Participants: Cordell Thomas
Series Code: TITTB
Program Code: TITTB000027
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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. |
Revised 2016-03-28