Take it to the Bank

Happiness

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Cordell Thomas

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Series Code: TITTB

Program Code: TITTB000027


00:01 On Take it to the Bank,
00:02 you'll find ways to get out of debt.
00:09 Solve your credit card problems.
00:14 How to make and stick with the budget?
00:19 Simple ways to save.
00:24 Buying or selling a home and many more financial matters
00:29 on Take it to the Bank.
00:31 Hi, welcome to Take it to the Bank.
00:33 I'm enthused in being here today,
00:36 your host to talk to you about something
00:39 that we're all looking for, happiness.
00:43 You know, this past Sabbath,
00:44 I heard a sermon on the issue called time.
00:46 And there's an interesting verse,
00:48 I'd like to share with you that being in Psalms 90:12.
00:52 It says, "Teach us to number our days a right,
00:57 so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
01:01 It's an interesting verse because each one of us
01:03 live between 70 and 80 years
01:06 and we begin to understand the context of time,
01:08 when you talk to a young student.
01:10 You see, many students come out of college
01:13 and they're worried about their college debt.
01:15 That's quite interesting,
01:16 because you talk too many students they're saying,
01:18 "I have debt",
01:19 and they worry about the debt that they have
01:21 and having to pay that debt back.
01:24 And then, they're not thinking more
01:27 so about the issue of saving.
01:28 Saving money, they're worried about paying back the debt.
01:31 Did you know that with time as a young person,
01:35 you are able to use that
01:37 unique rule of 72 in compound interest
01:41 to gain a lot of money through investments.
01:45 For example: If he was a student at age 22,
01:47 start saving $150 a month or $2000 a year,
01:51 and put it in a Roth IRA for example.
01:54 And for the next ten years you do that.
01:56 By the age 30, 31 years of age,
01:58 you have about $20, 000 placed in a Roth IRA.
02:02 You don't have to save another penny.
02:04 By the time you are at 70 years of age,
02:07 you have approximately $650,000 dependent of course,
02:11 different scenarios of interest rates and the like.
02:14 But people don't think about that.
02:16 And then we look at the time that we have,
02:18 and if we begin the process of thinking,
02:21 more so about how we do things, and how we approach time,
02:26 that verse then has a whole new meaning.
02:30 Psalms 90:12, so now, I talk to you about happiness.
02:37 What is happiness?
02:38 And how do we deal
02:40 with this thing called happiness.
02:42 Well, do you know
02:44 the happiest country in the world?
02:47 Do you know the happiest group of people
02:49 or culture in the world?
02:50 I'll give you a hint.
02:52 The top country last year was Denmark.
02:54 But there was a change in the number one country
02:56 and that, that was most happiest.
02:58 And I will share with that with you
03:00 towards the end of the program.
03:02 But this concept called happiness,
03:05 takes us back to the reality that we all deal with.
03:08 I'm reading a book.
03:10 The book is called, "Why Don't They Just Get a Job,"
03:15 written by Liane Phillips and Echo Montgomery Garrett.
03:19 It's an interesting book at looking at
03:22 what urban dwellers have to deal with,
03:24 those in under-served communities.
03:26 What we are concerned about as barriers to our success,
03:31 and there's many different barriers
03:32 as we deal with homelessness,
03:34 we deal with issues of finding work,
03:35 and sustainability, and mental health issues,
03:38 and child care issues.
03:41 Did you know that in Los Angeles,
03:44 in Los Angeles, self-sufficiency meaning
03:47 what it takes to be comfortable in a home,
03:51 in a living environment and taking care of your family?
03:53 Self-sufficiency is $55,000 to $62,000 a year.
04:00 And then you hear in the media
04:03 that poverty is about $19, 000 to $24,000 a year.
04:08 We hear the dynamics of these demographics,
04:12 the studies they do in each one of us.
04:14 And we find that many of us,
04:17 middle class Americans make between 30 and 80,
04:20 $30,000 and $90,000 a year.
04:22 And we are the target demographic
04:24 because guess what?
04:26 As we look at how much money we weigh, we make,
04:29 they have studied our consumption patterns.
04:33 There's an interesting video that I show a lot of people
04:36 during our critical think classes.
04:38 And it talks about how the ethics
04:41 of these individuals in media
04:44 and what they do to get us to consume.
04:46 Since deregulation happened,
04:48 did you know that our ability to save money
04:53 has dropped dramatically over those years?
04:55 From 1984 to 2006, our savings,
04:59 personal savings rates has dropped
05:01 from between 10 and 12 percent
05:03 of our annual income down to a negative savings rate.
05:07 Why?
05:08 Because we follow what the media's told us to do.
05:11 We are consumers, we consume, and consume, and consume,
05:14 not knowing that we don't have to be that way.
05:17 We can become benefactors of what God is telling us
05:21 and saving and creating a venue for us to help others
05:25 and do things for other individuals
05:27 which leads us back to the concept of happiness.
05:32 Now, I will quote to you a study that was done.
05:35 It was done, recently actually,
05:39 and there's a filmmaker by the name of Roko Belic
05:43 who developed the documentary on,
05:45 what it is to be happy.
05:48 And this would be very interesting
05:50 for you to understand.
05:51 The movie confirms that most of us,
05:54 what most of us already realize that happiness comes from
05:58 a sense of connectedness with others.
06:03 In fact, "Many of the findings confirmed
06:06 what we had long suspected: that the selfish values
06:09 we are trained to have in our luxury-hungry culture
06:12 are not what will lead us to fulfilling and happy lives."
06:16 Goes on to say, "The findings from the movie
06:18 is that happiness comes from..."
06:19 And listen to this.
06:21 "A sense of connectedness,
06:23 and something bigger than oneself,
06:26 such as family, community, religion, ancestry, nature,
06:31 and the universe as in general.
06:35 Values are the greatest predictors of happiness.
06:38 If they prioritize money, power,
06:41 social status and good looks,
06:43 they are less likely to be happy
06:46 than if they value compassion, cooperation
06:50 and wanting to make the world a better place."
06:54 People who spend their money, on novel interesting
07:00 and engaging experiences like traveling with friends,
07:03 like traveling with friends and doing things with family
07:08 are far more happier
07:10 than people who spend their money on purchases
07:12 relating to their image,
07:15 such as expensive clothing, luxury cars and homes."
07:18 Listen to this, "Also spending money on someone else
07:22 will boost your happiness
07:24 more than if you spend it on yourself."
07:28 Very interestingly you take a look
07:30 at this overall thing that we think is happiness.
07:32 We think consumption makes us happy.
07:34 And in fact, it does the opposite.
07:36 It makes us unhappy individuals,
07:39 who are constantly looking at the grass being greener
07:42 on the other side of the fence,
07:43 and the fact that the other families
07:45 have an expensive car and we don't.
07:48 You are fortunate to be where you're at
07:50 because God is going to use you in a tremendous way.
07:53 Happiness means giving and doing.
07:56 And what we do, this, I've done
07:58 is I've talked to several young people,
07:59 some, they're wise beyond their,
08:02 their means and asked them the question
08:05 about what it is to be happy.
08:08 And here are their responses. What brings you happiness?
08:13 Four things that make me happy
08:15 includes spending time with my family,
08:17 especially when we get to go out to eat
08:19 and just talk about our days.
08:23 Also, spending time with my friends
08:25 but my favorite things to do with my friends
08:27 include going hiking,
08:28 going camping or going to the beach,
08:34 things that don't require a lot of money
08:35 other than your typical gas expenses.
08:39 I also like to go for hikes on my own,
08:44 or with like a family, one family member or two.
08:48 And I also like to just stay home,
08:50 and like read books or catch up on my T.V. shows.
08:54 Things that make me happy are my family, my friends,
09:00 my girlfriend, my friends I work, my car,
09:05 and just being able to do what I want when I want.
09:11 These kids are wise beyond measure
09:14 because they don't talk about money.
09:16 It talks about the things that they do with family,
09:19 the things that they do with other individuals,
09:22 the connectedness they have with friends.
09:25 Going on nature walks and philanthropy, giving back,
09:30 and making things better.
09:31 In fact, one of these individuals went to Ecuador
09:35 and is doing a mission trip to help other young people
09:39 that don't have the same things
09:41 that we have in the United States.
09:43 That is the key to happiness, giving.
09:50 And the overall context of what I'd like to deliver to you
09:52 is the fact that, when you look at individuals
09:57 that are in inner cities, we feel that
09:59 we can't really connect with and or give to or,
10:04 or help others in doing things that,
10:07 that we see going on in television and the like.
10:10 But I would dare say that's not true.
10:12 I think all of us can do things.
10:15 And we can connect
10:16 with other people in dramatic ways,
10:18 by developing this thing we call a legacy.
10:21 A legacy is something that goes beyond us.
10:24 That $50 that you can give to help in a specific project
10:28 such as here at 3ABN.
10:29 You don't know how God will use it
10:32 to create greater things,
10:34 greater things that you will even conceive of.
10:36 So this area that we talk about when we look at the challenges
10:40 that we all have in inner city areas,
10:42 it goes beyond what our context of control is, but I was.
10:48 I would dare say
10:49 that from the standpoint of happiness,
10:53 you can begin the process of understanding
10:55 how you can become a happy individual,
10:57 someone that's comfortable in their own selves
11:00 by giving and doing for other people,
11:03 because legacies are very important.
11:06 And I have a friend that I've talked to
11:08 who indulge me, in allowing me to interview him.
11:12 And I asked him several questions about,
11:15 why he does, what he does.
11:17 And what it is in the importance
11:20 of developing a legacy.
11:21 And what he did for me is,
11:23 he created a little promo that he sent to me.
11:27 And I'd like to show it here and now.
11:30 We're all called to put our hands on the gospel plow,
11:34 but what are we plowing?
11:37 We're all called to cast seed.
11:39 What are we planting?
11:42 What is God desiring to grow within each one of us?
11:46 The world needs to see Christ
11:48 from a people that are Christ like.
11:51 People need to see a sermon, not just hear one.
11:55 Does the gospel really change lives?
11:58 Little Light believes it does.
11:59 And we aim to document those pivotal moments,
12:03 in our upcoming projects on education, health,
12:06 sexuality, gardening, exposition, biblical history.
12:12 We have made it our focus to capture those moments
12:15 when the seeds of truth take root
12:17 and Christ transforms the hearts of many.
12:21 We've teamed up with some of the most
12:23 creative artists from around the world,
12:25 college graduates, interns and high school students
12:28 to produce and provide the most compelling,
12:30 innovative media that illuminates biblical truth
12:34 exposes spiritual darkness, and sets the record straight
12:37 about the true character of Christ.
12:40 The Bible study has made me
12:41 lot closer to my friends and God.
12:43 And I'm going, what is going on?
12:46 How come I'm not dying?
12:47 I'm not even getting overdoes to nothing.
12:50 What's happening? That's what Jesus is.
12:53 He's in the secret place of the most high,
12:56 which is my heart.
12:59 As we work together, we may all play our part
13:02 in bearing light to a world shrouded in darkness.
13:06 Join us, as we build
13:08 a cutting edge media environment,
13:09 so that we may inspire a generation of soul winners
13:12 to creatively share their faith with the world.
13:30 You imagine the power of a legacy.
13:33 That type of legacy what you just saw.
13:36 It comes from people giving,
13:38 it comes from people doing things.
13:39 And I had an opportunity to talk to Mr. Scott Meyer
13:42 and he answered several questions,
13:44 we did a distance interview.
13:46 And it was very interesting what he said.
13:48 I asked him a couple of questions,
13:49 a first of which was, tell me about giving.
13:53 Why is it so important to a ministry?
13:56 And here is his response.
13:59 You know, I think a lot of ministries operate
14:01 off of donations
14:03 and other people supporting that ministry.
14:07 Giving to a ministry, allows the ministry
14:10 to actually employ more people, have more resources,
14:13 more funding to actually produce things.
14:16 Because a lot of times,
14:18 those products that are being produced
14:19 are not exactly always for money,
14:23 more for our message
14:24 than it is to actually intake money.
14:27 So, it's important that people give to the ministries.
14:32 I had an opportunity to follow up
14:33 the question with a second one.
14:35 When you talk about giving,
14:36 are there different forms of giving?
14:38 Meaning does it have to be all about money.
14:42 And here's what he said.
14:44 There's a couple different ways that people can give.
14:46 It's not only financial needs
14:49 that ministries often have but time.
14:53 There's a lot of people who have a lot of skills,
14:55 that they can contribute
14:58 their graphic design or even just,
15:03 you know, simple helping out here and there
15:06 in the office or answering emails.
15:10 There's a lot of different ways that people can give,
15:12 not just with their money.
15:16 Did you hear what he said,
15:18 Scott Meyer was talking about the different forms of giving,
15:21 it doesn't have to be monetary.
15:23 You can give of your time.
15:24 And that's one of the things
15:26 we talk about in our curriculum,
15:27 on the critical think on money is time is money,
15:32 so many of you may volunteer your time.
15:34 And there's a lot of value to your time,
15:36 but there's many different things
15:38 you can do to help a ministry by volunteering and doing.
15:43 We in Southern California area
15:47 are nonprofit, help support
15:49 the Dr Martin Luther King holiday each year.
15:52 And it's very interesting to see
15:53 how the volunteers come out to help support by doing,
15:56 by cooking, by giving, by creating
15:59 and by providing many different resources
16:02 and services that make that day a success.
16:05 We consider a day of service.
16:07 And I believe that we all need to get out of this mindset
16:10 that it's all about the money.
16:12 It has everything to do, with you going out and doing.
16:15 And guess what?
16:17 Many different forms of new jobs are created
16:20 by people seeing you giving of your time
16:22 in a volunteer perspective.
16:24 Many part time jobs are,
16:26 are great ways of getting access to an organization,
16:29 and by them seeing the quality type of work that you do,
16:32 will provide opportunities for new jobs.
16:36 Very interesting information,
16:38 I asked a third question off Scott,
16:40 and I asked your organization.
16:43 Little Light Ministries, is it reliant more so on sales
16:47 or donations or more so a combination of the two.
16:51 And here's what Scott said.
16:53 Our ministry operates off of DVD sales.
16:57 But we also have some donors
16:59 that support us on a monthly basis.
17:01 And, so we kind of have a combination of both,
17:03 but the majority of our ministry
17:06 actually makes money from selling the material
17:08 that we're producing.
17:13 So, we understand where he makes
17:15 his revenue from,
17:17 and we followed this last question
17:19 to get a little bit more detail.
17:21 And it was, what is a product and or service
17:24 that your organization actually provides?
17:27 And Scott provided this information.
17:30 Probably one of the biggest things
17:31 that our ministry provides is documentaries.
17:35 We do a lot of different exposes
17:38 on various different subjects,
17:40 and we produce a lot of content.
17:46 Mostly on subjects that are either hard to talk about,
17:50 not talked about as much, or need to be talked about,
17:53 that's sort of where we focused our time and energy.
18:02 And so, you hear that
18:03 what Scott actually does is provide documentaries
18:07 and the things that he does to give back,
18:10 and to help people be more aware is a critical thing.
18:13 I love what Scott does.
18:15 I love him as an individual, because it's about ministry,
18:18 it's about giving, it's about doing.
18:20 And we find that if you get out there,
18:23 and begin to give, and begin to do and volunteer,
18:26 many things can happen, in your life
18:29 that God can lead with.
18:32 And so, I had an opportunity
18:34 to talk to the editor of US magazine,
18:39 and they gave me their approval
18:40 to use these top ten areas where science says,
18:44 "Happiness comes from."
18:46 And you'll be amazed at how it parallels
18:49 what we talk about
18:50 from the standpoint of happiness.
18:52 The first one was.
18:54 To savor everyday moments, enjoy the time that you have,
18:58 whether it be winter, whether be spring, whether be fall.
19:01 Enjoy your family, savor those moments
19:03 when you see,
19:04 your children climbing a tree and doing something.
19:06 Make certain that you set into memory,
19:09 those things that begin to matter most
19:11 which are about other individuals.
19:14 And number two on the list
19:15 was to avoid comparisons with other individuals.
19:19 We always look at everyone else
19:21 and we see what kind of car others drive.
19:24 We see what type of home others have.
19:26 We see that the green,
19:27 the grass is always seems to be greener
19:29 on the other side of the fence.
19:31 Forget those comparisons.
19:32 Don't worry about what anyone else has.
19:34 Be comfortable in and of yourself
19:37 because that's what matters most.
19:39 Number three on the list and which is most important.
19:43 And it's interesting that they say,
19:45 is to put money low on the list.
19:48 Don't let that money issue be the top priority.
19:53 Allow it to help you do certain things,
19:55 but put money as an item
19:58 and as a priority low on your list.
20:00 Number four, have meaningful goals.
20:04 At the turn of every New Year, people make these resolutions.
20:09 People come up with these constant things
20:11 that they like to do as a change in their life.
20:14 What I actually tweeted out this.
20:17 At, at each New Year is basically,
20:20 don't worry about the resolutions.
20:23 Set meaningful goals,
20:26 and have those different levels that you need to get to,
20:29 to attain those goals.
20:31 That means, a lot more than just setting a resolution,
20:34 saying, you're going to do something.
20:36 Set meaningful goals.
20:37 Number five, is take initiative at work.
20:41 Taking initiative is a fantastic thing,
20:43 and I made that statement earlier,
20:46 that if you volunteer, if you do something,
20:49 go out of the way, to be interested
20:51 in making sure that the job, the goals,
20:54 the work gets accomplished.
20:56 And people will notice the effort
20:58 that you provide and that you do.
21:00 It's always good to give your best.
21:01 The Bible says,
21:03 "To give your best, to do your best."
21:05 And it's essential that as you provide
21:08 your best in what you do in a volunteer perspective,
21:11 in a part-time perspective,
21:13 or in a full-time perspective,
21:14 people will see your good deeds,
21:17 and glorify the Father on your behalf
21:19 that you're there working.
21:21 Number five was taking initiative at work.
21:24 Number six, make friends and treasure family.
21:29 In every opportunity that you have,
21:32 make a new friend.
21:33 The family that you have is the only family you have.
21:37 Treasure them, love them and care for them.
21:40 Number seven is smile even when you don't feel like it.
21:44 It has a major way of changing your countenance.
21:47 When you feel sad, you're upset,
21:49 you're angry, smile anyway.
21:51 And guess what?
21:52 Somehow, that smile changes everything.
21:55 So when you have the opportunity
21:57 and if somebody else is having a hard day, smile at them.
22:01 You'll find that, that smile is contagious
22:04 and it will change others,
22:06 and change the environment that you're in.
22:08 Number eight, say thank you, like you mean it.
22:14 You know, it's interesting,
22:16 I'm always tempted when you do something for someone else.
22:20 Open a door for someone else and do something
22:22 and they don't say thank you.
22:24 And you know, I feel tempted to just say,
22:26 you're welcome anyway.
22:28 Look, the context is
22:30 when you're thankful for something, tell someone.
22:34 The fact that your spouse cooked you a great dinner,
22:38 say thank you, like you really mean it.
22:41 If the food wasn't that great anyway,
22:43 say thank you, like you mean it
22:44 because that's what matters being grateful for the things
22:48 that you have in your life.
22:51 Number nine, I would say, get out and exercise.
22:55 Go out and do something.
22:57 Go on a walk, take some time,
22:59 do these type of things that will enhance
23:03 your personal feeling on yourself,
23:05 as well as the enhancement from a health perspective.
23:10 I'm going to go to number ten now.
23:11 And number ten is probably the biggest thing
23:14 that I, think that we can ever do with our things,
23:17 is to give it away, give it away now.
23:20 Many of us have garages that are full of things
23:24 that we hardly use anymore.
23:26 And yet, we're parking our cars outside the garage,
23:28 because our garages and our storage place,
23:30 for the things that we own, for the things that we have.
23:34 I guarantee you this,
23:36 that if you were able to give those things away,
23:39 you will find a certain sense of completion
23:42 by helping someone else with something that they needed.
23:46 We gave away a baby carriage
23:51 that we used to carry our kids and we gave it away,
23:54 my wife saying, "Wow", it has such sentimental value.
23:57 But then, there's a sense of completion inside of us,
24:01 because we see that it's being used
24:04 for someone else in some other family.
24:07 So, give those things away,
24:08 and give it away as quickly as you possibly can.
24:12 Now, I told you that I would tell you
24:16 the answers to the questions,
24:17 what is the top country in the world,
24:19 the happiest country in the world?
24:21 It was Denmark.
24:24 The happiest country in the world now is Costa Rica.
24:28 Did you know that? Jamaica is sixth on the list.
24:31 Guatemala's ninth on the list.
24:32 A lot of Latin American countries
24:35 on the top ten of that list.
24:38 The happiest culture in the world is what?
24:41 Latin, Latin Americans.
24:43 There is a sense of family, a sense of peace,
24:48 the access to the beach, those type of things,
24:51 camaraderie and family makes sense
24:54 for why these countries and these people are so happy.
24:59 And it has nothing to do with the wealth of the country,
25:02 because on that list the countries
25:04 at the bottom of the list were the unhappiest countries
25:08 seem to be the wealthiest countries.
25:10 I'm not going to list some of the countries,
25:12 but the wealthy countries on the list
25:14 are not the happiest countries that we can deal with.
25:18 It's all about a legacy
25:20 and as we bring this full circle,
25:21 as we come to a close,
25:23 I want to actually talk to you about
25:25 what this thing about giving is with an experience that I had.
25:28 When my wife and I had gone to church one evening
25:30 and we were sitting in the back.
25:31 And this performer came up
25:35 and provided some wonderful music,
25:38 and I also went to an appeal.
25:40 Now, from my standpoint
25:41 I've always talked about the issue of giving,
25:44 and about budgeting,
25:45 and about having an idea of what you're going to do,
25:48 and how you're going to do things.
25:49 So, my wife and I do have a budget,
25:51 and we talked about these issues before.
25:52 But when he came to the point of giving,
25:55 I looked at her and I said, "We didn't budget for this,
25:58 why we're going to do anything?
25:59 Why is this so important?
26:01 Why should we come out of our comfort zone to give?
26:04 Now, the key is this, if you're not prepared to give,
26:08 and you're writing a check that you don't have
26:10 any money in the bank, doesn't make any sense.
26:12 You can't go on faith and thinking money
26:13 will suddenly appear there.
26:15 But when you have a savings,
26:17 and you have some money put away,
26:18 or you have some funds that you've allocated
26:21 towards specific purposes of helping other ministries.
26:25 There is an opportunity there
26:27 to provide that sense of a resource
26:29 and to give to another organization
26:33 whose ministry is to deliver the ministry
26:36 that God has them to do.
26:38 And so that dilemma was there as I looked to my wife
26:40 and said, "We haven't budgeted for this?
26:43 We haven't thought about this? We haven't planned for it?"
26:45 That's the way we deal with the budget
26:47 is this thing called fiscal accountability.
26:50 But something came to mind, as my wife looked at me
26:53 and she said, "This is for Christ.
26:57 This is for God. This is for a ministry.
27:00 This is what we are here to actually do.
27:03 This helps us fulfill the purpose and to give."
27:05 And guess what? We did give.
27:08 We gave to that ministry, and there was a certain sense
27:11 once we gave to that a sense of peace,
27:14 a sense of fulfillment, a sense of understanding,
27:16 that we have assisted in a certain way,
27:21 a small way in providing a legacy
27:24 for that organization to move forward,
27:27 and deliver a message that God has in store.
27:31 So, when we come to budgeting,
27:33 when we come to these issues on finance,
27:35 the critical think on money,
27:37 I ask you to think about your happiness.
27:40 And what creates happiness?
27:41 And what provides you that sense of peace?
27:44 And we know, through research
27:47 that happiness has nothing to do with things
27:49 that we have for ourselves,
27:51 but has everything to do with giving.
27:54 God bless you.
27:55 Thank you for joining us on Take it to the Bank.


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Revised 2016-03-28