This Week:
Sunday 1/1/23 Pee Wee Practice: 2-330pm 3/4 Teams (boys & girls), 330-5pm 5/6 practice (boys & girls)
Monday 1/2/23 Return to school for the first day of the new semester!
Tuesday 1/3/23 5pm--Home games: JB, SG, SB
Thursday 1/5/23 5:30pm JG, JB away games at Umpire
Friday 1/6/23 4pm Home games: all teams v. CMA
Saturday 1/7/23 Pee Wee practices (Times TBA)
A New Year:
The turning of the calendar always gives us a fresh opportunity to reflect on the past and look toward the future. It is helpful to look back--but only for forward strength. Let's all look upon the year we are completing with an intentional effort to see what it is the Lord would have us learn from the experiences of the year. It's an opportunity to look at our victories and our stumbles and allow them to become tools in the hand of the Lord to make us more Christlike.
As we look at a brand new year, here are a few things we might all consider as goals:
Be deliberate to read, study, and truly meditate on the Word of God. It is life and in it, we both discover who He is and who He wants us to become.
If you are not in a Bible-believing church, where your spiritual life can be strengthened and encouraged and where you can be challenged and transformed let this be the time that you make that a high priority for your family. Christians were meant to walk in the closeness of fellowship of a local Christian community of saints.
Carve out more together time as a family. This can be tough. Raising kids is busy, on top of all the other busyness we all face. Prioritize it. Make it happen.
Be super involved. Know what happens in your children's phones, their friends' lives, their homework, and all they have going on. It's a lot to navigate and they're not fully ready to do so on their own. They're learning; still in training. They need you to protect them and guide them.
Pray more with your children. It's important.
Be gracious, forgive others quickly--show kindness.
Don't assume the worst. Often there's more to the story than you know. Assume the best, hope the best, and believe the best.
Reduce the drama. Don't let the drama of others, their gossip, mistold stories, malicious intentions, or their simple lust for drama infiltrate your heart. Create more space and distance between yourself and those who love to stir trouble.
Don't defile yourself. Be careful about entertainment, conversations, social media videos, and other things that do not please the Lord. Does it build up your spiritual journey and strengthen your walk with Christ, or does it pollute or harm the purity and beauty of a clean life before Him?
Be generous. God loves a cheerful giver. It genuinely is better to give than receive. Look for ways to be generous with your time, finances, talents, and other resources.
Be kind and loving toward others but renounce sin as sin--boldly stand for truth and righteousness. Be joyfully different--willing to stand alone if necessary.
In 2023--You might consider a 529 plan:
You might consider opening a 529 plan as a vehicle to pay your student's tuition through. A 529 is a tax-free investment tool for education. Historically, it's been associated with saving and investing for college. However, now funds in these accounts can now be used for K-12 expenses, as well. Now up to $10,000 per tax year per beneficiary, in the aggregate from all 529 plan accounts held for the same beneficiary, may be withdrawn and used for expenses for tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school (K-12 Tuition Expenses) without incurring federal income tax on the earnings portion of the withdrawal.
As a bonus, earnings on withdrawals of up to $10,000 per tax year per beneficiary from your Arkansas 529 plan account used for K-12 Tuition Expenses will also be free of Arkansas state income tax.
This means funds you put into the 529 become tax-free, so long as it is used for permissible educational purposes. For whatever tuition you pay at Legacy Academy, you could deposit the funds into the 529 and then pay the school from your 529. This money would be tax-free for you and any left in the fund can grow tax-free as an investment.
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.