Connection Magazine, The Premier Good News Publication www.connectionmagazine.org

SPEND? or INVEST?
by Ben Kinchlow

Just imagine, three years of our lives have passed since Y2K! That's 1,095 days, 26,280 hours, 1,576,800 minutes, and 94,608,000 seconds, gone! That much of your life is gone forever. The question is, was it spent or invested?

"Spend": to consume; to waste, to squander; to part with, as to spend money. (American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, First Edition)

"Invest": to clothe; to dress; to surround; to clothe money in something permanent or less fleeting, as to invest in stock, lands, or goods. (American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, First Edition)

Let me ask again what you did with the past 365 days? I confess that many precious moments of my life were spent, not invested, watching television, sitting idly, reading (worldly) magazine articles about "movie stars", or otherwise "killing time". I spent money, which turned out to be a renewable resource. My time was not. We can earn more money, not time. With the New Year upon us, what will you do with the 8,760 hours you will receive as a gift from God in 2003?

Time for a New Year's Resolution! "This year, I am going to. " (Each of us will have to fill in the blank.)

Well, here are my New Year's resolutions:

#1: Make a significant difference in the lives of some of the children who ordinarily would die in 2003. (40,000 children die every single day of hunger or hunger-related diseases.) I cannot save all of those children, but for $20.03 per month, I can feed 2,003 children around the world in 2003. How?

I am resolved to dedicate 20 hours and three minutes (it takes three minutes to write a check and seal an envelope) to participating in the best feeding program ever. I will invest twenty hours either packaging food, or telling people about this marvelous opportunity. (To participate, go to www.benkinchlow.com.)

#2: If "separation of church and state" was intended by the Founding Fathers, then why was the largest church service in America held in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.? It was attended by, among others, the President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.

I resolve to learn more about the history of my country. I am persuaded that America is God's idea, and I will dedicate 20.3 hours to study. It takes 3 minutes to unwrap our "Real America" CD and open your CD player. (Order at www.benkinchlow.com.)

#3: I had no idea I once worked to keep a political party in power who were actually voting against six of the seven principles I held dear. That's called "ignorance".

I resolve to eliminate political ignorance in my own life. In pursuit of this, I started the "African-American Political Awareness Coalition" to assist people (especially African-Americans) in examining the positions of political parties. AAPAC is not a political action committee and is not politically motivated, except in the sense that politics impact the citizens of a republic, as is America.

(In about 20.3 days you should have all the information available about AAPAC on my website, www.benkinchlow.com).

Meanwhile, sign up for my monthly "B-Zine", a short, easy-to-read, electronic newsletter. It takes about 3 minutes to read.

MAY YOU ENJOY A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!

P.S. For those of you who would like to join me, 2003 people pledging $20.03 per month for 20.3 months will provide 6,786,982 nutritionally complete hot meals!

Ben Kinchlow Ministries Box 10, Virginia Beach, VA 23464 ben@benkinchlow.com, www.benkinchlow.com

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