6 Dec, 2006
Don't gamble with your life!
Man claims $47 million Powerball jackpot
For more than a month, Michael Hawes was a multi-millionaire and didn't know it.
The Lakeville accountant unknowingly was carrying a winning Powerball ticket worth $47 million in his wallet.
On Monday, he finally remembered to have a clerk run several old tickets through a machine. One of them turned out to be the mystery winner from the Nov. 1 drawing. He claimed his prize today.
Hawes, 46, bought the winning ticket at a Cub Foots on Lyndale Avenue South in Bloomington. He's splitting the $94 million jackpot with a group of Arizona winners that stepped forward the day after the drawing.
Asked what he plans to do now, Hawes said, "Just go home. Probably sleep. But I think that will be kind of hard."
Hawes has a girlfriend and two sons, including a boy named, "Lucky." Hawes has until Feb. 5 to decide whether he wants $22 million in cash or a $47 million annuity that would pay out over 29 years.
In the past, other winners have waited before claiming their ticket, using the time to seek counsel from lawyers and financial planners. But never this long.
photo & story courtesy twincities.com, 12/05/06
Romans 1:16-17
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Ephesians 2:7
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
Today's God's Story is about His power making those who receive His forgiveness very rich! What are you doing with this good news?
The apostle Paul knew exactly what to do with the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ. He would tell others about it. He was not ashamed to tell everyone, because it is only the POWER OF GOD that can forgive sins and make a person right before God.
Did you notice in the story about the Powerball winner, that the guy didn't know he was incredibly rich for over a month?
What's really sad is how many people don't realize that God is waiting to make them rich with His grace and mercy. And His wealth lasts forever!
Don't you want others to know about the best thing that's ever happened to you?
Nobody has to gamble their eternal soul. The POWER OF GOD always wins!
How can we connect today's God's Story to our lives?
Take a couple of minutes to meditate on what God has done for you through His Son, Jesus Christ....thank Him for His power to save you....to help you live each day....to give you the courage to be identified as a follower of Jesus....to lovingly learn the stories of others...and to make the connection with your story and God's Story.
How can you connect today's story, God's Story and your story to others?
Every time you hear the Powerball reports on the news, do something the next day that will communicate the love of Christ to someone who needs to understand that Heaven is not for the lucky, but for the forgiven.
- May 2008 [8]
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