By Fylvia Fowler Kline, Assistant Director, General Conference Stewardship
Summary: Money is a unit of self-measurement in our world—How much I have determines who I am. It’s all about money! Or is it?
Tim Forneris. To anyone who recognizes the name, he’s the lucky guy who turned out to be pretty stupid. Lucky because he caught Mark McGuire’s 62nd home- run, record-breaking baseball worth an estimated $1 million dollars (It later sold for $3 million). Stupid because, instead of keeping it for himself, he gave it back to McGuire.
While acknowledging this as an honorable gesture, Time magazine used Forneris as an example of poor money management skills (Personal Time: Your Money, Time, February 8, 1999). By our world’s standards, I suppose he was impulsive and stupid. After all, he had a right to keep the ball for himself. And who couldn’t use a million dollars?!
Forneris’ response to the article included this statement: Life is about more than just money. . . . Some possessions are priceless (Letter, Time, March 22, 1999). Touché!
Money is a unit of self-measurement in our world—How much I have determines who I am. It’s all about money! Or is it? This issue places money beside values, passion, attitude, and priorities to paint the bigger picture. Both in the lead article and his sermon, Mwansa brings out the practical and critical elements of the Christian budget. To get a grip on the role attitude plays in money management, don’t miss the contributions of Botting and Dalgleish. Does money have a hold on you? Test your passion in Maxson’s column. John Wesley was often known to say When I have any money, I get rid of it as quickly as possible, lest it find a way into my heart. So what if your pockets aren’t full of it? It doesn’t really matter when you have the priceless gift of all--Jesus as lord of your heart!