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Sermon Illustrations: Money

Prior to going to Madeley, a contemporary of Wesley's named Fletcher was informed by his patron, Mr. Hill, that he could live in Durham in Cheshire. He said, "The parish is small, the duty is light, the income is good and is situated in a fine healthy sporting country." "Alas, sir," Fletcher replied. "Durham will not suit me. There is too much money (?400 pa) and too little labour." Hill said, "Few clergymen make such objections. It is a pity to decline such a living, as I do not know that I can find you another. Would you like Madeley?" "That sir would be the very place for me." "If you prefer Madeley, I shall find no difficulty in persuading the present vicar to exchange it for Durham, which is worth more than twice as much."

Remember how your mother told you money won't buy you happiness? Well, guess what: it won't make you stop worrying, either. That's the finding of a survey by the giant US mutual fund company Fidelity Investments and accounting company Ernst and Young. The Making of a Millionaire: A National Survey on Wealth was designed to help the companies learn more about millionaires. It found that almost two-thirds of the $US1million ($A2million) and up crowd worry about losing their money. "Although affluent Americans generally feel confident about the future, they can't shake the fear of suffering a serious financial setback," the survey of more than 1800 wealthy showed. The anxiety is especially acute among "up and comers" and people with their money tied up in superannuation. Sunday Mail 15-7-01

Howard Hughes was a manufacturer, aviator and motion picture producer who died in 1976 aged 70. Indication of wealth: In 1966 he sold his Trans World Airlines shares for over $500M. He had great wealth. Yet he became deranged and emaciated from poor diet and excess drugs. He died a recluse. His wealth didn't help him.

A man was caught trying to get into heaven with a sack over his shoulders. Peter said, "So, what's in the sack?" The man looked sheepish and said, "As many bars of gold as I could carry." Peter shook his head and asked incredulously, "You brought pavers?"

Andrew Carnegie: The steel baron gave away $350 million, declaring in his 1889 "Gospel of Wealth" that "the man who dies … rich dies disgraced." Time Magazine November 5, 2001. p85

Ps 19:10 - God's Word is worth more than all the gold. But how many Christians sacrifice it because they want more money, or an X-rated testimony, or to pursue other things.

If more money and work will keep you out of church, the devil says, "I'll give it to you".

$281,500 Price paid at auction by China's Sichuan Airlines for the lucky phone number 8888-8888. Eight is a homonym in Chinese for rich. Time 1st September 2003 P 16

A Chinese man paid a whopping $1.5 million on an auction site for the mobile phone number 135 8585 8585. The number has a similar pronunciation to "let me be rich, be rich, be rich, be rich" in Chinese. Reader's Digest November 2004 p 18

Bill Gates' "fortune increased by $US3 billion to $US46 billion this year". Courier Mail Saturday 20th September, 2003.

Warren Buffet is a living legend and one of the richest men in the world and he did it mainly from getting it right on the stockmarket. He started in 1956 with only $100. By 1969 he was sitting on top of $25 million. By 1993 his net worth was around $8 billion. And by 2000 the number crunchers said he was a $30 billion man - that's American dollars! Peter Switzer Shares: Your Questions Answered p82

You tell me what you've spent your money on over the last year, and I can tell you the things that are dear to your heart.

A prominent businessman gave a taxi driver a miserable tip. The driver commented bitterly, "Yesterday your son was in my cab and he gave me ten times as much." "My son has a rich father," the businessman replied. "I don't!" Australian Reader's Digest February 2004 p55

690 million: Number of Asians living on $1 a day or less in 2002 - 223 million fewer than in 1990. 75%: Proportion of that decline occurring in China. Time 20-9-04 p19

More than half a billion (one in four) of the world's children live on less than $1 a day. Compassion Website

Every 2.7 seconds, a child under five years dies from hunger and related causes. Compassion Website

They pamper their children with everything money can buy, from expensive education to a first step on the property ladder. But wealthy parents get a poor return on their investment. The more money spent on children, the less likely they are to enjoy close relationships with their parents as adults, a study found. They move farther away from home, visit their parents less often and make fewer phone calls. Even if they live close to the family home, they see less of their parents than those who are given less, according to the UK study by Essex University's Institute of Social and Economic Research. Professor John Ermisch, who led the study, says material wealth is a poor substitute for love and care. Sunday Mail 3-10-04 p 57

Queenslanders are wasting between $100-$150 a year leaving unused electrical appliances switched on at the wall. The worst offenders are desktop and laptop computers which can add $30 to your annual power bill if left on standby. A television digital converter box will cost you more than $25 extra a year, TVs range from $7 to $11 depending on size, VHS players $11, DVDs $15 and portable CD / radio boomboxes $6. the microwave - usually left on simply for the digital clock display - wastes $7. even an electric toothbrush costs a couple of dollars when left on standby but not in use. … Householders were notorious for switching television sets or stereos off at the remote, or putting the dishwashers and washing machines on as they walked out the door each morning. They all remained in the standby mode - using precious electricity. Sunday Mail 2-1-05

A family of four with two teenagers spends $4135 a year on alcohol. That buys 883 stubbies of beer, 77 bottles of wine, 311 bottles of premix spirits, 8.4 casks of wine, 13.9 bottles of spirit and 171 light beers. Reader's Digest April 2005 p 18

A record lottery win of almost $A400 million seemed like a gift from God to Andrew "Jack" Whittaker. So the devout Christian immediately found a way to express his holy gratitude. Jack built his community, in the Bible-thumping state of West Virginia, a dazzling new church, for $A2 million. It was dubbed The Church that Jack Built. … Far from earning him happiness, Jack Whittaker's historic win has instead brought him shame and misery. Having once seemed destined to become an inspiring philanthropist, he has instead descended into a moral quagmire that has destroyed his life, his family, and torn apart the community he promised to lead to greener pastures. "Lucky Jack" now stands accused of molesting women, drink-driving, leaving his wife for a mistress, assault and threats of murder. Worse still, his riches are being blamed for the mysterious, drug-fuelled deaths of his only granddaughter and a friend. To his neighbours and fellow countrymen, Jack Whittaker's downfall has become a modern parable of the corrupting power of money - and the danger of lotteries. The irony is that before he received his extraordinary payout Jack was a successful businessman who was widely respected for his decency. A former labourer, he had built up a profitable construction company, Diversified Enterprises, which built sewage works an laid pipes. Yet he never forgot his blue-collar roots, and was known as a tough-but-fair boss who worked hard then went home to his devoted wife Jewell and their family. He was rarely seen in bars, attended church most Sundays, and was devoted to his beloved granddaughter Brandi Bragg, 15. Even after striking gold with the lottery ticket he seemed unspoilt. He vowed to be a different kind of millionaire; one who would spend his riches wisely and prove that money was not the root of all evil. Rather than frittering away his wealth on the high-life, the 55-year-old promised to support worthy causes in West Virginia. "I would just like to see people who want to better their lives be able to do that," he said. … However, little more than two years later, the cynics who shook their heads and murmured that mammon would prevail have been proved right. No sooner had he set himself up as a moral beacon than Jack's life began to unravel. The first danger sign was his frequent visits to the Pink Pony, a strip joint … His first brush with the law came in March 2003 at a huge gambling complex. According to court papers, Jack grabbed a female attendant by the hair and fondled her buttocks. He is also said to have pulled the bra-straps of another female staff member and grabbed a third by the hair, forcing her face towards his groin. He denies the allegations, which have yet to be aired in court. … The Sunday Mail 27-2-05 p 50

Australia is producing an average of 47 new millionaires every day - the fourth-fastest rate in the world. Reader's Digest September 2005 p 17

Dollars have never been known to produce character, and character will never be produced by money. W. K. Kellogg, I'll Invest My Money In People Reader's Digest September 2005 p 47

Though we were on a shoestring student budget, my wife insisted that we pay off the hospital bill when our son was born. Now we had to work out how to meet our other expenses. We were discussing this one night when the baby needed a nappy change. As my wife picked him up, she sighed, "He's the only thing in this house that's paid for and he leaks". Kevin Aiken in Reader's Digest September 2005 p 111

A British study revealed women waste around $30,000 each on clothes they don't wear during their working life. Reader's Digest March 2006 p 16

Two women shopping spend an average of 8 mins 15 secs in a store. One woman and children shopping spend an average of 7 mins 19 secs in a store. One woman shopping alone spends an average of 5 mins 2 secs in a store. A woman and a man shopping spend an average of 4 mins 41 secs in a store. Reader's Digest February 2006 p 16

Seven- to 14-year-olds in Australia get an average of $8.80 pocket money per week. Reader's Digest August 2006 p 18

60% of adults visit a corner shop each week. Reader's Digest September 2006, p 16

A rich person should leave his kids enough money to do something, but not enough to do nothing. Warren Buffett Reader's Digest November 2006 p 89

A boy accidentally swallows a 20-cent coin and starts choking as his frantic father screams for help. A woman sipping her café latte outside a café looks up, puts down her newspaper and cup, and strolls over to the lad. She squeezes him with amazing strength until the coin pops out. Deftly catching it, she hands it to the father and returns to her table. The relieved father follows her, gushing words of thanks. "That was fantastic!" he says, "Are you a doctor?" "No," replies the woman. "I work for the taxation department." Reader's Digest November 2005 p 123

Several centuries ago, John Ward, a member of British Parliament prayed, "O Lord, You know that I have nine houses in the city of London, and that I have lately purchased an estate in Essex. I beseech You to preserve the two counties of Middlesex and Essex from fire and earthquakes. And as I have also a mortgage in Hertfordshire, I beg You also to have an eye of compassion on that county, and for the rest of the counties, You may deal with them as You may. O Lord, enable the banks to answer all their bills, and make all the debtors good men. Give prosperous voyage and safe return to the Mermaid Sloop, because I have not insured it. And because You have said, 'The days of the wicked are but short,' I trust You that You will not forget Your promise, as I have an estate that I will inherit on the death of that poor profligate young man, Sir J. L. Preserve me from thieves and housebreakers, and make all my servants so honest and faithful that they may always attend to my interests, and never cheat me out of my property night or day."

Research conducted by a leading compensation technology firm found that among employees planning to leave their companies, a majority felt they were underpaid. Fewer than 20 percent of them, however, were receiving less than the industry standard for their duties. Bill Coleman, of Salary.com, believes that many unhappy workers are overtitled rather than underpaid. Some companies give employees lofty titles even though their job responsibilities have not increased. In time, employees feel they deserve more money than their actual duties merit. "When it comes to salary," Coleman says, "it's what you do, not what you're called, that counts." Our Daily Bread, September 1, 2008

If things bought happiness, we'd be a delirious nation. Ministry Advantage, Module 6, p14