JOY TO THE WORLD! The Apple of His Eye Newsletter PO Box 1649 Brentwood TN December 2018

Transcription

1 The Apple of His Eye Newsletter PO Box 1649 Brentwood TN December 2018 JOY TO THE WORLD! 1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Grace Notes By Steve Cohen I grew up in Pasco. Washington and attended Captain Grey elementary school. There I learned to play the clarinet and sang in the choir. In the 1960 s you could still have Christmas concerts in public school and sing songs about Jesus. Now, you may wonder, why would a nice Jewish boy take an interest in that music at such a young age? Because there was truth told in those notes and in some way, that truth touched heart and stayed with me long before I confessed Jesus as my Messiah. Now, sixty years later, those same notes strengthen my confession as they repeat the sounding joy that our Messiah has come! Our mission at The Apple of His Eye remains the same: we proclaim His birth and focus on the real reason He came. It was not so that there would be lots of presents under a tree on the 25 th of December. No, was so that he could journey to the cross and present Himself on our behalf to overcome sin. While the secular world overwhelms the holiday seasons with longer shopping hours, free shipping, and discounted pricing, God s message can get lost in the clamor and clutter: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Messiah has come! And He is coming again! While there is still time, we boldly declare Y shua as Messiah and urgently equip the church to do the same. Why? So that lost souls can be found in Christ and be with Him for eternity. Sing out, bring joy to others and tell them that no gift can bring true joy except the gift of eternal life through Jesus to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. it

2 What A Wonderful Idea! We wanted to share a wonderful idea that St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ames, Iowa, uses annually to raise dollars for mission organizations, including The Apple of His Eye Mission Society this year. We were contacted by Gretchen Zitterich, a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ames, Iowa, and asked for information about The Apple of His Eye Mission Society (AOHE), us, and what it is we will be doing as Bible Teachers when we arrive in Israel next year. Gretchen indicated that her congregation does what they call a HOPE Gift Market in November each year. After a phone call gathering more information regarding what specifically was needed from us and what the HOPE Gift Market is, we sent her our Pray for Us bulletin insert which includes information about us and AOHE, and mentions ways to pray for and support us. Before mailing the bundle of inserts to Ames, we prayed that God would use the information provided in the package for His glory. So, what is the HOPE Gift Market? It s an annual event put on by St. Paul s Board of Human Care to acquaint attendees withways to honor family members, friends, co-workers and others people would like to honor and acknowledge with a gift. St. Paul members feel it is the perfect way to share blessings with those in need around the world. Each year information on a number of different organizations is available at displays in the fellowship hall (nine of them this year). Those who attend can gather information on the various organizations and then choose which organization(s) they would like to support with a gift. Gift certificates are then available at a cashier s table. Every fall, St. Paul raises over $10,000 for missions through this event! What a wonderful idea! On November 30 th, we received an from Gretchen saying, I just wanted to let you know that our HOPE Gift Market at St. Paul raised roughly $1,800 for your mission work in Israel! Praise God! Our reply to Gretchen was, Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so very much! With all thanks and praise to Y shua the Messiah, we are blessed by the generosity of those who attended your HOPE Gift Market and donated to God s mission ministry through us in Israel. Many thanks go to St. Paul for including us and our mission work in the HOPE Gift Market. The next time you are looking for a new and unique way to raise mission dollars, you might remember the HOPE Gift Market! Bob and Kristi Roegner Bible Teachers to Israel Jeremiah 29:11 If you would like a copy of our Pray for Us please contact us at: robert.roegner@appleofhiseye.org kristi.roegner@appleofhiseye.org AS OF THIS WRITING, WE HAVE 30% OF OUR MISSION SUPPORT RAISED, If you would like to make a gift to support us, or to become a sustaining supporter: To Support Bob and Kristi Roegner - Please Click Here

3 NanC s Corner Peace Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 Ahhh the season of Peace. Families get together, Christmas music flows in every venue, love abounds and the world takes a breath and relaxes from discord and war HA Really? If only. I would love to believe that but this is the season of great sadness and fear. Suicide, bills, and loneliness, malcontent loom over us like a smelly blanket. We are like the boy who catches a monkey. He puts bright shiny glass jewels in a jar. When the monkey sees them, he puts his little monkey hand in the jar, grabs a fist full of jewels and then can t get his hand out. He s caught! All the monkey has to do is open his hand and let go. Simple, but he just won t let go and he can t get away from capture. That s us! We won t let go of our fears, angers, the past, the future, discontent. Somehow we want to hold on to them, pet them, encourage them, nurture and share them. Here s the good news: We have hope! Here are just a few ways to actually claim the victory that was won on the cross. These aren t new. They have been around ever since time began and are found in the book you read daily God s Word. Eternal Peace, this is most important. Do you have the peace of knowing where you will spend eternity? You can know! There is NOTHING you need to depend on outside of the blood of Jesus. You need not fear hell just rest in the Lord Jesus. Ask HIM to forgive your sins and make HIM Lord of your life. Easy enough for a child to understand. Don t believe me? Believe God: Read Romans 10:9-13 Don t put this off. Going to church won t get you to heaven, only a personal relationship with the Son of God. Do it now. For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2 Do you have unsaved family members? The best gift this year and always is the gift of peace with God. Here are some do s and don ts that will at least prepare the way for salvation: o Don t bad mouth the church or the pastor. Why would anyone want to go to a church you continually complain about or listen to a pastor you don t respect.

4 o Don t gossip about family to family (or anyone else for that matter) Proverbs 6 tell us 7 things that God actually hates, people (yes people), who stir up conflict in the community. That s strong. Read the passage Proverbs 6: There are families that seem to have traditional conflicts at every gathering. Be the one to change the tradition. The lost will watch and take note. Do memorize scripture Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee God s word conquers Satan s attacks. Find verses for your heart s needs and memorize them. Then you can use them in your darkest times or when you need courage and PEACE. Why not memorize the books of the Bible, then you won t need page numbers to find scripture. Do love My precious daughter Toi told me when she was in college that she prayed to be naïve, that way she wouldn t know when people were being sarcastic or mean. She loves everyone and everyone loves her. She formed a habit of not thinking the worst of people or hearing dark words. Jesus wasn t naïve. I m sure His heart hurt continually over the wickedness of man, but He loved unconditionally. Does that mean you are to be a door-mat? No way! There are some people you may have to let go of. BUT you still love and pray for them. 1Peter 4:8 Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers a multitude of sin Do read your Bible daily As a believer, daily reading should be a consistent practice in your life. The Bible is my fortress, my guide, a tangible gift from God to prepare my life daily for trials and victories. I served in a country for 8 years that for seventy-five years forbade the Bible to its people! When they received their first Bibles, they would read them through in 3 7 days!! I remember crying when I would hear their stories of love for the Word of God not because of their experiences, but because so many American Christians have to be begged, prodded or tricked into reading the Bible that they have had their whole lives. Read the Bible through this year. No one has an excuse not to Do Pray 1Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing Guess what? That s a command! God hears and answers prayer. Just think of the blessings, souls that could be saved, hearts mended, the peace you are missing because prayer is not habitual in your life. When you are tempted to gossip, complain or fret, tell the One who can do something about the situation. He cares. Laugh Proverbs tells us that laughter is like medicine. Learn to laugh at yourself. Learn to laugh at dumb jokes. Children laugh all the time the pure heart is joyful. Laughter cleanses the soul and creates good health. Find a Godly Friend Iron sharpens iron Proverbs 27:17 First and foremost, my husband is my best friend. But I also have other godly friends with whom I can share Bible, pray with and sometimes cry with. They help me with reality checks and we laugh all the time! David and Jonathan had such a friendship. Pray God gives you a godly friend who won t coddle you, doesn t gossip, loves Jesus and encourages your spiritual growth. There is so much more but not space. I pray for the Peace of God to fill your hearts and minds through Y shua. Blessings and love, from my heart, nanc Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!

5 Kristi Reogner Toi Powell Izabela Cormier Bill Lapp Nancy & Steve Cohen Debby Wilson Richard Powell Al Schade Vivien Ernst Robert Roegner Kathy Graham Randy Duncan FOR YOUR PRAYERS... FOR THOSE WHO SERVE WITH US :

6 IRA Charitable Rollover ADVANTAGES OF MAKING AN IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER The IRA rollover provision allows those age 70 1/2 to make gifts directly from their IRAs in a tax advantageous manner. This allows IRA owners who have attained age 70 1/2 to distribute money directly from the IRA to The Apple of His Eye Mission Society. Total annual rollover from all IRAs cannot exceed $100,000 for an individual. Spouses can each give up to $100,000 with IRA rollovers. Making an IRA rollover, as opposed to a normal charitable gift, has two main advantages. First, the rollover counts toward satisfying your required minimum distribution (RMD) for that year. Second, the distribution is excluded from your taxable income. It is this second advantage that greatly benefits under the new tax bill. With very few individuals expected to itemize (some estimates say around 5% of filers), the income tax deduction for contributions to ministry will be lost for many donors. However, if you make an IRA charitable rollover, you get a full exclusion of that income from taxes. So, if you are 70 1/2 or older, own an IRA, and are mission-minded, an IRA charitable rollover can really work out as a way to preserve an income-tax-reducing charitable deduction under the new tax law. NON-IRA FUNDING for gifts to ministry Example: John and Ann, both retired and in their seventies, give generously each year to their congregation and The Apple of His Eye Mission Society. Their annual charitable giving usually amounts to $17,000. In prior years, they have itemized their deductions on their tax return. Their charitable giving makes up the largest category of their itemized deductions, while their other itemized deductions only total $6,000 (total itemized deductions of $23,000). Because the standard deduction amount has increased to $24,000, it is unlikely that they will continue to itemize. John and Ann decided to use a charitable rollover from his IRA to donate the same $17,000 to their congregation and several charities (John is required to take more than $17,000 from his IRA as a required minimum distribution). As a couple, they receive a standard deduction of $24,000, plus exclude the $17,000 from the rollover from income, resulting in a tax benefit of $41,000 against their adjusted gross income. Last year in 2017, their itemized deductions totaled $23,775, and of that $17,000 were charitable donations. The couple s adjusted gross income received a tax benefit of $23,775. IRA FUNDING for gifts to ministry $23,000 total itemized deductions $6,000 total itemized deductions compared to compared to $24,000 standard deduction $24,000 standard deduction Tax Return = $24,000 deduction Total Tax Benefit = $24,000 Tax Return = $24,000 deduction $17,000 IRA income excluded from tax return Total Tax Benefit = $41,000 SHALOM CHAVERIM THE APPLE OF HIS EYE MISSION SOCIETY

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8 No matter what language is used, we all wanted to thank YOU so very much for making The Apple of His Eye Ministry possible since 1996 through your prayers, encouragement, and mission support over and above your church giving. As we chart the new course IN Israel,your specific prayers for this new effort are The incessent spiritual warfare seeks to thwart even getting started. We invite your year-end gift of mission support to propel us forward and reach our target for May God bless you and yours with great joy and Shalom in your home at this season. Yours on behalf of all of us at The Apple of His Eye, Steve Cohen Psalm 34