Just a year after we were married, we came to the realization that while we were living the American Dream, we were in over our heads in debt.
A financial analysis revealed that we had nearly $100,000 in consumer debt (not including our mortgage). One debt freedom plan offered that we could expect to be debt free in 13 years not including our home if we assumed the same income and no new debt. We prayed for God to help us manage our finances better.
Seven years later we signed up to start taking financial classes, but Bradley was not at all interested in attending classes on a subject he didn’t really want to interact with at home. He went anyway, and attending the course together changed our marriage. We began interacting about our financial behavior—individually and collectively. We also began making changes to our behavior. In June of the following year, we celebrated complete freedom from debt, including the home mortgage! HALLELUIAH! We still praise God for that day and for giving us the fortitude and intensity to devise a plan and stick with it!
It was a long time from 1999 to 2007, but something happened to us in that last year. We underwent an intense transformation. We made up our minds that we would change our behavior and eliminate the debt in our lives so we could live in peace not bondage.
Today, we have the honor of teaching and coaching other families toward financial freedom. Our charge is to teach them how to beat debt, build wealth, and live victoriously with biblical authority.