Money can't buy you love or keep it....I guess...

NEW YORK — Money — not even $149 million — can't buy you love.
Juan Rodriguez , who collected the huge windfall in the Mega Millions lottery last month, is now on the outs with his wife, the New York Post reported Saturday. Iris Rodriguez wants a divorce from her husband of 17 years, and she filed the paperwork just 10 days after Juan bought the winning ticket on Nov. 19.
Iris Rodriguez is seeking a portion of her husband's huge lottery check, the Post said. Rodriguez, 49, opted to take his winnings in a single lump-sum payment of $88.5 million before taxes.
Although the couple appeared together at a news conference after Rodriguez matched the winning numbers, his wife had previously given him the boot over his financial difficulties. Rodriguez had filed for bankruptcy a month before his lottery win, and court papers showed he had just 78 cents in a savings account and owed $44,000 to creditors.

I guess that the Beatles were right after all! This is a made for T.V. movie if I ever I saw one. Better yet, some one needs to turn this into a musical comedy. The damage that lotteries have done to the work ethic and the notion that thrift and hard work are the keys to success have been replaced by players clubs at Casinos and a trip to the local convenient store for a powerball ticket or two. Meanwhile families continue to struggle to put food on the table and at the same time are consumed with the hope of quick riches. We all struggle to some extent or the other with lure of the American Dream, but lately many have sought to take a short cut. Paul reminds us in the New Testament that an athlete only wins the prize when they compete according to the rules....and as far as God is concerned, the rules have not changed!

We're definitely not in New Jersey...

We had the pleasure of attending the local High School Show Choir Christmas concert tonight.
It was a mixture of singing and dancing, well done considering the talent pool available in a small Mississippi town. There was also neat blend of the sacred and the secular with mentions of both Jesus and Santa Claus.(In fact Santa Claus was played by one of my church members!)
However in other parts of the country, for instance - New Jersey..... The religious theme would have been conspicuously absent while in Denver; no religious theme ( aka christianity) is permitted in their 'Holiday' parade!
What 'Holiday' do they imagine we are celebrating anyway? As our teenagers are prone to say...."Duh!!"
Visit Mississippi......... where we still pray "in Jesus' name" at ball games.

Online shopping.

I'm doing a lot of my Christmas shopping online this year. Over the past couple of years I have purchased Musical instruments, digital recorders, manufactured CD's and jewellery from websites. I have had little problem and have been impressed with the quality and speed of service. I'm grateful of an alternative to long check-out queues and lack of variety in local small town retailers. Also not having to spend a fortune on gas to travel to either Memphis or Jackson (100+ miles away) means that I have more money to spend on that special gift.
Maybe you haven't tried online shopping yet....Go on have a go!