ENCOURAGEMENT 36 MAY 2026 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition Generational wealth is commonly described as "financial assets passed down from generation to generation with the primary goal of providing family members with a financial future." This is customarily accumulated through long-term investing, building equity, business ownership and life insurance, among others. In my case, I received “generational liabilities" from my parents, but thankfully today Julianne and I are very intentional in creating a plan that provides assets for our children, which we believe is a noble cause. Our battle cry is found in Proverbs 13:22 where King Solomon stated that "a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." Conversely, Jesus directed us to "not store our treasures on earth, but rather in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy it nor thieves steal it, further reminding us that we will find our treasure where our heart is." We find a blend of the two in the Abrahamic Covenant, where God promises the Hebrew people a spiritual inheritance coupled with a righteous legacy and earthly prosperity if they obey HIM. This is much more than generational wealth; these are generational blessings. Generational blessings Generational blessings are what William and Morrow Graham along with Nelson and Virginia Bell provided our brothers and sisters here in South Florida "moons ago. "Their respective children, Billy and Ruth Graham subsequently married and bore five infants, including the eldest, affectionately known as Gigi. She in turn became the mother of seven offspring, from the eldest Stephan to the youngest Antony, both of whom are closely associated with our Christian community as well as this newspaper. Little did William and Morrow know when they married on October 26,1916, in Charlotte, North Carolina, the tremendous generational spiritual wealth they would be passing down to us over a century later. Stephan (Tchividjian) is the official "Christian networker" down here, the "go to guy" if you need insight on our area's Christian organizations and peoples. Attending his weekly Bible study for years has allowed me to become acquainted with so many wonderful brothers, most of whom form the nucleus of my faith family today. His influence has been instrumental in the expansion of the ministry locally and his presence continues to serve as a beacon for future generations. The prodigal son Doctor Luke describes in Chapter 15 of his gospel the story of the prodigal son, in which the youngest leaves the nest to lead a life of indulgence while the oldest remained at home working diligently. Well, Antony (Tchividjian), in my sophomoric opinion, was the personification of such an unwise fellow. The junior of a well-knit, prominent Christian family, this young bloke "left" the clan for about 16 years to immerse himself in severe drug abuse, first a drift and then a spiral, ending up wallowing in the world's pig trough. And then, after steeping in humanity's toilets, just like the prodigal son, Antony decided to go back to the Father. And just like the father in Luke's Testament, he found refuge in the arms of Calvary House, a Christian rehabilitation facility who met him on his destructive path and gave him a safe place to heal. Jesus never let go of the squandering son in the gospel account, just as Jesus never let go of Antony. And interestingly enough, now that he is healed, recuperated and successful, he rejoices in being the hands and feet of Christ, and has taken the place of his elder brother Stephan as a contributor to this newspaper. Who would have thunk!!! Generational liability Both myself and my son were prodigals much, much longer than Antony. We both meandered in the ways of perdition for decades until generational blessing and spiritual intervention took place in our lives. My mother, through intercessory prayer and considerable cleverness, positioned me to find and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Similarly, after years of family isolation, my son and I reconciled and in time he reunited with the Lord with my modest assistance. Taking the precepts of generational wealth accumulation to a spiritual level, we made the long-term investment of eternal life by accepting Christ as our Savior; we are building holy equity by learning and adhering to the Word; we have attained ownership by being considered co-heirs with Jesus Christ; and we have life insurance after our physical demise due to the intervention of the Messiah. My unassuming mother left a legacy that filtered down to his children, grandchildren and hopefully great grandchildren; we inherited much spiritual generational wealth from her. This more than covered her aforementioned "generational liability"; ...by a long shot!! What are your plans? So, what are your inheritance plans: to give, to take or to "give n take"? Maybe you are thinking about following the worn path of bestowing all your goodies to your children so they may avoid the tribulations you suffered and hopefully invest properly so that they can do likewise with their brood. Conversely, you may want to spend all your hard-earned cash realizing your "bucket list" before He takes you home, much like the plan of one of our elders at church. This follows the story of the young boy who accompanied his father to a memorial service and when the eulogy speaker bemoaned the fact that the deceased, once an affluent fellow, had died a pauper, the lad exclaimed, "what great timing, dad!" Or maybe, like my wife and I, you may wish to diversify by providing a portion to your children, another to your favorite charities and a third to a special benevolence fund to be managed by your kids. Hopefully, in this manner, you will give your ancestry "the gift that keeps on giving." This is what King David arranged for his nation when he stated in 1st Chronicles 29:14, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given you." We are handed God's currency, but in the end, it is our decision whether we hold them or fold them...so let's play our cards right. Omar Aleman is a retired federal agent and consultant. He and his wife Julianne assist and support several Christian non-profit organizations both here and abroad. - Omar Aleman - Aleman and Associates Three generations of men Enough Is Enough
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