Sunday, February 26, 2012

E-Devotional- Week 3

BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP TRUTHS-PART 1

By: Barry G. Allen

Week 3- My Testimony-Continued


I am one of those fortunate Christians whose parents began teaching me and holding me accountable at an early age about the importance and the role of Christian financial stewardship in my relationship to Christ and to other human beings. Most everything I know and do in the Christian discipline of financial stewardship can be traced to my parents’ examples. The Bible was their source, and God’s Holy Spirit was their strength and guide. This week I continue to share with you the Biblical truths that have made a difference in my life with the confidence they also will make a difference in your life, if you abide by them.

What does the Bible say about money and possessions? (continued)

Biblical truth #4: Contentment comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not from money or possessions. The Apostle Paul gives us this perspective in Philippians 4:11-13: “…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation…I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Also, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).

Biblical truth #5: We are not to love money; such will rob us of true riches. Wealth is temporal. 1 Tim. 6:7 reminds us “for we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” Beware of the trap about which the Apostle Paul warns us in verses 9-10, “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil….”

Prayer focus: Pray for an openness that God can use daily to help you find contentment by letting Him, not money, be your one and only God.

Next week: My Testimony (continued)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Baptist Campus Ministry-Making a Difference

By: Barry G. Allen- President & CEO

If you are like me, you are concerned with the high rate of young people dropping out of church once they go to college. There is a solution. It’s Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM).

Based upon the results of a recent study conducted by Brian Combs, the full-time Baptist campus minister at Northern Kentucky University, 94% of college graduates of Kentucky colleges from 2000 to 2010, who were involved in BCM, now attend church at least weekly. WOW! Furthermore, 67% of those graduates serve in church leadership positions. According to Brian, “they go into churches with an understanding of what it means to relate to each other and what it means to work with ministries.” What good news that should be to our churches!

Kentucky Baptists have recognized for many years the Kingdom-advancement value of BCM and have been committed to providing the strongest and most effective BCM among all of the state Baptist conventions. There is a BCM presence on all of the major college and university campuses in Kentucky as well as some community and technical colleges. A number of those campuses have a full-time or part-time campus minister as well as a Baptist student center.

BCM is exciting, important and challenging. The mission of BCM is to disciple and mobilize every generation of students to model the Great Commission, become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, discover their calling in life and be on mission to connect other people to Jesus Christ. By focusing students on missions, evangelism, leadership development, discipleship, worship and fellowship, these students emerge with hearts of service and skills to strengthen churches.

Such a mission, and especially with the highly effective results it has achieved, is worthy of your consideration for a legacy gift. I am pleased to inform you of the establishment of the Baptist Campus Ministry Endowment Fund. Your legacy gift will provide perpetual support for the continued development and mobilization of the next generation of servant leaders who will change the world for the sake of Christ.

For more information, please call us at (502) 489-3533 or toll free at 1-(866) 489-3533

The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

E-Devotional-Week 2

BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP TRUTHS-PART 1 

By: Barry G. Allen


Week 2- My Testimony 

I am one of those fortunate Christians whose parents began teaching me and holding me accountable at an early age about the importance and the role of Christian financial stewardship in my relationship to Christ and to other human beings. Most everything I know and do in the Christian discipline of financial stewardship can be traced to my parents’ example. The Bible was their source, and God’s Holy Spirit was their strength and guide. Over the next seven weeks I shall be sharing with you biblical truths that have made a difference in my life, and I am confident they will make a difference in your life, if you abide by them.

What does the Bible say about money and possessions?

Biblical truth #1: God owns everything. You must come to the point in your life where you can acknowledge with all your heart what the Psalmist declared in Psalm 24:1, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it….” The prophet Haggai (2:8) also declared, “The silver and the gold is mine declares the Lord Almighty.”

Biblical truth #2: God is the source of our wealth. “But remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” (Deut 8:18).

Biblical truth #3: We are called to be stewards. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). The word “stewardship” comes from the Greek word “oikonomia,” which means the act of managing what belongs to another. A steward is a person in charge of the affairs of others, one who acts as a manager and one who is entrusted with the management of the material things owned by someone else. We must remember at all times God is the owner of everything, and we are stewards/trustees of whatever He has entrusted to us.

Prayer focus: Prayerfully study these verses and ask God to help you come to the realization the house you live in is not yours, it’s His; the car you drive is not yours, it’s His; that brokerage account you have is not yours, it’s His; etc. Remember, 1 Cor. 6:20, “you were bought at a price….”

Next Week: My Testimony (continued)

Monday, February 13, 2012

E-Devotional-Week 1

BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP TRUTHS -PART 1 

By: Barry G. Allen

Week 1-Introduction

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I am Barry Allen, President of the Kentucky Baptist Foundation. Thank you for your interest in practicing at a deeper level the Christian discipline of financial stewardship. Although biblical stewardship involves the totality of our lives, our time, talents and treasures, these lessons will focus on treasures – that is – money, wealth, and possessions.

No one is born with this discipline. It is one that must be learned and lived in order to experience its rewards. The Bible has a lot to say about the meaning of money in our lives and is our most reliable source of help. Someone has identified more than 2,200 verses that deal with money and possessions. With the Bible as your source, you will discover the most important thing in your life is to love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul and mind (Matt 22:37) – and – to have no other gods before Him. (Ex 20:3) You will also discover “no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You can not serve both God and money.” (Matt 6:24).

This year-long stewardship education series has been written by the following: Laurie Valentine, KBF Trust Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Jennifer Curtis, CPA, former Accounting Manager and me.

Our prayer is the Lord will add His blessings to your life as you seek first His kingly rule in your life (Matt 6:33). To the extent we can assist you in connecting the dots between God’s word and applying it in your life, please give us that privilege.

Next week: My Testimony

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Christian Estate Planning Basics

By: Laurie Valentine- COO & Trust Counsel 

A Christian estate plan is one you develop by determining God’s purposes for how your assets should pass at your death and for how your finances would be managed and decisions would be made for you if you became incapacitated during your lifetime.

To accomplish God’s purposes regarding how your assets will pass at death you need a written plan---a will or will and revocable living trust----that directs how your probate estate (individually-owned assets and amounts payable to your estate or executor at your death) will pass.

Fine-tuning your written distribution plan can be accomplished with specific bequests of designated amounts or assets to specific charitable or individual beneficiaries. You may also need to make special provision for the management of the shares of your estate passing to young beneficiaries or incapacitated beneficiaries by including testamentary trust provisions in your will.

Coordinate life insurance and retirement plan beneficiary designations with the distribution plan in your will or trust.

You also need to review the way in which your assets are titled. Assets titled as joint tenants with rights of survivorship do not pass under your will; they pass to the surviving joint owner. Likewise, beneficiary-designated assets pass to the named beneficiary, not per your will. The result could be an uncoordinated plan of asset distribution at death.

God’s purposes for asset management in the event you become incapacitated as the result of a stroke, an accident or illness may be accomplished by executing a durable power of attorney. Using a durable power of attorney allows you to empower someone of your choosing to make decisions for you and manage your finances if you become incapacitated in the future.

A revocable living trust can also provide a mechanism for management of assets in the event of incapacity, as well as distribution at death without probate.

To assure the appropriate person(s) have authority to make healthcare decisions for you, if you are incapacitated, a Healthcare Surrogate Designation should be considered. You may also determine that you want to put in writing your desires regarding life-prolonging medical procedures in the event of a terminal condition by executing a living will directive.

Estate planning is an important part of every Christian’s financial stewardship responsibilities.

You can contact us at (502) 489-3533 or 1-(866) 489-3533

The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Take Charge

By: Barry Allen- President & CEO

Why do so many adults procrastinate when it comes to putting in place an estate plan, and especially given the downside risks and potential financial and emotional costs to one’s family by not having a plan in place if he or she becomes incapacitated or dies?

From our experiences in conversations with those with whom we come in contact as we speak in churches, we have discovered some common themes among those who have confessed to being a procrastinator. Some simply dread pondering matters related to death and incapacity. Others find it awkward to discuss such matters with family members or professional advisers. In some instances people conjecture such planning will be too costly and an unnecessary expense given their modest estate.

Taking charge and planning ahead is worth the effort and expense, and it’s biblical. The Apostle Paul advised and warned the Christians of his day and now us Christians today if we did not anticipate future possibilities and realities and put in place a plan to accommodate them we have “denied the faith and are worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8). By planning ahead you are in control of how and when that which God has entrusted to you will pass to your heirs and your charitable interests when you are no longer around or no longer capable of managing it.

Failing to have a plan, or update one’s outdated plan, is the biggest mistake one can make, therefore, it behooves you to take charge and not procrastinate any longer. Get those important documents, like a will, power of attorney, health care surrogate designation and living will directive, prepared, updated and executed promptly. We suggest you engage an attorney who practices in the estate planning field. We discourage the use of do-it-yourself on-line forms. An estate planning attorney will be able to produce the documents that are tailor-made to your particular situation and which conform to the laws of the state of which you are a resident.

To the extent we can help you get started with the process, please give us a toll-free call. There is no cost for an estate stewardship consultation. Also, invite us to conduct a Christian estate planning seminar in your church at no cost.

You can contact us at (502) 489-3533 or 1-(866) 489-3533

The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.