Verse of the Day : John 11:35

John 11:35 - Jesus wept.

Jesus wept for the lost souls, not for the death of Lazarus, as he knew that Lazarus would die.  Interesting perspective.  As humans, we would think Jesus was dying simply because his friend Lazarus had died.  Instead, he wept because he knew there were many people that would not accept him as the Lord and Savior and the only way to salvation.

If you haven't already, please consider accepting the Lord Jesus as your personal salvation so you may not die a second death.  We will all die once, only those who accept Jesus Christ will avoid the second death and live for all eternity in heaven.

Praise God!

How Much Should I Save for Retirement?

I always found it discouraging to use on-line calculators to determine how much you should save for retirement.  These calculators usually said I needed to have some seemingly huge amount of money for retirement, such as $1.7 million.

Although I do agree that a million dollars is not as much as it used to be, it is still hard to wrap your mind around how you will save that much.  

Luckily, I came across an article ( almost 5 years old) that broke it down in more manageable terms, terms you could put to use.  

Here is a chart from the article:

Age---Income---------------------Savings Rate-------------------Deduction per $10,000 Saved
40-----$20,000---------------------10.2 percent-----------------------1.67 percent
40-----$40,000---------------------14.8 percent-------------------------.86 percent
40-----$60,000---------------------17.6 percent-------------------------.57 percent
40-----$80,000---------------------19.8 percent-------------------------.42 percent
40---$100,000----------------------21.4 percent------------------------.35 percent

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290402,00.html#ixzz1ub9zW6wI

This chart is just an example of what a 40 year old would have to work with.  

In summary, it basically asks you to identify what income level you are at.  Based on that income it specified a particular savings rate you should target.  Finally, it adjusts the savings rate by the amount you already have saved.

For example, if you make $40,000 per year, you should save 14.8% per year ($5,920).  However, if you have already saved $50,000 toward retirement, you should deduct 4.3% (.86 * 5) from this savings rate target, in this case your new savings target will be 14.5% (14.8 - 4.3).

Anyway, I found this to be a helpful target to help me towards my retirement goals.  

You may want to consider adding a percentage or two to this estimate so as to give yourself a cushion from unknown tax or inflationary increases.  

Do you have any tips as to how to plan calculate a retirement savings amount?  Please share. 

High Interest Rates to Fix Our Mess

What a breath of fresh air to read someone who gets it.

In a recent article on cnnmoney.com, Sheila Bair states it correctly that the time has come for us to raise interest rates.  Savers are being hurt, our money is being devalued via inflation and people are ending up in a bigger debt hole.  In addition, as inflation rises, wages are not keeping up with this rise.

An article worth the read.  Very well done!

Scripture Verse of the Day - Ezekiel 37:14

Ezekiel 37:14 - ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord. "


To have the spirit of God residing within me is such a comforting fact.  The Lord provides peace, daily bread and takes care of you from day to day.  He provides a place to dwell, answers prayers and is always with us.


Take comfort in knowing this each day.  Happy Friday!

jQuery's Show and Hide

One simple way to add some quick functionality to your website is to use jQuery's show() and hide() commands.  You can easily toggle between content with very little code.  Take a look at the following example:

Content 1 Area

This is one set of content. Click the show or hide button above to make this blue area disappear and then reappear.

Here is the code I used for each button:

<button onclick="$('#content1').hide();">Hide Content 1 Area</button><button onclick="$('#content1').show();">Show Content 1 Area</button>

<div id='content1' style="background-color:blue;color:white;"><h1>Content 1 Area</h1>This is one set of content.  Click the show/hide button above to toggle between showing or hiding this area.</div>

As you can see, all you have to do it select the item you want to show or hide and call the show() or hide() function.

What ways could you think of to use show() and hide() in your scripts?

Half of us are Saving Nothing!

I read today on cnnmoney.com that almost half of americans are not saving anything towards retirement.  I know there are situations where it can be challenging to save money, but you should be able to put at least $5 a week into a savings account for retirement.

Here are a list of things you can do to find an extra $5 week to put away:

• Skip the latte.
• Take a sack lunch to work every day.
• Find a way of carpooling to work at least one day.
• Go fishing and eat what you catch.
• Grow a garden.

Here are a few ways you can make an extra $5 to put away each week:

• Offer to mow a lawn.
• Pick up cans in states that have deposits.
• Pick up scrap and cash it in.

I could go on and on.  The point is, there is no reason every person can't save at least a little bit.

Scripture Verse of the Day

Phillippians 4:4. -Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, rejoice! Rejoice means to "feel or show great joy and delight". After what the Lord Jesus has done for me, I pray that I will always rejoice in Him!