Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), Ryan Mark
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000053S
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00:00 Are you finding yourself economically stuck
00:03 and unable to move forward? Well, stay tuned to find out 00:06 just what's holding you back and what you can do 00:09 to take it to another level. My name is Yvonne Lewis 00:12 and you're watching Urban Report 00:35 Hello, and welcome to Urban Report 00:38 The 2010 Census Bureau show that the median 00:42 Black Household made 59.8% as much as the 00:46 median White Household... 40% of Black Students fail to 00:49 graduate High School on time and 27.4% of Blacks live in poverty 00:55 compared to the overall poverty rate of 15%. 00:58 My guest today is Ryan Mark 01:01 President of Optimum Capital Management, LLC. 01:05 He's no stranger to television, he's a frequent contributor 01:09 to CNN and CNBC... he co-authored a book 01:12 with Kevin Powell entitled "The Black Male Handbook" 01:16 he's been featured in Black Enterprise, 01:18 African American Family, The Source and NV Magazine 01:23 he contributes regularly to The Huffington Post. com 01:26 The Network Journal, Fortune, and Black Enterprise 01:30 and he has received the Top Forty 01:33 Under-Forty Achievement Award from the Network Journal. 01:36 He also received Tom Joyner's 01:39 "Hardest Working Financial Advisor Award" 01:42 because of his efforts to 01:44 empower the Community with the crucial life skills 01:47 of financial literacy. Ryan Mark... welcome to 01:51 Urban Report... How are you doing? 01:53 thanks for having me... Great... it's so great 01:56 to have you here... Thanks for the good work 01:58 you're doing out there in Illinois... please keep it up... 02:00 Well, praise the Lord, we're thankful to be here... 02:03 So, Ryan... those, those, statistics are so dismal... 02:08 like what's going on... with the African-American Community? 02:12 What is your diagnosis of what's going on... 02:16 I really feel... and we just completed our tour 02:19 of 14 cities recently... called the 02:23 "Less talk and more action Empowerment Tour" 02:25 and my book, "Living in the Village" 02:27 was the curriculum that we're using and it was based upon 02:31 the "Less Talk... More Action" was based upon 02:34 1 John 3:18 it talks about 02:36 "Our love must not be a thing of words and fine talk... 02:39 it must be a thing of action and sincerity... " 02:42 and when we're talking about what you do to love your 02:45 community... it really exemplifies your actions 02:48 in that Community to empower and I do feel that 02:52 there is a lack of exemplified love through action 02:55 that we need to take... if we just walk down 02:58 the inner city neighborhood of our Communities 03:00 you'll see Check Cashing Places, you'll see Re-participation 03:04 Loans and Rapid Refund Places... you'll see the Rent-a-Centers 03:08 all of these Organizations are built... based upon what they 03:12 perceive to be an opportunity to basically profit off of 03:16 what we don't know... profit off the fact 03:19 that individuals don't know that they can open up 03:22 a bank account... or go to smarterchoice. org 03:25 and get a bank account in the Credit Union and don't have to 03:28 pay 5% of their check just to cash your check... 03:31 they can get electronic deposit, and if they wait another 8 days 03:35 they can get their tax return without paying 200% or 300% 03:37 interest rate... They can do.. what my mother did 03:40 watched that black and white television with the little 03:44 pliers on it... until she could really afford to get a regular 03:47 television... and not go to a Rent-a-Center that is 03:50 essentially capitalizing off our need for instant gratification 03:53 and charging 40-50 bucks a week and essentially paying 03:57 several thousand dollars for a $2,000 television 04:01 that you don't even need... these are things that 04:03 Organizations that are capitalizing off of 04:06 to be quite candid... our ignorance 04:08 and there is nothing wrong with being ignorant 04:10 there are a lot of things that I don't know 04:11 and a lot of things that you don't know 04:12 but there is something wrong with staying ignorant 04:15 Yes...... and for those things that 04:16 we are ignorant about we have to make sure 04:18 that we can try to fix those things and that's what we try 04:20 to do every single day trying to fix this ignorance 04:23 in our Communities about Financial Literacy 04:25 You know Ryan... you made some really, really important points 04:28 and I think at the crux of it... is our reluctance to differ 04:33 gratification... you know... we want... what we want... 04:37 when we want it... as opposed to being willing to 04:40 wait a bit... and save the money it's like... 04:43 it is so true that you can drive by... you see a bunch of 04:47 check cashing places... you see Rent-a-Centers 04:50 I remember... I know several people who used a Rent-a-Center 04:56 to buy... to get Washing Machines... to get... 05:00 and they're paying 3 and 4 times what they would pay 05:03 if they just waited a bit... you know... 05:06 And again... it says... "A faith that hath not works is dead" 05:10 I mean... we can have faith... and this is a Christian Network 05:13 and let's be real here, you know when you talk about faith 05:16 you know... and I'm a saved Christian and Jesus is my Savior 05:20 but... you know when Jesus cured the blind man... 05:22 He said to him... walk two miles to the riverside 05:25 and you'll be able to see... well, sometimes God gives 05:28 an instruction... to justify the blessing... 05:30 and what we have to do is... what sort of evidence 05:34 that we have... that we're walking 05:35 and essentially... when we are not walking 05:38 and essentially allowing individuals to capitalize 05:40 and say... "Let us help them buy a home... " 05:43 with a 500 FICO score... and no money in the Bank 05:45 well, you're not ready to buy the home yet... 05:47 you haven't been walking yet... Come on... 05:49 ...I'm a firm believer that you can... that new home 05:53 that you want... you have it already... 05:54 you just have to work towards it that new house you want 05:57 that new job... whatever you want to get 05:59 you already have... you just have to walk 06:02 and do the things that are necessary to plan and be prudent 06:05 you know, "A patient man has good understanding"... 06:07 it tells in Proverbs... you just have to be prudent enough 06:09 and patient enough to not only just not wait... 06:12 because sometimes we are waiting on God 06:13 but actually God is waiting on you... 06:15 to make the right decisions to put things in place 06:18 to get the things that you need. Absolutely, see we can 06:21 this Network is Dare to Dream right... we can dream... 06:25 but without a plan... it's just a dream... 06:28 Right... right... so it makes no sense... 06:31 to have a dream and then say, 06:33 "OK Lord, please bless me because I want this... " 06:37 No... God has given you certain gifts... certain talents 06:42 take what's in your hand and use that.. and devise a plan 06:47 and that's one of the thing that you've done 06:50 which I'm so impressed by your website... 06:54 by your African-American empowerment document 06:58 that you have on the website... 07:00 I plan to... I've downloaded it 07:02 but I'm going to print it out... I want to do the things myself 07:06 that are in there... because... as you said... 07:08 ignorance is a part of this whole thing... 07:11 there are things that we don't know... 07:14 now... it's nothing wrong with not knowing... 07:17 unless you choose... to not know 07:19 Right... willful ignorance, that's one of the biggest 07:21 epidemics of our Community 07:23 and in sense of what we have to do... 07:25 you know... we do a lot of work with gang members out here... 07:28 actually... one gang member that we've done work with 07:30 wrote a chapter of my recent book 07:32 "Living in the Village" and the recent I wrote the book 07:36 was because not only the educated individuals 07:38 but to show that there are common, ordinary individuals 07:40 out here who do things every single day 07:42 to use economic empowerment financial literacy 07:45 to overcome adversity, you know... 07:47 adversity is inevitable but your response is an option 07:51 so, what we have to understand is that we can choose to be 07:54 impacted or overcome our adversities 07:56 by just using simple things... the first gang member that we 07:59 worked with... at least... one of them... Damon Jenkins... 08:02 he came to us with $300 in his pocket... 08:03 just came out of Rikers Island and he sat down 08:06 and we were in a meeting with some Bloods and Crips 08:08 and we were trying to get them to figure out ways 08:10 to have them not have as much crime... 08:13 or use crime as an option, but as opposed to judging them 08:16 giving them other alternatives... 08:18 I met with Damon... the next morning and 08:20 long story short we took that $300 and nine months later 08:23 after going to inkitnow. com, and enrolling in the GED Program 08:26 and enrolling in certification programs... 08:28 most of these programs were free of charge 08:30 that we already knew of within our Communities, 08:33 and nine months later he had ten employees and 08:35 Project Managers that he was hiring... 08:38 and many of them were other Bloods that he was using 08:40 to get them jobs... within his own Company 08:42 because he used his will to get the education and 08:45 we assisted him in that... and that's why 08:46 it really does take a village... and then from the end of that 08:49 it came that he feels that he doesn't have to commit a crime 08:52 because... he now knows of alternative ways 08:55 to sustain himself... now, I'm not sitting here saying 08:57 he's not going to be there today but I am saying that he makes 09:00 enough money to keep a roof over his head, 09:02 to keep clothes on his back, and have other Bloods... 09:04 give them opportunities so they don't feel they 09:07 they have to rob and steal... the best way to fix crime 09:10 is to give somebody a job and to educate them 09:12 how to use their money... Yeah... and you know what Ryan 09:14 again... such great points... because, number one, 09:17 many people assume... 09:19 that because some people 09:21 have had a criminal background, they don't want to work 09:23 there's nothing further from the truth... 09:25 they want to work, but they're locked out 09:27 so what you're doing... because of the felony... 09:31 so what you're doing is... you are helping these guys 09:35 to know that there are options that they don't have to stay 09:38 locked out but they have to be... 09:40 they have to be creative they have to be entrepreneurial, 09:42 you know, and they have to make choices 09:45 that are going to make a difference and it's amazing 09:47 that you sat down with Bloods and Crips 09:50 and you're showing them this... they don't have to 09:53 to continue with crime... they can have... other options 09:58 and that is tremendous... the beautiful part about it is 10:02 that, you know, we... I'm an entrepreneur... 10:05 I love starting businesses, and, you know, 10:07 what an entrepreneur does... and people say, 10:09 "Well, Ryan... now is not the time to start your businesses" 10:11 is why we travel all across the Country 10:13 we speak at Churches, we speak in Prisons, 10:16 we speak at... all across the Country 10:17 teaching individuals about financial literacy, 10:19 starting businesses, and, you know, when I started my 10:22 financial planning company 10:24 I started... because there was a problem... 10:25 of individuals in our Community who did not manage 10:28 their money correctly, so how can I fix that problem 10:31 but also keep food on my table at the same time... 10:33 that was the first problem, and there was another problem 10:35 that many individuals... weren't able to afford to pay 10:38 for our services... so we went out and formed a 10:40 501c free so we can get the Government to pay 10:43 for our services... and another problem was 10:45 people coming home from Prison weren't able to get jobs 10:47 well... we had a lot of connections with different 10:49 developers in our local Community and had resources 10:51 and so we formed a Development Company... 10:53 and through that Development Company... 10:54 sitting on the Board of Organizations like Re-Build 10:57 we've helped over 2,000 individuals 10:59 come out of Prison find jobs 11:01 and get over 60% of them... have kept those jobs 11:05 for at least six months or more so, if this is just through 11:09 businesses that we formed... in order to assist problems in 11:12 our Community... and again... over half of the S and P 500 11:15 were formed during hard economic times... 11:17 just like you see.. right now... so, essentially, it's a crime 11:21 to sit back and say that "I'm not going to let this idea 11:24 come out of my head and come into fruition 11:26 because... on the other side of your hard work 11:28 your blood, your sweat and your tears... 11:29 there is somebody waiting on you to bless them 11:31 with that idea... so the epitomy of selfishness 11:34 is really quitting... so you're not quitting on... you 11:37 you're quitting on all those people that are supposed 11:39 to benefit from those grand ideas that you have inside... 11:41 and so... this is why... we have to unlock our potential 11:43 take the top off our thinking... 11:45 and get prepared to bless some people around this hard economy. 11:48 That's tremendous... that is just tremendous! 11:52 I mean, wow, the fact that... that again... 11:56 you're giving options... you're sharing resources 12:00 see... I think one of the things that happens is 12:02 we don't know... what's available 12:05 we don't know... what resources are available 12:09 and connecting with those resources... that's key and so 12:13 with your Organization... I know that you write... 12:18 I know that you're a contributor to CNN... 12:22 what other things are you doing to connect with 12:26 inner city residents? Well, what we like to do... 12:29 a lot of times... people ask me to speak... 12:31 I just did a Workshop with Demal Brian's Church in 12:34 Palmer Temple... did a speech down there... 12:37 speaking is great but... 12:39 I really feel that it's time 12:41 for us to start cleaning together... really talking shop 12:43 so what I normally do with Organizations that call me 12:46 out to do a keynote speech... you know... 12:49 not really a whole lot you can do in 20 minutes 12:51 besides getting people to stand up 12:52 but it is inspirational it's great. But it's time for us to 12:55 take it to another level... it's time for us to take a step 12:57 forward and, you know, to figure out what we can do 13:00 to collaborate... right now, we have, 13:02 a group of inmates in Houston, 13:05 we talked to some folks down in Philadelphia 13:08 as well as Chicago... inmates training inmates 13:11 in financial literacy using my book 13:13 "Living in the Village" as a curriculum for an 13:15 eight-week program... it's sustainable... 13:17 it's free... and it sustained itself... 13:19 I go there now, I'll train them, 13:21 I leave and then the Program continues to sustain itself... 13:24 we have Programs that we have created across 13:25 the Country for Youth... where we train the youth 13:28 in terms of financial literacy and once the youth get it... 13:31 we train the educators and the teachers in financial literacy, 13:34 they'll then work with the Youth and then... I can leave... 13:37 I can move myself from the equation 13:38 and now the teachers can continue to teach the youth 13:41 in financial literacy and economic and employment 13:42 programming... so, I really try to do... 13:44 and we just spent a whole week about two weeks ago in St. Lucia 13:48 there were two to three workshops a day... 13:50 we plan on going back there for another two months... 13:53 to really start some good sustainable economic programming 13:56 that can have a true, measured impact... and again... 13:59 we do a lot of speeches and people call me all the time 14:02 and say, "Ryan, come and speak to our Organization" 14:04 well, I say, you know... "What are we going to do 14:06 after the speech?" are we going to sit down, 14:08 and collaborate and bring ideas and people together because 14:12 there are lot of hungry folks out there... out on the streets 14:15 they need our ideas... they don't need for us to 14:17 just continue to rest on our laurels... 14:19 they don't need for us to continue to say that 14:21 we need an inspiration... without information... 14:24 it's just frustration... so we have to get folks 14:27 to move forward and set... that's what we're really 14:30 trying to focus on... through our non-profit 14:32 and really trying to create tangible program 14:35 that can have a measured impact speaking is great... 14:37 but I'd much prefer to do some programming and 14:40 some workshops and sit down and we can have a measured impact 14:42 so we can see some real testimonial results from the 14:45 people that are moving forward. That's tremendous because 14:48 what did you say, what with... "Inspiration without Information 14:52 is just Frustration" I like it... I like it... 14:56 that's what I said... I like it I'll write it down... 14:58 I love it... I love it... because, you know what? 15:00 it is one thing to get people to, you know, 15:03 to motivate them... and get them in the 15:05 rah... rah thing... but then you leave... 15:07 but if you leave something in place... 15:11 to replicate... what you've taught 15:14 and to then, kind of, have it across the board 15:17 so that people can continue to work in it... 15:20 and you have somebody in place... 15:22 like an Organization... in place there... 15:24 to kind of keep things going... 15:26 that's how real change is wrought... 15:28 not by just one speech... which is great... 15:31 but by replication and duplication of your efforts 15:35 that's tremendous... that's tremendous... 15:37 What got you involved in financial literacy? 15:40 I used to be a Trader on Wall Street for six years 15:44 and I traded biotechnology stocks at the largest NASDAQ 15:48 trading firm in the world, not equity markets 15:50 and had a great time... made some good money... 15:53 but I really felt that there was a stronger need out there 15:57 to educate my Community, my aunt called me one day 16:00 and she said, "Ryan, what is a stock?" 16:03 and that kind of resonated with me because if my aunt 16:05 didn't know... what a stock was that meant a lot my family 16:08 didn't know what stocks were... 16:09 I figured... especially in the Black Community 16:12 that they didn't know what investments were 16:14 I mean, we're quick to jump in a long line... 16:17 to pay $300 for some sneakers... but we will not pay 50 bucks 16:21 to own the Company that makes the sneakers... 16:23 Come on... come on... come on 16:25 ...so, this is the type of thing and mentality 16:27 that I really wanted to address and I couldn't do that 16:29 by making money behind the keyboard... 16:30 I wanted to go to the streets... to my Community... 16:33 I got an offer... from a large Company 16:35 that wanted me to be a Financial Planner with them 16:37 but they told me... unless I only work for 16:39 high-net-worth individuals and everybody else 16:41 was a waste of time... and it says very clearly... 16:44 in Proverbs 3:27... Do not withhold good from those 16:47 who deserve it for it is in your power to act... 16:50 and I did not want to withhold good from anyone... 16:52 including my own mother that's not high-net worth 16:54 including most of the individuals in my family 16:57 that are not high-net-worth... people in the streets... 16:59 in my own Community... where I live... 17:00 where I lay my head at night... these individuals out here in 17:03 Brooklyn... many individuals... most of them are not 17:05 high-net-worth... so I'm not trying to withhold 17:07 good from them... and good is knowledge... 17:09 good is education... so we like to go... 17:11 and that's why I started my own company 17:13 I'm not... I have the power to do... 17:15 but I did feel like I had a calling from God 17:18 to speak to a lot of people about it 17:21 and He kind of gave me that signal and I decided that 17:23 it was not going to be through this Organization 17:25 that was telling me that I could only work for 17:26 high net-work... it wasn't going to be 17:27 through Wall Street... it was through learning how to 17:30 create my own mechanism... my own business... 17:32 through His will... and learn how to get this 17:34 message out in a way... and He sustained me 17:37 through the whole thing... He taught me that, you know, 17:39 sometimes... you just got to accept the fact 17:40 that your ship is not going to come in 17:42 but you can learn how to swim out to it... 17:44 and when you learn how to swim it's a beautiful thing 17:47 swim with Jesus... Amen.. that is so... so... true. 17:51 How long have you been a Christian? 17:53 I've been a Christian all my life... 17:55 but I would say... I was saved in February of 1995 18:02 it was the winter time and God revealed Himself to me 18:07 I was walking home from School and... 18:11 from Michigan... it was a big hill... 18:13 at the bottom of this hill was a big patch of ice... 18:16 to make the long story short, I almost slipped 18:18 on this patch of ice and something inside of me said, 18:22 "Ryan," it's negative 20 degrees outside 18:24 "Ryan, you have to put something on this patch of ice" 18:28 and I started arguing with God at the time 18:29 that I'm not trying to clean this ice up... 18:31 it's too cold out here... I'm a quarter mile away from home 18:34 I'm trying to go home... so I walked back home and 18:35 the closer I got home... to the dorm room 18:38 where I was living... the stronger the voice got... 18:40 so by the time I got there... I said... you know what... 18:43 forget it... I don't have any salt... 18:45 I opened up the door... there's a big bag of salt... 18:47 all in the lobby where I lived to this day 18:50 there's never been bag of salt either after that or before that 18:54 for the four years that I was in Michigan 18:56 there was a pair of scissors located right there on the desk 19:00 for me to take the scissors up, so I said, 19:02 "OK... let me just go ahead and use it... " 19:04 so I took it... cut open the bag and I walked outside 19:08 and as soon as I stepped foot on the ground 19:10 there was a cartoon.. I tell you if you're an atheist 19:13 you're not going to believe this story 19:15 it was a cartoon... the cloud opened... 19:17 and the temperature got so hot that I had to unzip my jacket... 19:20 it was negative 20 before... wind chill factor... 19:23 and it was so hot... that I'd unzipped my jacket 19:25 and I walked back to put salt on the ice 19:28 I put salt on the ice and I walked back 19:30 and I was thinking... wow... it's really hot... 19:32 I'm almost sweaty... because I had this big, fat jacket on 19:35 and I couldn't take it off... because I was holding 19:36 the bag of salt and I said, "Wow! 19:38 I'm going to play basketball" I want to do something... 19:41 I want to play ball... you know, this is Indian summer, 19:44 you know, I'm excited now... the temperature just changed 19:47 and by the time I got back home the ten seconds that it took me 19:50 to put the bag of salt down and go to my room... 19:52 the temperature had gotten back to negative 20 wind chill again, 19:56 when I looked out the window and then... 19:58 my roommate came in 20:00 and I was saying... all the time you know, nobody is going to 20:02 know what I did... and I kept saying... 20:04 nobody is going to notice the difference 20:06 nobody is going to say anything about it... 20:08 I've just wasted my time... the first thing my roommate says 20:11 as he came and he said, "Ryan, I was running home 20:13 and I would have slipped on some ice... 20:15 but luckily somebody put some salt down and it melted 20:18 just enough to where I could get my footing 20:20 and I didn't bust my neck on this salted ice 20:22 and at that point I thought that that was God telling me 20:26 that sometimes you got to go out of your way, 20:28 go out of your way... I'm going to make a way for you 20:30 and I'm going to make it easier for you 20:31 because you're doing my will not your will 20:33 but my will... and yet you're doing something 20:35 for somebody else and that was just His indication 20:37 and stuff has been happening like that... all the time... 20:41 when you give your life to God it just becomes a 20:43 wonderful thing. My first time on CNN was really 20:46 just a blessing because I was yelling at the TV Screen 20:51 and I said, "God, there is Gerri Willis on TV 20:53 you told me I'm going to speak for the millions of people 20:56 she's doing it... I want to do what she is doing" 20:58 this was in 2008 and nine days later 21:00 I met Alicia Stewart who just said 21:02 "Ryan, I've been following your e- mails and I see where 21:05 you're going... to teach Financial Literacy Seminar 21:09 do you want to go on CNN... so thirteen days later 21:12 after I'm yelling at the screen... at Gerri Willis 21:15 saying, "God, I want to do what she's doing" 21:16 I'm on CNN with Gerri Willis, doing what she's doing 21:20 talking about financial literacy Oh... look at God... right... 21:24 This is how He does... and I just... pity the fool 21:27 who does not say it... man... and this is just the thing that 21:30 it's a beautiful thing when you give it all over... 21:32 and it makes stuff so much easier... 21:34 why make stuff hard just try to be it easy... 21:36 financial literacy is a good way to make it easy 21:38 using His principles that are really... 21:40 the best financial planning book is the Bible 21:42 we teach from that all the time... 21:44 Come on... tell us about that... like how... 21:46 because so many people think... "Well the Bible is irrelevant" 21:50 or you can't... you know... "It's an old book... " 21:52 "It doesn't have any relevance" tell us how you use the Bible 21:55 to teach financial literacy... I mean, when you think about it 21:59 one of the Scriptures... in Proverbs 22:00 it talks about... what use is money in the hand of a fool... 22:03 if they have no desire to obtain wisdom 22:05 and that relates right into the fact that 22:07 individuals who are chasing money 22:09 they might even win the lottery, but most lottery winners 22:12 end up being flat broke... you know 22:14 Yeah...... if you go to the South Side 22:16 of Chicago... you choose one zip code... 22:19 one zip code... in the South Side of Chicago, 22:21 they might spend as much as between $20 and $23 million 22:24 dollars a year in one zip code on Lotto tickets 22:27 and so, again, what use is it, you're chasing money, 22:29 and what use is money in the hand of a fool that 22:31 has no desire to obtain wisdom? You know... it talks about it 22:34 in the parable of the talents whether you are blessed with 22:36 one, three or five talents... and the individual with 22:39 three talents... put his money to usury... he doubled it... 22:42 five talents... doubled it... the one person with one talent 22:44 stuck it in the ground and didn't do anything with it 22:47 he was penalized for that... I mean... these are stories 22:49 in the Bible that I mean I can go on and on... 22:51 we have a Workshop that is called 22:52 "Provisions for Abundance" that really goes through 22:55 a lot of different principles that are from the Word of God 22:58 I mean... "How to improve your Credit" 23:01 how not to... Ecclesiastes talks about 23:02 divide your portions in seven and eight... 23:04 because... who knows... what evil tomorrow will bring 23:07 you know... divide your portion into seven and eight 23:09 that sounds a whole lot like "Diversify your Portfolio" 23:13 Come on... come on... now... Why would you give all of your 23:15 money to one person... like Bernie Madoff 23:17 when in Ecclesiastes it says... 23:18 divide your portion into seven and eight? 23:20 Come on... I mean... these are things that 23:21 you know... it talks about... the line that I always like 23:25 to say that paraphrases different things... 23:27 I think it's in John... that "Whatever you can walk 23:29 away from... you have mastered, whatever you cannot 23:31 walk away from... has mastered you" 23:32 and that comes from the Bible... these are principles about 23:36 how to spend our money... how to budget our money, 23:38 how to make sure that we can save for rainy days... 23:40 how to make it so that we can invest prudently 23:42 how to make sure that we can prepare 23:43 for an Estate... a wise man leaves an inheritance 23:46 for his children's children... how can you do that effectively 23:50 unless you are putting it together in an Estate Plan 23:52 you know... you look at the Bible 23:53 you look at what the principle says and then you use 23:56 Financial Literacy to say, "Now, what mechanism are we 23:59 blessed with to be able to use, to put these principles 24:02 into place?" Budgeting, Estate Planning 24:04 Insurance... you know... all of these things 24:07 are things that I believe that God has allowed us to create 24:10 to put principles that He's given us 24:13 to put in place and manage His principles wisely 24:15 so He can say... "Well done, thou good and 24:17 faithful servant... for you have mastered over few... 24:19 I will make you ruler over many, that's not a whole lot of saving 24:22 like saving a little... it makes you... 24:24 no matter how little money that you have... 24:26 you save it and be very prudent with it... 24:27 I mean... I can go on... and on about this stuff and... 24:29 it's just a wonderful thing and I mean... look... 24:31 Suze Orman ain't got nothing on the Word, you know... 24:34 Come on.. come on... come on now.. nothing on the Word... 24:36 as Christians... we should understand that 24:38 that's why we do... we spend a lot of our time in 24:41 Churches across the Country, just educating... 24:43 and getting folks excited about this stuff, Man, 24:45 it's time to get excited about budgeting and saving... 24:47 You know... that's really true, it's like... 24:50 a lot of times... you know... you just don't... 24:54 there's something about the mentality of just 24:57 not wanting to deal with it... but you have to deal with it... 25:01 because as you said... and it's in the Word 25:03 basically what you don't control will control you... 25:06 so... you can either be proactive or reactive 25:10 and if you're reactive... I mean... you are just following 25:13 along but you're not... 25:14 you're not focused 25:16 you're not intentional about what you're doing... 25:18 and that doesn't honor God. 25:19 It doesn't... I mean... Scripture after Scripture 25:23 talks about... don't... don't get into hasty investments 25:26 because you'll end up going into poverty... 25:28 you know... it just goes on and on... 25:30 and when we understand this... and I think the stigma... 25:33 I mean... I'm happy to say... it seems as if... 25:37 now at least... what I am seeing when I'm out there... 25:39 speaking in different cities across the Country... 25:41 the stigma of not talking about money 25:44 is starting to go away... especially in the Churches... 25:46 it used to be... almost like a red flag... 25:49 you don't really go into money... 25:51 you know... you don't talk about money... 25:53 you know... and there'll be misconceptions about 25:55 "What is Christian" you know... "Are Godly people... rich?" 26:00 "Are Godly people poor?" you know... 26:02 Godly people are not rich or poor 26:04 Godly people are faithful... Come on... come on... 26:07 They talk about... "Why do we go to work?" 26:09 I got to work to get rich... or... I got to work 26:12 to just pay my bills... no... you don't go to work 26:14 to get rich or just to pay your bills... 26:16 we go to work to serve Christ... and this is what you do... 26:19 on a day to day basis... no matter what you do... 26:21 you give it over to God... everything you do is just 26:23 to serve in the glory of His name... 26:24 and then... the fruits will come 26:26 out of that labor... you know... 26:28 they will come out of the labor that you are working for Him... 26:30 and that includes our finances... 26:32 God is not going to create a book that talks about everything 26:35 and leave money out of it... you know... 26:37 and it's again for the love of money, 26:40 and I don't love money... 26:41 and I've always said... and some individuals 26:43 disagree with me... I don't believe that money 26:45 is a blessing I believe that money is a 26:48 fruit of the blessing... money is the result in 26:52 Ephesians 1 verse 3 Blessed is the Lord and Father 26:55 of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us 26:58 with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places... in Christ. 27:00 I believe that the things that you have inside of you... 27:04 are the blessings... and because you're able to 27:06 use those things... you are able to create money... 27:08 and that's the symptom that you are truly blessed 27:11 because you use those blessings that you have 27:13 and this is why... those who are in poverty... 27:15 which we do a lot of Workshops... 27:17 in Prisons and Homeless Shelters I'd like to tell... 27:19 I'd say, "Listen, I don't care if you 27:21 have not a dollar to your name" you are still truly blessed... 27:24 if you still have a pulse and still have a purpose... 27:26 let's figure out what you can use 27:28 and what you can create... we were in South Africa... 27:30 we figure out... I don't care if you're living 27:33 in the shanty town... what can you use 27:35 to create these things... Yes.. yes... what's in your hand 27:37 My! I can't believe our time is up 27:39 I have to have you back... actually I want to have you here 27:42 will you come here some time? Absolutely... I would love to... 27:45 That would be great, may God bless you and 27:46 continue with your great work. God bless you... 27:50 Proverbs 21:5 says "The plans of the diligent 27:53 lead to profit as surely as haste leads 27:55 to poverty... be intentional 27:57 with your finances... pay your tithes and offerings, 28:00 support ministries like Dare to Dream 28:02 and have a plan... May God bless you... 28:04 tune in next time... It just wouldn't be the same 28:06 without you... |
Revised 2025-01-08