During Super Bowl XXXVII, FedEx ran a commercial that spoofed the movie Castaway, in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a deserted island for years. Looking like the tattered Hanks in the movie, the FedEx employee in the commercial goes up to the door of a suburban home, package in hand.

When the lady comes to the door, he explains that he survived five years on a deserted island, and during that whole time he kept this package in order to deliver it to her. She anti-climactically says “thank you” and begins to walk away. But the driver is curious about what is in the package that he has been protecting for years, and says, “If I may ask, what was in that package after all?”

She opens it and shows him the contents, saying, “Oh, nothing really. Just our family survival kit for camping – a satellite phone, a water purifier, a box of matches, and some canned food.” (Source: Bill White in Preaching Today).

This humorous “survival kit” story reminds us that our God-given resources can protect our families – and possibly others too. Amazingly though, nearly 70% of us do not have the most basic “survival kit” of all to protect our families and the ministries we love such as Grace Bible College – an up-to-date Will.

The Psalmist wrote, “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you” (Psalm 25:21). A Will is a simple but powerful way to display that integrity and uprightness in our lives.

For a FREE copy of our special bulletin “A Family Survival Kit” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Shilbrands@gbcol.edu – or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/gbc

Have you ever experienced a “losing streak” in your life where nothing seemed to go your way?

That happened to a man named Pete, who had fallen on hard times. His well-intentioned friends met to discuss how they could help their good buddy. But knowing him to be an extremely proud person who would not accept money, they decided to arrange a bogus raffle.

They told Pete that they would all draw numbered slips of paper from a hat, and the person who drew the number “four” would win $500. What they didn’t tell their unsuspecting friend was that the number “four” was on every slip.

After the drawing, each of the conspirators glanced at their slips and crumpled them up, pretending to look disappointed that they had not won the prize money.

Hiding their feelings of great anticipation, they slowly looked over at Pete – but he didn’t say anything.

Finally, one member of the group asked him, “Well, Pete, what number did you draw?”

Holding up the hat-size tag, Pete sighed and reported: “Six and seven-eighths.” (Source: Pastor Richard Jones on Sermon Central)

We all want to “win” in life; yet ironically, the Bible is full of stories highlighting people who “lost” everything in their faith journey with God. Today, followers of Christ are still “losing” everything they have – some giving their time to a person in need, others using their talents at work or in their church, and some devoting a portion of their hard-earned,  lifetime of savings in their Wills to ministry organizations such as Grace Bible College.

For a FREE copy of our special bulletin “Five Biggest Losers of the Bible” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Shilbrands@gbcol.edu – or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/gbc

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

Sarah’s mom was getting ready to place the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven when Sarah asked her, “Mommy, why do you and Aunt Barb both cut the ends off the turkey legs before you cook it?” The girl’s mother replied, “I think it might add to the turkey’s flavor, but perhaps you should ask your grandmother since she always did it that way.”

So she went to ask Grandma in the other room. Grandma replied, “Well, I don’t know about your mom and Aunt Barb, but I did it because the turkey was too big for our oven.” (Adapted from: “The Benefits of an Intentional Life”)

There are many things we do out of habit, not realizing that there might be a better way. Take charitable giving, for example. While many people faithfully give cash to Grace Bible College, some may find they would be better off if they put their checkbooks aside and gave appreciated stock or mutual funds instead. That’s because the potential tax savings from giving appreciated assets can free up more of your money to save, invest, or give to the Lord’s work.

In the familiar Bible story of Martha and Mary both doing something good (cleaning the house and listening to Jesus), Jesus commended Mary because she “had chosen what was better” (Luke 10:42). When it comes to the financial resources God has entrusted to us, and investing them in the cause of Christ with organizations such as Grace Bible College, may we also honor the Lord and “choose what is better” – whether that be giving cash or appreciated stock.

For a FREE copy of our special bulletin “Making Better Choices God’s Way” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Shilbrands@gbcol.edu – or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/gbc

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

Did you ever sing “The wise man built his house upon the Rock” in Sunday School? The familiar song from childhood has powerful implications not only for our lives, but also for the values we pass on to the next generation. Here are 4 keys to help you build your financial house on the Rock – Jesus Christ.

1. Replace Arguments with Agreements
It’s no secret that money is a major area of conflict in many families. But that’s not what God intended. In Isaiah 32:18 God says, “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” What a beautiful picture of what our financial lives can look like when they are built on agreement and unity in prayer.

2. Prosper Slowly
The lottery is really just a voluntary tax for people who can’t do math. The “get rich quick” impulse is a temptation for many of us, but the Bible warns us against chasing fantasies (Proverbs 28:19) and gambling on the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (Proverbs 22:26). Instead, God tells us in Proverbs 21:5 that prosperity comes from good planning and hard work.

3. Commit to Total Honesty
A letter to the IRS read: “When I filed my income tax return, I misrepresented my income. Now I cannot sleep. Enclosed is a check for $150. If I still cannot sleep, I’ll send you the rest.” The Bible cautions us that “Wealth created by lying is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.” (Proverbs 21:6), but that “truthful lips endure forever.” (Proverbs 12:19)

4. Excel Now and Later
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) founder Colonel Sanders remarked, “There’s no good reason to be the richest man in the cemetery.” He’s right, but we can be rich towards God by “excelling in the grace of giving.” (2 Corinthians 8:7). We can give generously now, and we can give later by including ministries such as Grace Bible College in our Wills.

Source: www.kluth.org

For a FREE copy of our special bulletin “Build Your Financial House on the Rock” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Shilbrands@gbcol.edu – or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/gbc

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

“Why do they call it rush hour when no one is moving?” a comedian once asked.

None of us like being stuck in traffic. We might enjoy our own vehicle very much, but when we’re forced to wait in line, bumper-to-bumper with lots of other cars, we can quickly become frustrated and impatient. We may feel like the highway motorists in the cartoon who were all thinking, “If everyone else would just take the bus, I could be home by now!”

The great preacher Vance Havner once remarked that “Christians, like snowflakes, are frail; but when they stick together they can stop traffic” (Rick Warren; Purpose Driven Life). How true! When Christians unite their lives and resources together for the cause of Christ with ministries such as Grace Bible College, great things can happen!

But there are other times in our lives when things stick together and cause unintended negative consequences both to our families and the ministries we love. For example, many ministry-minded families have experienced a “traffic jam” of taxes against their hard-earned retirement assets. This happens when well-intentioned people name their heirs as beneficiaries of these assets, unaware that estate and income taxes can be as much as 70% on qualified retirement assets such as 401(k) accounts or IRAs.

The good news is that you can avoid this traffic jam. If you name a Christian organizations such as Grace Bible College as the beneficiary of all or part of your remaining retirement account balance, the full value will be received by Grace Bible College. These funds will not be subject to estate taxes; and because they were not passed on to heirs, they also avoid income taxes—freeing up the resources God has entrusted to you to get to their intended destination.

For a FREE copy of our special bulletin “10 Ways to Avoid a Traffic Jam” simply check the box on the enclosed reply card or contact Steve Hilbrands from Grace Bible College at 616-538-2330 or Shilbrands@gbcol.edu – or bless your family today with a God-honoring Will at www.christianwill.org/gbc

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