God is in the details for Powerball winner

Washington Times | 12/27/02 | Gavin McCormick, AP

[Squantos]

Andrew "Jack" Whittaker, who owns three local construction companies, looked through his list of PowerBall lottery tickets Christmas night, but didn’t check them twice. When he did the next day, he discovered the winning ticket was sold at the station where he purchased 115 tickets just three days before.

The night of the PowerBall jackpot drawing, Whittaker said he got the wrong numbers from television. He went to bed Christmas night thinking he had matched only four of the five numbers, plus the PowerBall.

A spokeswoman with WSAZ-TV in Huntington said the station accidentally listed 11 instead of 16 in the series of six numbers. The jackpot numbers were: 5-14-16-29-53 and the PowerBall was 7.

The mistake almost cost Whittaker millions.

"I saw the next morning that the ticket had been sold at the station I buy biscuits and gas from every morning," he said. "I thought that the odds of me hitting five numbers and someone else hitting all six on tickets from the same place were astronomical. So I told my wife we should check it again."

A second look proved his intuition right.

Good thing he didn't toss that ticket........Stay Safe Katt !!

[patent]

>>>>>The mistake almost cost Whittaker millions.

I dont understand how it would have cost him money. He knew he hit five of the numbers right, including the powerball. That nets him 100K. What was he going to do, throw the ticket out because it was a measly 100K? He would have still turned it in and learned he was rich.

[Squantos]

Agree...... I snipped the story here:

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2002/December/27/LNspot.htm

Stay Safe !

[rhema]

Will this event lead to a spate of churches forming committees to make "strategic, high-yield investments" for their respective churches' futures?

[Revelation 911]

"The very first thing I'm going to do is go home and make out three checks to three pastors," Mr. Whittaker said. Those checks, a tithe to the Church of God, will total $17 million.

So let me get this right - he gambles - and then tithes it - Id love to hear the priests rationalization in being the recipient of gambling proceeds.

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

I wouldnt wish the curse of big money on anyone. It is often a destructive, deadly force.

God fill this man with the supernatural strength needed to turn from this gambling sin.

[Miss Marple]

If you saw his press conference, you would know that he has been tithing all along.

Not all Christians believe buying a lottery ticket is a sin.

[Miss Marple]

Also, he is not donating to "priests." He is a member of the Church of God.

[breakem]

"............biscuits and gas" from a gas station. Isn't that redundant?

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

The scriptures clearly speak against gambling. How could a minister of the gospel accept a "tithe" that represents gambling proceeds. Any preacher with an ounce of conviction and a pair would refuse the money.

[Junior]

Last time I checked, nowhere does the Bible call gambling a sin. Of course, most Bible thumpers'll tell you drinking's a sin, even though wine was quite common in Biblical times (Jesus even whipped up a batch, himself), or that dancing's a sin, or even wearing jewelry. Unfortunately, this is merely projection on the part of those who wish to make this life as miserable as possible for as many people as possible. God forbid someone should enjoy himself.

[RightWinger]

Playing the lottery isn't gambling, with gambling, you have a reasonable chance to win, you don't with the lottery.

The lottery is a voluntary tax. It gives poor people a chance to pay voluntary taxes, I love it.

I volunteer to pay $2 to $4 a month, it's for education and the children . . . you know. {;o)

[anka]

amen.

[TBall]

"Any preacher with an ounce of conviction and a pair would refuse the money." Sure Jesus I could have accepted that money and used it to help the poor, but I had conviction.

[Revelation 911]

The scriptures clearly speak against gambling. How could a minister of the gospel accept a "tithe" that represents gambling proceeds. Any preacher with an ounce of conviction and a pair would refuse the money.

Scripture is also quite clear about the accumulation of wealth

Funny how you and I will be accused of legalism - rather I think you see it as I do.......a hindrance to personal holiness and piety

Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. 13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

[Chancellor Palpatine]

"The very first thing I'm going to do is go home and make out three checks to three pastors," Mr. Whittaker said. Those checks, a tithe to the Church of God, will total $17 million.

He just ruined three churches, which were unprepared to have that kind of inflow of cash. Regular giving will drop off from everyone else, and they'll probably undertake grandiose expansion schemes that they won't be able to sustain.

[RightOnline]

"So let me get this right - he gambles - and then tithes it - Id love to hear the priests rationalization in being the recipient of gambling proceeds."

Are you actually criticizing this man for tithing.........and the churches' pastors for accepting those tithes????

You forget, my friend. That isn't his money. That tithe is God's money. It's really just that simple.

I don't think I need to point out the ways these funds can and probably will be used for the Lord's work as opposed to, say, giving the same amount to Earth First or PETA or........worst of all.............the United Way.

[Revelation 911]

Playing the lottery isn't gambling, with gambling, you have a reasonable chance to win, you don't with the lottery.

LOL - how true

[E.G.C.]

Here are my thoguths on this subject.

First off congradulations to the latest Powerball winner from West Virginia. I'm sure that money will do an awful lot of good.

Now, I want to pose a hypothecial question to all freepers out there. Let's just suppose the powerball winner was a diehard conservative Republican. A Rush Limbaugh dittohead if you will and when asked what he is going to do with the money he states that's he going to donate a portion of it to conservative causes like the Media Research Center, Free Republic, what have you and he talks about issues in the style of Rush Limbaugh.

If the Powerball winner was someone like that, How do you think the media would handle this story? Would they demand an inquiry to see if it was rigged or something? Given the media's softball treatment of the Democrats and liberal and progressive causes versus their blatant and deliberate mistreatment of christians and conservatives, I would be a bit dubious about how they would handle it.

If I myself were a Powerball winner I don't think I would be quite as generous to the news media as that fella was.
Regards.

[machman]

That's why I hate the lottery with a passion, it plays on the greed of those less fortunate. Now, if you want to play the lottery, or go to a cansino or the race track for that matter, and accept the fact up front you will lose money, I say fine, its entertainment, like going to a movie or playing a round of golf. But don't tell me you have a "system" and you are going to make money on it over time. There is a reason states love the lottery, and big company's put up facy casinos with all sorts of freebies and low cost food, it because they make lots and lots of money off of people who thing they have it all figured out.

Me, I don't do it, I won't play games that I know have a negative expected return.