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VALUE 

Craig Jackson recently paid $614,000.00 for a guitar. The guitar wasn't gold-plated or jewel encrusted—it was just an ordinary guitar, except that it happened to be the guitar that Paul McCartney learned to play his first chords on. Ian James loaned the guitar to McCartney when he was young, and sold the guitar at auction to help fund his retirement. 

—http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=2251247 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Value is determined by what someone is willing to pay for an item. Remember that when you are trying to determine your own value. Think about the price that God was willing to pay to redeem you. 

John 3:16 (MaceNT) "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have eternal life." 

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VALUE 

When Nathan Burton visited a neighborhood convenience store to get a snack, he not only filled his stomach, but left with a rare find. In the change from the store, Burton found a rare 2005 coin. Burton said he noticed something odd about the dime before he put it in his pocket. The coin, minted in Denver, had the usual silvery metallic surface on one side, while the reverse side was the brassy copper color of a new penny. 

Mint officials say the process of manufacturing dimes occasionally produces so called "error coins" which are missing the silver coating on one side. Though quality control workers generally catch flawed coins before they are packaged, occasionally one gets by. Spokesman Mike White said of the 2.5 billion dimes produced in 2004 only a couple of coins missing any of the silver cladding made it into circulation. 

Burton says he hopes to auction the unique coin soon. Since "error coins" are so scarce, collectors often pay 500 to 1,000 times the face value, meaning Burton's find could net him between $75 and $100. 

—Associated Press, Man Buys Hot Dog, Gets Valuable Dime, April, 19, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

This dime was valuable because it was a rare mistake. Human beings are valuable to God not because we are flawed, but because we are uniquely designed by Him. 

Matthew 10:29-31 NLT "Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. [30] And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. [31] So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows." 

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VALUE 

A routine walk with his dog turned into a profitable excursion for a London man. While walking his dog on a public footpath beside the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England, the man found a 1,200 year-old gold penny worth almost a quarter-million dollars. 

The coin is the first new Anglo-Saxon gold penny to surface in over one hundred years. It is made more valuable because it is the only known gold coin with the name of Coenwulf, a king who ruled over the central English region of Mercia. 

Richard Bishop, an auctioneer with the Spink Company in London says the excellent condition of the coin might help the price rise beyond the current top estimate. Bishop adds, "It's obviously going to be far in excess of anything that the average guy would expect to find when he's out walking his dog." 

—www.news.yahoo.com (Reuters), Dog Walker Discovers a Penny Worth Thousands, September 10, 2004. 

Matthew 13:45-46 (KJV) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: [46] Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
 
 

VALUE OF A SOUL 

Kenneth Feinberg has a tough job. He has a job that requires the wisdom of Solomon. He is the special master of the Victim Compensation Fund that Congress created to compensate victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. Part of his job is to distinguish the value of one person's loss from another. Everyone agrees that his job is tough, but not everyone likes the chart of "'presumed' award for people with different incomes and family circumstances." The chart establishes a floor of $500,000.00 and a ceiling of $3 million value for each person who died in the attack. 

Patrick Cartier, the father of a 26-year-old apprentice electrician who died September 11th, doesn't like the chart at all. He said, "Having an economic scale is a disgrace. It's un-Americian to give rich stockbrokers more than someone else." 

But in fact, Feinberg has made the gap between the rich and the poor smaller than it would be in court. In New York, the floor is 0 and the ceiling is around $30 million. 

Of course, no one has to accept the payment. They can take their chance and go to court to sue for more of the $5-7 Billion dollars Congress appropriated to aid the victims. If they sue, they face the delays & expense of the legal system and could end up with less money, years down the line. 

—NEWSWEEK, Dec. 31, 2001/Jan 7, 2002, p. 28-30 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

As practical as the system is, and as much as it mirrors the reality of tort law, it still begs one question-what is the value of a soul? A question that Jesus answered 2000 years ago at Calvary. As far as God was concerned, He was willing to pay the ultimate price for the salvation of a single soul. 

John 3:16 KJV "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
 
 

VALUE 

A South African Woman has asked city officials to watch for a valuable gold coin she accidentally deposited in a parking meter. The woman said gold coins became mixed up with loose coins she kept in a container and were transferred to her purse by mistake. She told a newspaper that she did not realize she had the coins with her and put a coin worth more than $1,100 dollars in a parking meter because she was not wearing her glasses to see what she was doing. 

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said she had inherited the coins from her mother. Besides the coin she put in the parking meter, the woman says she believes she spent an 1890 sovereign, which is worth a small fortune, as small change. She told the paper, "I can't believe I could have done something like that." 

—Reuters, Woman Drops Rare Gold Coin in Parking Meter, July 22, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Matthew 13:45-46 (NASB) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, [46] and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”
 
 

VALUES 

After many years of struggling to succeed, Curt Warner finally reached celebrity status with his remarkable 1999 season with the World Champion St. Louis Rams. When he got the phone call to appear on David Letterman, he had to decline. Why would the former grocery store clerk and Arena League quarterback refuse to go on Letterman? 

Well it was his anniversary and he'd rather spend it with his wife Brenda than hang out with Letterman. 

—ReligionToday, 1-28-2000 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

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VALUES 

A High School in Woodbury, Minnesota recently established a "safe zone" where students could gather to discuss issues relating to homosexuality and the transgender lifestyle but outlawed one of its students from wearing a sweatshirt with the words "Straight Pride," above a male and female stick figure holding hands. 

Dan Hoke, the school's superintendent, defended the ban because the sweat shirt carried "anti-homosexual overtones." Hoke says the school should be free from that kind of harassment. 

The boy's Mom, Lana Chambers doesn't agree with the superintendent. She said, "It [the sweatshirt] isn't offensive, it is very positive." 

Too bad Woodbury High School operates under double standards and isn't a "safe zone" for traditional values too. 

—http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/04/04/rights.sweatshirt.reut/index.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Proverbs 11:3 NIV "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." 

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VALUES 

A new line of VCRs and DVDs is on the way to a store near you soon. These devices are equipped with a new technology that detects and removes foul language, replacing the offensive language with sanitized phrases. 

The word-blocking technology, the "TV Guardian.," was developed by Arkansas-based "Principle Solutions." The company also makes a unit that sits on top of a television set to monitor broadcast and cable programs. The guardian blocks up to 150 different words and phrases. At a demonstration presentation of a motion picture, an offending word and sentence were blanked off the air, and a closed-caption phrase using the less offensive word "crud" appeared on the screen instead. The company expects the monitoring video devices to cost between $80 and $230. 

The president and CEO of Principle Solutions said, "We've always believed that consumers want this kind of service. Parents want some kind of control within their own home." Perhaps the market for a device that replaces offensive language says more about our choice of entertainment, than our need to control what comes into our homes. 

—www.nypost.com/entertainment, January 9, 2002. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Philippians 4:8 NIV "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praise worthy-think about such things." 

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VALUES 

According to pollster George Barna, 44% of adults make their moral choices based on "the desire to do whatever will bring them the most pleasing or satisfying results." Only 24% make their choices based upon "religious teaching or Bible content." 

—REV Magazine, January/February 2002, p. 80. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

Proverbs 12:15 NASB "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel."
 
 

VALUES 

During the 2004 Presidential election, the early exit polls revealed that Kerry was on the way to a victory, but the final outcome showed that the majority of people, who voted, voted for President Bush.I don't know what went wrong with the polls, but I do know that they were tilted toward Kerry while the election was tilted toward Bush. Those same exit polls said that "21% of voters said 'moral values' was the most important issue to them." And I know that the voting block of evangelical Christians rose from 14% to 21%. 

—http://www.beliefnet.com/story/155/story_15567_1.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson 

While none of those numbers represent a majority, they were, according to the pundits on the news channels, a major factor in the eventual outcome of the election. I don't know what this means to the Nation's political landscape. I’ll leave that to others to discuss, but I do know what it means to the church, regardless of whether your candidate won the election or not. We should continue to interject our beliefs into the marketplace of ideas and then let people decide for themselves what to believe. We need to continue to do it with humility, knowing we hold the minority view, but not just with humility. We need to interject our ideas with confidence and resolve, because deep down inside, we know we are right. 

Ephes. 6:19 (NASB) "and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,"

Pearl hunters off the coast of the Philippines discovered a pearl weighing five pounds. The owners auctioned it with the lower half of the shell in which it grew, the pearl is valued between $300,000 and $400,000. 

--The Week January 29, 2010, p. 12. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

In Jesus’ parable of the pearl of great price, the merchant went and sold all that he had to purchase this one pearl. The parable is in a series of parables that tell how the kingdom of God is searching for things of value. 

$400,000 is nothing compared to the one who gave his son to die in our place that we might belong to the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 13:45-46 (NASB77)“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, (46) and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” 

Oliver Chanler of Geneseo, NY explained why no one had ever cleaned a portrait of George Washington that hung in his parents’ home. “I suspect that’s because no one thought it was of great value.” The family had always supposed the portrait was a common copy. Recently appraisers have declared it an original Gilbert Stuart portrait worth around $300,000. 

--World March 13, 2010, p. 14. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

We treat those things of great value with more care than things we consider common. Can we remember that each of us is an original with great worth in the Lord’s eyes? 

Matthew 10:29-31 (NLT) “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. (30) And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. (31) So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

A sailing ship once considered worthless is now a valuable source of information about the past.  200 years ago the old wooden vessel was buried as part of a project to expand the island of Manhattan.  When bulldozers exposed parts of the ship while excavating a parking garage for the future World Trade Center, work stopped to allow archeologists to examine the hidden treasure. Historians say the ship was probably weighted down and sunk to the bottom of the river to become a support for new city piers as growing commerce expanded lower Manhattan into the Hudson River during the 1700 and 1800s. They say the ship harbors many mysteries such as when and where was it built, and how was it used. 

Historians believe the ship may have once sailed the Caribbean because they have found evidence of tunnels bored into the wood by marine organisms.  Archeologist Molly McDonald was one of the people who first spotted the wooden vessel. Standing on the weathered planks, she said “It smells like low tide, this muck.” She added,  “A ship is the summit of what you might find under the World Trade Center – it’s exciting!”

--Ship junked 200 years ago uncovered at WTC site, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jFMYeK6AVBXb8qfN0vOSzRflNcRwD9GVR0QO1 ;  July 16, 2010. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Matthew 10:29-31 (HCSB) “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.   (30) But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.    (31) Don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.” 

A brother and sister from west London found an old vase while cleaning out their parents’ home. They had it appraised and learned it was valued at nearly $2 million. After putting it up for auction, the antique Chinese vase sold for $69.5 million. A representative for the auction house said, “They had no idea what they had.” 

--The Week, November 26, 2010 p. 6 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Jesus teaches such an item of high values resembles the kingdom of heaven. It is worth whatever we have to pay for it. Fortunately, the kingdom of heaven for us is more like the siblings who discovered the vase than the Chinese buyer who put up the money. Entrance into the Kingdom is given freely according to the grace we find in Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 13:45-46 (NASB77)  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, (46) and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” 

In Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream, David Platt writes, “We have in many areas blindly and unknowingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to the gospel he taught. Here we stand amid an American dream dominated by self-advancement, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency, by individualism, materialism, and universalism.”

- Radical, Kindle Loc. 320-22 61 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Philippians 4:8 (CEV) Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 

Authorities in India say they are considering charges of negligence against bank officials after termites destroyed millions of rupees. 10 million rupees ($222,000 US) in currency notes were stored in a steel chest at a bank in northern India. When a manager opened the reinforced room in an old bank building, he discovered the termite damage. Officials say termites had damaged furniture and other documents at the bank in the past. A police official told reporters, “It’s a matter of investigation how termites attacked bundles of currency notes stacked in a steel chest.” 

He says police will continue to look into the matter.

Termites eat millions of Indian rupees in bank, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110422/ap_on_re_as/as_india_termites; April 22, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 6:19-21 (CEV) (19) Don't store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. (20) Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. (21) Your heart will always be where your treasure is. 

A woman recently proved she is a real lover of art when she paid $10,000 for a piece of invisible art. Aimee Davison purchased the art as part of a fundraiser for the Museum of Non-Visible Art or MONA. The work, titled “Fresh Air”, was described this way, ”This is a unique piece, only this one for sale. The air you are purchasing is like buying an endless tank of oxygen. No matter where you are, you always have the ability to take a breath of the most delicious, clean-smelling air that the earth can produce. Every breath you take gives you endless peace and health. This artwork is something to carry with you if you own it. Because wherever you are, you can imagine yourself getting the most beautiful taste of air that is form the mountain tops of fields or from the ocean side; it is an endless supply.”

For the donation, Davison received a card explaining the idea behind the art.  The gift helped the newly formed art organization raise over $13,000 on their first auction. The organization says they are considering a tour of the U.S and Europe to show off their phantom works of art.

--Woman spends $10,000 on invisible art, hopes she doesn’t lose it, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/woman-spends-10-000-invisible-art-hopes-she-013437383.html;  July 20, 2011. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Ecclesiastes 6:9 (CEV) It's better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind. 

The economic crisis in Greece has many families doing anything they can to raise extra money. The government recently stepped in and published guidelines to help prevent citizens from being ripped off by pawnshops offering to exchange gold for cash. Authorities say many businesses are promising to pay high rates of exchange, but are following unscrupulous practices. The government says they recommend families obtain independent valuations of their silver, and check gold prices before deciding to sell to dealers.

Greek citizens, especially those who work for governmental agencies, have seen their incomes drop by as much as a third because of austerity measures that have been imposed on the debt-laden country. The official statement from the government warns, “We urge consumers to weigh their objects at home. Fliers and advertising material promising particularly high prices should be treated with caution.” In recent days, ads for pawnshops have popped up all over the capital city displaying slogans such as, “In Gold We Trust.”

--Take Care Selling the Family Silver hard up Greeks told; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/13/us-greece-austerity-idUSTRE7BC20J20111213?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Foddly
EnoughNews+(News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough)&Title=Take-care-selling-the-family-silver-hard-up-Greeks-told; December 13, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Matthew 6:24 “You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” 

Kjerstin Gruys found a unique way to fight an unhealthy obsession with weight and appearance. Gruys recovered from anorexia more than ten years ago, but found she was stressing over her appearance in mirrors while shopping for a wedding dress. The San Francisco woman said looking in the mirror brought about many negative thoughts for her, so she decided not to look at a mirror for one year. She did not choose just any year either; Gruys went the entire year before her marriage without looking at her reflection one time. She did not even see what she looked like before she walked down the aisle.

When she ended her reflection-free year, Gruys wrote in her blog that she liked what she saw., but she had written a couple of days earlier that future success would hinge on whether she could have a healthy relationship with mirrors in the days after her fast ended.  Reflecting on Gruy’s challenge, University of North Carolina professor and author of “The Woman in the Mirror: How to Stop Confusing What You Look Like with Who You Are,” Cynthia Bulik has started a mirror project of her own. Bulik maintains many people have trouble with confusing their appearance with who they are. She has begun carrying around a little gold mirror of her own. She asks people to look into it, and “say something positive about who you are and what you contribute to the world instead if reciting your litany of flaws.” 

--Year without mirrors, months sans makeup: Can less be more, http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/healthyperspective/post/2012-03-28/mirrors-makeup-and-self-image-sometimes-less-is-more/658898/1; March 28, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

John 7:24 (HCSB) Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment.” 

An obscure piece of pottery donated to Goodwill by an anonymous donor may be a very valuable artifact. Goodwill says the piece was put up for auction and received two bids of $4.99 before a couple of people pointed out the potential value.  A note found inside the pot indicated it was found in a burial mound in Oklahoma in 1970.  Jeremy Juhasz, Goodwill’s local social media and website coordinator said they were amazed that the artifact was not broken, or just thrown in the trash by someone who didn’t know what it was.

The Oklahoma Historical Society says the site the pottery came from was inhabited from approximately 800 to 1450AD. They think the pottery might be even older, perhaps dating back a couple thousand years.  Juhasz said the organization has received a number of unintentional high-dollar donations over the years, including a book written by Alert Einstein in German, and an autographed copy of a book by Mickey Mantle.  He said the organization would be happy to donate the item back to the people from that area of Oklahoma.  He added,  ”Once we were alerted to what it was, there was no doubt that we were happy to donate it back to them.”

--Pottery donated to Goodwill may be 1,000 year-old Native American artifact, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/pottery-donated-goodwill-may-1-000-old-native-170315125.html; May 3, 2012. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell. 

Matthew 13:44 (GNB)   "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field. 

I recently read two headlines on the same day about medical care provided by public school nurses, following board policies, which left me scratching my head. One of the headlines read: “Outraged family: Girl breaks arm at Saugus school, no one calls 911” and the other one read, “NYC schools give out morning-after pills to students — without telling parents.”

So let me get this right. If a girl breaks her arm, it is policy to wait for the parent to arrive to give her medical treatment, but if a girl notifies a nurse that she had sex the night before, the parent doesn’t need to be bothered, just give her a pill that will terminate any possible pregnancy?—Jim L. Wilson

Outraged family: Girl breaks arm at Saugus school, no one calls 911 http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-north/Outraged-family-Girl-breaks-arm-at-Saugus-school-no-one-calls-911/-/11984708/16674004/-/f6yjam/-/index.html#ixzz27UWonMUy  (accessed 9/25/12)

NYC schools give out morning-after pills to students — without telling parents by Susan Edelman and Cynthia R. Fagen http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/city_schools_plan_UoW7ke5l2KRwg43nHzt97H (accessed 9/25/12)

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV) (1) But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, (4) treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 

In the early 1960s, the Lincoln Futura concept car created for a 1955 auto show was not worth much. It was used a 1959 movie and then sold to automobile designer George Barris for one dollar. Since it was untitled and could not be insured, the car was had little value and was relegated to a back parking lot. In January 2013, the same car sold for over 4 million dollars at an auto auction. What made the difference?

In 1965, Barris used the forgotten concept car as the basis for the 19-foot-long Batmobile from the 1960s television series, Batman. Facing a deadline from producers to come up with a design for a crime fighting vehicle for Batman and Robin, Barris took the Futura from the back of his building, and went to work. The car became known as Batmobile number one because it was the first one used on the program, although several copies were built later. At the auction, hopeful owners pushed the price higher than most expected it would go. The auction company revealed the selling-price but did not disclose the name of the winning bidder. A spokesman for George Barris says the designer was pleased with the auction results.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Original Batmobile auctions for $4.2M, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57564883/original-batmobile-auctions-for-$4.2m,  Accessed January 20, 2013.

In this case, the car’s value increased because Batman drove it in a TV show, not because of its general usefulness. Christians’ value is not determined by what they do for God, but by the fact that they belong to Him and he was willing to pay the ultimate price for them.

1 Corinthians 7:23 (NKJV) You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 

In March 2012, Jim Isray, the Colts' owner, released his one-time golden boy, Peyton Manning, from the team.   Why?  Because Peyton had a neck surgery and he might not be able to play as well as in the past.   In case you don't know Peyton, he was one of the top QBs in the league history and he earned 4 MVP titles in his 14 years tenure with Colts.  Now, when Peyton's health is questionable, Isray decides to move on to a young, promising player.   All of a sudden,  Peyton fell from the status of the Colts' franchise quarterback and became unemployed. 

If performance determines your worth and value, once your performance is gone, so is your worth.  But since our value rests in God, we don't need to use our performance to impress others or anyone. --Jim L. Wilson and Shanon Lee
 

Jonathan Seidi, “Peyton Manning, Colt Owner break down in press conference, announcing split,” the Blaze, March 7, 2012, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/07/peyton-manning-colts-owner-break-down-in-press-conference-announcing-split/  (accessed February 24, 2013)
 

John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

You may not know the value of something until it’s gone. British journalist Mark Hales recently learned that he could lose his home and be forced into bankruptcy over an incident with a rare Porsche race car. Hales arranged to drive an original Porsche 917 car against a vintage Ferrari as part of a magazine photo shoot. Usually such arrangements benefit everyone involved because the magazine gets an exclusive story on a rare automobile, and the car’s owner gets publicity for their collection or cause.  Agreements for such usage are generally a verbal commitment and a handshake, and that’s what is worrying Hales.

The owner of the car claims Hales, who is an experienced driver, agreed to keep the engine under 7,000 rpm, but destroyed the engine when he let it reach over 8,000 rpm. Hales says the problem was in the car’s gearbox, and claims the owner had agreed to cover any damages from the track session. The courts have ruled in favor of the owner, ordering Hales to pay $74,000 for a new engine, and $100,000 in court costs. Friends have started a collection to help Hales pay, but are not sure they can raise enough money.  —Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Writer ordered to pay $174,000 after rare Porsche blows up in test drive, By Justin Hide, http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/writer-ordered-pay-174-000-rare-porsche-blows-210104855.html,  Accessed January 22, 2013.

Luke 14:28 (ESV) For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 

When Marion Shurtleff bought a Bible from a used bookstore in California, she planned to use it to compare with her other versions. She noticed a folded, yellowed letter inside, but was startled to find her name on it when she opened it. Shurtleff says slipped between the pages of the Bible was an essay she had written 65 years earlier to earn a Girl Scout merit badge. What was even more amazing was that she had written the letter in Kentucky, 2000 miles away. Shurtleff is determined to find out how the letter wound up in the Bible, and why it was important enough for someone to keep for all those years. She contacted the bookstore, but has not found any leads so far. Shurtleff says, “I think there has got to be a tie to the person who kept this. Maybe it was sent to me for a reason.” She added,”I want to try and find the person who had the Bible. Who would keep this? Why it’s just a big ‘Why?’”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Woman Finds Her Childhood Essay in Used Bible after 65 Years, http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/05/27/woman-finds-her-childhood-essay-in-used-bible-after-65-years, Accessed May 27, 2013.

Psalm 147:5 (CEV)  Our LORD is great and powerful! He understands everything. 

George and Betty Davis of Rhinebeck, NY received a hand-me-down from George’s father when he passed. It was a Faberge figure of a Cossack. They wrapped it up and put it away in their attic. The executer of their estate found it there last spring and had it evaluated. It turned out to be a little figurine ordered made by Tsar Nicholas II for his wife Alexandra in 1912. It sold at auction for $5.2 million. 

Many of us have an unknown treasure of our own—not the least of which, is contentment.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World,  November 30,  2013, p. 19

1 Timothy 6:6 (NKJV) Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 

Antiques Roadshow says van Dyck find is worth thousands, By Alice Philipson,
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/antiques-roadshow-says-van-dyck-find-is-worth-thousands-20131229-301lo.html, Accessed December 30, 2013.

2 Corinthians 8:8 (ESV)  I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 

VALUE

I am sure you have heard the saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” but what if I told you that sperm whale vomit can be worth millions of dollars, would you believe me?

Three men in the small town of Oman, in the Arabian Peninsula, found a large, waxy substance floating near their fishing boat. Instead of avoiding the mess, these men navigated their boat closer. They discovered ambergris, a substance that is part of the sperm whale’s digestive system. While it initially smells as bad as you think it would, as it ages the smell changes to something rather pleasant. The longer it ages the better it smells. So much so that it is used in high end perfumes. Their find weighed 127lbs and had a value of 3 million dollars. —Jim L. Wilson and Scott Hill

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/whale-vomit-find-could-net-fishermen-3-million

Matthew 11:16–19 (HCSB) “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to each other: ¹⁷ We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t mourn! ¹⁸ For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

VALUE

A bag containing traces of moon dust collected on the first manned moon mission in 1969 recently sold for $1.8 at auction. Due to a clerical error, the bag sold on an online auction in 2015. Though NASA officials went to court to get the artifact back, the court decided that while it should not have gone up for the original auction, the judge did not have the authority to reverse the sale. That allowed the buyer to make millions on the purchase. In his decision, the judge said the importance and desirability of the bag stemmed from the efforts of NASA employees whose “amazing technical achievements, skill, and courage in landing astronauts on the moon and returning them safely have not been replicated in the almost half a century since the Apollo 11 landing.”—Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell

Apollo 11 Moon Dust Sells For $1.8 Million, http://www.klove.com/news/2017/07/21/Apollo-11-Moon-Dust-Sells-For-1-8-Million, Accessed July 21, 2017.

Hebrews 6:11 (CSB) “Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end,”

VALUE

Acting on a tip, the FBI recovered a pair of ruby red slippers Judy Garland wore in the movie The Wizard of Oz. Thieves took them from a Minnesota museum thirteen years ago. They were insured for $1,000,000 but experts told the BBC they were probably worth twice that much. How could a pair of shoes be worth a million dollars? What makes them so valuable is who wore them and where they were worn.

World Magazine, September 29, 2018, p. 8

That is how a Christian determines their own value. We are valuable because of whose we are. We were purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 Peter 1:18–19 (CSB)

“For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.”

VALUE

A 90-year-old Frenchwoman was preparing to move. She had an auctioneer come to value her furniture to dispose of it at auction. Hanging in the kitchen was a tempera panel which the woman believed was an old Russian icon that she had for decades. Her plan was to throw it away. The auctioneer thought it might be worth something and it turns out he was right. It was a 13^th century painting, Christ Mocked by Italian artist Cimabue, a forefather of the Italian Renaissance. At auction it sold for $26.8 million—the most ever paid for a medieval painting.

The Week, November 8, 2019 p. 5

The tale of the kitchen painting resembles the lives of many of the people we meet each day. When they look at themselves they see an old, useless person of little value to anyone. One of our most persistent messages is that our value comes not in what we accomplish, but because of the master artist-designer behind our existence. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Matthew 6:26 (CSB)

Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?

VALUE

An old painting hanging in the kitchen of an elderly French woman made her a multimillionaire. The women did not think the painting was worth much, but when an auctioneer saw it, he suggested she bring it to experts for an evaluation. The painting turned out to be a rare masterpiece from 13^th-century Italian artist, Cimabue. The discovery excited the art world because experts consider Cimabue the forefather of the Italian Renaissance. The 10 by 8-inch painting titled, “Christ Mocked” sold at auction for approximately $26 million dollars, Dominique Le Coent of Acteon Auction House, said most of the money went to the woman who had owned it for years. He added, “It’s a painting that was unique, splendid, and monumental. Cimabue was the father of the Renaissance. But this sale goes beyond all our dreams.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

https://ww2.klove.com/news/world/masterpiece-found-in-french-woman-s-kitchen-sold-at-auction-5951

Proverbs 24:3–4 (CSB)

A house is built by wisdom,

and it is established by understanding;

by knowledge the rooms are filled

with every precious and beautiful treasure.

VALUE

When Howard Kirby noticed a firm area in the thrift store couch he bought for his man cave he tried to discover and fix the problem. The “problem” turned out to be $43,170 in cash. Even though an attorney said he could legally keep the money, Kirby reached out to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Owosso, Michigan where he bought the couch to see if they would help him locate the rightful owner.

With the assistance of the store, Kim Fauth-Newberry, the granddaughter of the deceased former owner of the couch received the money. News sources report that the family considered burning the couch if they could not find a store that would take it.

The real value of something is found on the inside. In this case it was money stuffed into a sofa, but with us, it is what is in our hearts. —Jim L. Wilson

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2020/01/17/More-than-40000-found-inside-couch-purchased-from-thrift-store/3061579287663/?sl=9

Proverbs 4:23 (CSB)

for it is the source of life.

VALUE

An anonymous man paid $35.00 for a beautiful bowl at a garage sale near New Haven, Connecticut in 2020 and sold it for over $700,000.00 at a Sotheby’s auction. The rare, 15^th-century Ming dynasty artifact was expected to fetch “between $300,000.00 and $500,000.00,” but fared much better.

What a shame to have something so valuable and place it on a yard-sale table. Wisdom involves being able to recognize what is really valuable.

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/03/973274695/yard-sale-bowl-revealed-to-be-rare-chinese-artifact-worth-up-to-500-000

Matthew 13:45–46 (CSB)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”

VALUE

What’s a pair of sneakers worth? In April of 2021, “Auction company Sotheby's announced on Monday that Kanye West's Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototype shoes have sold for a record-breaking $1.8 million through a private sale to sneaker investing platform RARES.”

https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2021/04/26/Kanye-West-Nike-Air-Yeezy-auction-Sothebys/1851619448461/

Something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. No more. No less. What is the value of your soul? It was worth enough that God gave his son for your salvation.

John 3:16 (CSB)

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

VALUE

Actor Rob Gough paid $5.2 million for a piece of cardboard in January 2021. Well, that’s one way to put it. Another way is to say that he bought a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card in mint condition with a PSA 9 rating—1 of 6 known to be in existence.

"I always dreamt of owning a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle since I was a kid collecting cards," Gough said, “I've been searching for this high graded example talking to industry experts, dealers, auction houses, friends and I'm ecstatic that I'm now the proud owner of this iconic card."

The laws of supply and demand govern these sorts of things, but the high price is compounded by Gough’s passion. While you might not have that kind of money in the first place or would not be willing to part with it for a piece of cardboard if you did isn’t really the point. The point is, that he had the money and was willing to pay it. I assume he has plenty more money.

Is there anything that is worth giving up everything?

Matthew 13:45–46 (CSB)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.