When the state of Oklahoma celebrates its centennial in 2007, a Plymouth Belvedere buried in a concrete vault in 1957 will finally see the light of day again. The car is underground next to the Tulsa County Courthouse. It was buried along with other common items from 1957. Old news reports say five gallons of gasoline was buried with the car in case internal combustion engines were obsolete in 2007. Other items buried with the car include the contents of a woman's purse, 14 bobby pins, lipstick, a pack of gum, tissues, matches, and $2.43.

A spool of microfilm was also buried with the car recording the entries in a contest held to determine the winner of the car. The person, who guessed closest to the actual population of Tulsa in 2007, or that person's heirs, will win the car and a $100 savings account.

It is not clear how the items were prepared for burial or what condition they will be in when they are retrieved in 2007. The committee for the centennial cannot even find the $100 savings account. They fear it was liquidated during the saving and loan scandal in the early 1990s. If the account can be located, the account would be worth around $1,200.

—Associated Press. Car Buried in 1957 to be Unearthed in '07, December 12, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 6:19-21 (TEV) "Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. [20] Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. [21] For your heart will always be where your riches are."

Helping people who needed assistance after Hurricane Katrina led television's Mr. T to change his image. Lawrence Tero, known by fans as "Mister T" from the 1970s television series The A Team told reporters at a summer meeting of the Television Critics Association that seeing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina firsthand convinced him to stop wearing his trademark gold chains. Tero said, "As a spiritual man, I felt it would be a sin against God for me to wear all that gold again because I spent a lot of time with the less fortunate." Referring to other celebrities who used trips to the hurricane ravaged areas as photo opportunities, Tero said, "If you're not going down there with a check and a hammer and a nail to help people, don't go down there."

Tero plans to continue helping others through a new television program on TV Land this fall. Tero will dispense advice to viewers struggling with life's problems. He said despite his tough image he is intelligent and has a lot of offer. He added, "If you've been through something, that give you an authority that you can speak on certain things. That's why people relate to me. I pull no punches."

—http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13857252/. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV) "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. [18] Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. [19] In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly l

In 1981, Lou Eisenberg had it made. The 53 year old worked in an office building changing light bulbs for $225 a week, when he hit the biggest lottery jackpot paid out at that time, $5million dollars. Instantly, Eisenberg became a celebrity making appearances on television talk shows. Many referred to him as “Light bulb Lou” or “Lucky Lou.” The lottery win paid Eisenberg $219,000 a year before taxes, and he lived a lavish lifestyle. He used his winnings to buy an ocean view condo, and took vacations to California, Hawaii and Europe.

Today, Eisenberg has come full circle. The 81-year-old lives in a mobile home in Florida, his lifestyle funded by a small pension and Social Security totaling roughly $250 dollars a week. When asked where all the money went, Eisenberg says, a couple of failed marriages and twenty years later, he cashed the last check, and his life as a wealthy man ended. He told a local newspaper, “I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I wish I had $200 in my pocket. Now I have $18 or $19.”

--Once famous lottery winner now broke, http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/10/05/once-famous-lottery-winner-now-broke ; October 5, 2009, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Proverbs 23:4-5 (GW) “Do not wear yourself out getting rich. Be smart enough to stop. (5) Will you catch only a fleeting glimpse of wealth before it is gone? It makes wings for itself like an eagle flying into the sky.”

Statistics from the latest Census suggest the gap between the richest and poorest America has grown to its widest amount ever. The study says the top-earning 20 per cent of Americans, who earn over $100,000 a year received 49.4 percent of all income compared with 3.4 percent of total income earned by those below the poverty line. Those figures make the ratio 14.5 to 1. The gap increased from 13.6 in 2008, and doubled the 1967 figure of 7.69.

The data shows the wealthiest 5 percent of wage earners added slightly to their annual incomes, and families at the $50,000 median lost ground. The figures are part of a larger picture that highlights the impact of the recent economic turmoil. Figures show a decrease in mobility and birth rates, as well as a trend toward delaying marriage. University of Wisconsin Professor Timothy Smeeding, said” Income inequality is rising, and if we took into account tax data, it would be even more.” He added,” More than other countries, we have a very unequal income distribution where compensation goers to the top in a winner-takes-all economy.”

--Census Finds Record gap Between Rich and Poor, Census Finds Record gap Between Rich and Poor, September 28, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

James 2:2-4 (NASB) “For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, (3) and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ (4) have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?”

Lenny Dykstra was an All-star baseball player in the 1980’s. He took his earnings and turned them into a financial empire. He purchased a $17 million mansion from hockey star Wayne Gretzky. Two disastrous business ventures cost him everything and now he is $37 million in debt and homeless. “I’ve been fighting for my life,” he says. “Each day comes by and you wonder what you’re going to do, where you’re going to sleep, and how you’re going to eat.”

--The Week, October 22, 2010, p. 12 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The New Testament instructs God’s people to warn the wealthy not to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but on God. (1 Tim 6:17) Mr. Dykstra’s loss ought to be a warning to all of us; the only treasure you can count on is that you have laid up in heaven.

Matthew 6:20 (NASB77) "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”

Astronomers continue to find more wonders in the far reaches of outer space. Recently researchers in London announced they had spotted an exotic planet that might be a giant diamond racing around a tiny star. The planet orbits a dense neutron star in an orbit so tight it would fit inside our own Sun. Analysis indicates the planet is denser than anything discovered so far and consists mostly of carbon. Due to the extreme density, scientists calculate the carbon must be crystalline, so a large part of the strange world would effectively be diamond.

Researchers say the planet is also likely to contain oxygen, which would be more spread out near the a surface, and rarer near the carbon rich center. The best estimate show the planet has slightly more mass than the planet Jupiter, but is 20 times as dense. The higher density suggests lighter elements like hydrogen and helium are not present. Though calculations indicate that the planet could be a huge diamond in space, no one knows how it would appear. Ben Stappers from the University of Manchester said, “In terms of what it would look like, I don’t know I couldn’t even speculate. I don’t imagine that a picture of a very shiny object is what we’re looking at here.”

--Astronomers discover planet made of diamond,http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/08/25/idINIndia-58978420110825 ; August 26, 2011, Submitted Jim Sandell

If God can make a planet of diamond, imagine what He has waiting for His children in heaven where the streets are made of gold.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (GW) But as Scripture says: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”

In his book, We Are All Weird, Seth Godin writes, “RICH is my word for someone who can afford to make choices, who has enough resources to do more than merely survive. You don’t need a private plane to be rich, but you do need enough time and food and health and access to be able to interact with the market for stuff and for ideas.”

Defining Rich as having choices is insightful. If being rich means you have choices, then being truly wealthy means you make the right choices.

Luke 14:28-30 (CEV) “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won't you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it? (29) Otherwise, you will start building the tower, but not be able to finish. Then everyone who sees what is happening will laugh at you. (30) They will say, "You started building, but could not finish the job."

When a Florida man decided to use eBay, he went all out, selling his version of the American dream. Shane Butcher listed everything he owns for $3.5 million, and plans to pursue new challenges in the days ahead. Among the items Butcher listed are three fully stocked video games stores, a two-bedroom townhouse on the beach, a rental condo, three cars, and a couple of kayaks. The deal does not include his wife and child, or his loyal dog.

The deal includes six months of training for the new owner and a year’s leases and fees for the stores. Butcher is not sure what career path he might follow next or where he and his family might go. He has one potential buyer, so he is giving all of the possibilities some consideration. He said, “If you build a castle, it’s awesome to sell it and then start building another one, hopefully bigger and better.”– Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Florida Man Selling ‘American Dream’ on eBay, By Christina Ng, http://news.yahoo.com/florida-man-selling-american-dream-ebay-212445292--abc-news-money.html ; Accessed Aug 10, 2012

Luke 12:15 (HCSB) “He then told them, ‘Watch out and be on guard against all greed because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.’”

When a Nevada man died recently, he left $200 in his bank account, but authorities were surprised at what they found in his house later. Police found the 69-year-old man’s body after neighbors called authorities in June. When authorities arrived to begin cleaning out the house, they discovered millions of dollars in gold bars and coins stored in boxes in the man’s garage. The man had lived in the house for over 40 years and left no will. Authorities have not been able to locate any close relatives, but say they will follow up on any leads they can find.

The City Clerk and Recorder, Alan Glover said his goal will be to find and heir and get them the money after the IRS is paid. Glover said based on the weight alone, the gold is worth more than seven million dollars, but some of the coins are very rare which means the value could go much higher. Glover said the man was quiet and never posed a problem for his neighbors. He added, ”Nobody had any clue he was hoarding the gold.”

Man leaves millions in gold behind -- --Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell
$7 Million In Gold Bars Found In Reclusive Man’s Home Month After He Died, http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2012/09/17/7-million-in-gold-bars-found-in-reclusive-mans-home-month-after-he-died, Accessed September 17, 2012.

Proverbs 11:4 (CEV) When God is angry, money won't help you. Obeying God is the only way to be saved from death.

While remodeling a house that he had purchased, David Gonzales found something of unusual value. While ripping out insulation from the garage, Gonzales discovered a copy of Action Comics No. 1, from 1935. The comic was the first edition to feature the then, new superhero, Superman. The father-of-four put the rare edition up for auction and it has attracted bids of more than 10 times the value of the home he purchased for $10,000. Gonzales says sadly he lost money when the back cover was torn during a discussion with a relative. The online auction company had rated the comic as a 3 on a 10 point scale before the cover was torn, but lowered the rating to a 1.5. A copy of the same comic rated as a 9 recently sold for over 2 million dollars. Gonzales told a local newspaper, “I want to be a provider for my family and this will help me. It’s going to help me finish paying my house, paying my truck, and save a little bit of money and let my wife finish her school and me upgrade my work.” —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Superman Comic Set to Net Family Small Fortune, http://www.oddnews.org/77-odd-news/2605-superman-comic-set-to-net-family-small-fortune.html, (Accessed June 1, 2013.)

Proverbs 13:22 (CEV) If you obey God, you will have something to leave your grandchildren. If you don't obey God, those who live right will get what you leave.

While it is true that you can’t take it with you, there are those who continue to earn great sums after their death. Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, earned $145 million, but he wasn’t at the top of the heap. His friend, Elizabeth Taylor earned $210 million eclipsing his earning power.

Impressive. If their estates pooled those earnings they could buy around 13,000 pounds of gold. Unfortunately, the value of gold in eternity isn’t that high—they use as materials to patch potholes in heaven. (see Rev 21:21). .—Jim L. Wilson and Kelvin Akins

The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. http://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/66826 (Accessed 10-31-12)

Real riches isn’t determined by what you make while you’re alive or even your earning power when you die, it is by the riches you send into eternity while you’re still alive.

Luke 12:16-21 (HCSB) Then He told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. (17) He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? (18) I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and my goods there. (19) Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’ (20) “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?’ (21) “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Astronomers watched as an asteroid passed about 1.5 million miles from Earth, and were excited how much wealth it might contain. The asteroid, known as 2011 UW-158, could be carrying as much as $5.4 trillion worth of precious metals and minerals. Astronomers looking at the half-kilometer wide space rock say they believe it contains up to 90 million metric tons of platinum and other precious metals. They say the platinum alone would be worth a small fortune. The asteroid is expected to pass the earth again in about three years, and should be even closer next time. In a press release, astronomer Bob Berman asked, “Can it be mined someday, perhaps not too far in the future?”—Jim L. Wilson and by Jim Sandell.

Asteroid passing by Earth may hold $5 trillion in precious metals, By Myrap Saefong,
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asteroid-passing-by-earth-may-hold-5-trillion-in-precious-metals-2015-07-20?link=MW_home_latest_news, Accessed July 21, 2015.

Psalm 62:10 (NASB) “Do not trust in oppression And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.”

The 24-room Wyndclyffe Castle that inspired the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses” is for sale. The mansion was built in 1853 and was the summer residence of socialite Elizabeth Schermerhorn Jones. The elegance of the property is believed to have prompted the owners of nearby estates to build even bigger mansions, starting the idiom about keeping up the Joneses. The mansion eventually passed through several owners and fell into disrepair. It was abandoned in the 1950s and purchased in 2003. The current owner said the assessed value is $313,000. —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Psalm 62:10 (HCSB)“Place no trust in oppression, or false hope in robbery. If wealth increases, pay no attention to it.”

British officials are looking for the owner of a treasure trove of gold coins found hidden inside a piano. The owners took the piano to be tuned last year and found a bag containing gold coin minted between the mid-19^th and the early 20^th century. The piano was manufactured in 1906 and the first owners were a pair of piano teachers in eastern England. The current owners bought it in 1983, but authorities do not know how many people have owned the instrument. If no one claims the coins within a specified period of time, they will be declared treasure and the current owners will keep the money. Officials do not know how much the coins are worth, but one researcher said the sum “is potentially life-changing for somebody to receive.”—Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell

Luke 15:8–10 (HCSB)“Or what woman who has 10 silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ ¹⁰ I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

I guess we all dream at times of receiving the gift of a large sum of money, thus putting an end to all our financial woes and worries. As Ruth Balloon of Dallas, TX. was finishing her shift at Roma Boots, she decided to check her bank account at Legacy Texas Bank online, having recently made a foreign currency deposit. Much to her surprise, they had deposited an extra $37 million into her account. After initially daydreaming about how she could spend that kind of money, she told her husband who told her to check with the bank about the deposit, which he thought was probably too good to be true. As they thought, it was a clerical error and the bank took back the “life-changing” money. When asked by a KTVT reporter about what she would have done with the money, Balloon was honest that her first priority was to God. “First, I was going to do a 10% tithing. Then I was going to donate some money and then I would have invested in real estate.”

What would our priorities be, if we were to unexpectedly receive such a large sum? Would we be as faithful and honest?—Jim L. Wilson and Derick Wilson.

Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own?

When the novel coronavirus caused business to plummet, Johnny Perri decided to close the jewelry store his father had founded decades before. Rather than offer the remaining inventory at reduced prices, Perri created a statewide treasure hunt. He and his wife buried items across the state and let searchers participate in a quest for valuable treasures. Perri said interested treasure hunters can register for $49. In return the participants will receive clues about the locations of the treasure stashes featuring jewelry along with items made from gold, silver, and other precious metals. Perri will track the buried treasure with GPS and will allow hunters to keep what they find or return them to exchange for their cash value. –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Just out for a walk, a couple in California discovered a treasure worth more than $10 million. Where did they find the century old gold pieces?, They were buried in eight metal cans on their property. —Jim L. Wilson and Jason Blankenship

The revelation of the mystery drove Paul to adore God in his second prayer. The same reasons (God’s strength in us, filled with Christ and rooted in love, understanding Christ’s love for us) drive us to adore God for the spiritual possessions He is given to us.

I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,

A copy of the 1996 video game Super Mario 64 in the original sealed package broke a world record by selling for $1.56 million at auction. Texas based Heritage Auctions said the Nintendo 64 game was the first game in the series to offer a 3-D world and set the new record two days after a copy of another game, The Legend of Zelda, sold for over $800,000. Video games specialist for Heritage Auction, Valerie McLeckie said they had hoped for the possibility of surpassing $1 million dollars on a single game but believed it would have to happen at another auction. She added, “We were shocked to see that it turned out to be in the same one! We are proud to have been part of this historic event.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/07/12/Heritage-Auctions-Super-Mario-64-record-price-video-game/8691626112609/

Sri Lankan authorities reported workers digging a well in a man’s backyard unearthed what could be the world’s largest sapphire cluster. Local authorities said the person digging the well, alerted them about finding some rare stones before they stumbled on the huge specimen. They reported the cluster weighed 1,124 pounds, the equivalent of 2.5 million carats. A gem trader said some small pieces came loose from the cluster and were confirmed as high-quality star sapphires. The area where the stone was unearthed is known as the gem capital of Sri Lanka. Experts said the cluster could be worth up to $100 million on the international gem market. —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/07/28/srilanka-worlds-largest-star-sapphire-cluster-Ratnapura-Sri-Lanka-Gamage/6311627495304

Baseball card collectors saw several new record prices for the collectables in a short time during the pandemic. In August 2020, a Mike Trout rookie card sold for $3.93 million, and then nearly a year, later a spotless edition of the rare T206 Honus Wagner card produced between 1909 and 1911 sold for $5.5 million. If the buyer’s premium charged by the auction house is included, the card sold for roughly $6.6 million. The Wagner card is the most expensive baseball card ever sold because so few were made and less than 50 have survived the 100 years since they were produced. —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell