New Jersey Crown Financial Ministries Friend Shares Crown at Home and Abroad - Crown Financial Ministries Stories Blog

Greetings all! Enjoy this great letter to Crown Ministries from a friend who learned to live debt free and bless others in the United States and beyond through Christian Financial Concepts (which merged with Crown Ministries in 2000).

"About seven and a half years ago I started to study about Christian Financial Concepts from a book written by Ron Blue (Master Your Money). This book came with the study guide produced by CBN entitled 'Finances by the book'. These materials totally changed the way I live!

In 1997, I became a certified Counselor and Teacher by CFC. Then I started teaching this material in churches. I have traveled to New Jersey (were I live), New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

During these years, many people have come to me to tell me what a life transformation the teachings have worked in them. Our Associate Pastor B. Matias, told me about 3 years ago that after 20 years of marriage they went on their first vacation debt-free. Our Senior Pastor is committed to become debt-free, so both he and his wife can go full time into ministry.

The Lord Jesus Christ has continued to show His Love and Grace upon us. Through the years we have chosen to live debt-free. We are committed to our church and over ten other ministries with our financial support.

Thanks to your Ministry we have developed “Mayordomia Financiera Cristiana,” a bilingual ministry that is under the leadership and guidance of Woodbridge Christian Center and its Pastoral Staff.

Thanks for your ministry; we will continue to teach others as you teach us.

All Glory be given to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith!

In His Grip,

Nelson & Magali Ruiz
Servants of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

* This letter has been edited for length and English grammar. Click here to read the original.

Indian Crown Friend Discovers Crown is for More Than Just "Big Shots" - Crown Financial Ministries Stories Blog

Blessings to everyone visiting Crown Stories from around the world. We continue to receive traffic from Hong Kong, Europe, and beyond. We pray for God's incredible will for all of you. Please be sure to email us with any prayer requests, feedback, and especially if you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - the Savior of all men who truly owns everything.

Today's story comes from a Crown friend in India, who learned that the biblical principles taught by Crown do indeed apply to all of us, regardless of our financial situation. Enjoy. . .

Introducing myself, I am C Stephen David, from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It was a JOY to hear God’s message through you in the Crown Financial Conference, which was held recently in Viceroy Hotel, Secunderabad.

When I first came to know about the conference, I was not interested to come. I was assuming this is for big-shots and for big-ministries. I thought I am a small minister of God and this does not help me. However, one brother called me up and told that he will pay the registration fee and encouraged me to come. Therefore, I with my co-worker (I am not with any organization but the Lord has blessed me with five wonderful co-workers in Christ) attended the conference.

It was really wonderful and I believe the Lord has led us to the meetings. The messages were practical, Scriptural and well-balanced. Especially, your sermon moved our hearts. It is true that the servants of God must first excel in the grace of giving and model ourselves before exhorting the believers to give. You know, Uncle (as a young man, I address you as Uncle, because, according to our custom it is disrespectful to call an elder with name), after few days, I shared with my co-workers, even your life example, and we all together bowed before God and made a commitment before the Lord and before each other that we give tithe (not maximum but minimum) out of all we receive.

I am sharing this as a note of thanks and to let know that you have been a blessing to us.

Uncle, if there are any study materials or videos you can send to help us learn more and to teach others, we will be glad to receive, learn and teach others. I am a young minister of God in full time ministry. If there is anything we can do for you, kindly feel comfortable to use our humble service in Christ Jesus.

May continue to bless your life and ministry abundantly in Christ Jesus. Amen.

With you in HIS service,
C. Stephen David

God Works Miracles in Life of Italian Crown Friend - Crown Financial Ministries Stories Blog

Today's Crown True Financial Freedom Story comes from an Italian Crown friend whom the Lord taught to be content in all things and teach his children the same. Enjoy...

"My name is Waldinei, my wife is Luciany and we have 3 children: Isabela, Letícia and Gabriel. We moved to Pompéia in January of 2002, up to our ears in debt that we had had for many years.

God really worked miracles in our lives. We were unemployed and when we arrived in Pompéia, I was invited to work in shipping at the National Office of the Nova Shalom Association and Luciany was invited to teach at the school. We heard about the Crown course but we thought we would only be able to take it the following year. But God knew our needs. We were invited to be in the first group.

We have lived on the basis of post dated checks, loans and investing in deals that never worked out. The verse that says “I have learned to be content in every situation, I know how to be honored and humiliated,” was never a reality in my life. I was dominated by ambition because the desire to become rich was very strong in my life. I never planned anything, did whatever I felt like doing without considering the consequences and without accepting advice.

After studying the Biblical principles presented in the CROWN small group study, my mind and heart were opened for the beginning of a transformation. For the first time in our lives, we decided to get out of debt and never charge anything. We are paying off all of our debts one by one.

We had a car that had been financed and we decided to return the car to the place we bought it. The funny thing was that no one wanted to take it back because they all thought it strange that someone would decide to take the loss of all the payments already made in order to get out of the remaining debt.

Without the car, my wife began to go to work by bicycle (borrowed) and one dark morning, on the way to work in the cold, the Lord spoke to her heart that in the midst of all her difficulties, He wanted to teach her as he had the apostle Paul who wrote, I have learned to be content in each and every situation...”

God taught us that he supplies all of our needs, but our dreams and the acquisition of superfluous things will come about if it is His will. And this demonstrates how much the Lord Jesus wants us to trust in and depend on him.

We have taught our children to depend on God, praying for the needs to be met and we are teaching them to manage their money according to God’s patterns. They are learning to give, save and spend.

The lesson that impacted my life the most was the one on Eternity. I discovered that being rich and getting everything that I wanted would get me nowhere because this life is so very short!"