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What makes a great dad? Jerrad Lopes, founder of "Dad Tired," shares five traits and practical steps to become the father you want to be.

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• Host a high-impact church event without starting from scratch by using code STRONGFAMILIES between June 16–30 to get a FREE video-based study and planning support when you buy 10+ workbooks go to shop.familylife.com
• Connect with Jerrad Lopes at DadTired.com, or on Instagram @dad.tired.
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Do you know whether your retirement plan is on track, or are you simply hoping it is?

Whether retirement is years away or just around the corner, it’s wise to pause and take a closer look at your plan today. A retirement checkup can help you know where you stand, identify potential gaps, and make adjustments before small issues become major problems.

Many people know they should be saving, but they’re less certain whether they’re saving enough. That’s where a thoughtful review can bring clarity—not just about the numbers, but about faithful stewardship in the season ahead.

No single rule of thumb fits everyone. Your retirement goal depends on many factors, including when you retire, how long you live, your lifestyle, your health, your generosity goals, and whether you’ll have income from Social Security, a pension, rental property, or part-time work.

Still, benchmarks can be helpful. As a starting point, one common guideline is to aim for about 10-12 times your income by age 67.

The point isn’t to become discouraged if you’re behind. The point is to know where you stand. Once you have a clearer picture, you can make wise adjustments.

Your spending number may be even more important than your savings balance. A million dollars can be plenty for one household and not nearly enough for another because spending determines how much income your portfolio must produce.

Start with your current budget, then consider what may change in retirement. Will your mortgage be paid off? Will travel increase? Will transportation costs go down? Will you support adult children or aging parents? Will you downsize, relocate, or stay where you are?

Those questions help you see not only what retirement may cost, but also what kind of stewardship this next season may require.

It’s also important to think carefully about how much you’ll withdraw from your savings each year.

A common guideline has been the 4% rule, first developed by financial planner William Bengen. He has since updated his research, suggesting the number may be closer to 4.7% with a more diversified portfolio. Fidelity describes it more broadly as a 4%-5% sustainable withdrawal range.

So, if you retire with $500,000, you might begin by withdrawing around $20,000 to $25,000 in the first year, then adjust over time.

Of course, this is not a guarantee, and it does not mean you’ll never touch the principal. Your actual withdrawal rate should depend on your age, health, investment mix, inflation, market conditions, and whether your essential expenses are covered by guaranteed income.

The danger is assuming you can withdraw 8%, 10%, or even 12% from your portfolio every year without consequences. For most retirees, that’s not a plan. It’s a countdown.

Medicare is a blessing, but it doesn’t cover everything. Retirees may still face premiums, deductibles, co-pays, prescription costs, dental care, vision care, hearing expenses, and more.

Long-term care is a separate issue altogether.

Recent estimates suggest that a 65-year-old retiring today may need well over

How does the Devil cause so much mayhem among believers? He has help! He and his minions set their sights on believers trying to make them fall . . . and they’re quite good at what they do. But today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie points out victory is assured for God’s children when we stand in the victory of Jesus. We’re in the Garden of Eden today watching Adam and Eve struggle against the temptation of our adversary, and we’ll see how that struggle affects us even today.

Harvest Crusade tickets are fully claimed—but it’s not too late to participate and witness what God does on July 11. Invite your loved ones to watch online with you and make sure you join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.

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Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

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Prayer often comes with many questions: Why didn’t God answer my prayer? Why does God allow suffering and evil in the world? Why does prayer even matter? Theologian Dr. Erwin Lutzer answers each of these concerns with empathy for those who struggle with unanswered prayer as he reminds us of God’s trustworthiness and sovereign plan, firmly based on His promises. He shares that prayer isn’t about changing God’s will but aligning ours with Him, as we grow deeper in our relationship with Him.

Receive a copy of Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers? A Biblical Guide to God’s Hidden Purposes and an audio download of "Trusting God When He Doesn't Answer Your Prayers" for your donation of any amount!

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How do you combat prejudice? How do you break the stronghold of generational discrimination? Chip unpacks six principles, from Acts Chapter 10, that help you identify and confront the prejudice around you.

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Occasionally I see this bumper sticker that says, “I brake for antique shops.” I’m not a bumper sticker guy, but I think we would have qualified for that over the years, depending on who was driving—my wife or me. If it was my wife, we were a lot more likely to break for an antique shop. But my wife was not so much into collecting old stuff, it was more about finding items that she had as a girl growing up on a farm that had very few modern conveniences. And she had an eye for what was real and what was just a reproduction: Depression Glass, pottery, butter churns, even old violins. Take the famous Stradivarius violin. We didn’t have one, there are relatively few originals. There are a lot of copies.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Lost But Looking Found.”

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s a copy in antiques and in people; especially people who claim that they belong to Jesus Christ.

Jesus described both the real ones and the copies in the story He told in Matthew 13, beginning in verse 24. It’s our word for today from the Word of God. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Jesus said the man’s servants wanted to go out and pull up the weeds, but he stopped them. “’No,’ He answered, ‘because while you are pulling out the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

When Jesus explained His parable later, He made clear that the wheat represents those who really do belong to Him, and the weeds; they represent those who look like they belong to Him, but they don’t. That’s a pretty sobering thought—sitting next to one another in church may be two people who are singing the same songs, believing the same beliefs, saying the same words, but one is headed for heaven and the other is headed for hell. And no one on earth can tell the difference. But on Judgment Day it will be very clear who was real and who was the look-alike. That’s why God says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.”

For some of us church folks, the business of being a Christian is really more of a religion, or a performance, or maybe a belief, or a script where we’ve got all the right words. You can have all that and you can miss what this is all really about; a deep love personal relationship with Jesus Christ based on His dying for your sins. It is a relationship you can only begin one way. You begin it the day you tell Him you are putting your total trust in Him, consciously giving all of you to Him. With all your Christianity, it’s possible you've missed Christ, even though everyone around you thinks you know Him. That's everyone except Jesus.

It’s very hard to admit that you’ve never really given yourself to Him, but it’s fatal not to. So would you let this be the day that you finally, consciously and clearly make Jesus Christ your personal Savior from your personal sin. Tell Him, "Jesus, I want to know you for real. I'm pinning all my hopes on You like a drowning person would grab a rescuer."

Then go to our website and check that out. Because there you will find the information you need to secure your relationship with Christ and know for sure you've got this settled. Our website is ANewStory.com.

There’s all the difference in the world between someone who really belongs to Jesus and someone who just looks like they do. It’s actually the difference between heaven and hel