Christian Finance Blog
Spiritually Prosperous, Financially Rich!

1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

John 14:1 (NLT)

Don’t worry about anything. I know it may be hard time you’re going through. God sees your struggles. God knows what you’re going through. God sees your situation. Never lose your trust in God. You can have the peace of knowing that you have a place in heaven. But abundant life on earth is also what Jesus died for! Don’t lose the faith! Don’t lose your trust! God will take care of you.

From the Life Application Bible:

Jesus’ words show that the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure – as secure as your trust in Jesus. He has already prepared the way to eternal life. The only issue that may still be unsettled is your willingness to believe.

Also, don’t miss out on the Presidential Giveaway Day Six later today!

Dave Five already! Two more days to go! Here’s today’s Dave Ramsey prize:

La Transformacion Total de su Dinero by Dave Ramsey ($13.99 value)

You weren’t expecting this, were you? I haven’t forgotten about my brothers and sisters of Hispanic persuasion! Perfect for the Spanish-speaking person in your life.

Random fact: did you know that the U.S. is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world after Mexico with 45 million Spanish-speaking people! That’s why I took like 9 years of Spanish in school. I’m still not fluent, though!

How do I win?

• Write a comment below about any Spanish word and its definition (keep it clean, this is a Christian blog after all), along with a valid email address.
• Do it before 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST) on February 28, 2009.
• All winners will be selected randomly and announced on March 3, 2009.
• Enter only once; duplicate entries or IP addresses will be disqualified.
• I cannot guarantee safe delivery of items. In the rare case that mail is lost, stolen, etc. I cannot be held responsible.
• All local laws, rules, and regulations apply.
• Sign up for the Christian Finance Blog RSS feed to keep up to date on the winner and any upcoming giveaways!

Thanks for entering! Presidential Giveaway Day Six is coming up tomorrow! Don’t you just love getting prizes! I know I just love giving them out!

Enter to win Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Six, and Day Seven!

A new day, a new giveaway! Day Four is here! We’re about halfway there! Make sure you enter to win Day One, Day Two, and Day Three !

Today’s prize is part of what I hinted at during the CFB Inauguration Day . The “live like no one else, so you can live like no one else,” is a Dave Ramsey quote. So it’s Dave Ramsey prizes from here on out!

Check out today’s Dave Ramsey prize:

Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey ($24.95 value)

Dave Ramsey is one of my favorite personal finance experts because his plans work! I’m currently on the Dave Ramsey “Debt Snowball” and expect to be 100% debt free by September of this year! I can’t wait. Check out his podcast on iTunes and also his TV show on hulu.com for free. I don’t have the Fox Business Network so it’s nice to be able to watch Dave for free online.

How do I win?

• Write a comment below about how you’re debt free or still working on it, along with a valid email address (how easy can it get?)
• Do it before 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST) on February 27, 2009.
• All winners will be selected randomly and announced on March 3, 2009.
• Enter only once; duplicate entries or IP addresses will be disqualified.
• I cannot guarantee safe delivery of items. In the rare case that mail is lost, stolen, etc. I cannot be held responsible.
• All local laws, rules, and regulations apply.
• Sign up for the Christian Finance Blog RSS feed to keep up to date on the winner and any upcoming giveaways!

Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter! Come back tomorrow for Day Five of the Presidential Giveaway for another great Dave Ramsey prize!

Enter to win Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Five, Day Six, and Day Seven!

ING Direct just yesterday lowered its online savings rate from 2.20% to 1.85%. Contact me to get $25 free for opening an account with at least $250! Dollar Savings Direct is at 3.05% which is one of the highest I’ve seen yet. Here’s a full review.

Day Three of the Presidential Giveaway already! Make sure you enter for Day One and Day Two also! Here’s Day Three’s prize:

Become a Better You 5 CD Audio Book by Joel Osteen ($29.95 value)

How do I win?

• Write a comment below about who you voted for (President) and why, along with a valid email address (I’m not ashamed to say that I voted for McCain).
• Do it before 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST) on February 26, 2009.
• All winners will be selected randomly and announced on March 3, 2009.
• Enter only once; duplicate entries or IP addresses will be disqualified.
• I cannot guarantee safe delivery of items. In the rare case that mail is lost, stolen, etc. I cannot be held responsible.
• All local laws, rules, and regulations apply.
• Sign up for the Christian Finance Blog RSS feed to keep up to date on the winner and any upcoming giveaways!

Thanks for entering! Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day Four of the huge Presidential Giveaway! You know you want some more! It keeps getting better!

Enter to win Day One, Day Two, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, and Day Seven!

Get 3 free pancakes from IHOP on National Pancake Day (Tuesday, February 24, 2009) from 7 am to 10 pm! Who can turn down free food? I sure can’t. Details at IHOP.

This is Day Two of the Presidential Giveaway! Don’t miss out! You can still enter for Day One’s prize plus you can enter for today’s prize too! All you have to do is comment! How easy is that?

Here’s today’s prize:

Problogger by Darren Rowse (donated by Christian Personal Finance, thanks Bob!) ($24.99 value)

How do I win?

• Write a comment below about your least favorite President and why, along with a valid email address.
• Do it before 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST) on February 25, 2009.
• All winners will be selected randomly and announced on March 3, 2009.
• Enter only once; duplicate entries or IP addresses will be disqualified.
• I cannot guarantee safe delivery of items. In the rare case that mail is lost, stolen, etc. I cannot be held responsible.
• All local laws, rules, and regulations apply.
• Sign up for the Christian Finance Blog RSS feed to keep up to date on the winner and any upcoming giveaways!

Thanks for entering! Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day Three of the huge Presidential Giveaway! You could win big!

Enter to win Day One, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, and Day Seven!

Christian Finance Blog made it to the top 20? My good friend Bob over at Christian Personal Finance picked my blog for the top 20 Christian Financial websites! I feel totally honored and appreciate even being considered. It really took me by surprise, actually. I’m glad I can make an impact. Make sure you check out his blog as well. It is very well written and has a wealth of knowledge!

Okay! It’s finally here! The Presidential Giveaway that I’ve been talking about for a little while. Here’s how it’s going to work. I’ve got about 8 or 9 things to give away.

Today, you have a chance to win one item. You’ll have to check back during the next 6 days to see what’s at stake for that day. There’s going to be a grand prize at the end also that you don’t want to miss! The timeframe to enter for each prize will be one week. For today’s prize, you have until Tuesday, February 24th by 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST) to enter.

How do I win?

• Write a comment below about your all-time favorite President and why, along with a valid email address.
• Do it before 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST) on February 24, 2009.
• All winners will be selected randomly and announced on March 3, 2009.
• Enter only once; duplicate entries or IP addresses will be disqualified.
• I cannot guarantee safe delivery of items. In the rare case that mail is lost, stolen, etc. I cannot be held responsible.
• All local laws, rules, and regulations apply.
• Sign up for the Christian Finance Blog RSS feed to keep up to date on the winner and any upcoming giveaways!

Ok, so enough of all that! Here’s today’s prize that you could win:

Overworked, Overwhelmed, & Underpaid by Louis Barajas (donated by the author) ($15.99 value) (I’ll have a review soon)

Check back tomorrow when I reveal tomorrow’s prize! You don’t want to miss it! Presidential Giveaway continues!

Enter to win Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, and Day Seven!

Photo Credit: Jim Bowen
Modified by Christian Finance Blog

You could read the entire stimulus bill (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) online at the Library of Congress that President Obama signed into law today. Or…you could just find out how it affects you right here on Christian Finance Blog!

First things first. You’ve probably heard that the new bill has a tax credit on your paycheck. It’s called the Make Work Pay credit and it’s worth 6.25% of any earned income in 2009. The max is $400 for singles making less than $75,000 and $800 for families with $150,000 or less combined income. It will be distributed through payroll for the last 26 weeks of the year. So it equates to about $15 a week for single filers who qualify for the $400. This will not come through your tax refund like the last stimulus. It also provides a one-time $250 payment for those who don’t work and retirees.

The next big tax credit in the new bill is the $8,000 New Homebuyer credit. This is different from the $7,500 new homebuyer “credit” that was supposed to be paid back over 15 years. The new $8,000 new homebuyer credit is a real tax credit, not an interest-free loan. It actually reduces your tax liability. Even if your tax bill is less than $8,000, you’ll get the difference back. If you overpaid your taxes throughout the year, you’ll get your regular refund plus the $8,000 extra! Sounds like a good deal to me!

So how do I qualify? You have to purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009 and be a first-time homebuyer. To qualify to be a first-time homebuyer, you must not have owned a primary residence home within the last 3 years. It’s okay to have owned investment property or a vacation home as long as you didn’t live in it for most of the year. Also, you need to stay in the new home for 3 years to keep the tax credit. Income restrictions are the same as the Make Work Pay credit; $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for married filing jointly.

The next part of the bill that may affect you is the Car Buyer tax deduction. This is a tax deduction not a tax credit (which is more valuable). A tax deduction only reduces your income so it’s only worth the amount times your tax rate. The deduction allows you to deduct the state and local sales tax for any new car, truck, R.V., or motorcycle that was charged on the purchase during 2009. This won’t help you if your state doesn’t have a sales tax and it’s an above-the-line deduction so you don’t have to itemize to get the deduction. Income restrictions are $125,000 for single filers and $250,000 for joint filers.

Next up is the American Opportunity Tax Credit for 2009 and 2010. This tax credit increases the existing Hope Scholarship tax credit from $1,800 to $2,500. Income restrictions are $80,000 ($160,000 for married filing jointly). Partial credits are available to those making up to $90,000 ($180,000 filing jointly). Also related to this is the increase of the Pell Grant to $5,350 in 2009 and $5,550 in 2010.

For those of you who are unemployed, there’s also help for you in the bill. Cobra coverage (which allows the unemployed to keep health insurance from a previous employer) will be subsidized up to 65% of Cobra premiums for up to 9 months if you laid off between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.

Unemployment benefits are also going to be increased by an additional 20 weeks (and 13 weeks more in certain states where unemployment is higher than 6%) and $25 additional weekly. Also, the first $2,400 is tax exempt in 2009 on your federal income taxes.

There are other portions of the stimulus bill like increased food stamp payments and deductions for energy efficient appliances and others. I may not agree with some of Obama’s policies but I’ll take free money any day! Bring it on Prez!

“Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”

George Washington

In honor of the CFB Inauguration Day and President Washington’s upcoming birthday on February 22 today’s Did They Say That is a quote from President Washington himself!

What good advice. Straight from the Bible, too. Isn’t that what Psalm 1 basically says. Doesn’t it also say “bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33)? George Washington must have been wise. He knew what the Bible says.

Happy President’s Day and happy Christian Finance Blog Inauguration Day! This day is finally upon us! This marks a new beginning for the blog! It’s a brand new theme, a brand new url (www.christianfinanceblog.com) and a whole new feed!

Christian Finance Blog is now on a dedicated host and not on WordPress.com. And what perfect timing! Christian Finance Blog turned two on February 11th. It’s hard to believe that the blog is already starting its third year in existence! I never knew I would be blogging this long when I first started back in 2007. But I’m glad I did and I want to focus more time to it going forward!

Get ready for a Presidential Giveaway tomorrow! Subscribe to the Christian Finance Blog feed so you don’t miss out on any of the great prizes that I’m going to give away! There’s going to be a lot at stake! Here’s a hint: get ready for taxes by going Turbo and “live like no one else, so you can live like no one else.”

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV)

As we gear up for Christian Finance Blog Inauguration Day tomorrow, today’s Bible verse is about praying for your leaders, including our President. Whether you voted for President Obama or not, God has placed him into his leadership position. This verse talks about praying for our leaders and everyone who is in authority. That means we should pray for our bosses, too!

From the Nelson Study Bible:

Therefore: Here Paul elaborates on what will build up the church (see 1:4). In these verses, Paul uses four of the seven New Testament terms for prayer. Supplications emphasizes personal need. The verb from which the noun is derived has the idea of “petition.”

Prayers is the general word for prayer. The term is always directed toward God with reverence or worship. Intercessions means “approaching with confidence,” suggesting free access to God.

Giving of thanks is an attitude of gratitude, the act of praising God for what He has done for us. Each of these aspects of prayer should be included in the prayer life of a church. For all men is the first object of prayer. This generic expression of male and female alike cannot be restricted to believers; it also includes nonbelievers, such as kings and all who are in authority.

Peaceable refers to internal composure or an amiable attitude. The idea of praying for kings has a twofold emphasis. First, it is a specific way to pray for all men, because the actions of a king affect society as a whole. Second, it reminds believers that God is the ultimate Sovereign. He is in control, and our prayer affect decisions at the highest level.

The transition from WordPress.com to my dedicated host was a success for the most part. Some comments were lost during the switch. I’m hoping to be able to transfer them, but I’ve been having some problems with it.

Also, the email subscriptions on the top right are not working right now. The feeds are also not the correct ones. Please use this feed instead and you’ll always be up to date on the blog. I’m working on fixing these problems.

I’ve also added Polls on the right sidebar. Make sure you check it out and vote on the latest poll if you haven’t already!

And remember, CFB Inauguration Day is coming February 16th!