Category: Estate Planning

Turning Aside

My mom passed away in October of 2022. During that time, I was in the process of grieving but also reading through my devotional. In particular I was in Exodus 3, which I had read several times before but this time I received new insight: 

 

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

A few points stood out to me this time:

    1. Moses saw a fire that was not consumed. 
    2. Moses didn’t just walk on by but ‘turned aside’ to see why it was not consumed.
    3. God did not speak to Moses until he saw that he turned aside.
    4. God called Moses.
    5. Moses responded “here I am”.

My mom become a Christian somewhere in her late 40’s. That was when I saw her, and my dad, turn their lives around and start walking with God. Someone in her life influenced her, she saw the spiritual fire burning in their lives and she willfully stopped to see this flame in their heart. She wanted to know more. When God saw that she turned aside, i.e., she wanted to pursue Him, He called her and She responded, “Here I am”. 

From that point forward my mom continually read and studied the Bible. She also encouraged and led others to Christ herself. She continually challenged her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren to do the same and better. 

No everyone is going to ‘turn aside’ they may see the flame burning in others but they don’t want the same thing. They are content and happy to walk on by and God will let them chose. I am forever thankful that my mom turned aside and said “Here I am”. She was a godly person and I was blessed to be her son.

How to keep up with your digital passwords, for estate planning purposes.

Passwords, ugh, love them hate them but we gotta deal with them, for now.

In today’s digital world, it is critical to protect our accounts from potential security breaches. One of the most effective measures for safeguarding our passwords is to use a password management program. Password Management programs allow you to create strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts and store them securely in an encrypted vault. Additionally, some of these programs have various security features such as two-factor authentication, password auditing, and alerts for breached passwords to ensure maximum protection.

Password Management programs are not only a powerful security tool but also a valuable estate planning resource. The best of these programs allow you to designate a trusted emergency contact, you can grant them access to your account information after you pass away, ensuring that your digital assets are protected and accessible to your loved ones.

In the past, I struggled to manage and secure over 200 account passwords that I had jotted down on notecards. But since I started using a password management program, I’ve found it to be an efficient and secure solution for managing my passwords.

I wouldn’t want to leave you without giving you my recommendation of a good password managment program, I’ve used Lastpass for several years and have found it a good solution for myself and my clients. Just don’t forget that we are the weakest link, we’ll always be the weakest link.