Famous Last Words

"I will never, ever drive a mini-van." These were the words spoken by my wife- Amy- back in 1999 when we were dating.

It was such a rich quote that I decided to write it down and save it for the ages. Fast forward 8 years and sure enough we are purchasing a mini-van for our family of four- the Honda Odyssey.

It has been my secret mission ever since 1999 to have my wife's words come back to haunt her. Not really. But I am having plenty of fun with her about it.

Actually, what I want to write about today is what to do with used cars. If you are able to do so; you should consider gifting your used vehicle to charity. Not every family is in a position to do this. But I have some reasons to recommend this course:

1. When given to the right charitable organization, the vehicle can be a life-changing gift to a needy family. I chose to give our 2000 Infiniti I-30 to Cornerstone Assistance Network in North Richland Hills, TX. This organization is constantly in need of reliable cars because they serve single mothers, reformed drug addicts, prisoners, people with financial hardships, etc...

In my situation, I have a car worth around $5000 as a trade-in according to http://edmunds.com. If I traded that car into a car dealership, I might have received that amount. But it would have been a battle. New car dealerships make their large profits on underpaying for trade-ins and selling you lots of stuff you don't need in the F&I (Finance & Insurance) office. But what happens to your car after that?

It might be sold at auction. This is the best outcome you can hope for.

In reality, it is often put on a tote-the-note lot and sold to a person with bad or unestablished credit. The car is likely marked up $2-$5k and the interest rate on these loans is 15% plus. In other words, your car contributes to a great problem. You are helping those who prey on the poor.

2. You do receive a tax benefit for giving the car away- if you itemize your deductions. You will receive either the fair market value of the car if it is used by the charity. Or you will receive a deduction equal to the what the car is sold for at auction if the charity sells the car. If the car is worth over $5,000, you will need to get a certified appraisal to back up your deduction claim.

The IRS puts out a publication that outlines the rules to follow in this area:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/pub4303.pdf

If you must sell your car due to financial necessity, there are some other options to consider besides trading it in to a car dealership where you will often not receive a good outcome.

Another option: you could sell the car yourself at a reasonable price. If you are dealing with someone who might buy their cars at a tote-the-note type car lot, you could even finance the deal. Charge 6% instead of 15%+. Sell the car for $500 over trade-in value instead of $3k over trade-in value. You are taking some financial risk here if you choose this option. The person who buys the car from you might not make the payments. But you are helping someone in need obtain a deal that they could not obtain otherwise.

This blog is not meant to make anyone feel guilty if they routinely trade their cars into dealerships. Nor is meant to indict all car salespeople as dishonest. I sold cars for a year right out of college. I know honest, hard-working salesmen. Unfortunately, those with high integrity get lumped into the poor reputation that the industry has due to the poor practices of some.

There are honest car salesmen who do not contribute to the predatory practices that take advantage of the poor and needy. If you find such a person, by all means sell them your car. My greater concern is for the practices that appear to be widespread in the industry dealing with used cars worth under $10k.

There are over 300 verses in the Bible that relate directly to God's concern for the poor. Proverbs 29:7, "The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor; the wicked have no such concern."

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Does God Miraculously Heal the Sick?

This is a question I have been wrestling with. My wife was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth- a neuro-muscular disease that has slowly ravaged her body. Her muscles have atrophied. Her nerves have died. It sucks. There is really no good spin to put on it.

We are not without hope, however. I know that one day God will resurrect her body with a perfected, resurrected body that is like Christ. This is the hope of Christianity. Though we are now subject to death, disease and the curses of the Fall; one day we will not be subject to these enemies. Christ will return. The curses will be removed. And we will all experience life as it is fully intended.

But she is only 38. She likely has 50+ years to struggle through this disease. Will God heal her? I pray for it daily. I pray for the gift of healing. I have seen people cured from diseases that defy medical explanation.

It is a great burden to me. I have two friends who have babies that have bleak medical prognosis due to diseases that are likely to cut their lives short. I have many clients and friends suffering from chronic pain, cancer, heart defects, neurological disease, brain tumors. I cry out to God for their healing daily.

After studying the topic, I have come to the following conclusions. I am all ears if anyone has something to add to the discussion.

1. Jesus gives us a foretaste of the perfect health that will be ours for eternity by healing those who are diseased.

In the pages of Scripture, Jesus healed. We are told several places in Scripture that we are healed by the wounds of Jesus- Isaiah 53; I Peter 2; Matthew 8. Jesus explains a prophecy about Him in Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:17-19:

"The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Jesus proclaims His purpose is to set free, heal and comfort the afflicted.

Wayne Grudem in Systematic Theology gives four purposes for healing:

• Authenticates the gospel message by showing that the kingdom of God has come.
• Brings comfort and health to those who are ill, demonstrating God's mercy to those in distress.
• Healing equips people for service as physical impediments are removed.
• Healing provides opportunities for God to be glorified as people see physical evidence of His goodness, love, power and presence.

After reading Grudem's comments on the gift of healing, it is interesting to note the common methods used in healing during the period when the New Testament was written. These miracles are most frequently accompanied by the laying on of hands. If you do a study of miracles in the New Testament, you will see the laying on of hands prominent in nearly every miracle.

Another method was to anoint with oil- Mark 6:13; James 5:14-15. Anointing with oil seems to be symbolic for the Holy Spirit's power to come and heal the sick.

2. It is right to ask God for healing.

Jesus healed those who were sent to Him and did not say, "It is good for you to remain ill." Jesus came to deliver us from evil. Sickness, disease and death can be used for God-glorifying purposes. But they are evil at the root. Paul calls death our last enemy- I Corinthians 15:26.

Grudem says that we should seek all medical remedies to curing disease. But we should never rely on medicine alone. God also expects us to pray and seek healing from Him. God has ordained doctors, nurses and medicines to be used in the healing process. Grudem gives this advice for advising people in relation to praying for healing:

"We can tell people that God frequently heals today and that it is very possible that they will be healed. But that we are still living in an age when the kingdom of God is 'already' here but 'not yet' fully here. Therefore, Christians in this life will experience continued healing (and many other answers to prayer), but they will also experience continuing illness and eventual death. In each individual case it is God's sovereign wisdom that decides the outcome and our role is simply to ask Him and wait for Him to answer."

3. God will often not heal us in this life.

This is a hard truth for those who are sick to accept. We should eagerly pray for and expect healing. But we must also wait patiently for the true healing to take place- the redemption of our bodies. For we know that all things work together for good with those who are called according to His purposes- Romans 8.

That good may manifest itself in this life through material abundance, healing, easier relationships, etc... But that good may be put on hold. We may experience poverty, suffering, illness, hard and bitter relationships. Hebrews 11 teaches that some are rewarded for faith in this life and some live in caves and are sawed in two. All of these reasons are mysterious to us. But God has a plan and a path for each of us.

In every circumstance in life, we should give thanks and praise God that He knows what is best for developing our character and soul better than we do. Because eventually, we all will physically die. But we are not without hope. God will redeem those who love Christ. He will raise our lifeless, sick, diseased and dead bodies from the grave and will restore us to perfect health and vitality.

Do I believe the gift of physical healing exists today? Yes. Do I pray for that gift? Yes in this sense: that God's power would flow through my prayers and hands as I pray for people. I believe that God does grant this gift to people in different measures. Have I ever seen somebody instantly healed from blindness, terminal cancer, paralysis? No. I have heard stories that seem hard to discredit. But I have never witnessed it with my own eyes. Personal observation and experience tell me that God does not habitually heal people in this dramatic fashion.

These miracles seemed to occur more frequently in the pages of the New Testament. Isn't the same authority and power available to His followers today? I know the arguments that say no. The miracles were to establish the authority of the church and New Testament. But there are too many clear passages in Scripture that would seem to contradict the belief that miracles have ceased in this age and were only for a previous time.

I want to differentiate this gift from quacks like Benny Hinn or others who peddle this "gift of healing" in a flashy and unscriptural way. When did Jesus ever gather a crowd together, sell tickets and parade people up on stage and then ask for "love" offerings? Never. Jesus healed because He cared. But He also told many whom He healed not to tell others about it. He didn't want His life to be a circus and to deflect any attention from the power and glory of God.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge