Tax Saving Tip- Charitable Giving

The year is drawing to a close and and now is a good time to "make-good" on any commitments you have made to charitable organizations. The government has chosen to give those of us who are charitably inclined the great benefit of being able to deduct our contributions to 501(c)3 organizations from our income, reducing our tax liability.

Contributions to your church, your local homeless shelter, relief organizations, and other entities involved in charitable endeavors are all deductible on your tax return. In any given year you can deduct up to 50% of your adjusted gross income for charitable giving. If you give away appreciated assets, you are limited to 30% of adjusted gross income. The good news is that if you want to give away more than 50% of your income in cash or more than 30% of your income in assets, you can carry your giving forward into years where you may not be able to give the maximum.

For the most part, Americans are ungenerous. While we are one of the most charitable countries in the world with our personal income, the percentage of income that the average American gives away is only 3.2%. We are (still) one of the richest countries in the world, and we give only a token amount of our great wealth away.

As Christians our primary responsibility to give is to our local church, and then to give to other organizations that are worthy. The Hannah Medical Center is one of those worthy organizations. It is an explicitly Christian organization that seeks to communicate Christ’s love by providing life-affirming services to women facing pregnancy decisions and by upholding biblical standards for sexual integrity. I have had the privilege of being on the board of the Hannah Medical center for the past year. Jill Attebery was the Chair, and was passionate about what the Hannah Medical Center stands for. It would honor her memory to support a cause that she was passionate about.

To donate, please visit www.hannahmedical.org and click on the "donate now" button on the left hand side of the screen.

Please let me know if you have any questions about charitable giving or gifting.

Brothers In Arms

This past Sunday I was privileged to be able to meet Anthony. He is one of Jordan Thomas's friends, and he recently went through the loss of his wife back in February. They came to church Sunday night and went out to eat with us afterward. Scott and Anthony talked for a good while and it was very encouraging. One of the most encouraging things to me was just seeing someone who was 10 months removed from a similar tragedy, and to see how well he was doing.

I really appreciate Jordan and Anthony in their service to Scott during these difficult days.

Scott is doing very well. He has completed multiple home projects, and even came to church last night and went out with us in our visitation team. I am very encouraged by his demeanor these days. He still has some down times, but over all I would say he is doing as well as could be expected. He is facing this situation head on and being careful not to hide.

Year End Financial Tips

It is getting close to the end of the year and many of you may not know that I am a financial planner by vocation. I thought it would be appropriate to give a couple reminders of some things you can do to plan for your financial future.

529 Plan
In Arkansas you can take advantage of our state 529 plan. I have done extensive research in this area and it is the best plan out there for Arkansas residents. In addition to being able to save for college for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, spouse, or even yourself, you can get an Arkansas state tax deduction on contributions to these accounts. Money put in these accounts will grow (hopefully) tax free until they are pulled out for college expenses at which time, no tax will be owed on withdrawals as long as they are used for qualified educational expenses. Just go to www.thegiftplan.com to find out more information about these excellent accounts. You may also qualify for the "Aspiring Scholars" grant match if your income is low enough. It really does work, we did this for our girls last year and will probably do it again this year.

IRA Contributions
You have until April 15th of 2009 to contribute to your Traditional IRA or Roth IRA for the 2008 tax year. This year the limits are $5,000 each, unless you are age 50 in which case your limit is $6,000. Pay attention to how much you have in both Traditional Accounts and Roth, you should have money in both types of accounts for a tax saving strategy in retirement-Christian reengagement.

Health Savings Accounts
These are some great accounts that help you save for future health expenses and also give you an immediate tax deduction. If you have a qualifying High Deductible Health Policy you can take advantage of an HSA which will allow you to sock money away for future health expenses. The money goes in tax free and comes out tax free when used for qualified health related expenses, including over the counter medication.

Let me know if anyone has any questions about these tips.

"Drunk Peasants"

This was a followup question to my answer about depravity:

I think everything you said is true, and it's a great reminder. I'm still not clear about whether you think that sometimes we focus too much on our depravity and not enough on Christ's FULL redemption of us. I think it may be like recognizing a quarter only by the man on the side. (Who is on the side?) and not by the other side - that has something else on it.

Clearly, I know exactly what I'm talking about.

Example: What exactly does it mean that our hearts of stone have been replaced with hearts of flesh?

Great followup, here is what I would say:

We are like drunk peasants who are constantly falling off one side of the donkey (an illustration by Luther). The Bible speaks of both our abiding sinfulness and Christ's full redemption of us. We must not forget our sinfulness (to keep us humble), and we must not forget Christ's mighty and sufficient power to save (to keep us from sliding into despair). I have called it the "dance of redemption" which I'm sure I ripped off of somebody. As Christians we should constantly be aware of our sinfulness, repent of it, cast ourselves on Christ believing that He has borne our sin and absorbed the wrath of God, and press on, only to fall again, and repent and believe that Christ is mighty and sufficient to save... you get the idea.

As far as the heart of stone being taken out and a heart of flesh being put in. Obviously this is figurative language describing the change of heart that a believer experiences. It does not mean that all believers will have a cataclysmic shift in thinking or behavior (though some will- see CJ Mahaney's testimony for an example of a radical change.)


More than likely your experience, like mine, will not be (have been) as dramatic as CJ's. It probably looks more like a change in trajectory, or a change in direction. Primarily, regeneration softens our hearts toward God. Whereas before, we were at odds with God, and now we love Him and seek to obey Him, no matter how unsuccessful we may be at it. We want to please Him, we want to glorify Him. That is what a ransomed heart looks like.

By the way, it's Washington.

Dirty Children

Question:
Jon, I think there's something to be said for the condition of our hearts under the new covenant. In my own life it has been very hard to reconcile my theology and my reality, especially concerning depravity. (For instance, when my nonbelieving friends do something good. What do I make of that? They are indeed good people with charitable hearts. They have morals they strive to maintain and they are compassionate and helpful toward one another.)

Is it possible that we can make too much of "total depravity"? Or is it possible that we sometimes swerve too far to the right or the left when teaching certain doctrines instead of striving for the balance that wholeness of Scripture would offer?

Great Question! In fact, I was hoping someone would ask it.
Here's my answer:

There are two legitimate ways to look at acts done by humans (believing and non-believing).

Obviously there is a sense in which an unbelieving philanthropist giving $20 Million to build a hospital in Africa is a "good" thing. It is accurate to say it is better to be a good pagan nurse who seeks to help people, than be a bomb throwing anarchist. Consequently only Christianity can satisfactorily explain any moral difference between these two chosen professions!

On the other hand when looking at works from God's perspective (as only God can do). He sees a fundamental difference between works done by those who are His and those who are not.

Christians- Yes, every work we do is tainted by sin, even our best actions are like bloody tampons. Sorry to get crude, but that's the way the Bible describes our works (See Isaiah 64:6). Christians are by no means perfect, and as Romans 7 makes explicitly clear, we all live in the reality of abiding and indwelling sin, but there is also another law at work in us. Christians are sinners in whom the Spirit dwells and motivates us to put to death the deeds of the body, this is always the case with believers. We never "arrive." We never get to a point to where we have sin "licked." In this life, sin will be a constant enemy of Christians that must be put to death.

Non-Christians- Yes, every work they do is sinful in God's eyes. Even their best actions are not done in faith. Romans 14:23 says "But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." and Hebrews 11:6- "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Therefore only works done "in faith" (whatever that means) are not sinful to God. By definition an unbeliever does not have faith, and therefore every work is sinful. Even good works done by Christians not in faith are sin.

Bottom line: Being a Christian does not mean sinlessness, but it does mean that you hate sin, and fight against it. It is good and right to recognize when an unbeliever does something good and even to thank or compliment them. At the same time we should not mislead them into thinking that God is pleased with their "good works" nor that He is pleased with ours. He is pleased with Christ and anyone who is "in Him." That's what it means to do works in faith. We work trusting that God is looking at us through the lens of Christ's work.

Hope this is helpful and it may even spur more questions.

Does Anyone (Besides Me) Think I Use Parentheses Too Often? (Be Honest)

In our ever changing world of language, we must find ways to creatively and clearly communicate. Sometimes it even means to make up words (like "literality," or "enoughness"). Short headlines to describe yourself seldom work anymore. For instance, it is not enough to say "I'm a Christian" for anyone to know what you actually mean. I could say that and mean something completely different from what my Mormon friends would mean by that same statement. Communication and language are fascinating to me. The changing connotations of words cry out for definition. In order for us to be clear in our communication we must continually go back to the drawing board. We must not be afraid to look stupid. We must ask questions. We must answer questions. We must criticize candidly and constructively. We must be willing to take criticism without being destroyed.

Bonus points to the one who can comment on the significance of the photo (I know it's too easy).

Would The Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

Here's the explanation of the question and the question.

Explanation:

Right now I typically read from the ESV. To go along with that I use Bible Gateway to read these other translations - KJV, NIV, NLT, MSG, AMP.

Most of them say something like "John said, 'Master, we saw this dude casting out demons IN YOUR NAME...'" I noticed that the NLT and MSG (yeah, they are totally the black sheep of the Bible Translation Family) say something like "Jesus they were USING your name." See, totally different connotation, right?

Question:

When John says this is he being accusatory? Is he saying that they were "using" the name of Jesus? Clearly, because of Christ's reply he is to a degree, but I'm always curious to see how the disciples talked to Jesus. What kind of words was he using?

Which also brings me to this. In Adam's morning sermon last Sunday he said something about "doing something in Jesus name." What exactly does it mean to do something in Jesus name? This fits perfectly into the account of this passage in Luke when you read it in Mark 9. Is it as simple as doing something BECAUSE YOU BELONG TO CHRIST? Or is there more to it?

Great question(s)!

(My) Answer:
RE: John's Comments- He was being accusatory. I would say it like this, John was saying "Jesus there were these guys casting out demons in your name, can you believe that? They don't even follow us and they were trying to infringe on your copyright, should we try to sue them? Your name is proprietary, and should only be used by you or us, not just anyone can utter that word." I don't think it was directly disrespectful to Jesus, John had good intentions mixed with a little pride.

RE: Doing something in Jesus name- I think this means that if what motivates you to do something for someone is Jesus (either in what He has done or will do for you), then you are doing it in Jesus name. If your acts of mercy have a redemptive goal (they picture in a physical way, what Christ has done for you spiritually) they are done in Jesus name. In a very general way, any good act done by someone known to be a Christian is doing something "in Jesus name." Another important point to this is that you have to be speaking in the name of the "right Jesus." Not the Jesus who is wimpy, feminine, girly or who wears a dress and has product in his hair (as Mark Driscoll would say). Not the "good moral teacher" Jesus who certainly wasn't God, and got killed because he talked about loving your enemies and whose body probably was eaten by dogs. Not the lunatic Jesus who only thought he was God, but really was just a loon. Anything done in one of these "Jesus'" name is not really done in Jesus' name. We are not given the freedom to define Jesus in any other way than what Scripture defines Him. Christian good works must be done in the name of the crucified-risen-and-reigning-ruler-of-the-universe Jesus.

Another Question

Question:
When Jesus asked why the father forsake him on the cross, was that doubt? I want to know it isn’t but the human in me wants to know what it is, I should have paid more attention in English!

Answer:
I guess it depends on what you mean by "doubt." Sometimes it's easier to say what things aren't than what they are.
We know Jesus' words and emotions here were not sinful. Therefore we know when Jesus said these words it did not mean, that He doubted God's goodness, or even His sovereignty. In fact He was declaring His sovereignty by what He said. He could have just as easily cursed the Jews or the Roman officials who put Him unjustly on the cross, but He says (kind of like Job) "why have you forsaken me?" Even though we know from Acts 2:23 and 4:27-28 that there were evil intentions of evil men who conspired to kill Christ, we also know that God had a good intention for Christ's crucifixion and that Jesus was aware of this and never doubted it (this fact is obvious from the many allusions to His crucifixion during His ministry recorded the gospels).
Therefore I think it is better to understand this statement by Jesus as a cry of agony. God "turned His back" on Jesus when Christ took on the sins of the world. He was forsaken by God in His darkest hour. He had enjoyed intimate fellowship with the Father His entire life, but this fellowship was cut off for a time (whatever this means in light of the truth of the Trinity) while Jesus was taking the full wrath of God for sinners. Jesus quotes Psam 22:1 here (even He struggled in a biblical way!). Just because Jesus knew that He would have to endure this, does not take away the actual pain of the event. Jesus was in the worst possible agony, worse than any that anyone has ever experienced in the history of the world, yet by His words we see where His comfort was, even though it had left Him for the moment.

Addie's Evil Heart of Unbelief

A constant struggle in the Baird household is making our oldest daughter (Addie Leigh) stay in bed. Tonight she got out of bed four (make that five) times. We disciplined her three times, and talked with her each time. I explained to her that by getting out of bed she was being disobedient, but even worse, she didn't trust me. When she gets out of bed she believes that by getting out of bed it will be better for her than if she obeys me and stays in bed. Here we have a little atheist in the making. Wanting to "do what is right in her own eyes." I asked her who knew what was better for her... Addie or daddy? To which she responded (rightly) "daddy." Maybe it was just lip service, but at least she knew the right answer.

As parents it is our job to instill confidence (in us as parents) in our children so that obedience becomes a matter of trust.

Ok, so while you're thinking about how your kids don't trust you, I'm going to throw it back in your (my) own face. Think about how many times that we, by our actions, disbelieve God. We think that by lying on our resume (don't try to get sophisticated on me and say you are embellishing), or covering up our mistake at work, or eating those two (or four) extra donuts, or (men) lingering a little longer at the Victoria's Secret store, or (women) watching the soap opera or reading the trashy romance novel, that somehow by doing these things, we will be better off than if we take God at His word when He says "do not lie," or when He says "do not be a glutton", or when He says that there shouldn't even be a hint of sexual immorality among us (I need Scott Dunn to help me construct this extremely long sentence properly). All sin can be traced back to the root of unbelief. We don't take God at His word and believe that by sinning we will be better off than trusting and obeying God. When are you (am I) going to grow up and believe our Father?

We Should Struggle Like Jill

I am currently scanning Jill's journal and it makes me feel like a spiritual midget ("little person" if you want the PC terminology). Jill had spiritual struggles like we all do, but she handled them so biblically. It was said of John Bunyan by Charles Spurgeon that his blood was bibline. "Prick him anywhere and he bleeds scripture." The same could certainly be said about Jill. In her journal there are segments of Scripture and segments of her personal thought, but sometimes it's hard to tell which is which. Her mind was saturated with God's word. I want to be like that, I want to bleed Bible.