STEWARDSHIP After terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, people opened up their hearts and their pocketbooks to give to those directly affected by the tragedy. The American Red Cross received $547 million dollars for the cause, but until there was a public uproar, the Red Cross was not planning…

In the early 1960s, the Lincoln Futura concept car created for a 1955 auto show was not worth much. It was used a 1959 movie and then sold to automobile designer George Barris for one dollar. Since it was untitled and could not be insured, the car was had little value and was relegated to a back parking…

FAITH AND WORKS In a recent BC comic strip, daddy ant comes into the room where son ant is attached by wire to the Television Set. “Son, did you really blow your entire allowance on that video game?” “Yes.” The son admitted. Dad then gives the dreaded lecture. “You need to learn how to manage your money!”…

VALUE A woman recently proved she is a real lover of art when she paid $10,000 for a piece of invisible art. Aimee Davison purchased the art as part of a fundraiser for the Museum of Non-Visible Art or MONA. The work, titled “Fresh Air”, was described this way, ”This is a unique piece, only this one…

The growing wave of politically correct speech and thought has many people concerned about the way America is celebrating Christmas. Organizations are listing retailers that don’t use the word Christmas in their advertising , court cases are filed over the inclusion or exclusion of nativity scenes, and…

Unknown Author These are more effective than 911 When - You are sad, phone John 14 You have sinned, phone Psalm 51 You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91 People have failed you, phone Psalm 27 It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139 Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11 You are…

A brother and sister from west London found an old vase while cleaning out their parents’ home. They had it appraised and learned it was valued at nearly $2 million. After putting it up for auction, the antique Chinese vase sold for $69.5 million. A representative for the auction house said, “They had…

One of the keys of good stewardship is to spend less than you make creating a surplus. The surplus allows you the ability to help others or to give to a good cause. Unfortunately, 60% of Americans say they spent more than they earned last year. A survey of more than 27,000 people by the FINRA Investor…

While Miley Cyrus is no longer a role model for young girls, there is one subject on which we ought to pay attention to her. She is only 22 years old but has already made a fortune. She complains that people from contractors to fellow celebrities are continually trying to get her to buy things she neither…

Pennsylvania police say a man was arrested and charged with passing counterfeit money after he tried to use phony $20 bills to purchase items at a garage sale. They say the reason 40-year-old Gregory Douglas was caught was that he tried to give the money to the wrong person. The woman running the sale,…

When a Georgia bank teller accidentally posted a customer’s $31,000 deposit to the wrong account, the teenager who received the money by mistake immediately began a huge spending spree. Records show the names on the account were the same, and the teller apparently did not double check the account numbers…

When a Nevada man died recently, he left $200 in his bank account, but authorities were surprised at what they found in his house later. Police found the 69-year-old man’s body after neighbors called authorities in June. When authorities arrived to begin cleaning out the house, they discovered millions…

According to a January poll from the National Endowment for Financial Education, 42 percent of people admit to being financially unfaithful to their partner. They admit to keeping secret bank accounts, hiding big-ticket purchases, or covering up bad investments. Mandy Walker in ConsumerReports.org says…

DREAMS The creator of Veggie Tales, Phil Vischer, recently told a crowd of Christian journalists the Lord used bankruptcy to humble him to pursue God rather than a dream. At the Evangelical Press Association’s opening banquet, Vischer explained that he found himself facing a God he had never heard about…

RICHES In 1981, Lou Eisenberg had it made. The 53 year old worked in an office building changing light bulbs for $225 a week, when he hit the biggest lottery jackpot paid out at that time, $5million dollars. Instantly, Eisenberg became a celebrity making appearances on television talk shows. Many referred…

NFL wide receiver Ryan Broyles is making big money. The 27-year-old lives a simple, middle-class life. He is living on a $60,000 budget despite a salary of over one million dollars per year. Broyles is aware that roughly one in six NFL players files for bankruptcy within 12 years of retirement. Broyles,…

An 85-year old Florida, Barbara Cosgrove was looking for a picture of her ex-husband when she discovered an unopened envelope in a nightstand drawer. Inside was a 32 year-old check for $17,500, a payment on an insurance claim. Cosgrove said she didn’t know why she hadn’t found the check sooner because…

SOUL The current financial crisis is impacting more than just the United States. In the European Union nation of Latvia, the monetary crisis is especially troublesome. Unemployment is soaring and banks have reduced lending, which has lead to the growth of small companies offering easy loans in small…

When faced with a unique challenge, a Tennessee church found they had an opportunity to express their faith in a bold way. In 2010, the church learned that $147,000 that was supposed to been sent as a missions offering had not been received by the Missions Board. Further investigations found that other…

When Charles and Frances Hamlin celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary, they decided to see if they could recreate everything, including the $8 price. The Hamlins still had the original receipt from the Poinsett from 1947. Today, a room in the hotel costs between $250 and $300, although Hamlin said…

Mike Vegas ordered pizza and wings from a pizza company. He only had time to eat one slice of pizza before he left for work, so he put the rest of the order in the refrigerator to eat later. While he was at work that night, he kept getting message on his cell phone, but he didn’t pay any attention to…

Disagreements over finances are the most common source of marital discord and experts say fighting over money may do may damage than couples realize. A study conducted by the Utah State University found that couples who disagreed about money once a week were twice as likely to divorce as those who differed…

STEWARDSHIP We often hear it said, “You can’t take it with you.” Some folks, while they cannot take their wealth with them, continue to produce them for those left behind. This year the top earners among the already departed were fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent, songwriters, Rodgers and Hammerstein,…

Two years ago, John Brandick, a 62-year-old British man, was told he would succumb to pancreatic cancer within a year. Thinking he only had that single year to live, he decided to get the most out of what life he had left. He quit his job, quit paying his mortgage, and used his savings to give gifts…

Carrie Rausch, a 108 year-old woman can live her remaining years in comfort thanks to help from strangers. She lived in the same assisted living facility for three years, and was in danger of losing her home because her financial reserves were almost gone. Rausch’s daughter did not want her mother to…