Heaven Bound By Faith? Good Deeds? Both?

Today a good friend of mine, Bob, shared with me a few things that happened at the funeral of his brother-in-law Tom.



Tom's funeral was a solemn one. No "When The Saints Come Marchin' In" type of music. And no smiley faces. When it came time for the "Words of Comfort" part of the ceremony, Bob was first in line to speak. It was his goal to liven up this "celebration." One of the things that he mentioned about Tom was that he was a humorous person. And Bob shared this story.

Like all wives Tom's wife had a "honey do" list of things to fix around the house. Men usually take their time checking things off this list. We know that when you mark through one item as completed, your wife will give you two more things to add. So when Tom's wife, after exhibiting enormous patience would say, "Honey, when do you plan to fix the leaky faucet," Tom would say, "any morning."



Late the next day, Tom's wife reminded him that he promised her to fix the leaky faucet hours ago, i.e. "in the morning." Then Tom responded in the nicest, most loving tone that he could, "Baby I didn't say "in the morning. I said any A-N-Y morning."



By now you're probably thinking, "That's nice. But what does this have to do with heaven bound?" Well, later that night after the funeral, Bob's wife, Lynn, told him that she had a problem with the eulogy. She thought that the preacher gave too much credit to the power of God's grace in the forgiveness of sin. The minister she felt should have stressed also the importance of doing good deeds in order to get to Heaven.



Bob shared with Lynn some Bible verses supporting the sufficiency of God's grace. He explained to Lynn that no matter how bad your behavior, God will forgive you. God's grace is available to you if you are a cheater, a liar, even a child molester or murderer. But there is a catch. To be forgiven is to be Heaven bound. Yet, to be Heaven bound the Bible teaches that that person has to have faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior who died on the Cross for the sins of all humanity. Lynn did not seemed persuaded.



Then, Bob tried again by pointing out to Lynn with a hug that it is faith alone in Christ alone that saves a sinner from hell and ensures that the sinner is Heaven bound. Lynn sighed. The discussion continues.


What is your view? Click "Comments" or the pencil below.

(Graphic from Prawny @ www.dreamtimes.com)

Doctor's View of Financial Security

I met recently with a well known and high regarded physician.

We agreed that our jobs could be described similarly. His job is to help his patients to achieve and maintain good physical health. My job is to help my clients to achieve and maintain good financial health.

I asked the doc to write down the 3 most important things that can lead to financial security. I agreed to write mine too. Then we would swap lists and discuss them. Here are our lists.

Doc
1. invest wisely
2. save money
3. no divorce

Me
1. rich parents
2. great job which I loved
3. job protection insurance
4. savings


I kidded the physician that I cheated -- listed 4 instead of 3 things. I did this because I thought that most professional people would not list "rich parents." Professionals are independent minded. Also most people aren't fortunate enough to have as parents somebody that will leave them a large inheritance. He agreed.

Do you agree or disagree with the lists above? Take a minute to give your opinion.

In Memory of a Great Model

Annie Dorothy Hamlet was the first college graduate of the Waddy/Bennett family of Uniontown and Birmingham Alabama. She was the youngest sibling of four children born to Henry and Anna Waddy. 1914 was not a good year to be born black and female in the deep south.

Nonetheless, Henry and Anna instilled in their children the idea that high achievement and success was not out of their reach. Curtis the elder child was followed by Reacie and Paul. Then "Baby Sister" Dorothy was born. Each would later marry, but Curtis and Baby Sister would be childless. Paul chose farming and he and his wife Savannah produced a baseball team of children. Reacie and Major Bennett birthed Skip's father Gus and his sister Willie B. Reacie was a homemaker who was gifted in cooking and sewing. And Curtis was a factory laborer who was known as a good man, hard worker and saver. He and Mattie were considered a model couple. They bought a nice home with peach trees and and they stayed married forever.

Now Baby Sister Dorothy was probably the most gifted of the four Waddy children. She was a book worm. And she was pretty on top of that. And in spite of living "in the country" in the Deep South during the Great Depression, and being black and female she wanted to go to college. You can probably imagine her older siblings falling down on the floor laughing!

Well Dorothy had the last laugh. Not only did she graduate from college, but earned an M.A. from Fisk College In Nashville TN. Five years later, in the year of Skip's birth, she earned another master's degree, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1945. Before getting these two degrees, she found time to marry Johnny Hamlet. Johnny was handsome, with a ripped body and was a sharp dresser, too. Annie and Johnny. They were a great looking pair. But this marriage was too good to last. They went their separate ways and Johnny remarried. But Dorothy never did. She once shared with Skip that "when they made Johnny Hamlet, they broke the mold."

Dorothy had a rich and interesting work history. After obtaining her masters degrees, she worked as an accountant and teacher in Cleveland OH. Later she would become a student again, earning a J.D. (1955) and L.L.M (1963) from Ohio State University. In Ohio, Dorothy engaged in the private practice of law, taught college courses, served as assistant law director for the City of Cleveland and probate court referee for Cuyahoga County in Cleveland.



Dorothy retired from the Public Retirement System of Ohio. However, it was not long before she "came out of retirement" and said goodbye to Lake Erie and headed for the beaches of California. She accepted a job as referee for the Social Security Administration in San Francisco. Soon she qualified for and passed the examination to be appointed an administrative law judge for the Office of Hearings and Appeal in 1974.



Dorothy Hamlet held that position until her homegoing on January 8, 1998. Today, July 14, she would have been 94 years old.

P.S. To me Aunt Dorothy Hamlet is an icon. She sort of adopted me when I was 9 years old. She bought my first typewriter -- a manual one -- on which I learned to type over 60 words a minute. She and her sister, my grandmother Reacie, paid most of the expenses for my first year in college. I wanted to become a lawyer because of Dorothy Hamlet. And because of her example as our family's first college grad, there was no question that I was college bound. Over the years before her death, she counseled me and was also very generous financially. I owe Aunt Dorothy Hamlet so much for helping to mold me and treat me like her own son. I know that she is resting in peace in the bosom of Jesus.

This Investing Will Make You Laugh (or Cry)

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/MoneyTrack.aspx

U. S. Bennett Financial's Clients & Friends Appreciation BBQ, July 4 2008

Kudos: Many thanks to Doneda J. Bailey, E.I. Productions Online

Women need to save more for retirement

Monday, Jul 14, 2008
Posted on Sun, Jul. 13, 2008
Study: Women need to save more for retirement



By CANDICE CHOI
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Women may not earn as much as men or fly up the corporate ladder as quickly, but they get the last laugh because they live longer. Right?
As it turns out, women probably aren’t saving enough to bankroll those extra years in style. They invest more conservatively, start saving later and are more likely to be in and out of the work force, according to a study released recently by Hewitt Associates, a human-resources consulting firm.

Suddenly, retirement isn’t looking so rosy.

Women live an average of 22 years after retirement versus 19 years for men, and medical costs are rising, so women will need to save 2 percent more than men every year over 30 years to maintain their standard of living upon retirement, the study found.

The importance of saving didn’t dawn on Jerre Laughlin until she was in her 40s and started working in human resources.

"I was looking at pensions all day and was seeing what happens to employees who don’t save. That’s when reality set in," said Laughlin, now 63 and a resident of Kansas City, Kan. She has been playing catch-up and doesn’t plan to retire until she’s 67.

Laughlin isn’t the only one who’s learning her lesson the hard way. The Hewitt study found women today still do worse by every measure: They start saving later (by two to four years), invest less (7.3 percent versus 8.1 percent) and are in and out of the work force more often for family reasons.

The study looked at the projected retirement levels of nearly 2 million workers of varying ages at 72 large U.S. companies and used actual employee balances.

"Women tend to be a little more risk-averse, more fearful of losing money," said Alison Borland, an author of the study.

What women are doing

The study found a quarter of women didn’t contribute at a high enough level in their 401(k) plans to take advantage of the company match, which is typically 50 cents for every dollar up to 6 percent of pay. Yet women will have longer retirements than men by an average of three years.

If a woman who earns $57,000 a year raises her contribution from 2 percent to 4 percent — an extra $95 a month — she can save an extra $81,000 by the time she retires, not including an employer match.

What to consider

Because of inflation and rising medical costs, Hewitt estimates that workers will need to replace 126 percent of their salary after retirement to maintain their lifestyle. Both men and women are on track to replace an average of just 85 percent of that amount.

A bright star on gloomy Wall Street

In the midst of dark feelings and disappointment about stock market performance this year, there is a mutual fund which is performing very brightly. It's low tech-medium tech, consistently beats the S&P 500 index, and has experienced management as well. Check it out.

http://www.cgmfunds.com/pdf/2008-05-01-focus-prospectus.pdf



CAUTION: The above is is for informational purposes only. This is not a solicitation to recommend or persuade you to invest in anything. I cannot gain financially by your investment in the above fund. Consult your investment advisor or accountant before investing. Read the investment prospectus before investing.

Black is Beautiful

The first half of 2008 has closed with many championship achievements for black Americans.

Doc Rivers coached the Boston Celtics to NBA championship

Tiger Woods won the U. S. Open even with a bag leg. But he probably won't be able to compete in another tourney this year. Ouch for the size of golf purses without the Tiger.

Venus Williams won the Wibledon tennis tourney in a Williams sisters final,beating her sister Serena. Venus joined the tennis elite with her 5th Wimbledon singles title.

Venus & Serena won the doubles championship at Wimbledon.

Barack Obama won the presidential primary for the Democratic Party. I believe Barack will win the popular vote solidly and edge McCain in the electoral college.

I believe the stock market -- in the red now (means losing value) -- will be in the black by year end. Black is beautiful.

What's your take on this? Let us hear from you.

4 Valuables That Make Your Life Rich

I am arguably the most blessed person on the planet. I often forget this but several things happened this week to remind me.


1. grandchildren. Cathy and I had as guests all week our oldest grandchildren, Nia and Zion Rodgers. These are two totally excited and smart children. Ne is 9 and Zi is 6. By comparison they are at least 1 1/2 smarter than I at their age. Cathy was totally enthused to have them for the week. I less. But the week was a blessing to me beyond what I expected. I taught Zi to ride his bike and 1/2 way tie his shoes. The latter may seem not be a big deal. But try it yourself. There are about 8 steps to shoe tying when you think it through. Also Ne and Zi showed me that their parents are doing a good job in teaching them good eating habits. They love fruit and salads, and veggies. The importance of this may not be so evident. But they had a doctor a few years ago that "fired" their parents. I think that he felt that they were not paying enough attention to the nutrition of their children.

2. wife. My wife Cathy loves things. She is an acquirer of sun glasses (more than a dozen pair), clothes (3 closets), purses (at least 20), and expensive luggage (she collects LV). Yet Cathy is not extravagant. She economizes on other things to balance the scale.

But more important than loving things, Cathy loves people. She is a person that follows Jesus Christ's commandment to "love your neighbor as you love yourself." Cathy loves herself, but not in an egotical way. And Cathy loves me unconditionally. But if that is possible, I think that she loves our grandchildren more. There's a Bible verse that says it's better to live on the corner of a roof than in a house with a nagging wife. Cathy does not nag and this may sound like a pollyanna statement. She makes our house a castle -- for me. Some may think that she is a "rug wife", i.e. somebody that you walk on. But that is not true. Cathy stands her ground but in an humble way. It's hard to explain. But she conducts herself in a way which makes you feel embarassed if you don't return her love. She doesn't make you feel embarassed but her demeanor makes you feel embarassed. I said it was hard to explain.

3. health. I'm blessed with very good health. Thank you Jesus. Most times people like me take feeling good for granted. Today Cathy and I made a hospital visit to a relative of ours who has Krohns disease and suffers from frequent blood clots. Her name is Tarsha Grimes and I would like you to pray for Tarsha and also her family, husband Tom Grimes and children Jaron and Kevin. They are members of the Potter's House, pastored by T. J. Jakes. They are people of strong faith. Tarsha recently spent 6 months in the hospital from Dec. to May. She went through some ordeals that most of us have not experienced nor imagined. Then she was released only to return a few weeks later because she swelled tremendously with fluids and had several blood clots. Tarsha said today that her doctors said that her body had 60 pounds of fluid buildup. My God. Then her major doc said he wanted to perform a procedure that had a 1 in 100 chance of succeeding. However, if they did not do it she would surely die. Tarsha said she was very scared, of course, but she said to her doc, "doctor, do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?" She said the doctor said, "Yes." So she said, "let's do it. You, I and Jesus will do this together." And she lived through the procedure.

4. friends, family and clients. Cathy and I celebrated the 23rd anniversary of our business with a July 4th appreciation for our friends, family and clients. Almost 100 adults and children turned out. We had plenty of food, fun and fellowship. The economy, employment and finances are a great challenge for all of us this year. We thank God for blessing us with enough overflow to continue this tradition of honoring and sharing with those who have contributed to our success.

Do any of these 4 examples above strike a cord with you? Do you have anything you would like to acknowledge and give thanks to God for? If so, please share your experience or testimony in order to help somebody.