Faith & Finances: In God We Trust

A Journey to Financial Dependence

Happy Cinco De Mayo!  I thought I’d celebrate with a book review!

Once in a while a publisher or promotion specialist will email bloggers and ask for a review of their book in exchange for a free copy.

One thing about me that you may not know is that I love books!   So, any chance at a free book is right up my alley.

Faith & Finances: In God We Trust is kind of a story and devotional combined, written by several different authors.

The set up of the book is different than what I’ve seen out of books before. Basically, this is a twelve chapter story about a wealthy man who learns that he trusts his wealth more than he trusts God.

What I Liked

I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book.

Between the chapters of this story are short little devotionals pertaining to what the man is going through that are actually quite good. 

A couple of them struck a chord with me and I was surprised at how challenging they were.  For example, Dr. Chris Stocklin writes:

The lifestyle Jesus called His followers to abide was simple.

Christ tells us a believer should be content with food, clothing, housing and drink.  However, the simple lifestyle Jesus desired for his followers counters our current culture which fuels our greed.

Our nation endorses a consumer based economy which can now be defined as a consumer-credit based economy…we buy and spend whether we have the money or not.

The Apostle Paul declared that God would meet our needs – needs being defined by the Holy Scripture – not what current society, retailers or mass marketers would determine.

I was surprised to read stuff like that in this book. 
A book that actually takes a shot at our modern evangelicalisms’ American Dream fueled by greed and materialism!

There are many devotionals like this that resonate with me and what I try to write about on this blog.

What I Didn’t Like

A couple of things I did not like about this book:

The Cover

The number one thing I didn’t like is the cover!

I couldn’t tell if the man on the cover was walking with Jesus – or some girl in a bathrobe. 

I mean, why does Jesus always get portrayed with long, flowy, 80′s style-crimped hair?

The cover was not screaming for me to read it for sure.

The Flow

The flow of the book was a little tough to figure out at first.  I know it’s meant to be both a devotional and a story, but at first glance it was tough to figure this thing out.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a pretty good little book.  It’s short, easy to read and had some pretty good messages to it.

Learn more about Faith and Finances during April and May while they tour cyberspace. To find other tour stops, visit Book Promotion Services.  For other details about the book or to get more information about Christian Devotions visit FaithandFinances.us. The book is for sale at Amazon.com or order it through your local bookstore.

Disclaimer: This is not a paid review.  I did receive a free copy of this book.  If you order through Amazon by clicking the link above I may receive compensation.

Enjoy Your Money!  How to Make It, Save  It, Invest It and Give It by J. Steve Miller

April is Financial Literacy Month and graduation season will soon be in full swing.

If you’re looking for gifts for grads that will be a valuable resource for them for years to come then you  may want to check out Enjoy Your Money! How to Make It, Save It, Invest It and Give It by J. Steve Miller.

J. Steve Miller is a former missionary, current president of Legacy Educational Resources and father of seven boys! Yes, seven!

Miller did tons of research on successful money practices, then wrote the book in story form.

This book starts off with the basic premise that it will help you:

• Get out of debt and accumulate wealth
• Get ahead, even when the work you love doesn’t produce big bucks
• Find your strengths and passions and make a living with them
• Live a more fulfilled life

Miller discusses many of the things I talk about in my blog like saving money, frugality and happiness. 

The last chapter particularly struck me about enjoying money.

He says:

“People who strive most for wealth tend to be less happy than others.  Those who strive for ‘intimacy, personal growth and contribution to community’ have a better quality of life”

I love that – and happiness and wealth is something I try to talk regularly about on this blog!

I wished Miller would have started the book with that chapter because in my opinion, understanding that accumulating wealth beyond a certain comfort level will not lead to more happiness is a foundational part to dealing with all other areas of our financial lives.

I like Miller’s use of personal stories and quotes from real folks, but at times the use of the non-fiction stories can get a little cheesy in parts.

All in all though, this is a very solid book for graduates looking to get a good grasp on personal finance without getting so bogged down with jargon!

You can find it on Amazon.com or order it through your local bookstore. To get bulk discounts, visit www.wisdomcreekpress.com .

Disclaimer: This is not a paid review.  I did receive a free copy of this book.  If you order through Amazon by clicking the link above I may receive compensation.