Blog

Stairs that Lead Nowhere

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:18:00 GMT

Imagine a house without any clear design under nonstop construction for thirty-eight years—with a maze of hallways, 160 rooms, staircases that lead nowhere, and seemingly random closets.

There is such a house in San Jose, California, known as the Sarah Winchester Mystery House.

Sarah, the heiress of the Winchester rifle fortune, inherited more than $20 million after the untimely death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester. Her only child had died in infancy fifteen years earlier. Fleeing her earlier life and the loss of her loved ones, Sarah travelled west and eventually purchased property with an unfinished farmhouse in the Santa Clara Valley. Then she threw away the current construction plans and used her unlimited resources to build whatever she chose.

She kept twenty-two carpenters at work year-round, twenty-four hours every day. For the next thirty-eight years, they built and re-built, altered and changed, and constructed and demolished one section of the house after another. There were no blueprints, but each morning she gave the foreman hand-sketched plans for the day’s work. Railroad cars were switched onto a nearby line to deliver the construction materials and imported furnishings. The oddities of her house are too numerous to mention and as whimsical and audacious as one can imagine.

The sad truth is that Sarah’s legacy, while unusual in home construction, is not that unusual in life construction. Too many build their lives without a master plan or thought to their purpose!

Luke 12:18–20 talks about a man who thought he could build his life to accommodate more stuff, saying “I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.” But God revealed the error of that man’s thinking: “You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?” (NLT)

Each of us has the privilege of planning in advance for our legacy and for our beneficiaries. Have you made your plans? Have you considered what you will leave behind, and to whom? If you’d like to learn how to use your resources to bring God’s Word to the Bibleless, please call us for a free consultation.

Giving Now and Later!

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:43:00 GMT

As I spoke with Karen,* a Wycliffe missionary who served as a translator overseas for over thirty years and now fills a key support role here in the United States, her voice filled with emotion.

Karen told me about an inheritance she would soon receive and about a missionary couple raising support to go overseas. She wanted to help them follow God’s calling just as someone had helped her many years earlier.

“What kind of charitable fund would be best in this situation?” Karen asked me. Karen wanted to give an initial gift, followed by monthly financial support, so we discussed her options and the benefits of creating a missionary support plan with the Wycliffe Foundation, using a donor-advised fund.

I also learned that Karen had been supporting three other missionaries for several years through monthly gifts.

“Could I include them in this process?” Karen wondered aloud.

We talked about amounts and her ultimate goals for the resources God had entrusted to her care. It was all doable—she could make all of the gifts she needed through a Wycliffe Foundation donor-advised fund.

As we discussed the details and collaborated with her financial planner, Karen’s excitement grew. “Let’s do it! It makes me feel like I can have my cake and eat it too!”

Once the plan was in motion, Karen signed the documents and funded the agreement with appreciated stock. Her missionary colleagues left for the field with the support they needed; the monthly partnership with her long-term friends was increased; and long-range planning with her retirement assets was updated!

How would you like to make a gift today that would enable you to designate support for a Wycliffe missionary and make charitable gifts in the future? Karen wanted to model good stewardship and invest in the lives of the next generation of translators through her obedience to God’s call on her heart. Her missionary support plan and donor-advised fund enabled her to accomplish those goals and give generously, both now and later!

*Not her real name, but a true story.

Nearing the Finish Line

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:09:00 GMT

In reading Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I’ve noticed that wisdom encourages us to focus on eternity. The more we see things from God’s perspective, the more likely we are to strive for a godly legacy.

It’s this desire to leave a legacy that drives me to support Bible translation. As a result, I’m here to help God’s stewards make wise use of their God-given assets to impact His kingdom through creative gift planning. I trust that will be my legacy as I cross the finish line into eternity.

As you reflect upon the significance or meaning of your life, what will your legacy be? Will it be as Solomon said, “I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19, NLT). Or will it include eternal impact as you store up treasures in Heaven?

In order to help you assess the impact of your legacy, I invite you to use our newest tool, called “My Legacy Planner.” This will help you take the first step in evaluating the wise use of what God has entrusted to you. Visit www.wycliffefoundation.org/MLP to create your personal legacy plan. As always, we are here to serve you and help you discover God’s plan of stewardship for what He’s entrusted to you.

Ownership or Stewardship?

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:21:00 GMT

Do you believe that God owns everything? I do. In light of this truth, what are you doing with all He’s entrusted to you now and when you go home to be with Him?

Statistics show that Christians only give about 2 percent of their income, and when you include non-cash assets, the percentage gets even smaller. But if all of God’s stewards increased their giving to 10 percent, it would generate an additional $168 billion for the work of the Kingdom. Think about the impact that much money could have!

Unfortunately, many people feel as though they have to choose between family and Kingdom causes. But the truth is that there are many ways to provide for yourself, your family, and your favorite Kingdom charities during your life and at your death.

One creative way to use your non-cash assets is a charitable lead trust. This concept allows you to make gifts to your favorite Kingdom causes—especially Bible translation. Then, after a period of time, you pass these assets to your family, effectively tax free.

In this newsletter you’ll read how others have used the charitable lead trust to impact the work of the Kingdom as well as the lives of future generations. Remember, you don’t have to choose between the work of the Kingdom or family—you can impact both with what He’s entrusted to you.

Does your current legacy plan reflect your Kingdom and personal goals? Contact us for a personalized review and more information on how you can create and implement such a plan.

Can't Buy Me Love

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:17:00 GMT

Remember the Beatles’ song from the ‘60s titled “Can’t Buy Me Love”? (Click here to read the lyrics.) One of the lessons we can learn from this song is that money can’t buy us happiness, love, or any of the things that are really important to God. In essence that’s the finding of a study reported in the October 2008 issue of Super Yacht World, “Money Can’t Buy Happiness.” It can lead to less desirable things however—anxiety, worry, fear, insecurity, and uncertainty.

Do I have enough?

What if I have an emergency?

Will I outlive my assets?

How much is enough?

If I run out of money who will take care of me?

Will I have to work until I die?

In a recent article in The Atlantic, they made this statement: “The lesson that Mammon is a false or inadequate god goes back a long way…” With this also comes the desire to have more. Christians are usually quick to attribute this to the super wealthy. However, compared to the rest of the world, we are super wealthy. Therefore the riches or assets that God has entrusted to us can present us with either joys or dilemmas. The Atlantic article states that most people are very anxious about their perception that they don’t have enough. They indicated that “they would require on average one-quarter more…” than what they currently possess. How much is enough?

Consider this,

“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!” (Eccles. 5:10-11, NLT)

It isn’t just the poor that worry about money—so do the wealthy. We worry about losing it, how it’s invested, and about the impact it’s going to have. Money can’t buy love or happiness. However, it can be used to help others experience the love of God for the first time in a language they can understand.

What kind of impact are you producing with the assets God has entrusted to you? Are you using it to buy love and happiness for yourself? Or are you using it to help others hear about God’s love?

A Legacy Worth Celebrating

Fri, 13 May 2011 18:17:00 GMT

Last year I had a dear friend that went home to be with the Lord. Sometime after that I was visiting with his wife, and she shared with me a tribute from several of their grandchildren. With her permission, let me illustrate what leaving a legacy is all about.

In loving memory of our Grandpa: Our Grandpa taught us a multitude of life lessons. He lived them out through his own life every day. He taught us to love others the way Jesus loves, and if that means giving up personal gain, then you do so. He taught us that it is more important to store up riches in Heaven, than any riches you could accumulate here on earth. Grandpa exemplified giving cheerfully…. He gave in a way that most of the world could not fathom.

He also taught us that marriage is not something to be taken lightly…. He loved our Grandma like we’ve never seen anyone love before. Love was a feeling, but most importantly a verb.… Grandpa also taught us that family matters. He made sure he provided experiences for us to grow together and enjoy each other. He took us on our first family vacation. He always made sure there was Moosetracks in the fridge on Wednesday nights…. He loved hanging out with us. Grandpa also taught us the value of a dollar and the importance of hard work. It wasn’t a good idea to complain around Grandpa. He taught us not to be wasteful, and that honesty is a mandatory policy at home and in the business world.

Lastly, Grandpa not only taught us how to live, but also how to die. He taught us that God’s faithfulness does not change according to our circumstances, and His goodness never wavers. He was one of the most amazing Christians we’ll ever know and the best grandpa anyone could ever be so blessed to have. We couldn’t be more proud to say that Richard Verlare was our grandpa, and we loved him like crazy.

Shari, Chad, and Josh Folkerts

Wow! Now that’s eternal impact. You too can have that type of legacy. However, we must be intentional in order to create such a legacy in the lives of others and in the work of the Kingdom.

Does your current plan reflect your personal and Kingdom goals?

God’s Secret Millionaires

Fri, 13 May 2011 18:19:00 GMT

It’s billed as the “feel-good show of the season.” It’s ABC’s Secret Millionaire. Does ABC think we need to feel better? If so, why?

Our culture tells us we should do things that make us feel better about ourselves. However, it’s not about us. It’s about God and what He wants us to do.

Let me go back to Secret Millionaire. The show takes millionaires out of their regular worlds and put them undercover as volunteers for several charities, usually ones that serve areas of great need and poverty. Ultimately, these millionaires reveal their identities and donate some of their money to impact the causes they are most passionate about.

There are several points of application for us in regard to our stewardship of the resources God has entrusted to us. In relationship to the tremendous needs of the world today, many of us are secret millionaires. He wants us to stop hiding in the dark, step into the light, and start to eternally impact the causes we are passionate about.

What are you passionate about? For many of you, it is Bible translation. Consider how God wants you to use the assets He has entrusted to you to complete the task of Bible translation in this generation.
I guarantee you: Doing so will bring you great joy.