Tim and Lynette Bloedow have done the death crawl, and because of it they are fulfilling a dream they had only imagined: studying at a seminary in the United States to further their education and their relationship with God.
The Bloedows, formerly of the Ottawa area, have persevered, pushed through, carried burdens, made intentional decisions, sought biblical wisdom and made daily choices that have brought them to a place of financial freedom where they can pursue their dreams: a three-year Masters of Divinity program, with a concentration in Biblical Counselling.
Unlike the physical challenges of the death crawl seen in the movie Facing the Giants, the Bloedows did not carry a physical burden across a football field. Their burden was a financial one.
Three years ago, the Bloedows decided it was time to take the plunge and set their financial household on a better foundation. Never did they imagine that part of that process would involve being accountable to a financial coach.
“We couldn’t understand where our money was going,” Tim said recently in a phone interview. “It was a struggle to pay the bills and it was strange for us.”
They have lived a frugal lifestyle for years and have been consistent givers to the church, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not get ahead.
“We were realizing that it is not a magic pill you take (to get out of debt), but we had to apply other biblical principles as well,” Tim said.
This is where More Than Enough Financial Fitness stepped in to help.
Through consistent monthly coaching, the Bloedows were able to create eight-week spending plans, discover their dreams, and start paying off debt consistently. They discovered where their money was going, and they learned how to tell their money where to go, instead of simply letting the money go wherever it wanted.
“To this day, I can hear Dave (coach David van Noppen) say over my shoulder, ‘Make the money behave, and plan what you spend and spend what you have,” Lynette said. “When you start doing things biblically the Lord adds other blessings.”
As they started the coaching process and paying off debt, they soon saw God add to their efforts, through sources of revenue they were not expecting and this only sped up the process of debt-repayment.
Tim said that at first they were unsure of how coaching would help them.
“We wanted to try it, but we weren’t sure how it would come together,” he said. “We knew we didn’t have the ways to reach our dreams. We had lines of credit and debt, and we were hoping and dreaming without a plan. Then we got on track with a plan, and the Lord is helping us work out the details.”
One of the things the Bloedows said they love about financial coaching is that it provides accountability, and keeps them focused on their financial goals, purposes and dreams.
“We would fall off the rails without third party accountability,” Tim said. “You sort out the trouble quicker because you know you have someone to be accountable to.”
The road to financial freedom is a long-term effort that involves disciplined living, according to the Bloedows and their coach David van Noppen.
“Paying off debt takes twice as long, as it does to get into it,” David said. “But it is possible with hard work.”
That is where the death crawl analogy comes in.
In the movie Facing the Giants, the football coach challenges his player to give his best to carry his teammate across 50 yards of the field. The player is not convinced but he does what his coach suggests. The player does not yet know what potential is inside of him. He only discovers it with the coach’s direction and encouragement.
All the way down the field we hear the coach say:
Keep moving.
Don’t stop.
Keep driving.
Give me your very best.
Don’t quit on me.
Keep your knees off the ground.
Don’t quit until you have nothing left.
I want everything you have got.
And the player?
He struggles. He wants to quit.
“It’s heavy. I can’t do this.”
By the end he only has groans left that are too deep for words.
Once across the line, he takes off his blindfold, realizing he has carried 170 lbs on his back across the entire field. It is the turning point of the story. With the words and encouragement of their coaches, the entire team starts to push, work and practise to realize their dream of victory.
The Bloedows know what the death crawl is like. Sometimes it is a matter of groaning and waiting, and then trying again. It is hard and takes perseverance. But every day it has brought them closer to their dream with the Lord, and to their victory.
Rebecca van Noppen is a teacher, home educator, writer, intercessor, and More Than Enough blogger, who happens to be married to a financial coach. A lover of Jesus, she is on a journey of surrender, kindness, and generosity.