God is in the details for Powerball winner

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

[kattracks]

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Andrew Jackson Whittaker Jr. thanks God that he picked the six numbers that won him the $314.9 million Christmas Day Powerball jackpot, and he's putting up the money to prove it.

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     "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.
     "Seventeen million in the state of West Virginia will really do good for the poor," he said, adding that the three pastors will control the money and perhaps establish a Christian school.
     The 55-year-old contractor, who won the largest single-winner lottery jackpot in history, opted to take a lump sum of $170 million before taxes, instead of 30 annual installments. The lump sum is worth more than $111 million after taxes, lottery spokeswoman Nancy Bulla said.
     "I just want to thank God for letting me pick the right numbers, or letting the machine pick the right numbers," said Mr. Whittaker, who claimed his winnings dressed in black and wearing a big, black cowboy hat.
     Mr. Whittaker lives in the small town of Scott Depot, about 20 miles west of Charleston, and is president of three construction companies that build sewage-treatment plants and other water projects.
     "I've had to work for everything in my life. This is the first thing that's ever been given to me," he said.
     Mr. Whittaker said he originally thought he had lost the jackpot because the numbers came up wrong on the televised drawing Christmas night. It wasn't until yesterday morning that he realized he won.
     His wife of 36 years said she plans to go to Israel.
     "I'd just go to go there. It's where Jesus walked," Jewell Whittaker said.
     The couple planned to travel to New York City last night.
     Mr. Whittaker said he would share the rest of his winnings with his family, and may expand his business. He has a daughter named Ginger and a 15-year-old granddaughter.
     Ginger McMahan said she had cancer twice and had not worked for about a year. "I was getting ready to go back to work, but I think I'm retired now," she said.
     Mr. Whittaker also said he wants to help "people who want to better themselves to have a better life."
     "I'm getting really excited because of the good works I can do with this money," he said.
     He said little about buying luxuries for himself — aside from a helicopter he said he had had his eye on for a while.
     "I have 25 people laid off right now at Christmas, and I want more work so I can put them back to work," he said. He now employs 117 persons.
     He told Miss Bulla he was not a regular lottery player but he bought $100 in tickets because the jackpot was so high. He plays when it reaches $100 million.
     The ticket was purchased at the C&L Super Serve in Hurricane, 25 miles west of Charleston.
     Mr. Whittaker went back to the store yesterday morning to fill up on gas and buy some biscuits, as he does each day. The clerk was the one who sold him the ticket. He told her he won, but "she said, 'No, you didn't, you're not excited enough to win the lottery.' And she just pushed me out the door," he said.
     "It's so just that the poorest state in America wins the biggest Powerball in history," said Bob O'Dell, a 51-year-old resident of the town that's pronounced herr' ah cun. (West Virginia's per-capita income actually was second-lowest to Mississippi's in 2000.)
     The Super Serve's owner, Larry Trogdon, will get $100,000 for selling the winning ticket.
     "I have a daughter getting married this summer," he told NBC.
     "I guess we're honeymooning in Hawaii," said his daughter, Amy, who manages the Super Serve and is getting married next summer to a clerk at the store.
     "Heck, if you're going to Hawaii, I'm coming with you," Mr. Trogdon answered, laughing.
     The jackpot was the largest ever for a single winning ticket, Miss Bulla said. It also was the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history.
     An unexpected Christmas Day run on Powerball tickets pushed the already whopping $280 million jackpot to $314.9 million just before numbers were drawn, making it the Powerball's largest prize ever.
     The winning numbers were 5-14-16-29-53 and the Powerball was 7.
     Mr. Whittaker had the option of taking a cash payout of $170 million before taxes or collecting the entire jackpot in 30 payments over 29 years. He took the lump sum and Gov. Bob Wise presented him with an initial check of $10 million.
     Powerball, the nation's largest lottery game, is sold in 23 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
     Before the Christmas 2002 prize, the largest Powerball jackpot was $295.7 million in July 1998.
     The biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history was a Big Game prize of $363 million, won in May 2000 by ticketholders in Michigan and Illinois. The second was a $331 million Big Game jackpot split between three tickets in April.
     Spain's annual Christmas lottery known as El Gordo — "the Fat One" — is billed as the world's richest. This year's $1.7 billion jackpot spreads wealth among millions of people. About 10,000 numbers win some kind of prize, from $20 to $200,000.

[iconoclast]

Thanks for replying to this kook. I been fighting the urge because I'm trying to reverse my reputation of being a nasty S.O.B. ;o)

[iconoclast]

To be honest with you, if there were heaven and hell, I'd rather go to hell with this man than go to heaven with folk like you...

HoHoHo .. perfect reply.

[RnMomof7]

We only got a few inches..Very nice Christmas thanks

The original "Church of God" was Andersonville I believe..I ~think~ the other is United Church of God or Church of God international

[go star go]

This crap makes my blood boil. (Even made my heart show today. Did you see that?) This was a good man and he deserves better that this hollier than thou BS.

:-)

[iconoclast]

......does God gamble ?

Do you actually aspire to Godhood?

Or, do you think you are just about there?

[iconoclast]

I apologize.

Replace "whacked out" with ignorant.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

The Genesis 3 and the fourth, eighth and ninth commandments state that we are to labor by the sweat of our brow and that six days we are to work. Added to that we are not to seek wealth without working for it. In other words, whatever riches we enjoy should be the fruit of our labor if it is not a gift. Gambling is getting riches without working for them.

The eight commandment states that we are not to steal. Gambling is notorious for wasting the lives of those that engage in it. I cannot tell you how many people are in bankruptcy due to uncontrolled gambling debts. Society pays the cost of their sin by banks and credit card companies writing off their bad debt passing those costs on to others.

In addition, the third commandment says not to take the name of God in vain. This commandment prohibits the abuse of anything whereby God makes Himself known. The lottersy is a derivative of the lot. The Bible teaches that the lot belongs to the Lord and it has always been given to God's people as a means for knowing his will in deciding matters. Hence, the lottery is an abuse of something whereby God makes himself known and is therefore a violation of the third commandment.

Do you need a clear scripture stating "thou shalt not gambling? There is no text stating thou shalt not abort unborn babies either, but it is clearly a sin to do so.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

Jesus certainly said to judge not lest ye be judged. However, he went on to say that when ye judge to use righteous judgment. Now tell me, how can it be a sin to judge when Jesus tells us to use righteous judgment? In addition, throughout the scriptures the apostles judged others. In fact, Paul delivered a sinful chruch member over to Satan. That sounds like a judgment to me. Would you say then that Paul went to hell because he judged another?

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Do you need a clear scripture stating "thou shalt not gambling? There is no text stating thou shalt not abort unborn babies either, but it is clearly a sin to do so

Mat 18:4 Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 18:5 And whoever shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.
Mat 18:6 But whoever shall cause one of these little ones who believe in me, to sin, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Mat 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!

I am in agreement

[Don'tMessWithTexas]

I guess to take your position a step further, a judge or jury ought not pass judgment on a murderer or a rapist. I mean Jesus did say to judge not. You see your position is totally indefensible and illogical. In addition, you are a particularly foul mouthed individual.

[going hot]

I have not muddled through the entire thread yet, so I apologize if someone already suggested,...

If the Lord is all knowing, and all powerful, surely he knows what is in the hearts of the winner, the three pastors, and their respective congregations?

And if so, then why cannot this be merely one of His mysterious ways, ie, to get the much needed cash into the coffers of the most deserving pastors.
Also, do YOU know what is in the winner's heart? What if this is how the Lord works to get more people to have good done onto them, by God, through this man's kindly heart and generousity?

[Palladin]

Thanks for your ripostes to those sourpussed sourgrapes soursoulled fundamentalists. I detect a whole lot of envy in their "Holier-than-thou" remarks.

God Bless Jack Whittaker in every way possible! May Jack have long life, and many years ahead to share his wealth for the glory of God. Thank you, Lord, for giving this jackpot money to a truly deserving son of Yours!!

[smith288]

Boy, that statement doesn't leave us a lot of room for gracious replies. Only three:

1) You're a liar.

2) She's whacked out.

3) You're whacked out.

We state it at every Mass in our Confession of Faith.





Firstly, I dont give two apple splatters what you think about me, my wife or my honesty.

And you wonder why I dont agree with the Catholics and some catholic church ideology when there is folks like you who flame anyone who criticizes it. Grow up, Its not uncommon for "cradle Catholics" to have no clue about Christianity because they are put through a repiticious cycle and grow jaded. I have seen it hundreds of times and know several people at my own church who have left catholocism because the lack of emotion and soul tugging spirituality. Its like a funeral every Sunday.

You can state a billion times in a monetone voice that Jesus is coming back but when its said like a 45rpm record player you might as well just say blah blah blah. You can believe me or not but one thing is for sure, I take your opinion very series-ly.

[SuziQ]

Money is the root of all evil...whats the hard part?

I've always understood that passage to read "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil" There is a BIG difference. If he just went out and spent it all on himself to put himself in the lap of luxury, I could see your point, but that's not what this man did. He wasn't keeping food from his family's table by playing the lottery, nor did he seem to be harming anyone to whom he was responsible, so I don't see what the problem was in his buying the tickets.

[Revelation 911]

his "love" was pursuing it in a lottery as he felt he didnt have enough & didnt trust the Lord - many are blind to this though

[Revelation 911]

I credit you for responding politely - and agree it was a generous act - It was also a public one though, and that poisons the intent IMO and compounds this mans problems

Matthew 6

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

[Revelation 911]

Do you actually aspire to Godhood?

Or, do you think you are just about there?

Ep 4 says "24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

but of course this would require YOU to "aspire" for holiness

[Revelation 911]

according to your belief, must closely examine every source of income from which you derive those tithes and offerings. Make sure none of the money in the bank accounts of your congregation comes from gambling, lotteries, or any nefarious means

exactly !- in your smart alec response you unwittingly hit the nail on the head - we call it personal holiness -

God only gets the best, the first