I’m also a big fan of experimentation and testing. Many times, people build an entire life around a dream, whether choosing a particular career or dreaming about living in a certain kind of house. When my wife, Cass, and I traveled to Japan, I wanted to visit the home of a Japanese couple. This is very uncommon, so I hired a firm to help us arrange it.

Bob succeeds where other financial gurus fail:he tells younot onlywhat to do buthow precisely to do it. And he does it all in a way that is centered on Jesus and his gospel. Highly recommended!” —Jordan Raynor, bestselling author of Redeeming Your Time Dave: I would add—you tell me if this is true—I think a lot of guilt and shame a lot of Christians carry—because there’s a tendency to think: “We should never really enjoy possessions/things; that’s idols,”—and they can be, obviously. The point is, once you get the basics right and money is no longer the main factor, you can start designing your life around the things that are truly important to you. We wait until the end of the month, then look at our spending and shrug: “I guess I spent that much.”Linda: Because even though he doesn’t spend money the way that I do, so he doesn’t care about the same things I do. Dave: He’s usually on the other side of the glass, talking about us, but he’s actually in the room. [Laughter] Roger Ma: How can someone fresh out of college who wants to pursue a less traditional career path tune out the nay-sayers, especially if those people are their friends and family? How did you overcome your parents’ expectation that you should have a safe company job?

Linda: —instead of doing that—he said, “Okay, I’ll go shopping with you; and we’ll find a way to make something happen.” He ended up helping me. We found something that was on sale that actually fit my budget. He didn’t just/he had compassion on my hard time so I didn’t feel like I was doing this on my own; I didn’t feel like it was all me that needed to change. He was willing to adapt, and help me, and walk through it with me. Does that make sense? You don’t have to limit yourself to thinking that “rich” has to fit into a particular image either, like working on Wall Street or eating at certain restaurants. It’s your Rich Life — you choose. Ann: I think: “Praying about that—when we pray and tell God—'I’m so afraid about our finances.’” I love that He’s attuned to that; I love that He cares about it with us and wants to provide and wants to give us wisdom.

Simple Money, Rich Life: Bob & Linda Lotich

Lotich introduces the reader to the "simple formula" and then walks us through each step. He includes stories from his life and his friend's lives and things he's learned from books he has read. It keeps the book more interesting, having these stories interspersed and less academic. Linda: I just have a running list in my head of what I need to buy next. [Laughter] If you gave it to me right now, I would spend it that fast [snapping fingers]. This applies to money too. Once your money system is good enough—or 85% of the way there—you can get on with your life and go do the things you really want to do.

There’s a quote from Randy Alcorn that I love, where he said, “The greatest deterrent to giving is the illusion that earth is our home.” To me that just stirs me up to want to give more. If you’re on a vacation for one week out of the year, you understand this is just a short window; that’s what our life on earth is in the scope of eternity.Bob Lotich began sharing his inspirational financial journey online, becoming an award-winning blogger and podcast host ofSeedTime Money. For the last 14 years, he has been a trusted voice for Christians wanting to find financial freedom the way God intended. This is a Christian book, yet the principles that Lotich introduces are beneficial to all. If reading a "Christian" book is something you prefer not to do, you can skim or skip certain parts (like the chapter on taking a Sabbath rest). Doing so will not detract from the overall benefits of this book. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a better financial situation. The principles make sense and will work if you are willing to do what needs to be done. Shelby: Tomorrow, on FamilyLife Today, Dave and Ann Wilson are joined by Tim Kimmel and Michael Tooker to talk about Michael’s battle to succeed at work while simultaneously compromising his relationships with the people closest to him. You won’t want to miss that. The couple were both architects, so they showed us their home. Then I showed them pictures I’d collected, and they explained the Japanese design philosophy behind them. I loved it!

Linda: Yes; I think you kind of see the two extremes—where you’ve got this prosperity gospel of: “If you don’t have a lot of money, then there’s something wrong with your spiritual life,”—and then there’s: “If you have too much, there’s something wrong with your spiritual life.” But both of these are missing the whole point; which is, “God’s always after our hearts first. It doesn’t matter how much money we have if He doesn’t have our heart,”—on either extreme—it doesn’t really matter. That’s how I see it. Everyone has an opinion on how you should be living your life. It can be difficult to know what is and isn’t a Rich Life.As a child, I thought this was normal. Only later did we realize how hilarious it was to squeeze 6 people into a room for 2. But without things like this (and little Ramit sleeping on a couch) it gets pretty expensive to take a big family on a trip. What it means: You might choose to rent or own , travel for one month every year (or not at all), buy a new Tesla, or decorate your house beautifully. Bob: Just brush it off; I would probably have to figure out where to pull the over-spending; and then, we would just go at it again/try to do better next month. I particularly enjoyed the section on giving titled “Give All You Can.” I was inspired personally, which surprised me given that I worked in ministry fundraising.