sermon, but what I do is ministry... 06:27 Yvonne: Amen... and you know, that's a really important point 06:31 because, one of the things, and we've talked about this... 06:34 that we want for Magnify Him, is not to have performance... 06:37 Duawne: Right... Yvonne: but ministry... 06:39 anybody can get up... that can sing and can perform a song, 06:43 but to minister, to actually try to address the needs 06:48 of the listener... that's really important... and that's 06:51 what we're here to do... and that's what I have to tell you- 06:55 that you do... and I am so... yesterday, I was listening 06:59 to you sing and it was just such a blessing for me... because 07:04 I had the dual treat of hearing that liquid silk... 07:09 that silky sound that you have, with... along with ministry... 07:14 and to me, there's no better combination than that... 07:18 I don't want ministry and screechy voice, 07:20 I don't want, you know, a beautiful voice and no ministry 07:24 but you have that combination, it's an anointed thing... 07:28 and I just praise the Lord for you and for your ministry... 07:30 So that was your first, that was the first highlight... 07:33 Is there another one that you can share?.. a musical highlight 07:36 for you... Duawne: A musical highlight... 07:38 I would say, I'll go way back when I was with Kirk Franklin 07:42 Yvonne: Okay... Duawne: Um... we were doing... 07:44 it was his very first record... and we were recording it live 07:47 in Dallas... and he had me singing a duet... 07:52 but the duet ended up not being on the record, 07:54 but that specific night, he had me sing one of the songs 07:59 at a trio, and he had me come out and sing on the third part.. 08:02 and when I... he started pulling me out... 08:04 it was, "Till we meet again".. so it was the last song 08:06 on the record. When he pulls me out... I said, 08:08 "What are you doing?"... now we are having the conversation 08:10 on the stage,... I said, "What are you doing?" 08:12 and he said, "I want you to sing this"... 08:14 I said, "This is not my solo, that's so and so's solo"... 08:16 and he said, "No, I want you to do it"... 08:18 I said, "I don't know the words" and he said, 08:20 "I'll give you the words"... and so, I knew the melody, 08:22 and so I started singing... "May His peace or may His love" 08:25 he says, "May His love"... and so I sing, "May His love".. 08:27 and when I got to the next one, he gave me the next line... 08:30 and I'd sing the next line... But Kirk was a whole foot 08:33 shorter than me... and so when the song started to speed up... 08:36 it was like, I was here and then going back to the mike... 08:39 I was here... and then he started shouting the words to me 08:42 so if you... if you go back and listen to that record, 08:44 now that you know the history... you will hear him shouting the 08:47 words to me... Yvonne: Oh that's funny... 08:49 Duawne: So that was the highlight as well... 08:50 Yvonne: that's funny... now, now, we don't have that 08:53 much time left and I could not end this time together 08:56 without talking about your your family... 08:57 Duawne: Oh yeah... Yvonne: you know, one of the 08:59 things that... again... I so admire about you is that you 09:02 is that you love your wife... Duawne: I do... 09:04 Yvonne: I love to see men and women that love their spouses... 09:08 and will profess them to others... and that's what you do 09:12 and it's so important because this whole deal with the 09:15 erosion in the family unit and all... and you just are 09:19 the epitomy of, from what I can see, a great husband, 09:22 a great father, tell us a bit about your family... 09:25 Duawne: My family... they really are my joy... my wife and I 09:28 have been married for ten years, we were platonic friends for 09:31 ten years, she was my best female friend, 09:33 Yvonne: Wow! Duawne: and I, literally, 09:35 I asked God one day... "You know what, I am tired of being alone, 09:38 who is my wife?" and He said, "Carmen" 09:41 you know... and she was right in front of me... 09:43 and, you know, God told her three years before He told me... 09:47 but she never mentioned it to me. 09:49 Yvonne: Wow! Duawne: She's a wise woman... 09:51 and she knew me... she knew that I would run, 09:54 so, when I was ready, God told me, and, you know, it was 09:58 nine months later that we were married... 10:01 Yvonne: My! Duawne: Yeah, it didn't take long 10:03 um, when you know that it's right and you know that 10:05 it's God, you don't have to be engaged for three and four years 10:09 that's ridiculous, and I have three beautiful daughters, 10:12 Shiloh-she's six, Serai is five, and Zion is three 10:17 Yvonne: Oh... that's wonderful Duawne: So, I call them my 10:21 personal harem... Yvonne: Yeah, because you are 10:24 surrounded by all this estrogen Duawne: Yeah... 10:27 Yvonne: That is incredible... back to your wife, would you 10:30 recommend to others that a platonic friendship be 10:35 the way to go or do you... because in your case, 10:39 it wasn't love at first sight... love grew, 10:42 Duawne: love grew... Yvonne: What do you think 10:44 about that, about... you know.. do you think that love should 10:48 grow or do you think that the love at first sight thing is the 10:51 greatest thing... what do you think? 10:53 Duawne: I don't think that it's the greatest thing, 10:55 there were things that we had to experience as friends, 11:01 you know, because the trust issue... I am gone sometimes, 11:08 and as a friend, you know, I would talk to my wife... 11:10 when we were just friends, I would talk to her from 11:13 somewhere or I would send her a card from somewhere... 11:16 Hey, I am just thinking of you, you know, we were building that 11:18 for years, but we, I don't know, we needed our path 11:25 I don't know if everybody needs that path... 11:28 Yvonne: I think that's a good point... 11:29 Duawne: But we really did need that one... 11:30 Yvonne: Yeah... Duawne: Because she's my buddy.. 11:33 she really is... and she keeps me on my toes... 11:35 I say that my wife is not... people would say, 11:37 "Oh yeah, your wife is like your greatest fan"... 11:40 my wife is not a fan... Yvonne: Ah, come on, come on... 11:42 Duawne: She's not... my wife is a cheerleader... 11:44 Yvonne: Oh, oh, I like that Duawne: Because honestly, 11:46 when you look at the fans, let's say, you are at a 11:49 ball game... Yvonne: hmmm, hmmmm... 11:50 Duawne: if you are doing something and the fans don't 11:52 like what you are doing... the fans just turn on you... 11:54 Yvonne: Oh... Duawne: the fans throw things at 11:56 you when you are going back into the dugout... 11:57 Yvonne: Right, right... Duawne: but what are the 11:59 cheerleaders doing? When you are losing, the cheerleaders 12:02 are on the sideline cheering... when you are winning, 12:04 the cheerleaders are on the sideline cheering... 12:06 So my wife is my cheerleader... she's not a fan... 12:09 Yvonne: Oh I like that distinction... I like that 12:11 distinction... that's great... and I also like the idea 12:14 that everybody does have a different path... and so your 12:17 path might not be.. their path.. Not a different spiritual path.. 12:21 in terms of who we go to... I want to make that clear... 12:24 because, you know, there is the growing belief out 12:26 there that whatever spiritual path you want to take... 12:28 it all leads to the same place.. we are not saying that... 12:30 Duawne: It doesn't... Yvonne: No... no... 12:32 in fact, it absolutely doesn't but what we are saying is that 12:36 your emotional path, your love path, might be different from 12:41 someone else's... but it's the path that God had you on... 12:45 Duawne: and it's interesting because He... the relationship 12:48 started with... I felt like I needed to protect her... 12:50 Yvonne: Hmmmm, Duawne: you know, from... 12:51 when we were in college together there was a chemistry and there 12:56 was a love, but it was a protective kind of love... 12:59 Yvonne: Okay... were you like her big brother or like a 13:01 campus brother or something? Duawne: I was, I was, I just 13:05 felt like I needed to protect her from the wolves.. and I 13:10 remember saying, I said, "You know what, I told her, I said... 13:13 "Carmen, you are... my children are going to call you aunty... 13:15 you know, because I know you are always going to be in my life 13:18 and I had no idea that they would call her mommy.. 13:20 Yvonne: Now, what have you found to be one of the greatest 13:26 challenges in being in ministry in music ministry... 13:30 Duawne: Being authentic... Yvonne: Hmmmmm... 13:32 Duawne: I think that is the biggest challenge for me... 13:34 because, growing up in the church, I was raised to... 13:40 I would say it like this, I don't think I was raised to 13:44 look the part, but I started to think... I had to look the part. 13:48 So if I look the part, then no one would question if I am the 13:52 part, you know. Yvonne: Wow, what does looking 13:54 the part entail? Duawne: Looking the part for me 13:57 was being in Sabbath School, making sure I was doing 14:01 stuff in church and helping around with the... you know, 14:05 helping the elderly and singing in the choir, you know, 14:08 Yvonne: Okay, okay... Duawne: But still, not really 14:10 having a connection with God, you know, and I didn't really 14:14 get the connection until I was in... when I say "in the world" 14:17 I mean like... on my own... until I was living on my own... 14:20 and, you know, paying my own bills and living in my own home, 14:24 own apartment... that was when I had to make the connection 14:27 with God for myself... so I looked the part but inside 14:33 I didn't really know God... and I know Him now, you know... 14:37 Yvonne: Yes... yes... yes... Duawne: I know Him and it's not 14:40 the relationship that my mother has... it's the relationship 14:42 that I have... Absolutely, I think one of the 14:45 things that happens when you grow up in the church, is that 14:47 you end of taking a lot for granted and you have that 14:50 vicarious relationship... it goes through mom... 14:53 I was just talking about this with my older son, Mark, 14:56 and we were talking about how... he has a real relationship now, 15:01 his own relationship is not through mom, it's not through 15:05 his grandmother, or his dad... it's, it's, you know, his own. 15:08 One of the things that happens I think, is, you know, you just 15:12 kind of get caught up in... looking like... but not being, 15:17 you know, being in... having your own relationship... 15:20 This has been such a wonderful time... see, we can kind of 15:25 go on and on... We really could, we really could 15:27 We need like an hour or 2 hours I know, I have some more 15:30 questions that I could ask you but, you know, the viewers will 15:34 just have to watch. I could have gone on and on 15:38 with Duawne... it is such a joy to work with him... 15:42 he's so gifted and he's so on fire for the Lord, and he has 15:47 such a beautiful spirit... I am also learning about 15:52 finances from our next guest, Cordell Thomas, and I am really 15:56 enjoying that because there's so much that we don't know about 16:01 budgeting and about... just kind of making our money grow... 16:05 So, let's go to the set of "Take it to the Bank" 16:08 our program on financial literacy and see what 16:10 Cordell Thomas has to teach us... 16:12 I am here on the set of "Take it to the Bank" with the 16:17 host, Cordell Thomas... Cordell, it's so good to have 16:22 you here with "Dare to Dream" and to teach us about 16:26 financial literacy... what is that exactly? 16:28 Financial literacy is basically the ability to communicate, 16:31 understand, and to make good decisions about money... 16:34 that's really how it is... Why is that important? 16:37 The importance of it is... is fantastic... one of the 16:41 resources I have in my home state basically tells us that 16:44 if you really want to understand how wealth is made... 16:47 emulate what the wealthy do... and many of us don't 16:51 understand it.. it comes down to a core context of building 16:54 from a budget... understanding where the money comes from and 16:57 where it goes and that excess that we have can be put away 17:01 into savings, into investments and, as the wealthy do, they use 17:05 it to acquire assets, and that's what you see in this area with 17:09 3abn... they've acquired the assets that can use the talents 17:13 that have been given to spread the gospel around the globe... 17:17 and that's what God is talking about in the parable of the 17:20 talents... Amen... so how did you get 17:23 involved in... in finance and money and teaching 17:26 and all that... how did you get involved in that?... 17:28 Life experience and of course I have a Masters in Business 17:31 from the University of Michigan but all of that is really 17:34 negligible... I went to work in automotive manufacturing... 17:36 and worked with a couple of major automotive manufacturers 17:39 for about eleven years... I learned about greed, 17:41 I learned about the understanding of how people 17:43 climb the corporate ladder and I found that, that really wasn't 17:47 for me. I went to another Organization in the Oil industry 17:51 or the Energy industry... and found, no, that really wasn't 17:55 for me and then of course, they went through a 17:56 consolidation and I got... laid off from the work... 17:59 I got a fantastic severance package and I used the money... 18:03 instead of putting it and investing it long term, 18:05 I took it and went traveling to Europe... now I don't regret 18:09 the travel... I enjoyed it because I learned a little bit 18:12 more about philanthropy and how other countries work with their 18:15 under-served communities... but as I came back, God placed 18:18 me in a situation to begin working in non-profits 18:22 and observing what goes on in the non-profit industry and in 18:25 the under-served communities of our country... 18:28 and when you understand what happens in those under-served 18:31 communities, you know now that money is being mismanaged... 18:35 and to a certain extent, we are trying to just help the people 18:39 stay in that type of existence instead of helping 18:42 them climb out of that poverty into a better subsistence... 18:46 Great... great point... what are some of the ways that 18:49 money is being mismanaged in the under-served communities? 18:53 They have a "Poverty Industry" which is a 33 billion dollar 18:57 a year industry... which gets their money from those that 19:01 don't have money... but how does that work? Well, you have 19:05 pawn shops... and you have pay-day loan centers... 19:08 and you have a lot of these liquor stores and organizations 19:13 within communities that charge these under-served people 19:19 more than they have to... for products that are 19:21 not good for them... and then, they have to travel 19:24 out to buy good things and they don't have the means to do that 19:28 so they don't have the transportation... so they focus 19:31 on them because there is a lot of money there... 19:33 they focus on the fact that they don't have the money to buy 19:37 something... so they go in and pawn the vehicle to get a loan, 19:40 to go and purchase something and then thinking that they 19:43 will be able to pay that back to get that product back 19:45 so they, they are focused on that... 19:47 See that's such a good point and I really want to develop 19:51 that a little bit more because I've seen it so many times in... 19:55 in the inner city that... for example... the pawn, 19:58 the pawn shops... tell us please how does that 20:02 work and why is it bad... If I need some extra money 20:06 why shouldn't I take my coat, if I have a coat that I want 20:12 to sell or some piece of clothing or some piece of 20:15 whatever... why can't I take it to the pawn shop and get some 20:18 money for it and then have the cash that I need to do what 20:21 I want to do? Why shouldn't I do it? Cordell: Excellent question 20:24 If it's a part of your community and so what part 20:26 of how things are done, you see as a part of a 20:28 normal way of existence... Right... 20:30 But that's not the case... That's what they see... 20:32 These individuals have a wealth of knowledge of how to do little 20:36 things in the community but they get caught up in... 20:38 I need the money now, so let me figure out how I can get it 20:41 and with the consumer, type of industries we have 20:44 media is out there telling... be a consumer, be a consumer... 20:47 be a consumer... We should be teaching our young 20:49 people about being producers... and being a producer means this- 20:54 I start with a budget... I start with how much I make, 20:57 I can live off of maybe a $1,000 or $1,500 a month... 21:01 and how much do I pay out in expenses? That margin between 21:05 your income and your expenses is where you can begin the 21:09 process of saving... putting money away... 21:11 Wait now, if I am on a fixed income... like if I am just... 21:14 if I am on social services for example, you're telling me 21:16 I can save something? Yes, you can... 21:19 Tell me how... Well, you know, it's a matter of 21:22 understanding-there's an acronym now ACCSC... 21:25 basically it's ASSESS where you are at. Okay... 21:28 Look at what you have now... look at the debts you have... 21:30 the expenses you have... assess that and then 21:33 put together a budget about what you have coming in... 21:35 and what you are paying out... now, if you are paying out more 21:38 than what you have coming in, there is a problem... 21:40 and we need to look at the third step which is... 21:43 cut your expenses... figure out what you can do without... 21:46 figure out what you can cut... figure out what you can 21:49 get rid of... and with that then you can figure out 21:51 how you can bring your budget in line... It's essential for 21:54 you to bring it in line because there's no way, you'll ever be 21:58 able to save unless you are spending less than you bring in. 22:02 Aha, that's such a good point because I think about all the... 22:06 especially young mothers tend to do this-well older mothers too 22:10 they tend to... they might not feel like cooking 22:13 so they'll go to the local fast-food place... 22:16 buy fast food for the kids, and spend way more money than 22:20 they would have spent if they just bought food to cook 22:24 for the kids... What do you see as,, 22:30 as one of the downsides of fast food... just going to the 22:34 fast-food place and just purchasing like that? 22:37 We are beginning to see now whether our millennial 22:38 generation now are habit.. that and I'll explain millennial as 22:42 your age group that was born between 1982 and 2000... 22:45 and we are seeing that and, of course, the next generation, 22:48 there is a considered concern about health issues and they are 22:52 saying that this generation now is expected to live less than... 22:56 our previous generation... because they are not eating 22:58 in the healthy way... My... 22:59 The basic issue I see with,, fast foods are two things... 23:04 One is the cost per mouth to feed goes up exponentially... 23:09 if you buy in bulk from a store the quality foods that you need, 23:14 and cook for a family of four, it costs a lot less than if you 23:18 go to a fast-food place and buy for four people... 23:23 you would spend easily.. twenty-five to thirty dollars 23:26 for a family of four at a fast-food place than if you did 23:29 the same and assessed how much it costs to feed each mouth, 23:32 it would come down to easily, maybe a dollar and thirty cents 23:35 per mouth... So it, it, it is a wonderful way to begin the 23:39 saving process... Absolutely and I think... 23:41 this is so important to share because so many people want to 23:45 do better but they don't really know how... and what you are 23:49 teaching, if I understand you correctly, is planning, instead 23:54 of just impulse buying... plan... you can plan... 23:57 it does take a little bit more effort to prepare that food, 24:00 for the family, but it's so much healthier. There was a movie out 24:05 a documentary, about fast foods and that kind of 24:10 thing... and the gentleman that was the star and the producer 24:16 of the documentary, had been super-sizing himself... 24:20 he would go to this particular place and... fast-food place... 24:24 and just order the super-sized version of these different meals 24:28 and it turned out that his health just deteriorated. 24:32 So, health is important, not to mention, finance... 24:35 I mean, you are spending way more than you need to 24:38 when you do that. Another thing that I noticed 24:41 that goes on... and I'd like for you to address... 24:44 is a lot of this furniture rental... like you go in and 24:48 you say, "Oh wow" and I have some people in my family 24:52 that did this... okay... so if you are watching, 24:54 you know, just forgive me... But they went and they thought 24:57 Oh wow... this is like a 36- or 50-inch TV, oh wow, 25:03 I can have it now... and they actually rented the TV. 25:06 Would you tell us, why that's not a good idea to go into these 25:11 furniture rental places and just kind of furnish your home with 25:15 those purchases... There are two things involved... 25:18 One is "impulse purchase" and in this case, it is not really a 25:22 purchase, it's a rental to own.. there are fees associated with 25:26 borrowing money... in this case you are borrowing this piece of 25:30 equipment that you have to pay back over time... 25:32 The second issue is... we are not planning... 25:36 we are impulse purchasers and we are actually, looking 25:42 at what the media is telling us to do... you need it, 25:45 you want it, have it now, take it now, we can put it 25:47 on our credit card and pay for it later... and that's not what 25:51 principles of finance is really about. It's about, taking the 25:55 time to allocate a certain portion of that savings 25:59 to a specific thing you would like to buy... 26:01 One of the things we try to tell people is to prioritize... 26:04 set up goals... so if this is a short-term goal, between 26:08 one and four weeks or one and two months... you basically say, 26:13 "I can save about $600 a month to buy that flat-screen TV." 26:18 So let me plan, two months out, and within two months, 26:21 I can go into a store and purchase that object for cash, 26:25 so I am not borrowing money, I planned for that expenditure, 26:28 so there are a lot of things in play here, we are listening 26:33 to what society tells us about immediacy and gratification, 26:37 and we lose sight of the fact that we are servants and we are 26:42 stewards of God and His benefits towards us, so we need to take 26:46 the time to assess what's in the best interest of that 26:50 acquisition and whether or not it's something I actually need. 26:53 Because in the under-served communities in time 26:56 why do I need a 50-inch screen with a $79 a month cable bill 27:03 to put this when I can't really even afford the rent that I have 27:09 and those types of things, so as you assess a budget, 27:11 the nice thing is... most people haven't thought about writing 27:15 down what my expenses are, and then if I can save a little bit 27:19 it's a mentality that... once I see myself saving $50 a month, 27:23 I can increase that to $100 a month, I can pay off this debt 27:26 and increase it to $200 a month and that's the key... 27:30 once you get to saving, then cash flow becomes a decision 27:34 you can make in acquiring different things and giving back 27:38 to your church or giving back to a charity. 27:40 Ah, and you just used a word that I think is just so 27:44 important... Decision... we have choices that we can make... 27:48 you know, it's not just about something being thrust upon us 27:51 but we can choose, we can choose to do a budget, we can choose 27:55 to save, we can get a handle on our finances. One of the things 27:59 that I noticed, even about me personally, is that I'll just 28:02 kind of let things... you know, I just kind of will not really 28:07 zero in on making the right choices, it's not fly-by-night 28:12 but kind of... by the seat of your pants, you know... 28:14 and you just kind of go along, and, but go along to get along, 28:17 No, it's about making the choices that we need to make... 28:21 to take control of our finances, and I think that's one of the 28:25 things that many of us fail to do because we weren't really 28:29 trained to do that, so we don't kind of have that perspective 28:34 on things. How relevant is the Bible in teaching principles 28:39 of financial management? It's relevant.. it's for real... 28:42 Is it? Because many people would say, well, it's.. you know 28:45 the Bible is old and you know, it doesn't, it doesn't really, 28:48 it's not for today... How do you feel about it? 28:51 You can look at the terminology as it's used in the Bible... 28:55 and you can buy a Bible that speaks to you.. the NIV version, 28:59 the American Standard version, but it's the context of what 29:03 the Bible is trying to teach you the parables that are there, 29:06 if you can read the parable and start peeling back the levels 29:10 of understanding, what's going on in that parable, 29:13 What's a parable? The parable is a story that 29:15 gives you an idea of a different meaning-in this case, 29:19 you know, the master left, but he is going to return, 29:24 there's analogy there because our Master, our Lord, 29:27 has left and He's going to return and He will hold us 29:30 accountable for how we have utilized the talents 29:33 the Holy Spirit has blessed us with, it's up to us to discern 29:37 what those talents are and then hold ourselves accountable 29:41 the other thing that comes out from the Bible as mentioned 29:44 in James... and I hammer James in some of my presentations... 29:47 is the fact that... Wealth is not just about money.. 29:51 wealth is about faith as James talks about, there are people 29:54 that might be poor monetarily but are wealthy in faith... 29:58 and it tells us that we shouldn't play favorites 30:01 with individuals because they are monetarily wealthy, 30:05 because realistically, possessions don't really matter, 30:09 it's how we utilize what God has given us for His Kingdom 30:13 that matters in the end. Wow, wealth is not just 30:18 about money... wealth is about the way we 30:23 handle the resources that God has given us and 30:26 make them grow, because we are managing them properly. 30:31 If we pursue excellence, if we are the best that we can be, 30:36 God will bless that. God has a plan for you, 30:40 a specific plan for you, Jeremiah 29:11 says, 30:45 in the King James Version, it says, "For I know the thoughts 30:48 that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and 30:51 not of evil, to give you an expected end, and in the NIV 30:55 it says, "to give you a future and a hope. " 30:58 There's hope for you, there's a future for you, 31:01 God has a plan for you and if you pursue God and ask Him 31:05 what that plan is, He's going to let you know what it is, 31:09 and He is going to bless your efforts because you are 31:13 walking in His plan. Today's Urban Report covered 31:16 music and money. Join us next time as we look at 31:20 life from another perspective... Have a good one, pursue God, 31:25 pursue excellence, know that God has a plan for you 31:30 and be blessed... |
Revised 2014-12-17