The students have changed, but the results of a national survey are nearly the same: A majority of high school students have cheated on an exam and lied to their parents. The "Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth," compiled by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, has tracked the morals of high school students in biennial surveys since 1992. (The nationwide survey of 8,600 high school students has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.)

71% of high school students say they cheated on an exam in the past year, compared with 70% in 1998.

92% lied to their parents at least once within the past year. That figure was the same two years ago.

68% say they hit someone in anger at least once in the past year. In 1998, that figure was 70%.

Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.

Jeanna Dodd was excited to find there was no soup in her asparagus soup can. Why? It contained jewelry instead.

Apparently, someone gave the can "safe" by mistake when they donated it to the Food Bank. Mrs. Dodd, would like to sell the $7,000.00 worth of jewelry and use it to better herself. But instead, she turned it in to the authorities. Why? Because it was the right thing to do.

A Colorado inmate, who was accidentally released by jail officials in Ohio, called to let prison officials know he was on his way back and arranged his own transportation back to the prison where he still had two more years to serve on his sentence. Ricky Lee Claycomb was serving time in Colorado for armed robbery and was brought to Ohio to stand trial on a 1994 charge in that state. When Claycomb was acquitted of the Ohio charges, officials did not notice that paperwork asked them to return him to Colorado to serve the remainder of his sentence there, and instead released the 37 year-old man.

Claycomb told jailers in Ohio that he was supposed to be taken back to Colorado, and they told him he was finished in Canton and getting back to Colorado was his problem. Claycomb called his mother and asked her to send him money to buy a bus ticket back to Colorado. After the two day trip, Claycomb visited his mother long enough to have breakfast and lunch. Afterwards, his brother drove him back to the correctional facility in Cañon City.

Katherine Sanguinetti, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections said, "He was nice enough to call ahead. I think he was afraid we would shoot him or something, but it wasn't his fault Ohio let him go."

When Ohio authorities realized their mistake, they called Claycomb's mother to see if she knew where he was. When Claycomb's mother explained this situation to the detective, the officer responded, "'Bless Ricky's little heart.'"

—Associated Press, Mistakenly Freed Inmate Returns to Prison, February 19, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 11:6 (NLT) The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.

Rather than using new technologies as learning opportunities, many college students are using it to devise new ways to cheat. At UCLA, one student loaded his class notes into a hand held device and tried to read them during the test. His plan was foiled when a classmate turned him in. At the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, students photographed questions with cell phone cameras, transmitted them to friends outside, who then sent answers back in a text message. In an effort to outwit the array of inventive techniques, college officials have cut off internet access from laptops, collected cell phones before exams, and have begun requiring tests to be taken the old fashioned way, with pencil and paper.

David Callahan, author The Cheating Culture: Why more Americans are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead, suggests students are feeling more pressure to succeed in order to get into graduate school or get a good paying job. He says, "The rational incentives to cheat for college students have grown dramatically, even as the strength of character needed to resist those temptations has weakened somewhat." School officials say the battle against cheating is wearing them out. Ron Yasbin, dean of the College of Sciences at UNLV said, "If they'd spend as much time studying, they'd all be 'A' students."

—http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0521cheating0521.html. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 10:2 (HCSB) "Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death."

I consider myself to be an honest man. Partly because it is the right thing to be, but also because I agree with Mark Twain who said, “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”* All in all, honesty really is the best policy.

I’m not alone in thinking that I’m basically an honest person. 2,624 out of nearly 3000 people who took a Reader’s Digest poll said they thought the were “basically honest,” yet the average respondent admitted to having been dishonest in 5 of the 13 questions they responded to in the survey. For instance, 63% said they had called in sick when they really weren’t ill. 77% admitted that they had lied to friends or family members about their appearance so they wouldn’t hurt their feelings, and 37% have downloaded music from an Internet site without paying for it. After taking the survey, one man said, “Answering these questions is making me re-evaluate my honesty.”

Those numbers are startling, and even more so when you stop to consider that some of the people taking the poll may not have been totally honest. I don’t mean those who claimed to be dishonest. You can be sure that those who say they lie are telling you the truth. Because if they never lied and told you they did, they would be lying, which would make them exactly what they were confessing to be. So in other words, you can always trust that a person is telling you the truth when they say they are lying. But you can’t be so confident in the integrity of a person who claims to be truthful. After all, it wouldn’t bother a liar to lie to your face and tell you that he is always truthful, would it? Are you as confused as I am?

Anyway, even if you think you are basically honest, can you say that you’ve always been totally honest? If I took the Reader’s Digest poll and had to answer every question with a “yes” or “no” answer, I would do worse than if I could hedge my answers by saying, “not often,” or “only in extreme circumstances” or one I’ve learned from listening to politicians, “not to my recollection.” In other words, I can’t claim that I’ve always been totally honest, can you? Can anyone? Especially when you consider that we can lie without speaking. Mahatma Gandhi said, “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”* Do you do everything you say you believe? We can also be dishonest without saying or doing anything. Robert Louis Stevenson said, “The cruelest lies are often told in silence.”* If we’ve never told a lie with our mouth or our actions, perhaps we’ve told one with our silence.

Diogenes walked around ancient Greece carrying a lantern and searched for an honest man. If he walked through your neighborhood, would he find one?

Proverbs 12:22 NIV “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.”

Reader Digest recently decided to test the honesty of people in various locations around the globe. The organization asked reporters to “lose” 30 cell phones in the largest cities of 12 countries. To follow-up, reporters called the cell phone. If someone answered, they asked the person to return the phone. If passersby picked up the phones but did not answer, reporters waited to see if the person would call one of the preprogrammed numbers in an attempt to locate the owner.

Reporters found the Slovenian city of Ljubljana to be the most honest; residents there returned 29 of the 30 phones. Toronto, Seoul and Stockholm all did well, returning at least 26 phones each. New York City tied with Manila and Mumbai, India returning 24 of the 30 “lost” phones. The worst cities in the world were Hong Kong and the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, which only returned 13 phones.

In one instance, a Hong Kong security guard along the city's Causeway Bay picked up a ringing phone, asked a group of nearby people if it was theirs. Then he wrapped the phone in paper to hide it. When the reporter confronted him, the guard responded, "What phone? I didn't see any phone. If you've mislaid something, report it to Lost and Found." The phone was visible in his hand the entire time.

--Excuse me is this your phone?; http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/excuse-me-is-this-your-phone/article43414-2.html , Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 11:6 CEV “Honesty can keep you safe, but if you can't be trusted, you trap yourself.”

What would you do if you found $130,000? Steelworkers at a plant near Berlin found that much inside a safe they were dismantling for a bank. The only reason we know about this is because they returned the money to the bank rather than keep it for themselves.

--World Magazine, February 26, 2009, p. 16. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Finders keepers is an old playground saying that has no place in the vocabulary of an honest person.

Proverbs 11:1 (NKJV) “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.”

Liz and Mark Thompson bought an armoire in an estate sale. When they got it home, they discovered $20,000 hidden in the cabinet. They promptly returned it to the 78-year-old widow to whom it belonged. She didn’t know it was there because her late husband had hidden it without her knowledge.

Psalm 11:7 (NIV) "For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face."
In the Lord’s eyes, honesty will definitely be the best policy.

An unknown customer of Taco Bell received the morning’s bank deposit instead of the tacos he ordered. The customer has yet to return the $2000.

Psalm 11:7 (NIV) "For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face."
In the Lord’s eyes, honesty will definitely be the best policy.

A restaurant in Tennessee recently received a note from a young man who wanted to clear his conscience. Silvia Delacerda, manager of the restaurant, said a man came and dropped off a letter. He said someone had asked him to bring it to them. Inside the envelope, Delacerda found $15 and a note explaining the situation. The letter from a young man said three year before, he and a friend had eaten at the restaurant and then left without paying. He said he had felt guilty since then, and wanted to pay what he owed. Delacerda said the man sincerely apologized, and even left contact information in case the establishment wanted to contact him.

Delacerda said the owner wanted to acknowledge the person’s sincerity and decided to take it to the local paper. They hoped getting the story published would let the person know the owner, manager, and workers appreciated what they had done. Delacerda said sometimes older people will come back and confess they “forgot to pay,” and added, “Young people don’t usually come back.” She told the paper the restaurant had been open for ten years and “nothing like that ever happened before.”

--Letter of apology given to Oak Ridge restaurant, http://www.oakridger.com/news/x1259731220/Letter-of-apology-given-to-Oak-Ridge-restaurant ; July 19, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Luke 19:8 (CEV) Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated."

Nick Smith was the name drawn in a charity raffle. The prize was the opportunity to hit a 3 inch wide hockey puck into a 3 1/2 inches-wide hole 89 feet away. The payoff for a successful shot was $50,000. However, when the announcement came, Nick was outside and thus not eligible to take the shot. His twin brother Nate was present and answered the call. Posing as Nick, his shot hit the hole and the Smiths were winners. Or were they?

Their father, Pat, saying honesty is still the best policy,” informed the organizers the next day of the switch. “You’ve got to do what’s right,” Pat Smith said. “You don’t want to teach kids to lie no matter how much money is involved.”

--World, September 10, 2011, p. 24 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

According to ABC news, the boys did not get to keep the money, but the event’s organizers insurance company donated $20,000 to the boy’s hockey league.

--http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/09/boys-50000-hockey-shot-slapped-away/

The boy’s dad was correct. Speaking the truth is always the best choice. It is better to be upright and blameless than to have an ill-gotten gain.

Psalm 15:2 (GW) The one who walks with integrity, does what is righteous, and speaks the truth within his heart.

In Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success, Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett write, “People Admire Your Strengths, But They Respect Your Honesty Regarding Your Vulnerability I think when you’re vulnerable, People realize that you, too, are human. And, perhaps even more importantly, they love your ownership of your personal positive and negative characteristics.”

--Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success (pp. 106-107. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Proverbs 12:22 (CEV) The LORD hates every liar, but he is the friend of all who can be trusted.

One never knows when the opportunity to show character might present itself. In Washington State Liz and Mark Thompson discovered $20,000 in an armoire they purchased at an estate sale. Eight teenagers in Lindsborg, Kansas came across a purse on the side of a road and found it contained $7,700 in cash. In Dayton Ohio, a Taco Bell employee working the drive-through window accidentally handed a customer a bag containing $2,000 representing the morning bank deposit.

The Thompsons and the eight teens did the right thing and returned the cash to the rightful owners. The Taco Bell customer has yet to be located. The Thompsons and the teens proved to be a real blessing to others, and received a blessing themselves.

When they realized the woman whose money they had discovered was a 78-year-old widow in need of the cash the Thompsons were doubly blessed. The Teens received letters of praise from people across the state in addition to $150 each. The Dayton customer is hoping to avoid detection.

--The Week, May 28, 2010 p. 2, 4; July 16, p. 4 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

An election season calls forth charges and then countercharges. An army of fact checkers head for the news to verify, fact or lie. “Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, ‘Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but not to his own facts.”

As believers we ought to value truth very highly. After all, it is a gift of the children of light.–Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 5:9 (KJV) (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

A man hired to clean out an old home decided to do the right thing, and return some bonds worth nearly $114,000 to their rightful owner. When her mother passed away, Marie Veloso hired a local junk dealer to clean out her mother’s home. The dealer, Leo Guarente, began removing old furniture, and putting it up for sale in his shop. After he removed a hope chest, Guarente discovered 21 class-E United States savings from 1972. When the bonds were issued, the face value was $1,000, but forty years later the collection of bonds was worth almost $114,000. Guarente immediately contacted Veloso and retuned the bonds. When asked about his motivation, Guarente told a local television station, “I was nervous. I knew I was going to change this woman’s life for the better. It warms my heart to know that I helped someone.” — Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Leo Guarente, Junk Depot Owner, Returns $114,000 In Savings Bonds To Customer, By Harry Bradford, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/leo-guarente-junk-depot-returns-bonds
_n_1947875.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D217099, Accessed, October 10, 2012.

Psalm 41:12 (HCSB) You supported me because of my integrity and set me in Your presence forever.

Recently, satellite pictures provided by the media confirmed the existence of unauthorized illegal modifications in the private residence of Leung Chun-ying, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR). Since Mr. Leung was a former senior housing inspector, it was a surprise to the public that he denied the knowledge of the illegality of the modifications to his residence. His denial called into question his personal integrity and challenged his legitimacy in office. The public reacted fervently to Leung’s response with a large-scale demonstration. Tens of thousands of Hong Kong citizens took to the streets in protest, calling for his resignation--Jim L. Wilson and Aetos Chung

“In Hong Kong, a Weakened Chief Executive Opens the Door to Beijing.” By Catherine Cheney, on 03 Jan 2013, Trend Lines
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/12596/in-hong-kong-a-weakened-chief-executive-opens-the-door-to-beijing (accessed 2-28-13)

James 5:12 (ESV) But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Devon Gluck, a University of Delaware student received an extra $1800 from a faulty ATM. He thought about keeping the cash, but after four days he decided to do the right thing and returned the money.

Sometimes it is not easy to do the right thing, but it is always right to do the right thing.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Did you know that among the eight leading world democracies only Switzerland has a better tax compliance rate than the United States, and that is only by one tenth of one percent?

In reporting The Lying Game, as Time magazine calls it, they credit the religiosity of Americans as the reason our cheating rate is so low. “The U. S. is more religious than other nations, making citizens likelier to pay taxes out of moral obligation.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Ephesians 4:25 (NIV) Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

When Harvard University’s school newspaper conducted a poll, they were surprised to learn that 10% of the incoming freshmen class admitted to cheating on exams prior to coming to the school and 42 % admitted to cheating on a homework assignment or problem set while at school. More than 1,600 freshmen from the class of 2017 were emailed the survey, and over 80 % of them responded because it allowed them to remain anonymous. Newspaper president and undergrad student Robert Samuels said they found the men were more likely to reported cheating than women, and recruited athletes were more likely to report cheating than other students. Samuel said he was grateful for such a good response. The paper plans to use the results in a series of articles focusing on the incoming freshman class. He said this class reported higher rates of cheating than the class of 2013. Samuels said he has not heard anything from university officials yet. —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Survey: 42 percent of Harvard's incoming freshman class cheated on homework, By Simon Moya-Smith, http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/06/20361014-survey-42-percent-of-harvards-incoming-freshman-class-cheated-on-homework?lite, Accessed September 6, 2013.

Psalm 51:6 (NASB) Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

An Australian judge has ruled that a former janitor and student can keep over $76,000 of the money he found in a bathroom he was cleaning. Chamindu Amarsinghe was speechless when he received the news because he was sure someone would come forward to claim the cash. When Amarsinghe found the cash, he thought someone was playing a trick on him. When he realized that the money was real, he did the right thing and called his supervisor, and eventually the police. Authorities investigated but never found the owner of the money. Amarsinghe said he would use the windfall wisely. He added, ”I just thought, ‘That’s not my money, so I can’t take it away.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Honest janitor awarded over $76K after finding huge stash of money in a toilet, By Charlene Sakoda, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/honest-janitor-awarded-over--76k-after-finding-huge-stash-of-money-in-a-toilet-195255161.html, Accessed May 9, 2014.

Titus 2:7 (HCSB) in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.

A $20 couch turned out to be worth a whole lot more for a group of New York college students. They purchased the lumpy couch from a thrift store, but were shocked when they began to investigate why the sofa was so uncomfortable. The students found money in envelopes stashed in different parts of the couch. The total added up to almost $40,000, and the friends instantly started discussing what they could do with the money, until they found a deposit slip in one envelope. The students tracked down the owner and returned the money to her. The owner was a 91-year-old woman who didn’t trust banks, and her family had donated the old couch while she was in the hospital. The woman gave the three students a $1,000 reward. When asked why the friends returned the money, one of them, Reese Werkhoven responded, “It wasn’t a debate, we immediately reached a consensus that this is her money.”
—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

New York college students find $40,000 in $20 couch from thrift store, http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/05/15/new-york-college-students-find-40000-in-20-couch-at-thrift-store, Accessed May 15, 2014.

Proverbs 10:9 (HCSB) The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.

It started simply for Danielle Shea, a Quinnipiac University student. When her tuition money from her parents arrived, she kept the money but dropped out of school. Her scheme worked until it was time for graduation. To keep her parents from discovering her dishonesty, she went a step further. She called in a bomb threat to the school trying to stop the graduation ceremony. Police arrested her and filed charges against her.

Shea was “corrupted with the lusts of deceit,” and was led deeper and deeper into the deception.. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Ephesians 4:22 (HCSB) (22) You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires;

Pamela Hedges and her husband Gibb owned a family business for many years until selling it two years ago. They admit they experienced the common problems any business owner faces, including employees stealing money. Recently they say the received a letter from a former employee who confessed that she had stolen money when the register when she worked at the business 15 years ago. Along with an apology, the confession contained a check for $200 as repayment for what she estimated she had taken. When they got the letter, the Hedges said they had never had anyone confess or pay them back after so many years. Neither one remembers this particular employee, but they say they are interested in writing her back. Pamela said,” That was the unbelievable part, never in my wildest dreams would I expect an employee to do something like this.” She said writing back was important, “just to commend her for it, it was a very courageous act.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Employee returns stolen money after 15 years, http://www.klkntv.com/story/25950299/employee-returns-stolen-money-after-15-years, Accessed July 6, 2014.

Titus 2:7 (HCSB) in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.

Police in New Mexico say a group of suspected teen vandals was so worried because of their victims chasing them that they called 911 for protection. Reports indicate the teens aged 15 to 18 had shot several windshields with BB guns when one victim jumped in his car and began following them. The teens called 911 and told the dispatcher that the car would speed up when they did, and it appeared to be following them. Police intercepted the cars, and when they learned that the teens had been vandalizing cars, they took the teenagers into custody. They are facing charges of property damage and possession of drug paraphernalia.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Police: teen vandals call 911, are arrested, htttp://news.yahoo.com/police-teen-vandals-call-911-arrested-165256358.html, Accessed June 4, 2014.

1 Corinthians 15:53 (HCSB) For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality.

When a California man who did not have much money of his own found a bag filled with cash, he knew he had to do the right thing and turn it in to police. Joe Cornell volunteers with the Fresno Salvation Army and was working downtown when he made the find. He saw an armored truck drive by and another car was yelling at the driver saying that he had dropped something. When Cornell investigated, he found an orange bag containing cash and checks. Cornell says the first thing he thought about was what he wanted his grandchildren to think about him. So he immediately went back to the Salvation Army and called his boss about the find. He also notified the local police, who told him that not many people would have turned the money in. Authorities have not said if Cornell would get a reward, but he says his reward is the way his family will view him. He said,” I’m trying to get my life together, you know so I want them to be proud of me.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Man strapped for cash, finds bag filled with $125,000 and turns it in to police, By Charlene Sakoda, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/man-strapped-for-cash--finds-bag-filled-with--125-000-and-turns-it-in-to-police-193858141.html, Accessed May 28, 2014.

Proverbs 10:9 (HCSB) The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.

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, Amy Miller, is a teller at a local bank and was trained to know the look and feel of real money. Douglas is being held on charges of forgery and theft by deception. Police say they believe he printed the bills on resume paper. Miller said they were not printed on “money paper.” She said, “Compared to the other twenties in my bag, it was really white.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Cops: Man held, teller wasn't fooled by fake $20s, http://news.yahoo.com/cops-man-held-teller-wasnt-fooled-fake-20s-145630180.html, Accessed November 9, 2014.

Matthew 7:15 (NKJV) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

At the Burger King drive through window in Rochester, N.H., Janelle Jones ordered a sandwich and drink. When she opened the bag there was no sandwich inside. Instead there was $2,631, mostly inside bank deposit bags.

After talking with her husband Matthew, and thinking about it for a while, the pair decided to return the money.

It is not always easy to do the right thing. A $2600 windfall could be hard to give up. But the promise of the Proverb is the person of integrity is always better off. --Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/01/26/burger-king-cash-drive-thru/22355825/

Proverbs 19:1 (HCSB) “Better a poor man who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.”

26-year-old Cristian Osorio left Queens headed for Syracuse, New York in a stolen car. Police in Pennsylvania say he apparently took the wrong road and ended up lost and out of gas along a county highway. Authorities say Osorio was charged with receiving stolen property and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Police: Man in stolen car gets lost, runs out of gas,http://news.yahoo.com/police-man-stolen-car-gets-lost-runs-gas-113317660.html, Accessed June 29, 2015.

Luke 16:10 (NKJV) (10) He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

As the season for fireworks approached in 2015, the state of Ohio eliminated part of law that made many residents lie. The state’s governor signed a provision that eliminated a requirement that required anyone who purchased fireworks to sign a form promising to take the fireworks out of the state within 48 hours. Authorities said that though everyone signed the form, the sights and sounds around July 4th indicated that they stayed in state. The provision was so well known in the state that it was commonly referred to the “Liar’s Law.” The state legislature almost legalized the use of consumer fireworks at the end of the session, but ran out of time before completing the measure. Some people say the changes in the law have only created more confusion. William Weimer, vice president of Phantom Fireworks, based in Youngstown said, “They have eliminated the statement but haven’t changed the law. So, I think it’s going to be a bit confusing next year. It doesn’t clean it up at all. I think it confuses it a little more.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 20:7 (NKJV) (7) The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.

Authorities say a 77-year-old Florida man was fired from his job as a toll booth operator after he reportedly used his own money to pay a toll for a tractor trailer that he had undercharged. “Sam” Samsonov has worked at the tool booth for almost 30 years and was asked to scale back his hours after the incident was discovered. Samsonov refused the deal, and was fired. A report says this wasn’t the first time the man’s supervisors had told not to pay driver’s charges with money from his own pocket.-- Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Toll operator says he was fired for not charging driver,
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/us/article/Toll-operator-says-he-was-fired-for-not-charging-6394862.php, Accessed July 20, 2015.

Amos 8:5 (NIV) (5) saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?"-- skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales,

On January 11th 2014 Major League Baseball suspended Alex Rodriguez for the use of performance enhancement drugs (PED). Defiant, Rodriguez would not admit that he used steroids, and maintaining his innocence throughout the league’s investigation. It wasn’t until he was under oath in front of prosecutors and DEA agents that he finally admitted to the use of the PEDs. His confession came with a grant of immunity. In his statement he reported he spent as much as $12,000 a month for the steroid cocktail. Prior to the confession, Major League Baseball suspended Rodriguez for 211 games.

The decision came down because of the overwhelming evidence against him. It was later reduced to 162 games, the longest non-lifetime suspension in baseball history. The ruling cost Rodriquez over twenty two million dollars. Alex Rodriguez was not invited to the 2015 All Star game in Cincinnati, Ohio. Manny Machado said, “Alex has had an awesome first half of the season and I’m pretty bummed out that he is not here.” While he is not alone in his views the situation remains unchanged.

What makes this interesting is that the MLB decided to include Pete Rose in the 86th MLB All Star festivities even though he has a lifetime ban in 1989 for betting on baseball. During the last 26 years there have been significant public deliberations on whether He should be inducted to the Hall of Fame for his achievements as a player. Regardless of how one is slanted in the debate he is banned from the game, indefinitely. However, the ban is not a blanket decision. Rose has had opportunity in the past to make appearances in major league parks. The most significant, besides the All Star festivities this weekend, came in 99’ at the World Series where he was honored as part of baseball’s All-Century team.

Athletic commissioners may have to be delicate in their decision making process to continue the successfulness of their respective industries. However, God does not a keep form of truth because He is incapable of lying. His Word cannot be found lacking in truth otherwise He is fallible and open to sin. --Jim L. Wilson and Darius Holland

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/allstar2015_rosesurvey/surveying-hall-fame-voters-pete-rose

Numbers 23:19 (HCSB) (19) God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

Seven-year-old Aiden Wright has been taught to do the right thing. His character was tested when he found $8,000 at his favorite park. Wright was playing when we noticed a black checkbook at the top of the slide. He opened it and was surprised to find $8,000 inside. He gave the money to his uncle who immediately contacted police. The money belonged to Elias Santos, a contractor who had just been paid. He had been playing with his children at the park and didn’t even know the money was gone. Santos said he was surprised when the police called. He added, “I am so grateful, you know, because we don’t have people like this no more.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

7-year-old turns in $8,000 he found in park,
http://www.kfvs12.com/story/30124959/ma-7-year-old-turns-in-8000-he-found-in-park, Accessed September 27, 2015.

Proverbs 10:9 (HCSB) The one who lives with integrity lives securely, but whoever perverts his ways will be found out.

Honesty

Darrell Cox stopped for breakfast at a diner in his neighborhood for bacon and eggs. He paid for his meal, but did not realize he left something very important behind. After Cox left, Johnny, a worker at the restaurant found an envelope containing $3,000 in the bathroom. He gave it to the manager, who noticed a bank slip. He returned the envelope and its contents to the bank, where clerks were able to figure out that the money belonged to Cox. The next morning, Cox returned to the diner and thanked Johnny for being so honest. He also gave him a reward of $300. Cox said he would have known where the money went if Johnny had not been so honest. He said, “Makes me feel a lot better about people. Knowing there are a lot of honest people.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 28:6 (HCSB)“Better a poor man who lives with integrity than a rich man who distorts right and wrong.”

Honesty

Janine LeDoux was closing up shop at a Denver area sandwich shop, when she noticed a wallet in the parking lot. LeDoux picked it up and began trying to find the owner. She got the name from the cards inside and as she searched, she realized that the only Bradley James Roby in the area was a cornerback for the Denver Broncos football team. LeDoux called several numbers from the wallet trying to return it, and finally was able to met Roby at the zoo and complete her mission. Roby was so happy to get his wallet back that he offered LeDoux two tickets for the 2016 AFC Divisional playoff game between the Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. LeDoux picked up her tickets at the will-call window, and said though she had been to preseason games in the past, she had never attended a regular season or playoff game.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Titus 2:7 (HCSB) in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.

Honesty

A borrower returned a book to the library in Holland that he checked out 49 years earlier. The borrower, who was not identified, said he checked out a book about World War II from the library in 1967. He said, he had put it in a trunk and had only recently rediscovered it. The Library Director Diane Kooiker said the man enclosed a check for $100, but she declined to say if the money was a donation or fine. Kooiker did say that honest people can sometimes misplace books.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Decades later, western Michigan library gets book back, http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/decades-later-western-michigan-library-gets-book-back/ar-BBoJB9F, Accessed January 27, 2106.

Ephesians 4:28 (HCSB) The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need.

Honesty

Twenty-seven years after he stole a Color TV from the Norwalk, Connecticut Jewish Center, Randy Iannacone turned himself in to the police, who booked him for the crime.

Though the Jewish Center closed in April of 1989, the 60-year old man still is working to make things right. –Jim L. Wilson

2 Corinthians 8:21 (HCSB)“For we are making provision for what is right, not only before the Lord but also before men.”

Steven Burke, a British construction worker was supposed to receive a check for $500. A misplaced decimal made the check $50,000 instead. An honest person would bring the error to the boss’s attention. And then there is Steven. He promptly went on a spending spree, spending $36,000 on designer clothes, vodka, cocaine, and online gambling. Of course, he didn’t respond to frantic emails from his boss asking for the cash back. When police caught up with Burke, he told them he “could not remember” the email informing him he had received the money in error. He now faces prison time. –--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Proverbs 10:2 (HCSB)“Ill-gotten gains do not profit anyone, but righteousness rescues from death.”

A New York man lost his wallet. To his amazement, his license and credit cards returned, but not the wallet. With the returned items, there was a note from the person who found it. The note said, “I kept the cash because I needed weed, the Metrocard because, well, the fare’s $2.75 now, and the wallet cause it’s kinda cool.” In other words, “you can have all this stuff back that I can’t use, but I am keeping the things I can.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Proverbs 21:3 (HCSB)“Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

Joe Cornell, 52 was working across from his rehab center when he found a bag full of money. The bag, from an armored car, contained $125,000. Cornell said, “Everything was going through my mind—the good devil/bad devil thing.” He finally decided to set an example for his grandkids and he notified police. “I’m here trying to change my life,” he explained.

The company that lost the money plans to award Joe $5000 as a reward. Sometimes it is not easy to do the right thing, but it is always the right thing. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Proverbs 21:3 (HCSB)“Doing what is righteous and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

What would you do if you found $52,000, and one knows you have it, but you know who lost it?

When a couple in New York found a hunk of rusted metal in their shrubbery they assumed that it was an abandoned cable box. Taking it out and getting it open they discovered $52,000 in cash and Jewelry. It also had a piece of paper inside listing the address of neighbors. The New York pair returned the safe to the rightful owners who explained it had disappeared after a burglary in 2011. “Maria said there was never any doubt about returning the loot, ‘It wasn’t ours.’” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Indeed, we are giving careful thought to do what is right, not only before the Lord but also before people.

Federal authorities announced they intercepted a shipment of 108 fake replica Super Bowl rings representing many past champion teams. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said the rings were in an express consignment package that arrived from Hong Kong. Officers noticed “poor craftsmanship” and suspected the rings were phony. Officials said an authorized replica Super Bowl ring can cost as much as $10,000, but the counterfeits are offered on the internet for as little as $25.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Fifty years after the advent of color television in England, TV licensing spokesperson Jason Hill says over seven thousand households have not switched to color transmissions. Hill said it is interesting that despite the advent of smartphones, tablets, and computers, thousands still choose to watch their favorite programs in black and white. He warned that licenses are required for all TVs and downloads, and some people may be using the older devices to skirt the law. He said 26,000 people between the ages of 18 and 25 were caught watching live TV or using the BBC iplayer without a license in one month.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Proverbs 24:26 (CSB) “He who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips.”

When Richard Taverna found a purse by a wall on a New York subway platform, he was surprised by what he found inside. At first glance, he saw some paper with Russian writing on it, but when he looked closer, he found a hundred $100 bills. When he took the purse to police the following morning, Taverna learned that a woman had reported the missing money to police before leaving on a trip to Russia. Taverna said, it was nice to know the money will be waiting for her when she gets home.--Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 14:5 (CSB)“An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies.”

In the Paramount show Younger, a 40-year-old woman attempts to return to the book publishing industry after raising her daughter. Forced to find a job after learning she is getting a divorce, she is unable to find work after her absence from the industry for 15 years. Because of her young-looking face, a friend suggests that she puts on her resume that she is 26. Presenting herself in this new way, she quickly finds work as an assistant.

Is it ever morally acceptable to lie? Many people sympathize for those caught in difficult situations like this, but is it OK to lie?. —Jim L. Wilson and Lindsay Robertson

Colossians 3:9 (CSB)“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices.”

24-year-old Connor Betts entered a bar and restaurant in Dayton Ohio and shot and killed 9 people wounding 27 others. Dayton police, responding to the shooting, killed Connor or the massacre would have been much worse. His online obituary, published by his parents made no mention of the massacre that left nine dead, but described Connor as “a funny, articulate, and intelligent man with striking blue eyes and a kind smile.”

The parents apologized for publishing the “insensitive” obituary, but you have to wonder about they were thinking. What kind of lesson do people draw from a funeral sermon where the speaker attributes characteristics to the deceased that almost everyone knows he exaggerated? —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

When Long Island railroad conductor Jerry Savino was walking through one of the cars on his train, he noticed a large folder on the overhead rack of the train. Concerned that it might contain something dangerous, Savino opened the envelope and found a wad of 90 new $100 bills. He found paperwork with the money indicating that the cash was not related to a crime, so he gave the envelope to transportation authority police at the next station. The police tracked down the owner, whom they described as “a desperate and appreciate member of our riding public.” Savino declined a reward, and was praised by his bosses. Anthony Simon, general chairman of the union for the rail workers said workers find approximately 16,000 items each year and about half of them are returned to their owners. He added, “We do this every day. We safeguard. We take care of the riding public.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

In their book, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer write, “Studies show that well over half the population will readily cheat the system to get more for themselves if they think they won’t be caught.”

Indeed, we are giving careful thought to do what is right, not only before the Lord but also before people.

In their book, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer write, “According to a study by Michael Slepian, a professor of management at Columbia Business School, the average person keeps thirteen secrets, five of which he or she has never shared with anyone else. A typical manager, I would suggest, has even more. According to Slepian, if you are anything like an average person, there’s a 47 percent chance that one of your secrets involves a violation of trust, a 60-plus percent chance that it involves a lie or a financial impropriety, and a roughly 33 percent chance that it involves a theft, some sort of hidden relationship, or unhappiness at work.”

For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light.

A Virginia sheriff’s department said a family who turned in two large mail bags filled with cash they found in the middle of the road deserved praise. The Schantz family said they were driving and ran over one of the bags. They thought it was full of trash and noticed another bag in a nearby ditch. They took bags home intending to throw them away. When they opened one of the bags, they realized that they were full of cash, which totaled nearly $1million dollars. They immediately tuned the money turned the money over to the local sheriff. Authorities believe the money was being sent to a bank and they turned them over to the post office to ensure proper delivery. Department spokesperson Major Scott Moser said, “For someone so honest and willing to give that, almost a million dollars, back, it’s exceptional on their part.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell