In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses gives the people of Israel a picture of passing their faith down to the next generation. He encourages the people that “these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV). According to Moses, passing on faith to our children involves making the Word central in conversation and on display in our homes. So, what does this look like as we begin 2019?
Parents Must First Connect to God’s Word Themselves. Moses describes the Word being on the hearts of the parents. If you are not modeling a desire for God’s Word and growing in your faith before your children, they will never grow in their own faith. Your kids are looking at you as a model for life, and the importance of modeling “seeking God through His Word” is the most important modeling of all.
Parents Must Be Intentional in Connecting Their Kids to God’s Word. Moses uses the word “diligent.” Those who are diligent have an intentional plan for encouraging their kids to connect to God’s Word. Maybe for your preschooler, this is taking time to read The Jesus Storybook Bible together before bedtime. Maybe this plan for an elementary-aged child is a devotional book that you and your child study together. If you have students, maybe it is connecting them to God’s Word through an audio devotional such as the Engaging the Scripture: Student Devotional Podcast (www.engagingthescripture.com). Whatever this looks like for your family, it is important to have a plan.
Parents Must Connect the Word to Daily Life. Moses mentioned different times throughout the day when parents were encouraged to have faith conversations with their kids. If your children are going to see the importance of God’s Word, it is essential that they see it connected to everyday life. Where are places in your family’s life where you can point to the faithfulness of God? When you pick up your kids from church, what are some questions you could ask about what God taught them through their Bible study? When are moments where you can share what God is teaching you through His Word?
If you fail to estimate your federal income tax withholding properly, it may cost you in a variety of ways. If you receive an income tax refund, it essentially means that you provided the IRS with an interest-free loan during the year. By comparison, if you owe taxes when you file your return, you may have to scramble for cash at tax time — and possibly owe interest and penalties to the IRS as well.
When determining the correct withholding amount for your salary or wages, your objective should be to have just enough taxes withheld to prevent you from incurring penalties when your tax return is due.
Important Tax Resources. You can accomplish this by reading and understanding IRS Publication 505, properly completing Form W-4, and providing an updated Form W-4 to your employer when your circumstances change significantly.
Form W-4 helps you determine the proper withholding amount. Two factors determine the amount of income tax that your employer withholds from your regular pay: the amount you earn and the information you provide on Form W-4. This form asks you for three pieces of information:
The number of withholding allowances you want to claim: You can claim up to the maximum number you’re entitled to, claim less than you’re entitled to, or claim zero.
Whether you want taxes to be withheld at the single, married, or married with tax withheld at single rate: The married status, which is associated with a lower withholding rate, should generally be selected only by those taxpayers who are married and file a joint return. Those who are married and file separately should select married with tax withheld at single rate.
The additional amount (if any) you want withheld from your paycheck: This is optional; you can specify any additional amount of money you want withheld.
When both spouses work and have taxes withheld at the married rate, they sometimes end up with insufficient taxes withheld. If this happens to you, remember that you can always choose to withhold at the single rate. In addition, you can determine the proper withholding amount by completing Form W-4’s two-earner/two-job worksheet.
Complete the worksheets to claim the correct number of allowances. To understand Form W-4, you must understand allowances. Think of allowances as cash in your pocket at the time that you receive your paycheck. The more allowances you claim, the less taxes are taken from your paycheck (and the more cash ends up in your pocket on payday). The following factors determine your number of allowances:
The number of jobs that you work
The deductions, adjustments to income, and credits that you expect to take during the year
Your filing status
Whether your spouse works
To claim the correct number of allowances, you should complete Form W-4’s worksheets. These include a personal allowances worksheet, a deductions and adjustments worksheet, and a two-earner/two-job worksheet. IRS Publication 505 these worksheets.
Check your withholding. In the following cases, accurate completion of the Form W-4 worksheets alone won’t guarantee that you’ll have the correct amount of tax withheld:
When you’re married and both spouses work, or if either of you start or stop working
When you or your spouse are working more than one job
When you have significant nonwage income, such as interest, dividends, alimony, unemployment compensation, or self-employment income, or the amount of your nonwage income changes
When you’ll owe other taxes on your return, such as self-employment tax or household employment tax
When you have a lifestyle change (e.g., marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, new home, retirement) that affects the tax deductions or credits you may claim
When there are tax law changes that affect the amount of tax you’ll owe
In these cases, IRS Publication 505 can help you compare the total tax that you’ll withhold for the year with the tax that you expect to owe on your return. It can also help you determine any additional amount you may need to withhold from each paycheck to avoid owing taxes when you file your return. Alternatively, it may help you identify if you’re having too much tax withheld. If you find that you need to make changes to your withholding, you can do so at any time simply by submitting a new Form W-4 to your employer.
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When your teenage son chooses Haiti over Disneyworld, you know you’re doing something right as a Christian parent. When your 11-year-old shares his salvation story in a park with over 100 people, you don’t have to wonder if the cost was worth it for the family to go on an international mission trip. That’s what more and more families are doing: trading their summer vacations for international mission trips. The Sapps, the Grays, and the Splawns have been doing it for years and now is the time to start planning for summer 2019.
The Sapp family serving as part of Builders for Christ.
Charles Sapp and his wife Teresa (Meadow Brook Baptist) have participated in the Builders for Christ church construction trips since 1991. They drove a motor home to the jobsite for nine of those summers to accommodate their family of five. Each child ranging in age from 5 to 16 has learned about HVAC installation. While many of their friends were swimming and playing baseball, the Sapp kids were fitting pipes, doing sheet metal work, and nailing boards.
Gil Gray and his two sons, Gavon and Braydon, (Church of the Highlands) decided to join Gil’s brother’s church to go to Haiti. “Team Sweat” braved the sweltering heat to cut trees, install solar panels, build benches for schools and churches, dig a burn pit, rig a gutter system, and craft customized tools for teachers. The boys look forward to the trip each summer and spend time throughout the year learning words in Creole to enable better communication with the Haitian children in the orphanage.
Splawn family with other Reel Life Intl. volunteers.
The Splawn family (Meadow Brook Baptist) traveled to Mexico in July with nine other families from nine different churches. Partnering with Reel Life International, they conducted Vacation Bible Schools in migrant camps, tidied up playgrounds, hosted a health fair, and held a fiesta-like fish fry. Brook Splawn’s (15) favorite task was taking blood pressures at the health fair while his brother Ben (17) spent time developing relationships with the local teens. Elias, the 17-year-old nephew of a plantation owner couldn’t believe how much fun all of the “serving people” were having in the name of Jesus.
The Cook family travels to Haiti this spring to serve.
The Cooks (Church of the Highlands) are preparing for their first international mission trip next spring when they, too, will go to Haiti sponsored by Shannon Cook’s employer Encompass Health. Their tasks will focus on medical clinics, schools, and food distribution. Their daughter Caroline (9) can’t wait!
The expense of such a trip adds up quickly, but so do the rewards. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2) Parents saw this verse exemplified as their children reconnected with the “real” world without the intrusion of social media and cell phones. Teens and pre-teens demonstrated hope and unconditional love with kids their age from other cultures and backgrounds. Through these mission trips, parents say their kids have shown increased self-sufficiency, responsibility, and value. Everyone comes home with a deeper love for the Lord, for others, and for their family.
Karen Allen
Brought to you by: Community Partner, Brilliant Web Works www.brilliantly.net
A good new year resolution is to pay for estate planning for your grown children. Not only is it a good idea, it is a great idea!
An estate plan is something they need and just may save them immense heartache, anxiety and money in the event tragedy strikes. Some of the basic benefits an estate plan can provide:
Powers of Attorney – If your grown child is injured or becomes incapacitated, an agent is in place to take care of financial and healthcare matters.
Guardian -If the grown child has minor children and both parents are killed, a proper Will should name the guardian for the minor children. This assignment can eliminate fights in the family over who should be guardian or if it doesn’t eliminate fights, it, at least, tells the judge who the parents have designated to be guardian regardless of who objects.
Trustee– A proper Will should name a trustee to manage assets/money for any minor children or any children that the parents feel need oversight. Alabama law will allow a child to take possession of assets at age 19; however, few parents feel 19 is the proper age to give substantial assets to a child. If you feel the child should be older before receiving inheritance, you will want to state the age and specify that the trustee is in charge until the child reaches that age.
Distributing Assets– A Will allows your adult child to decide who should receive assets regardless of their familial relationship. Without a Will, Alabama law decides who will get their assets.
Young adults (and even older adults) rarely think about estate planning because they are busy living life, it is easy to procrastinate thinking about mortality, and they may not have the spare funds to pay for an estate plan. However, taking the time and effort to create an estate plan can be the best thing you can do for your adult children.
If your children do not have estate plans, paying for their plan is an excellent new year’s resolution. It doesn’t allow you to tell them what to say in their plan, but it will give you peace of mind that they have things in order. No dieting required!
-Melanie Bradford Holliman
Partner, Bradford & Holliman, LLC
Practice focuses on estate planning, elder law and special needs trusts.
Residents of Brookdale University Park enjoy an engaging lifestyle with a selection of care options to meet changing needs. The community conveniently located off Lakeshore Drive in Birmingham offers a full continuum of care, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and dementia care and skilled nursing and rehabilitation, www.brookdale.com.
Not everyone has the time, energy, or resources to be a round-the-clock caregiver for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias. It can be challenging but we at Brookdale University Park work with residents and caregivers to find their interests and passions to incorporate into our community! We take a person-centered approach to memory care. For example, we have a resident that was an art curator and our staff took the time to walk the resident through our community to price all our art on the walls! Engagement is key to making residents feel at home in our community.
If taking care of your loved one is overwhelming emotionally or otherwise, it doesn’t mean you don’t love them enough. It simply means you need some help. Don’t be afraid to look into options for live-in healthcare, adult day care programs, or even a memory care home. To learn more about how Brookdale could assist you in the care of a loved one or to schedule a tour of our community, call us at 205-870-0786 or visit us at www.brookdale.com.
Brookdale residents and staff participate in Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama annual Memory Walk.
Brookdale University Park is a proud corporate sponsor of Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. Throughout the year, Brookdale organizes, hosts and facilitates various activities to raise funds for this local organization. It all comes together the first Saturday of each November with the “Walk to Remember” where residents, associates and friends participate to raise awareness in support of those affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. We are thankful to have two small groupings of Memory Care apartments on our campus at Brookdale University Park as well as caring associates who go the extra mile to engage and interact with each of our residents. Call us today to set up your personal visit and learn about our “Daily Path” and “Solace” programming, dementia friendly menus and dining, and our person-centered approach to memory care, 205-870-0786. †
Binoculars are a real plus to have at the Festival of Cranes and to have on hand to get the best view of the wild life in your own backyard. Visit the experts at Mark’s Outdoors to find the pair that best suits your needs.
The Christmas season has come and gone and now it’s New Year’s Resolution time. I encourage you to set goals for yourself and your family and hopefully make this year even better than the last. As a rule, New Year’s resolutions usually revolve around things like fitness. “Ok, this year I’ll remove all of the clothes hanging on the treadmill that I bought when I made last year’s resolution and promise to use it this year.” Or resolutions related to finance. “This year I will save a little extra cash out of each paycheck and finally taking that vacation I’ve been wanting to go on.” All of that is well and good but are we really taking full advantage of the New Year’s Resolution?
This year consider adding a resolution that involves getting outside and enjoying the great outdoors. Perhaps your outdoor resolution includes getting into or back into hunting. Good news! Your timing is great. You still have until the end of the month to enjoy hunting season and plenty of time to get ready for next fall.
Another great outdoor activity available this month is the annual Festival of the Cranes, January 12-13, 2019. This two-day celebration of Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes brings together experienced birders and those who would like to learn more about birding and other wildlife that live in Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur (www.friendsofwheelerrefuge.org). Over 12,000 Sandhill Cranes along with several pairs of Whooping Cranes spend the winter each year at the Refuge. Enjoy nature walks, live raptors and refuge tours. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring binoculars and a camera. Throughout the event, the enclosed Wildlife Observation Building will offer views of thousands of Sandhill Cranes, along with Whooping Cranes, ducks, geese, raptors, and maybe a bald eagle. There will be bleachers and spotting scopes available along with volunteers and staff members on hand to answer questions.
Need more outdoor ideas? Visit us at Mark’s Outdoors to become inspired and to be fully equipped to make the most of your time in God’s great outdoors. We will help make sure that you have everything you need to make your time outside that much more enjoyable. Happy New Year & God Bless!
In January of each year I pray for a word-a word that I can use throughout the year to pray on and encourage me in my daily walk. Several years ago, that word was Flourish-when God first laid it on my heart, I didn’t quite understand why this was the word He gave me. I continued to pray about it and eventually came across a scripture that explained so much of what this word would mean to me during that year.
Psalm 92:12, “But the Godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.”
Throughout my life I have walked through many dark trials and after coming to know Christ, I came to find that there were many women who were walking in darkness- withering with the different burdens and trials that life can throw at us. This darkness was so real, it was so evident in the lives of the women I was speaking with. Women were dealing with depression, abuse, and addictions on top of those every day stressors of being a mom, wife, being single or working a full-time job. I had been praying earnestly for God to open my eyes to His word-“But the Godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.” Without sun the trees are not able to flourish, they are not able to grow. It’s the same for you and me-when we are covered in darkness, we are not able to grow and flourish as we should in Christ. We are in the dark and not able to see His love and promises.
One commentary I read said that these palm trees were known for their long life, they would stand tall and live long. It also says that the cedars of Lebanon grew to 120 feet in height and 30 feet in circumference; thus, they were strong, solid and immovable.
Life pulls us in every direction. It hits us when we are down. It leaves us feeling uncertain at times, but one thing I know is certain– if we are placing our faith firmly in God, He will give us the strength and vitality to get through each day. Just like the cedars of Lebanon-we will grow in our walk, we will become strong, and we will begin to flourish, and our faith will then overcome whatever darkness we are walking through.
Cheryl Goss
Founder of Connecting Ministries, host of the February 15-16 women’s conference, “Flourish” at Samford University. Featured speakers include New York Times best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs (Mine is the Night, Bad Girls of the Bible and more) and sought-after Bible teacher and speaker Lisa Harper. For more details and to register visit, www.connectingministries.org, founded to come alongside churches, organizations, and individuals, equipping and empowering them to live out God’s Word.
As we begin a new year, I thought of two Bible verses that will encourage and enable us to successfully deal with the obstacles and challenges that life can bring. II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline.” A similar passage in Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “. . . for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid, what shall man do to me.’” The Apostle Paul tells us that we are not to be afraid, timid or bashful when it comes to living a Christian life. Fear is the enemy of faith and will hold us back as we live for Christ.
After telling us what to avoid, Paul then says what to pursue; Power, Love and Discipline.
Power is the ability; empowering; enabling to accomplish a desired result. As a Christ-follower our ability comes from the Holy Spirit of God. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. . .”
Following power comes Love. This is agape love which comes from God. It is unselfish concern and unconditional positive regard for the welfare of another. Love is to be shared. We should first love God and then love others (Matthew 22:36-40).
The third characteristic we are to pursue is Discipline. This means to exercise sound judgment and self-control. Discipline describes a person who is calm, well balanced and their life is under control.
Use this encouragement from God’s Word to guide and bless you in 2019.
-Tony Cooper
Celebrating 28 Years of Service as Exec. Director, Jimmie Hale Mission
Learning to “Cope with Life” and the things that life throws at us, has been a major source of stress in a person’s life since the beginning of time. The funny thing is…God created our brains to deal with multiple tasks and problems at very advanced levels of thinking all at one time. Our brain is used 90% of the time as a filter of all mental inputs and stimuli it receives and then processes them into our conscious thought for the activities around us. It allows us to consciously focus on and function at accomplishing just one or two things at a time. God gave us the capacity to train our brain to do more- to allow more “ducks on our pond” so to speak, without being overloaded.
Yellowleaf Creek Mill in Clanton, Ala. was named by The Knot as “Best Wedding Venue of 2019”. Hosting an event here now benefits Transformation Ministries. Photo Credit Alyssa Rose Photography.
So why am I always freaking out because I can’t keep all my ducks in a row? When our emotions enter the coping equation stress enters the situation. Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble [your ducks will not be in a row/author insert] But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Ducks Vs. Duck Maker. God created us in His image so that we could experience relationship and Agape love with him and others here on earth. The richness of that love when we find it is so cool! But we have limited brain ability in our human form and our emotions often get out of sync with God’s Will. Too many ducks get out of line and we begin to focus on the ducks and not on the Duck Maker. Inevitably we begin to try and control all the ducks because of fear; fear of losing something I love, fear that someone I love will get hurt, fear that I will not be a success and so on. You can see there are many fears that can come upon us. But that’s why Jesus said we would have these troubles but not be afraid. Stress is driven by our emotions getting into control of our will and not letting the Holy Spirit control those emotions. So, a battle rages between our soul (our feeling, intellect, emotions) and our spirit (God’s truths and power) as to who will CONTROL our will.
Worldly Standards Vs. Godly Standards. Coping is accomplished in two ways- by Worldly Standards or Godly Standards. Let’s be honest here. When the bills pile up, a loved one is sick, you’ve lost your job, your marriage is not going well, your kids are in trouble or worst yet, maybe going off to the “money drain” called college…. Things begin to feel like they are getting out of your control and you don’t like it. You strive to keep all those ducks in a row, but they don’t line up. Ever been there? The world then tells you…”take these medications, do this yoga, smoke marijuana, have a drink, find sexual releases”, well you get the picture. But worldly standards will drive you bananas! It never works…we end up running ourselves, our marriages and our children into the ground and the ducks just never line up!
Planning a wedding or special event? Consider Yellowleaf Creek Mill located in nearby Clanton, Ala. The Mill overlooks a tranquil creek, is home to a 16-foot water wheel and a 150 foot waterfall, and offers you a combination of rustic elegance and modern conveniences. Eech event held at this unique venue now benefits Transformation Ministries. Visit www.yellowleafcreekmill.com or call 205-280-0903 for details.
Coping comes when we listen to what Jesus said to the disciples in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit [the ducks begin to line up/author insert]. Apart from me you can do nothing.” So, the answer to the “Duck” dilemma is learning to cope with Godly Standards. The Bible says “…God is Agape (Love) and we worship Him in spirit and in truth.” As we learn to trust God with every aspect of our life he will teach us more and more truths about how to abide in Him and not have to be in CONTROL! When I learned to Trust the Father in Heaven with everything and everyone in my life and gave up Control, I found a place called “Rest.” Godly coping is learning to live in his Grace and rest in Him during all the storms. When that happens, I don’t have to strive to please anyone anymore! I can merely do my best and let the Holy Spirit inside of me guide me through the stormy waters. I will still need to be engaged in life and all its problems, but I won’t have to have stress or anxiety. So, it’s a willingness to give up control and then an intentional desire for learning how to abide in Christ. When I keep my eyes focused on the Duck Maker all my ducks start to line up.
For more teaching on how to get your ducks in a row, come join us at the Transformation Ministries School of Ministry Part I class called, “The Keys to Inner Healing.” Registration on line is still open, www.trministries.org. Come see what Godly Standards can do to helping you abide in Him and live in His Rest!
In one day- thousands of people in need in our community were served a delicious meal, provided eye exams, medical screenings, haircuts, clothes and groceries at the Daniel Cason Ministries annual City-Wide Thanksgiving Outreach, “I Cared Enough” at the Bill Harris Park Arena Crossplex.
Through the collaboration of hundreds of Jesus loving people and a leadership that is sold out to Jesus every hour of every day, the I Cared Enough Thanksgiving Outreach has been happening for 18 years. Can you believe that?! 18 years of sacrifice and faith rides of trusting and waiting on God and Him showing off and providing everything needed every single time. That’s who God is.
Daniel and Gwen Cason are the founders of Daniel Cason Ministries which is responsible for the I Cared Enough Thanksgiving Outreach every year in our community. They are two of the most precious Jesus loving people you could ever know and being able to serve Jesus alongside them is a real treat. I love how they know kids by name and they invest in people for the long haul, giving their life so that one more will know Jesus. Their love for Jesus is straight up contagious. They are in the trenches with people who need food, not only for their bodies but also for their souls.
For a few years Grace Klein Ministries has shared from our abundance for the I Cared Enough Thanksgiving Outreach through clothing, food, prayer. But this year, God allowed us to help with clothing, groceries, pickup/delivery of food, inviting in new volunteer teams, prayer support and a general “what’s mine is yours” linked arms, we are with you, partnership. God blessed our socks off as we saw God provide money for non-perishable food, community volunteers sign up to prepare hot food, Motivated Movers loan two trucks and four movers… one of our partners donated a truckload of bananas that we were able to share, and on and on… God did it!!
The absolute delight was hearing that 400 people came to know Jesus from the 3000+ people who were served. Do you know what can happen in Birmingham if those 400 new Jesus followers start living as followers of Jesus? Love is about to spread. Forgiveness is going to happen. Lives are going to change. And if those 400 people introduce one person to Jesus in the next 12 months, the impact of I Cared Enough will immediately double. Do you see what could happen to our Birmingham?!
If you want to join us with Daniel Cason Ministries and I Cared Enough for 2019, start praying… We trust God will allow us to partner with Daniel Cason Ministries in 2019 and as their faith inspires us, we pray our faith will inspire them. Every week we will be committed to continue spurring one another on to love and good deeds. As Daniel would say, “GOD DID IT.”
-Grace Klein Ministries, Ministry Partner of Daniel Cason Ministries, www.danielcason.org, 205-365-1800
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