Thrive.

Alright so ironically (I don't actually know the defintion of irony so this might not be ironic at all), my first post is about bills. Wait, what may be more ironic is that the title of my blog is "Plans for Prosperity."

I have not yet mastered the divine art of paying bills on time every single month. My husband and I will have times where we're actually ahead of things, and then one bad month and we're back to square one; desperately trying to catch up with finances again. It's a vicious circle, and it leaves you feeling like a failure. When you have a kid, there really isn't an option to be a failure. So you end up feeling frantic (see post about selling buns of steel videos) trying to get back on track.

We've recently been introduced to a totally new and radical way to live, called "Thrive" through our church. Now you don't have to be religous at all to live this way (my husband and I are not religious in any sense. Spiritual yes, religious no.) It's essentially living with margin. Giving First, Saving Second, and living on the rest. Holy crap, right?? How are we supposed to GIVE our money away first, THEN save some, and THEN pay bills? Honestly, I have no freaking clue, but there's something intriguing about living this way. What I've been trying to do my entire life has just not worked up until this point.

If we really decided to live this way, I think life would drastically change for many of us, myself included. We would be living with purpose. To be able to give first, meaning that the very first thing you do when you get paid is give some away, is not easy for anyone. As I've said, I've yet to be able to do this full out. Christians go by the standard 10% tith, but I'm not sure it's so much about the amount that you give, than it is that you are actually giving in the first place. Now, to save second is where it's a tricky. How much do you save? 10%? 20%? Again, I think the same concept applies.It's not how much you are saving, but that you are actually saving something each time you get paid. Once that has been done, you live off the rest. Pay the bills, buy the groceries, go out to dinner, take a latin dance class, do whatever you want with whatever you have left over, but once it's gone, it's gone.

I believe that this way of living, for me at least, is the only way that I will learn to live with margin, and start living life with purpose. I need to stop spending what I don't have, and live within my means. God's plan is to prosper us all, but when we sabotage that with our own plans, we end up in a crisis. I've been in crisis mode for way too long now, it's time to change. So what lie's ahead for this family? Lots of praying, and re-evaluating our faith. How can we say we trust God, when we don't even trust him with our money.

Until my next post, Cheers.

p.s. for anyone that is interested in learning more about "Thrive" I've posted the link for the 3 videos that talk about it in detail

http://www.connexuscommunity.com/watch-online/thrive/