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Waiting with Hope

Waiting with Hope

Dear Friends,

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, I thought this excerpt from the book From Recovery to Restoration:60 Meditations for Finding Peace & Hope in Crisis would encourage hearts today. Please share it with someone you know who needs it. Also, be sure to sign up for the chance to win free books every week in September as we celebrate the one-year birthday of From Recovery to Restoration. 

Waiting with Hope

We too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Romans 8:23b, ESV

Waiting for hours to buy gas after a hurricane.

Waiting for weeks for workmen’s compensation to authorize a surgery.

Waiting for months to recover from a heart attack.

Waiting for years to have one happy day after the death of a child. 

Whenever our stories are shattered by crisis, a season of waiting will likely follow. Waiting can be irritating at a long pharmacy drive-thru line, but in the profound losses of a crisis, it can be agonizing. What does it look like to wait with hope as we grieve our losses?

First we must recognize the difference between earthly hope and biblical hope. Earthly hope focuses on good outcomes in the here and now, or at least the near future. There is nothing wrong with such hope—hoping that the surgery is approved and that the recovery goes smoothly, hoping that the betrayal will sting less tomorrow than it does today. And yet, earthly hope is often limited by our own short-sightedness, our inability to see everything our all-seeing God sees. To all earthly hope, we need to add biblical hope.

Biblical hope, as defined by Dan Allender and Tremper Longman is a “vision of redemption in the midst of decay.” Biblical hope is based on faith, on remembering how God has rescued in the past: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV). Biblical hope focuses on the end of the story, the day when Jesus will return and restore all broken things (Romans 8:18-19). In that day, we will be restored to our Father as his adopted children, and all of creation’s groaning will end in fruitful labor, Christ’s perfected new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

When we wait with biblical hope, we will continue to pray for God’s good gifts on this earth: gas to fuel generators after a hurricane, a sweet memory on a loved one’s death day. Biblical hope leads us to pray, “God, if I don’t get the gas today, help me be patient and trust your provision,” or “If I am sad all day long, be near to me in my grief.” When our earthly hopes are disappointed, biblical hope compels us to look and lean toward the final day when “all things work together for good” in the lives of those who trust God for life and salvation (Romans 8:28). 

Dear friends, when the wait feels excruciating, remember that you have evidence that your deepest hopes will not go unfulfilled: Christ has already come to rescue and redeem. Remember what you are waiting for—glory itself!  Knowing this, keep hoping with an active imagination, leaning into the future, leaning into God’s loving purposes in our hardest waits.

Prayer

Lord,

How long? This is our cry as we wait in impossibly long lines or for seemingly improbable recoveries. Draw our eyes to the horizon, to see Jesus “coming soon” to end our grievous wait. In Jesus’ already-redeeming name. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Romans 8:18-30. 

Listen to “Spring Is Coming” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

For Reflection

How has waiting felt for you in this crisis? What earthly hopes have been disappointed? How might remembering the end of the biblical Story help you wait with patience?

6 Things to Pass On as You Number Your Days

6 Things to Pass On as You Number Your Days

“I’ll never forget the time I took Kirby to a football game and fed him a bunch of skittles and popcorn and then let him ride on my shoulder.”

So begins one of my husband’s favorite stories to retell (often at the inopportune time of dinner, given what follows—I’ll let you use your imagination to fill in the rest of the story). The kids will either nod or shake their head and say, “Yeah, we know, Dad,” or patiently listen to the thirtieth retelling of a “dad story.” Is this the kind of thing David was talking about when he promised his fellow Israelites, “Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness” (Psalm 145:7 NLT)?

In a way, it is. Because when my husband passes on favorite stories to our children, he is passing on his humility and his wisdom (about a dad who learned his lesson about feeding his child a bunch of junk food and then letting him ride on his shoulders). Some things we pass on may more directly share the story of God’s wonderful goodness, and others will more indirectly do so. 

As we begin to “number our days,” to recognize that although we will live forever in the kingdom of God, our days on this earth will come to an end, we are energized to share our stories, our lives, our wisdom, and our possessions with future generations. As we’ve already mentioned in this column, we can bless our loved ones by passing on crucial information that they will need in crisis, but we can also bless them by passing on other things. As we number our days, we begin to think intentionally about what we want to share now and what we want to leave behind later. Today we’ll consider six things we might want to pass on as a way of sharing God’s wonderful goodness and singing with joy about his righteousness.

1. Pass on a particular skill or expertise that will help others.

For example, my husband is renowned in our area for his expertise at repairing the worst of the worst shoulders—fractures and tears. Before he retires, he wants to train up other surgeons who can perform these difficult operations so the hurting can get the help they need. A counseling friend wants to pass along the tools and techniques she has garnered over the years so younger counselors will not have to learn them the hard way.

2. Along that line, teach someone “how-to” do something seemingly simple but also essential or enjoyable.

It can be something as basic as how to sew, how to handle an automobile skid on icy roads, or how to make your famous rolls. I’ll never forget the first time I tried to make my grandmother’s rolls using a recipe she had shared in a church cookbook. Unfortunately, the recipe incorrectly reported the amount of milk required. With a goopy mess in my dough bowl, I called her long-distance (it was back in the day) to ask for help. I was thankful to discover the correct recipe before she died (but I still would have benefited from in-person lessons, because I never did master her rolls).

3. Share family history.

While future generations may not seem interested now, they likely will want to know more about their family  one day. (On the other hand, sometimes they need to know crucial facts about family medical history now.) My history-loving aunt recently passed along a quilt believed to have been crafted by my great-great grandmother. With the quilt, she shared several typed pages describing my great-great grandmother’s Scottish heritage. My daughter-in-law, who loves history, proudly displays the quilt and has saved the story along with it.

4. Write or speak blessings.

Just as Isaac blessed Jacob before he died by telling him that nations would bow down to him (Genesis 27:27-29), we can bless our loved ones by giving them words about how they uniquely reflect the image of God and their gifts for the kingdom. Some people write letters to family members to leave behind after they’ve died. Others keep a regular practice of sharing these words, perhaps at birthdays or on special occasions. I try to write a birthday card to my loved ones each year expressing how I’ve seen the grace of God displayed in their lives. 

5. Share values and wisdom.

Values and wisdom can often be expressed in what is called a spiritual legacy, “the passing of wisdom from one person to another….” (Daniel Taylor, Creating a Spiritual Legacy). As Taylor explains, values and wisdom are often best shared through significant stories. Taylor writes, “Sociologists point out that passing on wisdom is the main task of the last third of one’s life, part of the shift…from a focus on success to a focus on significance. But it can and should be done at any age. Have you learned something—even tentatively? Pass it on” (Taylor, Spiritual Legacy). My husband’s skittles story is an example of a funny story that passes on wisdom and values (what he learned and also his value of enjoying time with his children). As Taylor points out, it takes time and reflection to determine what values and wisdom we want to pass on, but the stories we share can not only point to God’s “wonderful goodness” in our lives but can strengthen the faith, hope, and love of our loved ones. 

6. Pass on some valued belongings now.

Adele Calhoun, a spiritual director, writes about aging and the spiritual discipline of simplicity, “Aging has always been about simplifying and letting go. Sooner or later we realize that we can’t manage all the stuff and activity anymore. We have to let go. The practice of letting go and embracing simplicity is one way we prepare ourselves for what is to come. One day we all will have to let go of everything—even our own breath. It will be a day of utter simplicity—a day when the importance of stuff fades. Learning to live simply prepares us for our last breath while cultivating in us the freedom to truly live here and now” (Adele Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us). We benefit by giving away belongings now as we enjoy seeing another enjoy it. Not using that scuba diving equipment in the garage anymore? Why not give it to a granddaughter who wants to learn how to dive? Not using that sewing machine anymore? Why not donate it to a home economics program at the local high school?

Dear friends, if we have tasted of the Lord’s goodness and known his wonderful works, we have every reason to “pass on” this goodness to others. Why not choose one of these six ways today and start sharing your legacy? 

I’d love to know: what are some things you have already passed on or would like to pass on as a way of numbering your days?

Sign Up for the Organizing Your Life & Legacy Workshop

Create a legacy that will give you and your loved ones peace today and in the years to come.

A Back-to-School Lesson about Performance-Based Acceptance

A Back-to-School Lesson about Performance-Based Acceptance

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— Ephesians 1:4-5

Just shy of 59-years-old, I was headed back to school. I was excited to begin my Doctor of Ministry program, but I was also daunted by the prospect of returning to the classroom. In many ways, I felt like an incoming high school freshman:

  • Would I be accepted?
  • Would the other classmates (all men) think I didn’t belong?
  • What did people wear to class?
  • Would anybody eat lunch with me?

At one level, my doubts were normal; at another, they revealed a deeply-rooted sinful propensity to believe I can only be accepted on the basis of my performance. A guest speaker helped me to recognize this idol I have long worshiped. The seventy-three-year-old professor, a gentle and jolly man with kind eyes and a soft voice, confessed, “All of my life I’ve struggled with performance-based acceptance (PBA). But I’ve learned that the only hope for escape is to remember my identity in Christ.” Remembering our identity in Christ, he assured us, reduces the anxiety that the idol of PBA arouses. 

I pondered his words and discovered how true they were. There are many ways that remembering our identity in Christ calms the compulsion to seek acceptance through performance. Today, I’ll share just one: when we remember that we are in Christ, we know that we belong to the Father, and our insecurities about belonging elsewhere fade away. Let me illustrate with an example.

On the first day of class, waiting for my turn to introduce myself, killer butterflies waged a ferocious battle in my gut. When my turn finally came, the class professor extended his hand toward me, saying, “This is Elizabeth, and my wife and I have been friends with Kip and Elizabeth for years.” Boom. All the butterflies flew away, and I relaxed, feeling confident and secure. What did my professor do for me? He gave me a stamp of approval that told the other guys I belonged. He removed my drive to prove my worthiness through performance. I was accepted on the basis of our relationship. 

This story reminds me of the greater truth of my identity in Christ—I am accepted by the Father on the basis of my relationship with his Son. Christ has taken on my sin and given me his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). I no longer have to advocate for myself because Jesus has already made the case for me (1 John 2:1). Not only does Jesus advocate for us; in him, we belong to the Father. We are his adopted children, and we can’t be unadopted (Ephesians 1:5). 

What incredibly good news. I could relax and enjoy class. I belonged. Not only because my friend spoke for me, but even more, because in Christ, I am secure as a member of God’s family. We are all now joined as the family of God, anticipating the day when we will never again be duped into believing our performance could make us worthy of God’s love. 

Dear friends, you may or may not be headed back to school this year, but if you believe the lie that you must perform to be accepted, I pray you will turn to Christ, remembering that he has already died that you might belong to the Father, and that belonging to the Father is the deepest and truest acceptance you’ve ever needed. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for your reminder that in you, we are more than enough. We are beloved in you and we belong to you. Massage this truth down deep into our hearts. As we root our security in you, send us out to invite others to know the joyous hope of being children of God. 

Further Encouragement

Read Ephesians 1:3-14, 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; 1 John 2:1.

Listen to We Belong to You.

For Reflection

Have you ever believed that you needed to perform well to be accepted? How does remembering what is true about you in Christ help you to turn away from performance-based acceptance?

How Great Is the Good News?

How Great Is the Good News?

 “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.” Romans 7:21

The middle-aged woman in the front pew leaned forward suddenly, throwing her arms up in the air!

“Thank you!” she cried.

I stopped my lesson on God’s “big story of grace,” looking at her, asking her to say more.

“I just never got that before,” she said. “Wow! This is amazing!!”

I had been teaching about redemption in the jail chapel service. I told the ladies how we are made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) and how God has made us “righteous in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:21).

I had just explained that we do still continue to sin, even after we become Christians. “And sometimes we wonder, ‘Why, if we are ‘new creation in Christ,’ do we still sin? And how does God see us as righteous?’”

I told them about the apostle Paul and how he said that he often does the very thing he hates (Romans 7:21), just as we sometimes lose our temper and yell at someone even when we were just praying that God would help us hold our tongue. The good news is, that we have a way out when we sin. We can ask God for forgiveness, and turn away from our sin (repent). But we have not forfeited our status as his children. Once God’s child, always God’s child. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

“Whenever our conscience accuses us, and we feel burdened with guilt, we need to look away from ourselves to Christ crucified. Then again we will have peace. For our acceptance with God depends not on ourselves…but entirely on Christ and what he has done for all on the cross.” (John Stott, Authentic Christianity, p. 211).

It was this assurance, this security, that was such good news to my friend at the jail. She had believed in Christ as Savior once, but she did not understand that her salvation lasted forever. She thought that every time she sinned, she was “out,” kind of like striking out in baseball, except she only got one strike. No wonder she was astonished by this good news!

Her reaction humbled me. I’m afraid I have sometimes taken this good news—the reality that Abba God doesn’t kick me out of the house every time I sin—too much for granted. It truly is astonishing. It’s the kind of kindness that should knock me on my knees to thank God yet again for his goodness and mercy to me. How about you? Do you want to join me in praising God for our assurance in Christ?

A Prayer about the Great Good News of the Gospel

Oh, dear, good Father, we thank you and praise you for your abundant mercy, for your incredible patience with us. We are so glad the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to change us, to make us more like your Son every day. We want to be like him. But we are so glad that when we fail, you forgive us freely. In Jesus’ assuring name we pray, Amen.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

How to Pray for Children and Grandchildren

How to Pray for Children and Grandchildren

Our children and grandchildren desperately need prayer

I’ll never forget the day I dropped my oldest daughter off for her first day at our large public high school. Our son had gone before her, but somehow it felt different for my daughter. She seemed small and frail (even at almost 5’8 as a high school freshman) walking in among the throngs of students. Even though we had always had a “no cellphone till driving rule” (that was back in the mid-2000’s), I drove immediately to the phone store and bought her her first flip phone. I also upped my prayers for her and all of my children as I thought of all of the struggles they would face each day at school. The reality is that a cellphone could help her reach me if she had a problem during the day, but what she needed most was the help of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Maybe that’s why the beginning of the school year seems like a good time to revisit our prayers for our children and grandchildren. I keep a page in my prayer journal for prayers for my children and their spouses. It’s a simple piece of thick notebook paper (I use Tul from Office Depot, no affiliate), with their names and what I’m praying for them. You could use a piece of paper, a prayer card, or just keep it in your head (if your memory is better than mine). Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren, consider walking through this exercise for a child you know and love, maybe a niece or nephew or a child at church or a foster child. 

If you’d like a one-page template for writing out the answers to the questions and with a space for the final prayer, be sure to subscribe for this free printable resource and a new one every month. 

Step 1: Consider their story.

First, consider their story, how God has exquisitely designed them—gifts, strengths, passions, how sin has uniquely affected them—their sin struggles as well as the impacts of sin on them. The following questions will guide you to discover more of their story:

1. What is their personality like?

2. What do they enjoy?

3. What gifts, passions, and strengths do they have?

4. What unique struggles with faith might their personality present?

5. What current struggles are they facing?

6. What are their desires and longings?

7. What are their needs?

8. What struggles do you have in parenting or grand parenting this child? 

Step 2: Find Scripture to pray.

I usually update my prayer sheet for my kids about once a month or once every other month. I often write at the top a general concept that I am praying for them. Here are some examples:

That they would “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

That God would do “far more abundantly than we all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

That they would be “rooted and grounded in love” (Ephesians 3:17).

That God would “create in [them] a clean heart…and renew a right spirit within [them]” (Psalm 51:10). 

If you want to write a verse at the top of your card or sheet, consider the following (more verses on the template:

Psalm 51:10 (freedom from sin)

Psalm 86:11 (learning to walk with God)

Isaiah 43:1-7 (knowing that they are precious to God) (Again, can be broken up.)

Ephesians 6:1 (learning obedience)

Step 3: Write your prayer sheet or prayer card.

(If you’d like a template for the prayer sheet or prayer card, be sure to sign up for this and other free resources.)

I like to have five areas on my prayer sheet, but you can add more.

1. Praise: What are you thanking God for in your child’s life?

2. Protection: What protections does your child need right now?

3. Petition: What desires does your child have? Pray that God would grant the desires that would be good for your child or reshape them for their good and his glory.

4. Provision: What needs does your child have? Again, ask that God would provide

5. Parenting: What needs and desires do you have as this child’s parent? 

Step 4: Pray.

Once you’ve created your prayer sheet or card, go through different aspects of it every day. If you do this intentional preparation, you will find that you don’t have to have the sheet or card in front of you every day. You will be able to pray intentionally for your children as they come to mind throughout the day. 

A Prayer for Praying for Our Children

Dear Heavenly Father,

We admit that as parents we often think we need to fix our children’s problems or that they need to change their ways, and fast. When we become anxious or angry, frightened or frustrated, help us to press pause on our thoughts and press into praying. Make us more intentional about our prayers for our children that they may grow in grace and the knowledge of your surpassing love. In Jesus’ tender name we pray. Amen. 

3 Steps to Leaving the Legacy Your Loved Ones Need

3 Steps to Leaving the Legacy Your Loved Ones Need

In this month’s Numbering Our Days column, I’m responding to a question from reader Dr. Penny F., a friend and grief counselor. (Please send me your questions and thoughts. I’d love to consider them for this column). Penny asked, “How should we prepare our children and grandchildren for the end of our lives?” Great question, Penny. I’m glad you asked.

As always, if you’re short on time, skim the bold to find what you need. Please share with others who need it, and be sure to sign up to receive the monthly column in your inbox (Check “Numbering Our Days” on sign up.)

Begin with your own preparation

The answer, as is so often the case, is to begin with ourselves. We prepare our children and grandchildren for the end of our lives by preparing ourselves well. If you’re reading this column, congratulate yourself, because you are already taking the first step to leave a legacy that will richly bless your loved ones in their grief process. 

We need to prepare ourselves spiritually, emotionally, and logistically for crisis or death. Today, I’m going to focus on logistics, because having walked through the death of both of my parents in the past four years, I can assure you that a roadmap is a gift. My mother left a file called “Emergency” in her filing cabinet and told her best friend where to find it. The day she died, he sent me some pictures of documents in the file, beginning with a sheet entitled, “What to do when I die.” 

It may sound morose, but if you’ve ever had to figure out what to do when someone you love has become incapacitated or died, you know what a gift it is to have clear instructions. Today, I’m going to walk you through some of the top logistical aspects that need to be addressed sooner rather than later. 

Beginning in September, I will be offering a 12-week workshop for people who want to create a folder or binder like the one my mom had. This group is only open to a small number of people, and because it is the first time through, it will be offered at a steeply discounted rate. Go here for more info or contact me if you’d like to know more.

Three Big Steps to Preparing the Legacy Your Children Need

Step 1: Prepare with prayer and reflection.

Let’s face it. It’s normal to feel a little sad and fearful as you consider the end of your life. That’s why it’s essential to prepare spiritually before you begin the logistical process.

1. Journal about your feelings as you begin this process. 

How are you feeling about doing this? Hopeful for the peace that will come with completing it? A little nervous or sad to contemplate your death?

2. Strengthen yourself with Scripture.

The following passages may encourage you: Isaiah 65:17-25; Revelation 21:1-5; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58. 

3. Pray.

Name your fears honestly to God. Ask God to encourage your heart, give you patience, and help you through the challenging aspects of the process. 

Step 2: Gather essential information your loved ones will need, put it in a safe place, and let a trusted person know where to find it.

This step will take several weeks to several months, depending on how much time you devote to it weekly. It mainly requires patience and discipline to complete. If you’d like to be part of the workshop to have accountability, structure, and encouragement, contact me. 

1. Prepare an Advance Directive. 

I’ll be honest—I had never given any thought to having an advance directive until I was fifty-five years old and two things happened — first, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and then our twenty-two-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As caregiver to both, I heard nurses ask them at each appointment if they had an advance directive. Each time I cringed. I did finally get my dad to make an advance directive, but I never could bring myself to ask our son to prepare one. That year, I prepared my advance directive so that none of my loved ones would ever have to wonder what my wishes were if I became unable to express them. 

An advance directive helps to guide medical care decisions in the case of incapacitation. It allows you to appoint a health care proxy or surrogate and to indicate what kind of treatment you would wish for or decline in medical crisis. My husband and I have used Five Wishes to prepare ours (no affiliation). 

2. Give one trusted person access to all of your important passwords. 

In a day in which our phones hold more valuable information than our homes, it’s essential that at least one person know the password (and if you don’t yet have a password on your phone, now is a good time to add one. If you need help, ask a millennial or check out instructions online).

Additionally, gather all of your essential passwords. While my 83-year-old mother recorded hers in a basic Word document, and that sufficed, most of us will need to use a password keeper like Lastpass or 1Password (no affiliation) to more securely contain all of this information.

Quote from Dr. Kathryn Butler
Quote from Dr. Bill Davis

t3. Appoint a Durable Power of Attorney. 

Appoint someone who will have the legal power to act on your behalf if you are incapacitated. My mother had appointed me as her power of attorney and put my name on her checking account before she died. Thanks to her foresight, paying her bills after her death did not involve jumping through legal hoops. It is often a good idea to make your durable power of attorney and health care surrogate the same person.

4. Make a will and appoint an executor. 

Make a will and appoint someone to be in charge of handling all of your affairs after your death.

5.  Gather essential information. 

Not only will your family benefit if you gather all of the details of your life into one place, you will. Can you imagine the peace of knowing exactly where to locate details about your medical history, personal history, insurance information, titles, credit cards, bills and methods of payment, etc.? 

6. Create a spiritual legacy: stories, values, ideas you want to pass along to the next generation. While I’ve listed this last, this is the gift that your loved ones will likely cherish most for years to come. The other items provide a practical roadmap for the early season following crisis or death, but a spiritual legacy communicates thoughts and stories that will be treasured forever. You can begin creating and sharing your spiritual legacy now. Think about writing a yearly birthday card or Christmas letter in which you share how your loved one has uniquely blessed your life. 

While it’s a good bit of work to gather these items, it’s doable.  I went through the process for the first time in 2017, after my father died. I used the AARP resource, Checklist for My Family (affiliate link), and  made appointments on my calendar to spend forty-five minutes three times a week over a period of several months. Now I am updating my information and using the NOLO resource, Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To (affiliate link), which is a little newer and more detailed than the AARP resource. I’ve spent about forty-five minutes three days a week, and I’m almost finished after only three weeks. If you’d like the accountability, assistance, encouragement of a workshop for going through this process, sign up today to be part of the beta group for the 12-week workshop that begins in September.

Step 3: Once you’ve begun the process of preparing your materials, discuss it with your adult children and loved ones. 

The best time to discuss your own death and dying is, as we told our kids recently when we had this conversation, when you’re not sick or in crisis. Ideally, choose a time when you’ll all be together. Let them know in advance that you are not expecting to die anytime soon, but even so, you’d like to discuss some things about the end of your life with them so that they will be prepared if there is a crisis. Then, when you gather, give them the password to your phone and password keeper (assuming you feel comfortable with all of them knowing), and tell them where you will keep your binder or files (usually in a safe, for which they will also need the code). 

For Reflection

Have you benefited from someone else leaving you a legacy like the one described? What other preparations would you like to make? What are the challenges? What do you think are the benefits and joys?

Get help organizing your life and legacy!

Starting in September, I will walk alongside you as you gather all the materials you need to prepare a legacy that gives peace to you and your loved ones both now and in the future. Over 12 weeks, we’ll gather online to cheer each other on and to learn tips for organizing your life and legacy.