The Daily Meaning

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Travis Shelton 8/19/23 Travis Shelton 8/19/23

The Jobs That Shape You

During a recent conversation with a youth group student, the topic of jobs came up. And not just any jobs, but the crappiest of the crappy jobs. This student had recently experienced a string of terrible work. He was frustrated and feeling down about the entire idea of work.

Travis Shelton 4/16/23 Travis Shelton 4/16/23

It's (Not) Just an Exercise

Today is one of my favorite days of the year. No, not because it’s NBA playoff time (though that helps!). It’s the final session of my high school money class. During our time together, we’re going to do one of my favorite exercises, which is meant to help them understand what young adult life looks like. Until now, they have very little income, very few bills, and very little need to be fully intentional with their finances. That will surely change within the next handful of years. In the exercise, I give them a theoretical young adult monthly income, a handful of known monthly expenses, and ask them to create a full monthly budget for the life they want to live. The energy is always high, they complete the exercise with optimism, and it ends up being a referendum on their values/interests.

Travis Shelton 4/10/23 Travis Shelton 4/10/23

"I Did It!!!"

One of the main topics I teach in our high school money class is how it’s possible for every single person to graduate from college debt-free. Not surprisingly, this is a very controversial idea. Our culture teaches us that we are either a have or a have-not, and our student loan fate rests in which one we are. I think this toxic belief is one of the primary reasons why much of our society is crippled with a ton of student loan debt.

Travis Shelton 3/27/23 Travis Shelton 3/27/23

To Be Or Not To Be (Your Own Boss)

Yesterday, an interesting and unexpected topic came up in my high school money class. A few students mentioned wanting to someday start their own businesses. This is when another student made a few counter-cultural comments. She expressed her confusion about why so many people want to run their own businesses, citing their typical lack of enjoyment and lack of skillsets in the area of actually running the business. Many students were quick to defend the be-your-own-boss concept, citing freedom and control as primary reasons.

Travis Shelton 3/20/23 Travis Shelton 3/20/23

It Always Makes Sense.....In Hindsight

Yesterday was the first session of a financial class I host for our church’s youth group students. This is our 10th year, and it’s always one of the highlights of my spring. In the first session, we cover God’s ownership, contentment, and the difference between needs and wants. As we were talking about needs vs. wants, we had what is always a fun conversation. Many needs and wants are clear. Food = need. Video game = want. Clothing = need. Luxury clothing = want.

Travis Shelton 3/2/23 Travis Shelton 3/2/23

We Ruin Them Young

Last night at youth group, we opened registrations for the money class I teach each year. This will be the 9th year hosting the class, and we’ve taken 175 high school students through it over the first eight years. Walking alongside these kids is always one of the highlights of my year. One of my favorite parts about the class is a scholarship program we developed in conjunction with it, where students who go through it have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship when they are seniors. To date, we’ve granted $48,000 in scholarships thanks to a number of generous financial partners who have chosen to bless our youth in this way.