Quick Hits: Poverty is different than being broke. Pixar’s rules for stories. Insert pee joke here. Barbie’s anatomy.

• I drive through one of the most run-down parts of Tucson almost every day. The obvious poverty is staggering. I pray for churches and the Christians who attend them to stand up and show grace and love to those in our city who desperately need it. It’s part of the reason why I donate to MAN Tucson. There’s a delicate balance to maintain there though, because there are a lot of people who, choice by choice, day after day, have decided that living broke is all they have. Showing them too much grace is enabling them. No one should be comfortable with poverty, especially those who have the ability to pull themselves free.

• Pixar Studios. Just for The Incredibles alone, I would name them one of the top movie-makers of all time. So, when some of the best story-tellers make a list of their rules for writing stories? You sit up and listen. All of them are great, but I’m especially inspired by numbers 2, 7, 11 and 15. Which ones are your favorites?

• Look, I’m all for exploring and developing alternative and cleaner forms of energy. Really, I am. Still, doesn’t this take the whole idea just a touch too far? Would you want to carry that battery around in your pocket? Brings a whole new meaning to the words “Energy Drink.”

• Psht. And they called her anatomically incorrect.

Real Wealth

Real wealth is discretionary time. Money is simply fuel for your life. You can always make another dollar, but you can’t make another minute. Don’t let the pursuit of money erode your wealth.

– Alan Weiss

I instruct people about prosperity so that they are able to invest in possibility and increase their generosity.

Broke people don’t have the option to do radical things with their lives. Your payments don’t go away just because you’ve got a great opportunity or a dream to chase. They still expect to be paid. And your ability to step up and fill another’s needs is limited by how much you need. Living a broke life puts your focus on constantly pursuing more money.

No matter what you might think, every class I lead, and every family I coach, and every word I write isn’t about getting rich. I’m not interested in helping you become rich.

I’m interested in helping you become wealthy.

Secure Your Mask First Before Helping Others

How  many airline flights have you taken in your lifetime? With all of the family vacations and business trips, jumbo jets and puddle hoppers, multiple legs and layovers, all in over 40 years worth of air travel, I’m incapable of calculating a reasonable number. Suffice to say, except for TSA checkpoints and waiting for my ears to finally pop, flying the friendly skies is pretty uneventful for me.

The most uneventful part of most plane trips is the pre-flight safety demo. Although some airlines have tried to give it a bit more punch, the standard procedure is overwhelmingly lifeless.

Even so, on my last trip, that phrase from the title stuck out at me. Make sure you get your mask on and secure before assisting those around you. What’s the big deal? You’re an adult, why shouldn’t you take a few seconds first and just help that small child next to you before selfishly grabbing for your own bright orange breathing tube?

Well, the logic goes that if you take care of others before you secure your own safety, you risk sacrificing yourself, and then neither of you is saved. While it’s true that no one has ever died from not using one of those safety masks, the logic is still sound, and we should apply it elsewhere.

I believe in generous giving. I encourage others to be charitable. It’s one of the two primary reasons I’ve invested in becoming a financial coach. However, I would never coach someone in the midst of a money crisis to give more. Paying for rent, lights, and groceries takes precedence.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Timothy 5:8

Broke people can’t help other people financially. Broke people can’t pay for a widow’s electric bill. Broke people can’t buy groceries to feed hungry children. Broke people are limited by the few resources they have available.

Stop making broke people choices.

This is a big dang deal. Get your house in order first. Get yourself back to a place where you can fill your cup to overflowing and be free to bless those around you. It takes resources to provide assistance.

Whoever multiplies wealth by interest and profit gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

Proverbs 28:8

I need to end with a caveat: Tithing is an exception. Returning a percentage of your income back to God isn’t about generosity. It’s about attitude and perspective. It’s about recognizing the source of your income, and reminding yourself that you are just the manager of what you have.

Manage it well, so you’re ready to help others around you.

Question: You may not be able to help out financially, but there are still ways you can help others when you’re struggling. You can donate your time to them. You can encourage them. You can pray for them. How have you helped other around you?