Five Top Causes of Marital Stress

Money magazine lists these as the top sources of marital tension:

MoneyHousehold choresQuality time togetherRaising kidsWhat's for dinner

These are the top three sources of couples' most serious arguments:

MoneyChoresSnoring

Stuff and Happiness

Bad: We Americans toss out an average of 68 pounds per person of textiles (fabric....clothing!) each year rather than donating it to Goodwill or selling it on eBay.

Good: The authors of Happy Money have researched the emotional return people get from different types of spending. Two spending habits that bring happiness: choosing experiences over stuff (visiting the Grand Canyon instead of redoing the kitchen cabinets) and spending on others.

Money Wisdom

Did you know…?

·     Teens spend 14times more on food than adults.

·     Teens spend 8 timesmore on clothing than adults.

·     Teens spend twiceas much on entertainment as adults.

A recent article in the Atlantic spells it out.Meanwhile, according to the New YorkTimes, student loan debt approaches a trillion dollars—a dangerous new “normal.”

 “What can we do? R. C. Sproul Jr. answers: thesame thing we should do if we had a healthy economy:

·     Ask God toprovide our daily bread.

·     Work diligentlyto help our neighbor.

·     Consume lessthan we produce.

Sproul’s website: www.economicsforeverybody.com

Distribution of Wealth

Have you seen this video, which went viral this week?

The Almighty Dollar?

This morning I did a little word search in my Bible. I looked up all the references to "greed." And it didn't surprise me to find that God has a heart to restore the greedy, but that restoration often starts with judgment.

Don't you find it strangely ironic that so many TV preachers would point to events like 9/11 and Katrina as "God's judgment" but not point to the huge financial crisis facing our nation and make the same connection?