Randy

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Archives for January 2018

Rescue your family from the lie that debt is acceptable

Saturday, January 20, 2018, 8:32 am | Randy Thomasson

PROBLEM: We’re raising a whole generation that thinks debt is acceptable.

SOLUTION: We can teach children to be financially wise. Then they’ll “own” money instead of money “owning” them.

Does it concern you that the average U.S. household with credit card debt owes $15,654? Or that average households with car loans owe $27,669? Or that the average household with student loan debt owes $46,597?

And how about the sad fact that nearly 7 in 10 Americans have less than $1,000 in savings? When an unexpected need arises or an emergency hits, they’ll suffer hardship and loss.

You know, we can’t blame all of this on big government that taxes us too much or stupid government that depresses jobs and the economy. No, a strong, personal ethic on money, work, and savings is the key, and it’s developed young.

That’s why I urge you to train your children and grandchildren to have a right view of money, work, their needs, and their identity. Let me tell you how I was trained:

1. Money: When I was a child, I had to earn money by doing daily and weekly jobs around the house and yard. My small allowance was “payment,” and I knew it. Later, when I was earning more money, I got a small bank account and began socking away monthly income. Saving money and enjoying work eventually enabled me to buy a piano with cash at age 17 (and now I play the piano and compose for several minutes most evenings).

2. Work: At age 8, I began delivering newspapers two days a week with my older brother. I had to go to bed on time to get up early to fold and rubber-band papers and then get lots of exercise riding my bike and slinging papers onto people’s porches and driveways. Within a year, I got my own paper route. Looking back, it taught me industry and perseverance. And I hardly ever viewed work as bad, but learned to experience work as a good thing.

3. Needs: I’m a son of an expert “garage-saler,” and Mom bought used clothes for us mostly. Except for shoes, nearly all my childhood clothes came from garage sales and thrift stores. To her credit, Mom even bought used underwear for us boys, washing them in very hot water with bleach. All our material needs were met. I never had an electronic toy, but read books and played in the backyard and the street. Did I lack financially? No. But why, oh why, do I hear mothers in stores asking their children “What do you want?” Those careless words blur the line between needs and wants in a child, and train children to be selfish and foolish. Needs versus wants is a regular financial discussion in frugal homes. Today, I try to buy less than I need in order to avoid materialism and waste.

4. Identity: I didn’t learn my true identity in Jesus Christ until adulthood when I studied and believed God’s word. Over the years, lots of suffering and various “identity tests” have helped refine me (and I still have lots of room to grow). So today, I’m not very tempted to find my identity in money, possessions, status, race, or other people’s opinions. Instead, I want an identity that’s willing to be tortured and die for Jesus, if necessary. I want to “lose my life for His sake,” to be His obedient child and faithful servant, who loves Him and loves people, and to bear as much fruit as I can. Have you learned what I’ve learned, that avoiding a worldly identity will help you to be both frugal and generous?

To be completely candid, I’m so frugal today that I don’t have any car loans, no credit card debt, have clothes that are several years old, and have a goal of reaching half a million miles on my car. Am I weird? Perhaps. Am I financially stupid? No, I’m free from financial bondage. And along the way, I’ve learned more wisdom whenever I’ve repented of my foolishness and pride.

Check this out — here are my four-year-old shoes that I finally replaced with the exact same “model.” I put my shoes through the wringer! And I’m going to use a healthy insert to make the new shoes last as long or longer.


Hopefully, what I’ve shared will you encourages you to raise your children — and influence your grandchildren — to be hard-working, thrifty, debt-free adults. Building good character in regard to money, including teaching children that God owns it all, will pay you “dividends” as you watch your little ones grow and thrive.

Here’s a powerful way to teach your children that “money comes from work and about the importance of giving, saving and spending.” I encourage you to seize this opportunity!

The Joy of Work: As parents we must communicate to our children not only the necessity of working (Proverbs 13:4; 14:23), but also the benefits (Ephesians 4:28b). We make a terrible mistake if all we are able to instill in our children is an appreciation of employment for the sake of acquiring things (Proverbs 16:26). Work like everything else ordained of God is intended to affect our character. What we must communicate to our children is the “good” in work and the joy that it brings.
Teaching Values: A Work Ethic

Exposed: SPLC’s unfair ‘hate’ label of moral organizations

Thursday, January 18, 2018, 8:51 pm | Randy Thomasson

One of the biggest liars in the USA has been exposed by veteran investigative reporter John Stossel. Please watch and share!

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which hates moral values and has unfairly labeled many pro-family organizations, including SaveCalifornia.com, as “hate groups,” has finally been called out.

Stossel: “The Center has become a hate group itself. It’s now a left-wing, money-grabbing slander machine.”

Because we unapologetically advocate for the well-being of children and families and the true sexes of being male or female, SaveCalifornia.com was first unfairly and unconstitutionally tagged by SPLC as a so-called “hate group” in March 2012. It’s ironic, because we’re actually a love group. We love God and we love children and families, and sharing the truth in love is love!

Also repeating SPLC’s lies for the past several years have been many California media outlets — and certain websites such as Wikipedia have played along — all unfairly labeling SaveCalifornia.com as a “hate group.” Just because we stand for biblical values: man-woman marriage, the natural sexes of male and female, saving sex for marriage, religious freedom, constitutionally-protected moral speech, God-given parental rights, and private property rights.

Again, please watch and share Stossel’s 5-minute special report.

Lastly, in light of SPLC’s Big Lie against SaveCalifornia.com, will you please empower us to work lovingly, courageously, and faithfully for your moral values? We exist only with the generous support of pro-family citizens in our land, and I need your help. Thank you for your consideration. You can donate securely here.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the word, in John 8:32

 

Please do SOMETHING to give value to babies

Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 5:18 pm | Randy Thomasson


Given the irrefutable science of 3D and 4D ultrasound, how can anyone say that’s not a baby in the womb?

You know this, but a lot of people don’t recognize that, from the moment of conception, human beings exist and have incalculable worth.

They don’t think deeply about the fact that babies in ultrasound photos, at any stage of pregnancy, are the same human being growing since conception. Yet this is the miracle of reproduction.

Since babies are being killed in or near your community, please do SOMETHING to stand against the atrocity of abortion this week. For if you don’t have a fundamental right to life, you don’t have any rights at all, do you?

Monday, January 22 is the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which unconstitutionally legalized abortion through all 9 months of pregnancy for any reason. It’s estimated that 60 million preborn babies have been slaughtered so far.

Now is your time to easily sensitize others with pro-life facts. You can share information on your own social media. You can attend a pro-life event. And you can get into the secular media. But at least do 1 thing to give value to babies in the womb.

We were all in the womb once. Please do SOMETHING against abortion this week:

1. Friends: Share this alert via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to all on your list. Please also consider sharing these amazing videos on SaveCalifornia.com’s YouTube page.

2. Events: Attend a public pro-life event near you — just enter your zip code. And here are the three biggest walks for life, in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

3. Media: Perhaps the most effective thing you can do to change minds is to be published in the media. You can influence thousands this way. This means writing a quick letter-to-the-editor of your local newspaper. It also means posting factual and logical pro-life comments on abortion-related news stories you find on the web.

Talking points from experts to help you speak articulately

Family Research Council
John Piper
Priests for Life
ADF
Human Life International

Here are additional facts about life, babies, and abortion:

Fetal development week by week
Fetal development: The first trimester
U.S. abortion statistics
California abortions
19 facts about abortion

Don’t let this information overwhelm you. Just resolve to do SOMETHING this week to make preborn children valuable and visible to people young and old, who need to know the truth. By doing so, you’ll be manifesting God’s love to save innocent lives.

“I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.”
Ronald Reagan

“Your belief determines your action and your action
determines your results, but first you have to believe.”
Mark Victor Hansen