Don't Conform!

I am a fan of Dave Ramsey, not quite as big of a fan as Chad, but still a fan. He is known nationwide for his radio talk show, and I think now he even has a TV slot. Maybe you have heard of Financial Peace University and the Total Money Makeover. For those of you who are not very familiar with Dave and his philosophy on money, allow me to explain it to you in a nutshell:

Go to extreme measures to get out of debt, and be wise stewards over your money, because it's not yours anyway- everything we have is God's. Basically, don't be bound by debt, but instead save and invest for yours and your children's future and be cheerful givers in the process.

Anyway, Dave Ramsey was one of the speakers at the Catalyst conference that we attended early in October, and at his booth, he was giving away free T-shirts. It was brown with the words "DON"T CONFORM" splashed across the front, and in smaller print it quotes Romans 12:2 "Don't become so well adjusted to the culture that you fit in without even thinking!" (The translation was from The Message, in case you're wondering) On the back it says, also in small print, "daveramsey.com"

It's basically saying don't conform to what society says about how to handle your money, because in case you haven't realized yet, our society says: spend money you don't have; go into debt and don't worry about it; if you want it- find a way to buy it; don't worry about the future- just live in the moment. For the most part, the vast majority of Americans are very short-sighted when it comes to handling money and more importantly very selfish. How can we give to the work of God like we are called to, if we fall prey to this wordly philosophy. It's impossible.

If you are around GCC, you've probably seen a number of people sporting this t-shirt. I think it's a pretty good-looking t-shirt, and as a matter of fact, it was probably my favorite freebie from the whole conference. I wear it quite frequently, not just because I like the t-shirt but because it has a pretty cool message on it, which I think you can apply to everything- not just money.

Anyway, I had it on yesterday at a doctor's office, and got a couple of comments on it. The first came from the medical assistant who has a teenage daughter and she said, "My daughter would love your shirt!" We had been talking for a while, so I got a pretty good read on her and her daughter and realized immediately that she probably thought I was endorsing more of a "hippie" mentality, and before I offend anyone, let me explain. I just don't want people to think I am a non-conformist who condones things that are ungodly. I am certainly not making a blanket statement by saying "hippies" are ungodly or anything, I just didn't want her to misunderstand my cause.

I gently explained myself and the Dave Ramsey philosophy to her, and she just stared at me blankly. After that, I knew for sure that she had initially misunderstood my cause, and I was glad I took the time to explain myself. Afterward, there was an awkward silence, and I just stood there smiling at someone who was either very confused or totally thought that I was off my rocker for buying into something so weird.

Later, in the same doctor's office, a receptionist commented on my shirt, and immediately my thoughts went to the conversation I had with the medical assistant. After being in that office for so long, I was feeling a little worn down, and didn't feel like explaining myself again in great detail, so I lazily replied "Thanks, it's from Dave Ramsey." I hope I didn't miss a witnessing opportunity.