We interrupt our normally scheduled post for this breaking news…
I met Dave!
Yesterday I got the opportunity to volunteer at the Dave Ramsey Live Event in Phoenix. It was this same event 10 years ago that changed our lives.
Before the show Dave came around and greeted every one of the 60 or so volunteers that gave up 8 hours of their day to come and work the event.
He shook my hand and said “Thank you for helping out!”
And I wanted to laugh because really, there is NO WAY I could repay him for the difference he has made in our lives.
If I had more time I would have told him that other than God and our families, he is the one person who has had the greatest impact in our lives.
He made our marriage better.
He helped us grow in our faith.
Beginning to apply his principles was like the gentle turning of a rudder on a great big ship that is our lives. We changed our direction that year but now, 10 years later we can see the DRAMATICALLY different route our lives have taken.
I am not in any way trying to cut God out of the equation. Quite the opposite – through Dave we gained a greater understanding of what God wants from us when it comes to our money.
- He wants us to not be in debt (Prov 22:7)
- He wants us to save (Prov 21:20)
- He wants us to make a plan for our money (Prov 27:23)
- He wants us to help others (Philippians 2:3-4)
- He wants us to give cheerfully (II Cor 9:7)
To be honest when we first started the baby steps our motivation was to pay off our debt so we could build our wealth and retire early. But along the journey we discovered the extreme joy in giving. We discovered the freedom to alter our careers and pursue our God-given dreams. We discovered what REALLY matters.
For us what really matters is not the size of our 401k, or what age we’re going to be able to retire at. It’s the impact our money can have RIGHT NOW! It’s adding two children to our family through adoption. It’s helping send orphans in Uganda to school. It’s helping a church in Ethiopia care for at risk kids in their community (more on that coming soon).
All of that we owe, in large part, to Dave and the ministry God has blessed him with.
So thank you Dave, for everything!
- Part 1: The Early Years: In Love and In Debt
- Part 2: Joining Financial Baggage
- Part 3: Driving Our Debt Around
- Part 4: The Baby Years: Baby Steps, Baby Boy
- Part 5: The “B” Word: B-U-D-G-E-T
- Part 6: The Envelope System – It Makes Your Budget Work
- Part 7: The ever-important emergency fund
- Part 8: Dumping Debt
- Part 9: Freedom to Make BIG Changes
- Part 10: Facing Setbacks – Meet Murphy
Well said! Too bad you didn’t get the chance to tell him, because I’m sure he would LOVED hearing your story.
Wow- what a great story!! I can’t wait to read all the other pieces of your process.I found you after making my own excited post about meeting Dave. But I will continue to follow. My life may include adoption at some point in the next few years and you look like an awesome resource!
We, too, have met Dave. In fact, when we made our “debt free” phone call last October, we drove to his office/studio and called from the lobby. I have met him another time as well (since we live just 45 minutes away).
He is the “genuine article,” and treats those around him with care. We are blessed to have found God’s principles of money through him.
We, too, have adopted a baby and have a heart for adoption. Your blog is very well done and helpful.