Tag: Stewardship

Four Reasons to Check Your Credit Report

Most people have easy access to their credit scores.  Mine is available on my credit card statements each month and from my banks.  People are less likely to look at their credit report, especially if their credit score is good or excellent.  However, it is a good idea to review your report occasionally.  Here’s why.

  • Check for identity theft.  If someone has gotten access to your personal information, they may have applied for a loan or credit card in your name.  You need to review your report periodically for any accounts that you are unaware of.  One of my credit card companies checks this for me and notifies me each month as to whether any new accounts have been open in my name.  You may want to check with your credit card company to see if that service is available to you.
  • Check for errors.  Credit card companies process more than a billion transactions each day. They are going to make some mistakes. The sooner you catch a mistake, the sooner it can be corrected and the less likely it will negatively impact your credit score.  Additionally, some lenders may fail to report closed accounts or debts that have been paid in full, so you will want to check for those type of errors, as well.
  • Learn why your credit score is not higher.  I spoke with a lady recently who told me her credit score was 580.  That is on the cusp between Poor and Fair.  She could not understand why it was so low, as she said she had no debt other than her home mortgage and a loan on one of her four family vehicles.  We pulled her Experian credit report, which told a very different story.  The woman had seven accounts that were flagged as Potentially Negative.  Each of them was small debt that she had not paid and did not realize that she owed.  It was immediately obvious why her score is so law.
  • Make a plan to improve your score.  The seven debts that the lady had not paid have all been sent to collections.  She needs to take care of each of these.  Her plan is to (1) contact each creditor to verify that the bill is correct, and (2) pay each debt that is truly owed.  In her case, one debt was for about $350 and the other 6 were approximately $100 each. She can pay off all seven bills for less than $1,000.  She should see a significant increase in her credit score in 30 – 45 days.

In the case of the lady I spoke with, her credit score was quite low due to unpaid debts totaling less than $1,000.  She can easily pay all of these bills, once she verifies they are accurate.  In other instances, however, someone may have no debts that have gone to collection, yet still have a low credit score.  This could be due to a pattern of paying bills late, opening too many new accounts in a short period of time, or having too much debt in relation to your maximum.  It is difficult to assess why your score is low and make a plan to improve it without reviewing your credit report.

Everyone is entitled to a free copy of their credit report once a year from each of the three major credit rating agencies.  Some financial experts recommend checking all three at the same time each year and comparing them, while other experts recommend spacing them out during the year.  The lady I worked with pulled her Experian report last week. She will take care of each of the debts and allow 45 days for her records to be updated. Then she will get one from either TransUnion or Equifax to verify that the debts have been removed, and later in the year she will get the third one to ensure that she is staying on track with all of her open account.

To access your free credit report, go to annualcreditreport.com

If you need help to learn to manage your money and improve your credit, please check out some of my other blogs on Finances, Money Management, and Stewardship. My book Honoring God with Your Money is a great tool for financial money management.

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Being God’s Arms Extended

In our church, we often use the phrase “God’s arms extended.” We use this when speaking about reaching out into our community and sharing God’s love through service, ministry, and prayer.

To my knowledge, the phrase “God’s arms extended” does not appear in the Bible. However, Jesus expressed the importance of doing this in Matthew 25: 31- 46. He was teaching His disciples about things that will happen when He returns to rule over the earth.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” Matthew 25: 31 – 34

Jesus explains that those who offered food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, extended hospitality to the stranger, clothed those in need, cared for the sick, and visited the imprisoned are the sheep. Those who failed to extend assistance and compassion are the goats. Those who cared for others will receive eternal life, and those who did not will receive eternal damnation.

We had a missionary, Mark, speak in our church on Sunday. He shared that early in his ministry in Africa, he had not learned enough of the language to preach and teach. For a time, Mark was limited to embracing children and engaging them in sports. He began to get discouraged that he could not do more. As he prayed, Mark said something along the lines of, “All I can do is hug the children.” In his spirit, Mark clearly heard the Lord say, “Thank you.”

Mark realized that when we, as God’s people, show love to others, we allow God to show love through us. As Mark hugged the children, he was allowing God to wrap His arms around these precious little ones. Mark was literally being God’s arms extended.

What a beautiful picture! God wants to provide for the hungry, thirsty, needy, sick, and imprisoned. And, He does provide through us.

The next time you see someone in need, afraid, or discouraged, I pray that this illustration will come to mind and that you will take the opportunity to be God’s arms extended.

Please feel free to share an instance in which you knew that God was using you to be His hands extended.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Pepperonis as Quarters

Pepperoni Pizzas
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

In a different phase of life, my husband and I bought a pizza franchise and opened a restaurant in the little town of Orange, VA.  Our good friend, and pizza mentor, Jerry told us that we should look at “pepperonis as quarters.”  An individual pepperoni probably costs a penny or less–I never did the math, but I got the point.  Wasting food costs me money, and small wastes add up quickly and take money out of my pocket.  Little things matter whether you are trying to make money in your business or trying to live within your means on a tight budget.

In my current job, I am a consultant in a small business development center.  I meet with people each week who would like to start businesses.  Many of these dreams will be derailed or postponed due to poor credit and/or lack of financial resources to get a business started.  Often these people have plenty of income, yet they have failed to live within their means.  Some of them have made big financial mistakes, such as buying a house that they cannot afford, but many are in trouble because they have failed to control small expenses.  They forget that lunches out and $4 cups of coffee can make a big dent in their budgets.

As a Christian, I am a steward of all that God has entrusted to me.  When someone mentions stewardship, money management is probably the first thought that comes to mind.  Stewardship, however, encompasses all phases of your life, including how you use your time and how you use your talents.  We can relate the “pepperonis as quarters”  adage to time and talents, as well as to money.  Saving a few moments here and there throughout your day can add up and allow you more time to play a game with your child, read a book for pleasure, relax with your spouse, or start a new project.  Honing your talents little by little can help you gain speed and proficiency.

I Corinthians 4:2 tells us, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”  I hope that this word will encourage you to look for small ways to be a better steward of your time, talent, and money.

My One Word of 2021–Stewardship

I have chosen “stewardship” to be the word that I focus on for 2021. Stewardship relates to how we care for the duties and possessions entrusted to us. Specifically, how we manage the resources given to us by God.

In Genesis chapter 1, God commanded Adam to care for the earth and subdue. There are many stories of stewards in the Bible–some good and some bad stewards.

Growing up in the Assemblies of God, I have been involved in Girls Ministries for nearly 50 years. One of the principles that was impressed upon my was that I was to be a good steward of my time, talent, and money. 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful,” is a verse that I learned at a young age. It has guided me throughout my life in how I manage my money and conduct my life.

Managing my time has been more challenging. This year, I will focus on displaying faithful stewardship more thoroughly in how I spend my time. I will also encourage others to be faithful stewards in how they handle their money and other resources entrusted to them by God.

Money stewardship is the theme of my newest book, “Honoring God with Your Money.” In it, I examine what the Bible says about money in how we budget and spend our money, as well how we give and our attitudes towards money. The book will be published in the coming weeks.

As I juggle being a full-time employee, a wife, and mother and grandmother, with other obligations that include working in Girls Ministries and church leadership and writing books, faithful stewardship of my time has been even more critical.

Throughout this year, I encourage you to examine your own stewardship of your time, talent, and financial resources. Are you honoring God in all that you do?

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