Billy and Tyler were spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s house the week before Christmas. At bedtime, the two boys knelt beside their beds to say their prayers when Tyler, the youngest boy, began praying at the top of his lungs:

“I pray for a new bike! I pray for a new iPad! I pray for a new baseball bat! I pray for a new drum set!”

His older brother Billy leaned over and interrupted, “Why are you shouting your prayers? God isn’t deaf.”

To which Tyler replied, “No, but Grandma is!”

Tyler was communicating with his grandparents, however slyly, about what mattered most to him. But what about when the tables are turned – do we have an effective way to communicate what matters most to our children and grandchildren?

The Bible encourages us to talk about our values and our wishes with the next generation. In Genesis 49, for example, Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.”

But what should we communicate? And how should we communicate it? We might begin by prayerfully jotting down thoughts about our own values and life lessons. And then communicate those values – whether in writing, in person, or on a recording.

For a FREE copy of “Giving the Gift of Meaning To Your Family” simply check the box or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or shilbrands@gbcol.edu

This is general information and is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Please consult your own advisors.

A church hosted a Vacation Bible School, and was delighted that by the end of the week, several children from the community had invited Christ into their lives for the first time. A teacher was talking to one of the new believers afterwards and commented, “Well, Bradley, now that you’ve accepted Jesus, you’re a part of God’s family.” He thought for a moment, then asked, “Does that mean I have to take out your trash?” Bradley understood what it means to part of a family!

When you include a Christian organization such as Grace Bible College in your Will, the ministry becomes part of your family.

Include Ministry in Your Family 
In fact, a growing number of Christian families treat their favorite charities like an additional child once the children are grown and independent. For example, if a family has three children, they might divide their estate into four equal parts, giving each of the children 25% of the estate and giving the remaining 25% to their church and the ministries they love. This approach is sometimes called adding a “child called charity.” The major benefit of this approach is that it clearly expresses the value a family places in advancing the work of the Lord for generations to come.

Final Act of Stewardship 
Other ministry-minded families take a different approach. Once the children have been educated and perhaps helped into their first homes, some Christian parents decide to designate a tithe of their estate for the Lord’s work. There is not necessarily a biblical precedent to tithe from an estate, since tithing in scripture relates primarily to income. Tithing is, however, a familiar percentage to believers, and so that is a common percentage that people choose to give to ministries such as Grace Bible College in their Wills. Estate planning, after all, is your ultimate and final act of stewardship of everything you have accumulated over a lifetime of work and saving – appreciated assets such as your home, secondary residences and other investments.

Leaving Money to Children 
But what about leaving money to your children? Christian financial counselor Ron Blue advises that you first ask yourself: “What kind of wisdom do my children demonstrate today?” Three questions will help you think through this one: (1) “What is the worst or the best thing that can happen if I transfer this wealth to such-and-such?” (2) “How serious is that?” (3) “How likely is that to occur?” Do this for each child and keep in mind that the answers may change over time.

Growing your family God’s way doesn’t just happen automatically – it takes careful and prayerful effort. But there is no greater joy than to leave a legacy of training your children in the way they should go, and making the Lord’s work part of your “family” in your Will or estate plan.

For more information on giving any asset, request a FREE copy of “Growing Your Family God’s Way” by simply checking the box or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or email shilbrands@gbcol.edu.

This is general information and is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Please consult your own advisors.

A pig and a chicken were walking down the road. They came upon a church sign which was advertising a fellowship breakfast that weekend: “Ham and eggs will be served from 8:00am-10:00am.”

The chicken turned to the pig and exclaimed, “Well isn’t that wonderful…even farm animals like us can help the work of the church!”

“Yes,” said the pig, “but yours is only a contribution. Mine is a total sacrifice.”

That funny little story about the pig illustrates a serious biblical truth – that Jesus really does call his followers to give up everything (Luke 14:33). But how do we live that out?

One practical way is to realize that because God owns everything (Psalm 24:1), we can prayerfully consider giving anything we “own” back to God to bless our church or ministries such as Grace Bible College.

For example, it may surprise you to know that many assets may be more “tax-efficient” to give than cash – such as stock, real estate, retirement assets, life insurance, grain, business interests, and tangible personal property. That’s because federal tax law makes gifts that have grown in value more advantageous than giving cash.

If you transfer the appreciated property directly to a charitable organization such as Grace Bible College rather than selling it, you receive a charitable deduction for the full market value of the property at the time of the transfer. You also avoid the capital gains tax if you held the property for a period of one year or longer.

For more information on giving any asset, request a FREE copy of “More Trust. More Joy” by simply checking the box or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or email shilbrands@gbcol.edu.

This is general information and is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Please consult your own advisors.

Have you ever heard the story of the classic rock band Van Halen and their notorious insistence that a bowl of M&M’s be provided backstage – with every single brown candy removed?

This was actually written into the contract, allowing Van Halen to cancel a show with full compensation if this provision was not implemented correctly, according to the book The Checklist Manifesto. Van Halen reportedly followed through at least once, canceling a show in Colorado when the band leader found some brown M&M’s in his dressing room.

It turns out this was not a case of arrogant celebrities making insane demands; but rather an ingenious safeguard to ensure every detail was handled correctly. Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into smaller arenas, where technical errors were common. As lead singer David Lee Roth explained, “If I saw a brown M&M in the bowl…guaranteed you’d run into a problem. And the mistakes could be life-threatening.”

If details are important for a rock concert, how much more so for the precious resources God has entrusted to us to bless our families and the ministry organizations close to our hearts! Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10). One important way we can be trustworthy – whether we have little or much – is to make sure we have an up to date Will.

For a FREE copy of “Estate Planning Checklist Inspired by Brown M&Ms”, check the box on the reply card or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or email shilbrands@gbcol.edu.

This is general information and is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Please consult your own advisors.

Have you ever felt like the woman in the Bible whose oil jar was never empty? She experienced a gift – a surprise gift – that kept on giving.

Christian Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom knows what that feels like too. A powerful story from her experience, summarized here from a popular website for pastors, begins in Ravensbruk, the German death camp during World War II. Corrie had smuggled her Bible and a small bottle of liquid vitamins into her barracks. Her sister Betsy was very ill, but insisted that Corrie first take care of all the others in the barracks who needed the vitamins before she would accept any.

But then a strange thing began to happen. As Corrie cared for the growing number of sick people, the vitamin bottle was continuing to produce drops! Betsy was growing weaker, but the others were ill as well. It was hard for Corrie to look around the room, and say “no” to eyes that burned with fever and outstretched hands that shook with chills. But every time she tilted the little bottle, a drop appeared at the tip of the glass stopper. It just couldn’t be! She held it up to the light, trying to see how much was left, but the dark brown glass was too thick to see through.

There are many ways that people and ministry organizations experience surprising gifts from God today as well. One of the surprising sources of God’s blessings today, to people and ministry organizations alike, is an IRA account. Thanks to the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Authorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, caring Christian seniors (age 70 1⁄2 and older) can provide tax-free gifts from an IRA (up to $100,000 per year per person) to ministries such as Grace Bible College. This provision, called the “Charitable IRA Rollover,” has been extended through December 31, 2011.

Source: SermonCentral.com

To learn more about IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts, ask for a FREE copy of “A Surprising Gift from God” write ‘Surprise’ and contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or shilbrands@gbcol.edu.

This is general information and is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Please consult your own advisors.