Photo Fun
The USS McCampbell is named after Bessemer, Ala. native Capt. David McCampbell, a Medal of Honor recipient and the U.S. Navy’s all-time leading flying ace and top F6F Hellcat ace with 34 aerial victories. The ship recently conducted operations with the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll in the South China Sea.
Two Time Spelling Champ
Fifth-grader Violetta Rohr recently won the Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS) Catholic School spelling Bee for the second year in a row. With her school title, Violetta represented OLS in the Homewood District Spelling Bee where she placed 3rd.
Music Notes
The 18th annual Gardendale Magnolia Festival, April 26-27, 2019 promises to be a fun, family friendly event that includes live praise music by artists that all call Alabama home.
Hailee Faith: 11-Year-Old Rising Star. Gospel & country singer Hailee Faith Squires will perform at the Magnolia Festival on Saturday April 27. Hailee Faith is from Brookwood, Ala. and a sixth grader at American Christian Academy. She has been sharing her gift of singing with audiences since she began to sing at the amazingly young age of two years old! She recently travelled to Burbank, CA to film an episode of “Lip Sync Battle Shorties” for the Nickelodeon channel.
Eagle’s Wings Band: Acoustic Southern Gospel. Eagle’s Wings Band sings praises to God with a Bluegrass, family harmony twist. The Jasper, Ala. based group has a rich history of being involved in the local church. Darryle Wilson, the patriarch of the five-member Southern Gospel group, says they use acoustic instruments, such as the acoustic guitar and banjo, to help keep time while they all sing praises that glorify God.
Taunton & Posey. Laurel Taunton and James Keith Posey are songwriters and worship leaders for Century Church in Pike Road, Ala. The duo shares the love of Christ through their praise music, which includes the singles “Out of the Water” and “One Step.” Both Taunton and Posey entered the ministry out of their love for the Lord and desire to serve and make Him known through their musical talent. You may remember seeing Taunton audition for the show American Idol in 2015 where she advanced to Hollywood Week. Taunton learned a valuable lesson as she chased the dreams in her heart. She shares, “When I stopped chasing my dreams, my eyes were open to the One who was chasing me all along. Now I am living the dream.”
Steel City Revival. Due to popular demand, this all-male Southern Gospel/Country quartet returns to the 2019 Magnolia Festival. Steel City Revival is sure to impress you with their amazing four-part harmony.
To read more about all the performers at this year’s Magnolia Festival, visit www.magnoliafestival.org. To stay up to date on details about the performance schedule, follow Magnolia Festival on social media: Instagram, “magnoliafestival_gardendale”; Twitter, “Gdalemagfest”; Facebook, “Magnolia Festival in Gardendale.”
If you plan to attend the festival, use the hashtag “gdalemagfest” and tag Magnolia Festival in your social media posts!
Money Matters
presented by: Vision Financial Group, www.vision-financialgroup.com
Losing a spouse is a stressful transition. And the added pressure of having to settle the estate and organize finances can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to make dealing with these matters less difficult.
Notify others. When your spouse dies, your first step should be to contact anyone who is close to you and your spouse, and anyone who may help you with funeral preparations. Next, contact your attorney and other financial professionals as well as life insurance companies, government agencies, and your spouse’s employer for information on how you can file for benefits.
Get advice. Getting expert advice is essential. An attorney can help you go over your spouse’s will and start estate settlement procedures. Your funeral director can also be an excellent source of information and may help you obtain copies of the death certificate and applications for Social Security and veteran benefits. Your life insurance agent can assist you with the claims process. You may also wish to consult with a financial professional, accountant, or tax advisor.
Locate important documents and financial records. Before you can begin to settle your spouse’s estate or apply for insurance proceeds or government benefits, you’ll need to locate important documents and financial records (e.g., birth certificates, marriage certificates, life insurance policies). You may need to obtain certified copies of certain documents. For example, you’ll need a certified copy of your spouse’s death certificate to apply for life insurance proceeds. And to apply for Social Security benefits, you’ll need to provide birth, marriage, and death certificates.
Set up a filing system. If you’ve ever felt frustrated because you couldn’t find an important document, you already know the importance of setting up a filing system. Start by reviewing all important documents and organizing them by topic area. Next, set up a file for each topic area. For example, you may want to set up separate files for estate records, insurance, government benefits, tax information, and so on. Finally, be sure to store your files in a safe but readily accessible place. Also, if you don’t already have one, make a list of the names and phone numbers of organizations and people you might need to contact, and post it near your phone.
Evaluate short-term income and expenses. When your spouse dies, you may have some immediate expenses to take care of, such as funeral costs and any outstanding debts that your spouse may have incurred (e.g., credit cards, car loan.
Avoid hasty decisions.
Hal Holland
Vision Financial Group, Inc.
4505 Pine Tree Circle, Birmingham, 35243
205-970-4909, www.vision-financialgroup.com
Investment Advisor representative of Investment Advisors, a Registered Investment Advisor and a division of ProEquities, Inc. Securities offered through ProEquities, Inc., a Registered Broker-Dealer, Member FINRA & SIPC. Vision Financial Group, Inc. is independent of ProEquities, Inc. Please be advised that Hal Holland holds the Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses and is licensed in AL, TN, TX, VA, SC, NC, FL, MS, GA, MN. Copyright 2006-2019 Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
Legal Matters
Presented by: Bradford & Holliman, Estate Planning, www.bradfordholliman.com
People that have a Will are able to name their personal representative (also called an “executor”). This is the person(s) that the probate court will generally give authority to handle the estate when the person dies.
A Will cannot be submitted to the probate court to open an estate until 5 days after the death of the person and should be accepted up to 5 years after the death of the person. Often, if the personal representative is a beneficiary of the Will, the personal representative will not charge a fee because inheritance is income tax free while a fee received for handling the estate is taxed. However, in cases where the personal representative is doing a lot of work and there are many beneficiaries, the fee may be charged. The law allows a fee up to 5% of the value of the estate. This fee does not include attorneys’ fees and court costs.
When a person does not have a Will, the law allows various people, both family and non-family members, the right to ask the probate court for permission to handle the estate. If there is no one otherwise qualified to serve as the personal representative, a county administrator may be appointed. These administrators can also charge 5 % of the value of the estate.
While the cost is likely shocking, the bigger shock may be that, in large counties (400,000 or more people), the family is precluded from serving in the role of administrator if they wait to open the estate until 40 days after the person’s death. In those cases, the county administrator is named as personal representative unless the county administrator decides to decline the role.
If you want to avoid the costs of probate, you may want to talk to an estate planning attorney about a revocable living trust; or, at the least, make sure you have a Will and that your family knows to probate your Will as soon as possible.
-Melanie Bradford Holliman
Partner, Bradford & Holliman, LLC
Practice focuses on estate planning, elder law and special needs trusts.
2491 Pelham Parkway, Pelham, Ala. 35124
205-663-0281, www.bradfordholliman.com
No representation is made that the quality of legal service to be performed is greater than the quality of service performed by other lawyers.
Healthy Living
“Busy.” It is the common response to the courteous question of, “How are you doing?” The busy nature of our lives has evolved from a hole from which to dig oneself out to a social status that helps to define our importance. We are busy because we are needed. We are busy because our lives are important. We are busy because our culture has elevated the life-sucking problem of busyness to the mark of success.
Throughout the Bible, the Scriptures present a picture of rest. On the seventh day of creation, the Lord rested. The author of the book of Hebrews invites us as followers of Jesus to join Him in rest when he says: “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10 ESV). So, what are some truths that we need to cling to if we are to run from our stress and busyness into the rest of God?
Recognize that God Is in Control. In order to rest, we must realize that we are not on the throne of our lives and of the universe. God is on the throne. He is the One who is ruling and reigning in the world. He has our past, present, and future in His hands which He is working out by His sovereign plan for His glory and our good.
Remember that God Is at Work. In order to rest, we must remember that God is at work. So often, we want to take things into our hands that only God can do. Only God can heal the sick, change someone’s heart and attitudes, and bring people to come to know Him. We so frequently stress out about things that are God’s work and not our own.
Rest in Your Place as His Beloved. Resting begins by remembering whose you are and what God has done for you. Because of the gospel, we have been rescued from our own failures to be a good person, have it all together, and to follow God. We have been made perfect because of Jesus’ work for us at the cross. We are a beloved child of God. His love for us comes not from our performance for Him but because of His endless grace.
Today, take a moment to breathe out stress and rest in grace. You are in much stronger hands than you realize!
Dr. Ben Birdsong serves as the Minister of Students at Meadow Brook Baptist, and also writes and blogs at www.benbirdsong.com
Healthy Living
“When a family is expecting a new baby, you will often hear the parents say, ‘We don’t care if the baby is a boy or girl as long as the baby is healthy.’ Health and wellness are important if you are two days old or 82 years young,” says First Baptist Church Trussville’s Seasoned Adult Ministry pastor, Bob Smith whose senior adult members have committed to hosting a free health and wellness event on Thursday March 21. From 3-6 p.m. area physicians and other medical professionals will be on hand to help educate on heart issues, cancer, joint replacement, anxiety, Alzheimer’s and more. “No matter your age, there will be educational information and resources available for you or for someone you love,” says Smith. For additional information call First Baptist Church Trussville 205-655-2403 or visit www.fbctrussville.org.
Faith at Work
Brought to you by: White Plume Technologies, www.whiteplume.com
I heard a wise saying one time, “I may have an investment into the solution but I’m not the solution. Our biggest frustrations can come from trying to fix something that only God can do.” Not believing that God will fix it, is where a person starts to get off track. Look at the story of the twelve spies in Numbers 13:26-33, where the spies were giving Moses an account of the promise land. They were so afraid that they could never overcome the enemy holding the land.
When unbelief creeps into our lives, just as with the spies, we can see three things occur.
1.We get depressed. In verse 33, see them down and out when they say, “we are just grasshoppers” when comparing to the size of the enemy.
2.We begin to judge and complain. In verse 31 they began complaining and spreading a negative report.
3.We begin to blame other people and eventually even God for the situation.
So how does unbelief develop? It starts when a person chooses to believe the circumstances that are before them rather than the promises of God or God’s Word. When we look at the mountains of our circumstances, many times it can start to overwhelm us which then leads us to developing an inner image of defeat. This gets re-enforced when our mind forgets what we have already seen God do in our past. An unbelieving heart ignores the evidence of God’s voice and track record of our past just as the Israelites did after all that God had just done to get them out of Egypt. The result? They doubted that they could ever enter the promise land.
What really happens is FEAR. Fear of the mountains of circumstances causes us to become self-centered/self-reliant and disobedient. Our faith is put back into our own strengths and abilities. Our old sinful nature (vs our spirit led nature) resurrects to believing that I must take control back from God and DO SOMETHING! That I must fully understand what I am seeing and how it can be fixed. Unfortunately, that never works. For help with this topic or many more, call Transformation Ministries at 205-991-4988 and come seek counseling. We offer Christian counseling as a resource to all churches and we minister at no cost to the receiver.
-Warren “Rock” Hobbs
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Founder, Transformation Ministries
100 Missionary Ridge Drive, 35124
205-991-4988
Yellowleaf Creek Grist Mill
The Yellowleaf Creek Grist Mill in Clanton, Alabama was built in 1850 and has now been totally restored to its original rustic beauty. It’s ready to welcome you with its Southern charm. The venue was chosen by “The Knot” as winner of “The Best of Weddings, 2019.” We invite you to come give us a look see!
Now Available for Events:
Weddings with Bridal Suite, Day Retreats, Bridal Showers, Company Retreats, Company & Private Parties, Family Reunions
Enjoy this unique venue as each event now benefits Transformation Ministries!
To book your next event contact:
Danyula Flowers
205-280-0903
Yellowleaf Creek Mill
1321 County Road 249
Clanton, AL 35046
Encouraging Word
In John 14:6, Jesus says, “. . . I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.” Jesus is announcing that He is the one and only!
The WAY. Jesus begins by saying He is the way. He was acknowledging that only through Him does sinful man have access to Almighty God. He is not “a way” to God, He is “the way” to God. There are not many religious avenues to God; there is only “1 Way” to God.
What qualifies Him to make that statement?
This qualifies Jesus to be the only way!
The TRUTH. Jesus also said He was the truth. Truth is defined as that which is accurate; pure knowledge without any mixture of error. Truth is that which is factual; honest; real; absolute; having integrity. John 8:32 says, “and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Without truth you have deception, delusion, deceit, falsehood, fable and fantasy. Jesus is the truth!
The LIFE. Jesus then refers to Himself as the life. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus offers us a new life (II Corinthians 5:17), an abundant, complete life (John 10:10) and eternal life (John 3:16; John 11:25-26).
Let me encourage you to come to Jesus and make Him your personal Savior and Lord! He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is the one and only!
-Tony Cooper
Celebrating 28 Years of Service as Exec. Director, Jimmie Hale Mission
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