thoughts on the news of the day: lottery

hmmm…..

            Three people, one from Kansas, one from Maryland and one from Illinois will share in the winnings from the Mega Millions lottery.  The jackpot reached $640 million, with each ticket earning about $213 million before taxes.

            Lots of folks claim that they will give some of their winnings to charity.  They pick churches, non-profit agencies and sometimes their alma mater.  Sometimes they give, sometimes they don’t.  I bet that you were saying that same thing:  “If I won the lottery, I would give some of the winnings to (fill in the blank).   We would all like to think that we are generous, especially when it doesn’t really cost us anything; especially when we weren’t expecting a huge windfall; especially when everyone is watching.

            Sure, we could wait until the unlikely day when we come into a huge parcel of income, maybe it’s the lottery, or a company bonus, or an inheritance.  But I say, why wait?  Why wait until that undetermined, unlikely day when you are suddenly enormously rich?  We can give now.  It doesn’t have to be big to count.  Scripture says, “God loves a cheerful giver” not “God loves a big giver.”

            A friend once told me about how she grew up in a financially challenged family … they were poor.  When she was young, she once told her Mom, “I wish we were rich.”  And her Mom replied, “We are rich, we just don’t have a lot of money.”  Their family shared what they had, and were blessed tenfold for it.  And my friend came to know that is what “rich” really means.

            hmmm…..

           

thoughts on the news of the day: me, myself and I

hmmm…..

“Healthy at 100” is the name of a book by John Robbins.  Featured in an article in the New York Times yesterday, the book was actually written in 2006.  It cites research done in 1983 by a psychologist at Baylor University named Larry Scherwitz.  He taped conversations by approximately 600 men, with a third of them having heart disease.  In an interesting research twist, Dr. Scherwitz documented how often the men used first person pronouns like I, me, and mine.  The research revealed that those who spoke in the “I” mode were generally the most likely to have heart disease, and even more interesting, when these same men were followed for several years, they were the most likely to suffer heart attacks.

The conclusion would be that thinking of others before thinking about yourself will keep you healthier and help you to live longer.  This is a sermon that doesn’t need to be preached in my congregation.  We have a 90+ year old who regularly volunteers at our local hospital; she was at the hospital five days last week assisting staff who needed her.  Oh, and that’s in addition to volunteering at the Chamber of Commerce. 

So, for the rest of us, if you want to live longer, by all means, eat right, exercise and get regular check-ups.  But don’t forget to think about someone else, at least for a little while each day.  Add that to your regular routine.  Mr. Robbins and Dr. Scherwitz say it won’t hurt; in fact, it might keep you healthy a lot longer.

hmmm…..