Volume 3.1 — May 2012

them up; He was simply calling him to do something now, to use the resources to God’s glory, and instructing the young man to follow His example.

Jesus repeats this same principle in His Sermon on the Mount. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).

When we give while we are “on this side of the grass,” we may be reducing our earthly net worth, but we are simultaneously increasing our eternal net worth—“you will have treasures in Heaven.” These “heavenly investments” will not fluctuate with the rise and fall of the stock market, the economy, the interest rates or inflation, but are guaranteed secure by the Creator of the universe.

Can you identify with the rich, young ruler’s view of things? Do you find yourself hesitant to sacrificially give today because of what it might cost you today in reduced current financial capacity or earthly security? What will happen to those things after you are gone? What could be done today with those resources whereby you would experience the joy of bringing the name of Jesus to others?

If we want to learn to live by faith, we must learn to give by faith. How much have you deposited into your heavenly investment account to date? Whatever it is, it will be waiting for you!

treasure hunting

There’s a popular show on television called Storage Wars. Each week, teams

of treasure hunters purchase abandoned storage units sight unseen in hopes of retrieving a treasure worth more than they paid at auction. I think about the well-meaning people who stored their treasure in storage units leaving them to age, rust and ultimately to be purchased by the highest bidder. Rather than using the resources, they were stored and forgotten and ultimately ransacked by others. It seems like a waste.

Remember the conversation Jesus had with the rich young ruler? “Jesus said to him, ‘One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’” (Luke 18:22).

At first glance, most of us see three things that Jesus is calling the young man to do:

1. Sell all his possessions, 2. Give the proceeds to the poor and 3. Follow Jesus,

completely inadvertently skipping over one major point.

However, let’s look again at the words “One thing you still lack; [1] sell all that you possess and [2] distribute it to the poor, and [3] you shall have treasure in heaven; and [4] come, follow Me.”

Do you see what has been left out: “[3] you shall have treasure in heaven.” Jesus is not asking this rich young ruler to sell all his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and never see or enjoy them again. Jesus is calling him to trade the temporary immediate gratification of his treasures for the deferred gratification of his treasures for all of eternity. He wasn’t calling him to give

God designed within us an appetite for adventure. Whether scaling

mountains, riding a Harley® past crystal blue lakes or participating in a new venture, it’s invigorating and fulfilling to extend ourselves into new territory.

For families, engaging in a fresh path of adventure often ignites a bonding moment. A friend of Focus recently spent Spring Break with her daughter ministering to children living in the city dump and working with enslaved young women in Bangkok, Thailand. The shared experience of learning and service formed new and deeper bonds between mother and daughter. Their post-adventure conversations are rich and compelling as together they sort through what they experienced and what God might have them do next.

In my own life, I’ve found that as a family, we must plan our adventures. Otherwise, the day-to-day creeps in and steals our limited time together. Allow me to encourage you. Plan an excursion during your summer vacation that exposes the family to a new area of ministry or helps you get to know a ministry better. Or locally, spend the day in service together, perhaps with an activity that takes you away from the familiar.

the adventurous spiritBy Royce Bervig Senior Gift Planning Officer Focus on the Family

By Jay LinkPresidentStewardship Ministries

if we want to learn to live by faith, we must learn to give by faith.

®

The Lanohas have six children and are expecting their 15th grandchild. While managing a business and caring for their family, God has called them to a new season of intentional giving halfway around the world with a whole new level of involvement.

How has your “family of origin” influenced your views of stewardship?

Dave: We didn’t see consistent giving modeled by our families while growing up. As blue-collar families, we didn’t grow up with wealth. When we became believers in our mid 20s, it was impressed upon us to give back to the Lord a portion of what He had blessed us with. We didn’t really appreciate what that meant at the time. We didn’t have a lot, but we tithed.

Marcia: It wasn’t until we sold our business in 1997 that we had significant wealth from which to give. We sold because we were convinced God wanted this. To use resources for Kingdom work was a driving force for our giving philosophy.

What are the foundational principles that guide your giving?

Dave: Our philosophy of giving is based on experiences over the past, and it guides how we make giving decisions. So, as an example, ministries we support and get involved with need to both help those in need and bring Jesus to people. Also, we look for where God is already at work and partner with local people who are doing something. Basically, who is already there and how can we help them? The scriptural command to heal the sick, feed the hungry and clothe the poor all in the name of Jesus is foundational. For us, stewardship is being totally involved—knowing the people, the reporting and witnessing impact.

How has giving changed for your family over the years?

Marcia: It has changed a lot! We moved from giving out of compulsion to experiencing the joys and challenges of being an overseer. It is a heavy responsibility.

Dave: When we were younger, we weren’t as intentional as we are today. We were faithful to give, but we didn’t review and monitor the organizations back then. Today, we invest it for Kingdom purposes.

Describe the poignant moments or experiences that most influenced how you give or where you give as a family.

Dave: When we went to National Hospital (in Niger, Africa) to visit the mother of a pastor friend, the experience was so grim that when I left I thought this just isn’t right. We must do something to provide healthcare. We knew we couldn’t fix the whole system, but we could do something. God arranged for our paths to intersect with someone with CURE International—it was not an accident.

Marcia: For 20 years I listened to Dr. Dobson every day on the radio. He helped me raise our children. We must support Focus on the Family for all they did for us. Our local church, local rescue mission and crisis pregnancy center are all places that touch our hearts. We’ve seen firsthand what they do.

We have moved from a response (based on emotional appeal) to a formula that helps us arrive at a figure to give and allocate. It’s very organized. We also have a portion that is discretionary for one-time opportunities. From scripture, Joseph’s example of preparing in the fat years for the lean years is a model we follow in our giving. We don’t want organizations to suffer during the lean years, so we try to keep our giving very consistent.

the giving JourneyWE RECENTLy TALkED WITH DAvE AND MARCIA LANOHA ABOUT

THE JOyS AND CHALLENGES OF INTENTIONAL STEWARDSHIP.

Dave Lanoha

Marcia Lanoha

It’s complicated. It’s disappointing.

It’s irresistible.

VOLUME 3.1 — May 2012

With last year’s income tax bill fresh in our minds, it’s a good time to reflect on what we can do in 2012 to redirect some of those tax dollars to the Kingdom work we’d rather support. Here are a few ideas to consider:

• If cash flow is tight, but you’d still like to give more, you can give a portion of one of your non-cash assets and enjoy a tax deduction while still keeping a controlling majority ownership interest in

technical tip

the asset. Giving non-cash assets creates a charitable deduction that helps you save tax dollars and increase cash flow!

• If you plan to give to charity after death, consider giving today to a gift arrangement that still pays income to you for life and then goes to charity after your death. These gift arrangements give you a tax deduction today for the gift you plan to make to charity in the future.

2012’s Most effective GivinG tools: incoMe tax planninG

By Jeanne McMains, Vice President, National Christian Foundation. Serving Focus on the Family.

What have been your greatest stewardship struggles?

Dave: It’s not giving the money away; that part is easy. It’s giving it away responsibly and having a way of measuring timely financial statements and information about results. The disappointment is so hard when they didn’t do what they said —it hurts us; it hurts the image of Christians. We conducted a post-mortem analysis on gifts that didn’t go well. We want to understand where it went wrong and what mistakes we made. There’s no set formula for giving responsibly. The parable of talents is meaningful to us. You know, the only one chastised is the one who was lazy, dug the hole and did nothing with the resources. We don’t ever want to be the lazy servant. It’s not always clean. As a matter of fact, it’s messy.

Marcia: In three words: It’s complicated. It’s disappointing. It’s irresistible.

How have you pushed the edge of the envelope in your giving? What are you excited about?

Marcia: I’m passionate about the country of Niger. God gave me that desire. We had supported from afar through Youth for Christ but had no personal contact. I told the Lord I will go anywhere but Africa. Several years

To learn more about how these planning tools could help your family, please call our Gift and Estate Planning team at 1-800-782-8227 or email us at FocusGiftPlanning@fotf.org.

ago we made a tour of five African countries in 17 days. The country that I couldn’t get over was Niger. While doing a prayer walk around a piece of land out in the desert (the government had given it to the organization to build a school), we decided to provide assistance to build walk-around property. Nine months later I just had to go back there. A friend went with me and we helped them with capital costs to build the school. The school now has 537 kids. I just visited in October again. Next time I go will be the 19th time since January of 2005. We are committed for the long haul.

It turned my life upside down. I have eliminated things from my life. There are three things I am committed to: my family, Africa and learning French (the language they speak in Niger).

We have taken five of six adult children to Niger and four of 15 grandchildren. Next year we will take more. The kids come to interview and apply to go on the trip. They work hard. It’s not a vacation. It makes a big impact, but can wear off if they don’t stay involved. You know, somehow we get sucked back into daily life.

Dave: Niger ranks as one of the poorest

countries in the world and the least desirable in which to live. Not everyone can do this. It is a unique call. Our overriding verse is Ephesians 2:10. We are created in Christ for good works which God prepared beforehand. It’s awesome to know that God has already ordained these opportunities. And we get to walk in them! It’s an awesome privilege to walk alongside. Giving is fun! It’s work and it’s fun.

Any final words of encouragement?

Marcia: Opening your hand to let your resources go is the first step. Giving wisely is a lifetime work. It takes time and you gain wisdom as you go along. Don’t stop at “I let it go and I’m done.” Follow it! See what happens! It’s never too late to develop a life passion. We are both 62—I didn’t think that this would be the age that we would get cranked up on these things.

Dave: It doesn’t matter how many resources one has. God has given to each of us these unique talents and gifts. Whether one or 10, don’t be afraid to step out and get involved, be it a mission trip or a local project. See God at work. Here in Denver, or Niger, Africa. Don’t sit on the sidelines, get in the game. Partner with God in His work.

• If your deductions are already limited by the Alternative Minimum Tax or the annual 50 percent AGI giving limitations, give us a call. We may be able to help you create tax savings for the charitable giving that currently exceeds your deduction limits.

© 2012 Focus on the Family | FocusOnTheFamily.com

CONTACT US

1-800-782-8227

FocusGiftPlanning@fotf.org FocusGiftPlanning.com

®

VOLUME 3.1 — May 2012

Terry, when we name a trustee in our will, what is an issue that is easy to overlook?

The trustee named in a will typically will manage money, and make distributions to beneficiaries not yet ready to receive directly the trust assets (such as minor children). Over the years, the trustee must invest the money wisely and decide when, and even how much, a beneficiary should receive. Our first inclination is to name a close relative or trusted friend. This can be a problem.

I had a client once, an 18-year-old girl who was an only child. Her parents, who were killed in a car crash, named her uncle as her trustee. He was making 5 percent on the trust money he was investing for her, but was paying 10 percent to the bank on money he was borrowing for his business. He got the idea to borrow from her trust instead of from the bank and decided that they would both benefit if he paid the trust 7.5 percent. The problem was that not too long after that, his business went under, and he couldn’t pay back to the

trust what he had borrowed. I told her she could sue him, but he probably didn’t have any money since his business went under. She would have to find another place to live and her aunt and cousins would probably never speak to her again. Or, she could ask God to give her a spirit of forgiveness—which is what she ended up doing.

I am convinced that if her parents had named a co-trustee with her uncle he would have never even thought to borrow the money from the trust, and certainly the co-trustee would not have agreed to it. The moral to this story is that no matter how good you feel about the person you think you want as trustee, name two people so there will be some accountability in the decision making process over the life of the trust.

ask terry

By Terry ParkerFounder and Chairman EmeritusNational Christian Foundation

Get a free copy of To Whom much is Given by E.G. “Jay” Link

Contact us to receive a free copy of this book!

Give yourself five minutes today to be inspired. iLikeGiving.com is a recently formed campaign to inspire generous living. It is a collection of stories from around the world about people who have done the unexpected without expecting anything in return.

Visit ILikeGiving.com and be inspired!

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