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“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” –Jim Carrey With a net worth in the vicinity of 150 million dollars, the funny man actor finds that fame and fortune is not the answer to life’s ills. A believer would agree…

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…

When she was growing up during the Great Depression, Barbara Beskind dreamed of being an inventor. It took 80 years, but Beskind has finally landed a job at a top design firm in Silicon Valley. Beskind says in the Depression, ingenuity was a life requirement, but her hopes were dashed when a guidance…

How much is too much? People will have different answers to that question. For some, one TV is plenty, for others they need one in every room. For some, beans and rice will do, for others oversized portions of meat is necessary for every meal For some, a couple of cats are plenty, but not for a woman…

Researchers in California says they have surveyed men aged 50 to 99 and asked them to rank how they feel on a scale of one to ten. The average response was 8.2, not quite what the researchers had expected. The survey was designed to focus on older people who were not predisposed to disability or illness,…

David Kim is a successful businessman, author, and Christian. Working long and hard Kim built his business into a consortium that operates restaurant chains including Sweet Factory, La Salsa, Cinnabon, Denny’s, and Baja Fresh. David Kim had worked hard and became very successful but when his father died…

CONTENTMENT The Census Bureau recently reported that nearly 1 in 6 Americans fall below the poverty line, which it establishes at an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four. The actual number is 46.2 million, which the government says would be 69.7 million if not for government programs. A survey…

American women, who in the 1930’s owned an average of nine outfits, today buys more than 60 pieces of new clothing per year. --The Week, June 24, 2011 p. 20 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell Philippians 4:12-13 (NASB) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live…

In The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani writes, “In Consumer Christianity, our concern is not primarily whether people are transformed to reflect the countercultural values of God’s kingdom, but whether they are satisfied — often measured by attendance…

Some of China’s richest entrepreneurs seem to have everything they could want. One millionaire admitted the economy is booming, his influence is spreading, and his firm is building modern skyscrapers in Beijing. Though things are going well economically, this millionaire says there is only one thing…

When a commercial product becomes a fad, it seems like every one wants one. It happened this way with the iPad. The tablet computer from Apple was so hot people would do almost anything to get one. A seventeen-year-old Chinese boy wanted one bad enough that he was willing to sell his right kidney in…

Ingrid Bergman says, “Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.” --The Week, February 11, 2011 p. 21 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NASB) (6) But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. (7) For we have…

After years of pushing economic growth and encouraging their fellow citizens that getting rich is glorious, the Chinese government is changing their tune. Communist Party rulers recently rolled out a new economic slogan, “Be happy.” The Chinese Premiere announced the new measure of progress saying the…

Envy is one of the sins we are warned about repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. For an example, look at the list of fleshly sins in Gal. 5:21. Perhaps one of the reasons the Spirit continually warns us of such friends is what envy does to us. Forbes quotes editorial cartoonist Frank Tyger…

I recently read a moving story that David Jeremiah wrote about the founder of World Vision, the international Christian relief agency. Bob Pierce had advanced leukemia, but he went to visit a colleague in Indonesia before he died. As they were walking through a small village, they came upon a young girl…

A new study drawn from Internal Revenue Service statistics and published by Kiplinger, indicates the salaries of Americans may be better than most people think. The recent recession coupled with a high unemployment rate has focused attention on the official poverty level in the country, and finds that…

Walt Disney’s The Princess and the Frog is a challenge to dig down deep in life and search out what we really need versus our dreams of what we want in life. Tiana grew up in a poor New Orleans neighborhood. Her father instilled in her a dream of one day opening a grand restaurant and jazz club. Tiana…

Having a shiny new car is often a status symbol in American society. A Wisconsin woman’s exercise of frugality regarding her car has also become a status symbol of sorts. In the summer of 1957, a trusted mechanic told Grace Braeger the differential on 1950 Chevrolet was making a strange noise and would…

A factory in southern China manufactures iPhones for Apple and PC’s for Dell has experienced a rash of suicides and attempted suicides in the last few months. In searching for an explanation the answer most often given is the poor pay. The company does not pay its workers enough for them to afford the…

Benjamin Franklin said, “Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.” --The Week, March 26, 2010 p. 21. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell I suppose Mr. Franklin wasn’t thinking of the Apostle Paul when he wrote that answer to his question. 1 Timothy 6:8-9 (TEV) “So then, if we…

In their new book, Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth, Ed Diener and his son, Robert Biswas-Diener, claim that happiness comes apart from money or material goods. Ed is psychology professor at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign and Robert is a psychologist and lecturer…

A study by Belgian Psychologists have proved, well may have furthered the theory, that money cannot buy happiness. In fact, they say, it may be just the opposite. The study gave evidence that richer people aren’t as capable as poorer ones of savoring small pleasures. The small pleasures were simple things…

Ronald Wayne says he is happily living on a retirement pension in a remote California desert town. With two friends in the early 1970’s, Wayne had a 10% share of a new computer company startup. He decided that he didn’t want to be a part and sold his 10% for $1,500. Even though the partner’s names were…

Despite uncertainty in the job market, a recent survey found a majority of Americans report they are unhappy with their jobs. Worker dissatisfaction has been on the rise for the last twenty years. The new study, conducted for the Conference Board, found the job satisfaction levels are the lowest they…

CONTENTMENT In the 1940’s the Gallup organization started asking Americans how they approved of the job the President was doing. Since then they have asked about once a week. You would be interested to hear that the approval rating for each President has changed throughout his term or terms. The July…