A “grand solar minimum” is predicted to be happening with the sun over the next decades. That means that solar energy could be reduced by as much as seven percent. It happen about every 200 years. For an object in our sky that often depicts permanence, that kind of fluctuation can be a bit unsettling.

Whenever our sense of permanence is challenged, it is really a good thing. God’s word speaks to the things that are forever and the things that are not. Most things come and go, shift and change. Yet the only things that remain permanent are God, His Word and His plan to redeem us through the resurrection and introduce us into His new creation for all eternity; all prepared by Jesus.

So what does that have to do with the present time? Time and the things in time are opportunities to do God’s bidding, to share the Gospel of Jesus, to love God and love our neighbor, all with the goal of God’s Spirit calling people to faith so that they may be part of God’s permanent inheritance that He has prepared for us. We look at something like our estate plans and we make our plans, but always with an eye to eternity. Your LCMS Foundation Gift Planning Counselor can help you get your eternally focused plan together.

Jason Jones, CGP, CDE, is Saint John’s Gift Planning Counselor. Jason works with individuals in our congregation who want to discover the lifetime plan that God has planted in their heart. He will help them to use this plan to Transfer the Blessings God has given them to their family and the ministries they love. This service comes to you at no cost as a member of Saint John’s. To schedule a free meeting with Jason or ask questions about this special opportunity, visit www.StJohnsFC.org/transfer-the-blessings, call (970) 988-0305 or email Jason.Jones@lfnd.org.