Mint: Official endorsement

It is a very strange for me to endorse a secular product or service.  However, I am so impressed by Mint.com that I feel like it could be a real blessing to your family for the income God has given you.  Incredibly, Mint.com is totally FREE and simple to use.  No strings attached, no downloads.  It is all online on their servers.  It is highly rated, perfectly safe, and very popular in the financial world.

We switched to Mint.com when Microsoft announced that they would no longer offer Microsoft Money after 2011.  We had used Money to budget our finances for a few years.

These products connect to your checking account via the Internet and allow you to set up a budget, show reports, etc.  Mint.com is only a budgeting tool and does not allow you to pay your bills.  It only connects to your bank account to download your transactions.  Anyhow, you have to pay your bills on the Bank's website, or just the old fashioned way of checks.

So.....as I was saying originally - I LOVE MINT.  It categorizes all our spending almost automatically and generates instant reports of what we are spending our money on.  You see pie charts for the whole year and even compare them to the average other families are spending in the USA or Delaware.  I spend very, very little time inputting any information.  It does it automatically from my bank.  Awesome.

You can set up a budget for every category and it will warn you when you overspent for something.  It will send you a warning email or even a text message I believe.  "Too much for restaurants!" it says.....Ha, Ha, good stuff.  "Mortgage payment due in 5 days!"  There is also humor built into the service.  "Freshen accounts?"....get it?  Fresh, Mint....oh well....leave the humor to the bears and Jack Wagner.

I see this as a great help for God's Church as well.  When we as believers are good stewards of our money, we have more decision power for offerings like Faith Promise Missions, Building, etc.  Tithes should be automatic - no decision.  But, when we've blown all our money on Starbucks....well, it doesn't go to World Missions, I'll tell you that.

Hope this helps.  It sure is helping the Witmers.  (by the way, the screenshot above is NOT my account :)

Feed the Fish

Have you fed the fish yet on the right of this blog?  Simply click in the fish tank a few times.

Thanks.  They were hungry.

Deacons

I want to take a moment and praise our present Deacons.  Tonight we had a Deacons meeting and discussed many very important things that will shape the direction of our church.

There was one issue about the new building that raised a discussion that I was not prepared for.  Near the end of the discussion, it was obvious to me that many of the guys actually had more vision for the project on that detail than I did.  On the way home, I could only smile and praise the Lord for bringing such faith and courage to our leadership.

Some Pastors have the problem of getting their Deacons to be excited about anything.  I have the wonderful "problem" of having a group of guys that have seen the Lord work in the past and are ready to trust Him into the future no matter how great the mountain to climb, or deep the ocean to swim.  Praise the Lord!

Friend and Coworker Day

We praise the Lord for "the many" visitors who had a chance to hear the gospel on Sunday morning.  You "Lighthousers" did a great job of bringing people.

We do know that at least 5 people took Red discipleship indicating that they had trusted Christ.  As you know, we don't push numbers here, but glory in obedience to preach the gospel, fruit that will remain, and being the savour of life unto life and death unto death.

The Lord worked in our evening service and after as well.  I know that many were moved by the thought of our dark world and the need for Christ from Romans 1.  It is precious to see grown men cry under the touch of the Holy Spirit.  Afterward, the Lord did His saving work and brought one to Christ.  The Lord had used several influences outside of the church throughout the last few weeks to call her to salvation.  Amen. "Some plant, some water, but God gives the increase."