Endless Stuff

Recently while stumbling around the "information superhighway," I came across one individual's list of the strangest items ever sold on eBay. These are merely the opinions of that author, but I am in agreement...these are some strange items...and they actually sold for real money on "the Bay." So, without any further ado, I give you the strangest items ever sold on eBay:

Girlfriends: Some girls auctioned their services as 'imaginary girlfriends', who would send the winning bidder pictures of themselves and loving letters, which they could use to pretend they had a girlfriend.

Wedding dress: Nothing strange about selling a wedding dress, you might think - but this was the guy's ex-wife's wedding dress. And he modeled it, as well as writing a long screed about his ex-wife in the description.

TV part: Producers on the TV show Ally McBeal once used eBay to auction off a walk-on part on the show.

Kidney: One man tried to sell his kidney on eBay - after all, you only need one, right? Unfortunately it's illegal to buy or sell human organs. Good thinking, though.

Toenail clippings: A girl once sold her toenail clippings on eBay, one clipping from each toe. She got a $1 for the set - a low price for the years of joy they no doubt provided to the buyer.

Britney's gum: Someone picked up Britney Spears' chewed gum at a London hotel and decided it'd be a great thing to sell on eBay. Oddly enough, they were right - they got $263 for it. A Britney fan probably has it framed in their house.

Ghost: Yes, a ghost. In a jar. Well, why not? The ghost was, apparently, 'terrorising' the man who owned it, and so he decided to capture it and sell it on eBay to someone who might be able to give it a better home.

Virgin Mary sandwich: A seller offered a grilled cheese sandwich upon which the Virgin Mary had appeared to her - and the strange thing is, she genuinely seemed to believe it. This item, unbelievably, sold for $28,000. Some people just have too much money to waste, don't they?

Fighter jet: A state brokerage in Virginia sold a U.S. Navy F/A-18A Hornet jet fighter on eBay for just over a million dollars. It was, unfortunately, in pieces and so unusable, but they offered to put it back together and make it ready to fly for the low, low price of just another $9 million.

So there you have it. Pretty odd, huh? It would seem there is virtually no end to the variety of items people will sell....and, perhaps more surprisingly, BUY!

The Bible says...

When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Ecclesiastes 5:11, ESV

An increase of property almost invariably brings an increase of expense. This is not to say that it is sin to own some things...even some nice things. The point within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes is to show the vanity in piling up "stuff" while turning a blind eye to the inevitable outcome of all things material.

All will be left behind...even the precious few knick-knacks we find in our possession at the end of life. Not to mention the things we just "had to have" at some point, only to be peddled for pennies on the dollar at a yard sale, or the items which now rest beneath thousands of tons of other people's "stuff they had to have" at the bottom of some landfill.

The point to draw from these thoughts and the crazy list of eBay sales above is that you and I will be wise to keep this world and its wares in proper perspective. Yes, enjoy the plastic and wooden blessings of life and be thankful for them. However, keeping proper perspective of these corruptible materials will be essential in inheriting the incorruptible possession in heaven that awaits those who love the Lord.

r2

"Black Friday": Be Wise This Year

Black Friday is just around the corner. Just in case you are not familiar with the term, it is also known as the day after Thanksgiving.

The origin of Black Friday comes from the shift to profitability during the holiday season. Black Friday was when retailers went from being unprofitable, or "in the red," to being profitable, or "in the black", at a time when accounting records were kept by hand and red indicated loss and black profit.

For many though, the term has come to mean something quite different: Black Friday is the day when already holiday-weary shoppers brave the throngs of shoppers in an effort to find the best deals of the season. More than 100-million shoppers will bite, gouge, and claw their ways (figuratively speaking, of course!) through masses of humanity and merchandise to get an early jump on their holiday gift list.....and this is just the way many of these folks would have it!

If you are not an avid shopper, this may come as a surprise. Yes, I've known and have been related to quite a few men and women who thrive in such environments. But no matter where we are this Black Friday and throughout the entire holiday season, there is something we ought to think about: Exercising financial wisdom.

In her book "Debt Proof Living," consumer financial expert and personal finance coach, Mary Hunt, gives a list of debt trap warning signs:

1. You are living on credit
2. You pay your bills late
3. You are not a giver
4. You are not a saver
5. You dream of getting rich quickly and living an extravagant lifestyle
6. You worry about money
7. You overspend your checking account

Where is the wisdom in loading up our credit cards in December and paying finance charges we cannot afford until the next holiday season rolls around? Overextending oneself financially takes a toll mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Financial crisis is always near the top of the list in causes of divorce.

Why not take care of the problem before it can even arise? Be wise this holiday season. Do not overextend yourself. Do not talk yourself into believing what many retailers want you to believe...namely that your family and friends will be disappointed if you do not lavish upon them expensive gifts.

There is much more that could be said about this. The Bible has much to say in regard to God's people exercising wisdom in finances. I will leave it at this:

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." (Proverbs 22:7, ESV).

r2