Long Branch Baptist Church
Halfway, Virginia; est. 1786
Sunday, December 17th, 2006
Enter to Worship
Announcements
Prelude David Witt
Meditation 2 Corinthians 5:16-19
Invocation
*Opening Hymn #88
“Joy to the World”
Welcome
Morning Prayer
*Advent Litany [See Right]
*Hymn CH#622 – [See Insert]
“Humble Thyself”
Offertory & *Doxology Mr. Witt
Praise God from whom all blessings flow / Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise him above, ye heavenly host / Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Special Music Susan Hollinger
“Mary, Did You Know?”
Sermon Luke 1:46-56
“Everything Changes”
Invitation Hymn #94
“Infant Holy, Infant Lowly”
*Benediction
*Congregational Response
May the grace of Christ our Savior / And the Father’s boundless love
With the Holy Spirit’s favor / Rest upon us from above. Amen.
* Congregation, please stand.
Depart To Serve
Advent Litany
Light and peace to you through our Lord Jesus Christ!
Grace and peace be unto you!
Why do we light this candle?
The joy of the Lord is our strength. It is as a fire within us. We praise God for the joy he has given us.
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones.
We will sing for joy at the works of his hands. We sing for joy for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We sing for joy because he who is our joy has come.
V The Candle of Joy is Lit
The Lord delivered this to us through the prophets:
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as hell or high as heaven. Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?”
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
O Come let us adore him, he who is our joy!
Announcements
Next Sunday’s worship will be at the regular time – 10am.
There will be no evening Christmas Eve Service at Long Branch this year. Middleburg’s candlelight Christmas Eve service will be at 5:30pm.
The new Celebration Hymnals have been ordered (I got 30 + an organ edition). They should arrive soon.
Scripture Reading- Luke 1:46 – 56 (The Magnificat)
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. … 37 nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.
Title: Everything Changes
Text: Luke 1.46 – 56
MP: Humility is the right response to salvation
FCF: Mary’s song teaches us how to accept a gift in way that is both grown-up and gracious: namely by putting the focus back on the giver.
SO:
Intro:
I am proud to report to you that Rachel knows why we celebrate Christmas. The other day, when a friend asked her what Christmas is all about, she answered right away: “It’s when we get presents.” Sadly, it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Now, Rachel is fixated on Mary right now, albeit because of a TV show she saw. And, that’s ok – because Mary is a central part of the Christmas story. And, this morning I want to suggest that Mary has a timely lesson for us in what it means to accept a present.
In a very real way, Christmas is about presents – but you and I both know the best kind of presents. It’s those unexpected things you didn’t even know you needed that you remember for years to come. They come from out of nowhere, and you know you’re blessed to have them. But the real key is realizing, it isn’t the gift but the gift giver who has blessed us, over and over again.
When we think about Mary and what she received from the Lord, our first instinct is rightly to focus on Jesus. But you know, it was actually two gifts she received that day. There was Jesus, to be sure, but look with me in your bulletin at what the Scripture says. There in verse 30 – it says, “Mary, you have found favor with God.”
Mary! God has totally focused on you. Isn’t that an amazing thought? Of all the women in all the world in all of history, God has picked you. Congratulations, honey – in the God lottery, your number just hit the jackpot.
But you know what Mary? Winning the lottery is the easy part. Knowing what to do with what you just won, now that’s a real dilemma.
How to accept a gift
Grown-up-ly (Everything changes)
Jack Whittaker, Finance expert Susan Baker calls it “Sudden Money Syndrome” Handling a gift involves a lot of stress. Learning to realize what is going to change is an important part
Look at how different everything is b/c of Jesus
Graciously (Humility)
-Everything about the song is a reversal of fortune, accepted meekly.
- Even when she gets into the really radical stuff, she’s pointing back to God
Giver-centrically (point back to God)
- So, how to do it? Viv Robinson’s story
- For all of the wrangling between Ps & Cs about Mary’s status, notice how much Mary talks about herself, vs. how much she talked about God.
- We’ve all won a lottery of sorts. Oh, our jackpot isn’t taken in a lump sum – it’s an eternal annuity of forgiveness.
Imagine if you were Mary. Talk about the ultimate lucky break, no? Here you are, just a simple peasant girl who doubtless feels happy if her father notices her – and darn sure that no-one else will. She probably isn’t going to be remembered for anything.
Oh wait, and now, she’s pregnant. Maybe she’ll be remembered in her hometown after all. In that way, if you know what I mean. Maybe not so lucky after all. Once you’ve started down that road, everything changes.
But then, seemingly from out of nowhere, this angel tells you “Mary, you are chosen. You are going to be the vessel through which the whole is going to be saved.” You may as well know, your son’s name – Yeshua – God is gonna save. That deliverer you’ve been praying for? He’s here, and he’s your son.
Guess what, everything changes.
Look at how different everything is because of Jesus – Mary recognizes this. She says
(v52) – The powerful are toppled, the powerless are lifted up
(v53) – The rich get poor, the poor get fed
(v54) – Israel is getting justice, but there will be mercy too.
In short, because of Jesus, everything changes.
Lottery winner – wouldn’t it be to win? We all want that lucky break.
- Story of Jack Whittaker
Mary won lottery too. Why her? Nothing special – but b/c of Jesus she knows she will be blessed forever. But not in the way we expect – everything changes.
Salvation is the same for us. It’s the ultimate lucky break – not getting the judgment we deserve. But that shouldn’t puff us up, it should make us grateful.
You have won the God lottery just as much as Mary. So, take some advice from her on how to live – humbly transformed and blessed for what you will become.
http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Viv_Nicholson.html
Warning: She’s Jehovah’s Witness!
Viv Nicholson
Source: "You Ask the Questions: Questions and Answers with Viv Nicholson," London Independent, October 20, 1999, page 8
URL: http://witnesses.about.com/religion/witnesses/library/news/excerpts/bl_99-10-20_you-ask-the-questions.htm
Viv Nicholson became the biggest Pools winner in history in 1961, collecting pounds 152,319 - the equivalent of pounds 5m today. She promised the nation she was going to "spend, spend, spend".
A factory worker and mother of four, Viv lived in her home town of Castleford, Yorkshire, at the time. She bought a large bungalow with her second husband, Keith Nicholson, they sent their children to boarding school, and turned to a life of constant drinking, partying and shopping.
Over the next 15 years, her husband died in a car crash, she remarried three times, dyed her hair to match her cars, and travelled the world spending all her money. Eventually, she was reduced to stripping in a club, and consoled herself with alcohol.
Since then, Viv’s life has changed dramatically. She has returned to Castleford, lives with her granddaughter, Brooke, and is now a devout Jehovah’s Witness. At 62, she lives on a state pension, and has a job as a perfume sales assistant. She still loves to shop. A musical about her life, Spend, Spend, Spend, is at the Piccadilly Theatre in London, starring Barbara Dickson.
Do you buy lottery tickets now? And what’s your favourite scratchcard?
No I don’t buy lottery tickets or scratchcards. I am a Jehovah’s Witness now and have been for 21 years. Gambling is not allowed.
What do you think of those lottery winners who say the money won’t change their lives?
You read about them every other week and they say that their lives will not change. Then you read about them later and their lives have changed. It makes some people lonely. One winner went to live in Spain and had to come back because he was drinking too much. Some people’s wives leave them. I think it’s silly to say that the money won’t change your life.
Did people treat you differently when you had lots of money?
This was strange. When we won the money, we were sent to Coventry by the people in Garforth, where we lived. They didn’t want me on the same housing estate. No one spoke to us and it was hard for me to speak to anyone. Had someone moved next door I would have made myself known to them and been friendly. It was very lonely. After about four years, people started being OK, but it was too late by then. Even my old friends left me. They said they didn’t want people thinking that they were going about with me because I had money. It’s sad, because they were lovely people.
Were you worried about having a musical made of your life?
I was. When I gave my consent, I never really thought anything would happen with it. I just left it with Justin and Steve [Justin Greene and Steve Brown, who wrote the lyrics and music for Spend, Spend, Spend]. Then, two years later, they’d done it and announced that they were going to the Leeds Playhouse. I was saying to myself, "Oh no, what have I done?" I was living a quiet life as a Jehovah’s Witness and was happy. I was worried that it would rake up my past again.
Do people recognise you when you knock on people’s doors as a Jehovah’s Witness?
Yes they do. Some look at me and say: "I know who you are." Then they close the door on me. Others are happy to see me. They say: "Hey, you’re Viv Nicholson, aren’t you?" But I never think of who I am at all when I knock on people’s doors. I go as myself, rather than as a famous person.
Are you at all bitter and twisted, or quite happy with your lot?
I’m quite happy with my lot. I’m a happy chappy. I can make any situation happy. You don’t have to have money to be happy....
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=196&art_id=vn20060925091642191C976885
By Heinz de Boer
Houses, cars, Church construction projects and huge parties are some of the more common luxuries South Africa’s more than 650 Lotto winners have spent their cash on.
But according to Uthingo spokesperson, Shenanda Janse Van Rensburg, the winners’ advisers have derived almost as much enjoyment from sharing in the sometimes bitter-sweet excitement of the winners.
Based throughout the country, the five advisers are tasked with playing ’big brother’ to instant millionaires who are often a little daunted by their new-found financial freedom.
"While providing a crucial service to Lotto jackpot winners by helping them cope with their instant millionaire status, winners’ advisers also get caught up in the sudden welcome turmoil that follows a major win.
"They help winners keep a cool head while coming to grips with the sudden change in their fortunes and also have interesting tales to tell about the sudden change in a person’s financial circumstances," said Janse van Rensburg.
For KwaZulu-Natal adviser Nonhlanhla Sabelo, an asthmatic’s near-death scramble to collect his R23 million jackpot stands out as one of her more memorable yet frightening experiences.
Nothing, not even an asthma attack he had on learning he had won could keep the 59-year-old man from collecting his prize.
"Despite being ill, the man insisted on collecting his money immediately. He could not drive himself to our office and I had to fetch him from Richards Bay, but not before he had visited a doctor for treatment," said Sabelo.
"There are no escalators or lifts to reach our first floor office. After climbing two flights of stairs, the man began breathing like he was going to have another asthma attack and I was scared. The meeting with him took longer than usual because he insisted on taking smoke breaks in between," she said.
Other memorable winners have in most cases used their cash to uplift the lives of their families and those around them.
People like former truck driver Eddy, who survived a horrific car accident and went on to build a church in Kgapane Township near Tzaneen with a portion of his R7-million jackpot.
"He truly believed God had spared his life because he wanted him to turn his lifelong dream of building a church for the community into a reality," said Gauteng advisor, Victor Singo.
Then there were winners like Lydia Nkhoma of Naboomspruit. A former cleaner in a hotel, Lydia not only donated money to her Church, but also built 10 houses for her family.
Another Eastern Cape winner created a better life for 31 families by providing employment through businesses he established with his R4.6 million payout.
But, while the joy of winning prompted the large majority into socially responsible avenues, an unemployed man walked the painful road of coping with his personal rags to riches issues.
The man got married and lost most of his R1,8-million to swindlers as he battled his drinking problem. His personal battle continued as he contracted TB, forcing his adviser to intervene and admit him to hospital.
"Fortunately today he has stopped drinking and is now leading a steady life."
o This article was originally published on page 6 of Daily News on September 25, 2006
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/8lotteryWinnersWhoLostTheirMillions.aspx?page=all
8 lottery winners who lost their millions
Having piles of cash only compounds problems for some people. Here are sad tales of foolishness, hit men, greedy relatives and dreams dashed.
By Bankrate.com
For a lot of people, winning the lottery is the American dream. But for many lottery winners, the reality is more like a nightmare.
"Winning the lottery isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be," says Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery not just once, but twice (1985, 1986), to the tune of $5.4 million. Today the money is all gone and Adams lives in a trailer.
"I won the American dream but I lost it, too. It was a very hard fall. It’s called rock bottom," says Adams.
"Everybody wanted my money. Everybody had their hand out. I never learned one simple word in the English language -- ’No.’ I wish I had the chance to do it all over again. I’d be much smarter about it now," says Adams, who also lost money at the slot machines in Atlantic City.
"I was a big-time gambler," admits Adams. "I didn’t drop a million dollars, but it was a lot of money. I made mistakes, some I regret, some I don’t. I’m human. I can’t go back now so I just go forward, one step at a time."
Living on food stamps
William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives on his Social Security.
"I wish it never happened. It was totally a nightmare," says Post.
A former girlfriend successfully sued him for a share of his winnings. It wasn’t his only lawsuit. A brother was arrested for hiring a hit man to kill him, hoping to inherit a share of the winnings. Other siblings pestered him until he agreed to invest in a car business and a restaurant in Sarasota, Fla., -- two ventures that brought no money back and further strained his relationship with his siblings.
Post even spent time in jail for firing a gun over the head of a bill collector. Within a year, he was $1 million in debt.
Post admitted he was both careless and foolish, trying to please his family. He eventually declared bankruptcy.
Now he lives quietly on $450 a month and food stamps.
"I’m tired, I’m over 65 years old, and I just had a serious operation for a heart aneurysm. Lotteries don’t mean (anything) to me," says Post.
Deeper in debt
Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in the Virginia lottery in 1993. Now she’s deeply in debt to a company that lent her money using the winnings as collateral.
She borrowed $197,746.15, which she agreed to pay back with her yearly checks from the Virginia lottery through 2006. When the rules changed allowing her to collect her winnings in a lump sum, she cashed in the remaining amount. But she stopped making payments on the loan.
She blamed the debt on the lengthy illness of her uninsured son-in-law, who needed $1 million for medical bills.
Mark Kidd, the Roanoke, Va., lawyer who represented the Singer Asset Finance Company who sued Mullins, confirms her plight. He won a judgment for the company against Mullins for $154,147 last May, but they have yet to collect a nickel.
"My understanding is she has no assets," says Kidd.
Back to the basics
Ken Proxmire was a machinist when he won $1 million in the Michigan lottery. He moved to California and went into the car business with his brothers. Within five years, he had filed for bankruptcy.
"He was just a poor boy who got lucky and wanted to take care of everybody," explains Ken’s son Rick.
"It was a hell of a good ride for three or four years, but now he lives more simply. There’s no more talk of owning a helicopter or riding in limos. We’re just everyday folk. Dad’s now back to work as a machinist," says his son.
Willie Hurt of Lansing, Mich., won $3.1 million in 1989. Two years later he was broke and charged with murder. His lawyer says Hurt spent his fortune on a divorce and crack cocaine.
Charles Riddle of Belleville, Mich., won $1 million in 1975. Afterward, he got divorced, faced several lawsuits and was indicted for selling cocaine.
Missourian Janite Lee won $18 million in 1993. Lee was generous to a variety of causes, giving to politics, education and the community. But according to published reports, eight years after winning, Lee had filed for bankruptcy with only $700 left in two bank accounts and no cash on hand.
One Southeastern family won $4.2 million in the early ’90s. They bought a huge house and succumbed to repeated family requests for help in paying off debts.
The house, cars and relatives ate the whole pot. Eleven years later, the couple is divorcing, the house is sold and they have to split what is left of the lottery proceeds. The wife got a very small house. The husband has moved in with the kids. Even the life insurance they bought ended up getting cashed in.
"It was not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," says their financial advisor.
Luck is fleeting
These sad-but-true tales are not uncommon, say the experts.
"For many people, sudden money can cause disaster," says Susan Bradley, a certified financial planner in Palm Beach, Fla., and founder of the Sudden Money Institute, a resource center for new money recipients and their advisors.
"In our culture, there is a widely held belief that money solves problems. People think if they had more money, their troubles would be over. When a family receives sudden money, they frequently learn that money can cause as many problems as it solves," she says.
Craig Wallace, a senior funding officer for a company that buys lottery annuity payments in exchange for lump sums, agrees.
"Going broke is a common malady, particularly with the smaller winners. Say you’ve won $1 million. What you’ve really won is a promise to be paid $50,000 a year. People win and they think they’re millionaires. They go out and buy houses and cars and before they know it, they’re in way over their heads," he says.
Are you really a ’millionaire’?
Part of the problem is that the winners buy into the hype.
"These people believe they are millionaires. They buy into the hype, but most of these people will go to their graves without ever becoming a millionaire," says Wallace, who has been in the business for almost a decade.
"In New Jersey, they manipulate the reality of the situation to sell more tickets. Each winner takes a picture with a check that becomes a 3-foot by 5-foot stand-up card. The winner is photographed standing next to a beautiful woman and the caption reads: ’New Jersey’s newest millionaire.’"
Winning plays a game with your head
Bradley, who authored "Sudden Money: Managing a Financial Windfall," says winners get into trouble because they fail to address the emotional connection to the windfall.
"There are two sides to money. The interior side is the psychology of money and the family relationship to money. The exterior side is the tax codes, the money allocation, etc."
"The goal is to integrate the two. People who can’t integrate their interior relationship with money appropriately are more likely to crash and burn," says Bradley.
"Often they can keep the money and lose family and friends -- or lose the money and keep the family and friends -- or even lose the money and lose the family and friends."
Bill Pomeroy, a certified financial planner in Baton Rouge, La., has dealt with a number of lottery winners who went broke.
"Because the winners have a large sum of money, they make the mistake of thinking they know what they’re doing. They are willing to plunk down large sums on investments they know nothing about or go in with a partner who may not know how to run a business."
What if you get so (un)lucky?
To offset some bad early decision-making and the inevitable requests of friends, relatives and strangers, Bradley recommends lottery winners start by setting up a DFZ or decision-free zone.
"Take time out from making any financial decisions," she says. "Do this right away. For some people, it’s smart to do it before you even get your hands on the money.
"People who are not used to having money are fragile and vulnerable, and there are plenty of people out there who are willing to prey on that vulnerability -- even friends and family," she cautions.
"It’s not a time to decide what stocks to buy or jump into a new house purchase or new business venture.
"It’s a time to think things through, sort things out and seek an advisory team to help make those important financial choices."
As an example, Bradley says that people who come into a windfall will typically put buying a house as No. 1 in list of 12 choices, while investing is No. 11.
"You really don’t want to buy a new house before taking the time to think about what the consequences are.
"A lot of people who don’t have money don’t realize how much it costs to live in a big house -- decorators, furniture, taxes, insurance, even utility costs are greater. People need a reality check before they sign the contract," she says.
Evelyn Adams, the N.J. lottery double-winner, learned these lessons the hard way.
"There are a lot of people out there like me who don’t know how to deal with money," laments Adams. "Hey, some people went broke in six months. At least I held on for a few years."
(For more information on dealing with a sudden change in your fortunes, read "You’re suddenly rich? Bummer," on MSN Money.)
By Ellen Goodstein, Bankrate.com
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/12/national/main605557.shtml
This illustration is probably the best – salvation without transformation doesn’t do anything. Here’s a guy who started out doing the right things, but his inner character kept trying to come out (strip clubs, gambling) – What is needed is more than a ‘lucky break’ – its total transformation…
Tough Times For Powerball Winner
Wife Says $314 Million Jackpot Brought Husband String Of Trouble
CHARLESTON, W. Va., Dec. 14, 2004
Andrew Jackson Whittaker Jr., winner of Powerball $314-million jackpot, with wife Jewel. (AP)
Quote
"I wish all of this never would have happened. I wish I would have torn the ticket up."
Jewel Whittaker
(AP) The world’s first glimpse of Jack Whittaker, winner of the richest undivided lottery jackpot in U.S. history, was of a boisterous, happy-go-lucky guy in a big cowboy hat who loved his family, work and God and promised to share his good fortune with the church and the poor.
Two years later, the picture the public is seeing now is a mug shot of a haggard, somber Whittaker.
Whittaker, 57, has been arrested twice for drunken driving in the past year and has been ordered to go into rehab by Jan. 2 for a 28-day stay. He also faces charges he attacked a bar manager, and is accused in two lawsuits of making trouble at a nightclub and a racetrack.
"That’s probably the unfortunate situation of maybe having too much money, too much time on his hands," said Steve Zubrzycki, who works for a company that started selling "Where’s Jack?" T-shirts after authorities issued an arrest warrant for Whittaker earlier this month.
Although he was already a wealthy contractor, Whittaker became an instant celebrity on Christmas Day 2002 after winning a $314.9 million Powerball jackpot. He took his winnings in a lump sum of $113 million after taxes, and at a news conference in which he came across as a jolly saint, he promised to donate one-tenth to his church and contribute to other causes.
He soon created a charity to help people find jobs, buy food or get an education; he split $7 million among three churches; and he gave money to improve a Little League park and buy playground equipment and coloring books for children.
But in August 2003, a briefcase containing $545,000 in cash and cashier’s checks was stolen from Whittaker’s sport utility vehicle while it was parked at a strip club, and police disclosed that Whittaker not only frequented strip clubs but was also a high-stakes gambler - which is why he was carrying so much cash.
The break-in was the first of several thefts involving Whittaker’s vehicle, his office and his house in Scott Depot, a booming bedroom community of about 8,000 situated between Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia’s two biggest cities.
One of the thefts occurred at his home on the same day an 18-year-old friend of Whittaker’s granddaughter was found dead there. The death remains under investigation. Whittaker was out of town at the time, but the young man’s death made the lottery winner part of yet another front-page story.
Last week, Whittaker reported that his 17-year-old granddaughter was missing. The family had not seen or heard from Brandi Lasha Bragg since Dec. 4. Authorities are investigating.
In May, two men sued Whittaker, claiming they were injured when they were tossed out of a nightclub at his request. In another lawsuit, three female employees of a racetrack claim Whittaker assaulted them last year.
On Monday, Whittaker pleaded no contest to a battery charge and was fined $100 and ordered to begin attending weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings within 15 days. He was accused of threatening and assaulting a bar manager in January.
"As if we needed another hit on our image as a backward, hillbilly state, along comes Jack Whittaker to reinforce the comedy cracks like Jay Leno makes," groused Dewey Large of Princeton. "This clown is not capable of handling a $10 bill, much less all those millions. Every time you turn around he’s having trouble with the laws of our state. What a waste of all that money."
Whittaker has donated more than $20 million to charity since winning the lottery, said his lawyer, Norm Daniels.
Today, his charitable foundation is closed, according to a secretary at Whittaker’s company. The legal troubles have raised questions about whether he will be able to fulfill his many promises to help others.
Whittaker declined comment Monday, and his lawyers did not respond to requests for an interview. He told The Associated Press last year that he had been bombarded with requests for help, and the fame was taking a toll on his family.
"If I had to do it all over, I’d be more secluded about it," he said. "I’d do the same things, but I’d be a little more quiet."
Whittaker’s wife, Jewel Whittaker, told the Charleston Gazette she regrets the win that thrust the family into the public spotlight.
"I wish all of this never would have happened," Jewel Whittaker said. "I wish I would have torn the ticket up."
Lottery winners commonly regret being so public about their windfalls, said Susan Bradley, founder of the Sudden Money Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
"You’re really in an international spotlight," Bradley said. "The expectations of you are just - it never ends. It’s exaggerated by anyone who feels they are entitled or have an opportunity to grab a piece of it."
As for Whittaker, "I think it’s pretty sad, really," said Jerry Medley of Hurricane. "It just goes to show money can’t always buy happiness." He added: "I don’t have no bad feelings about the guy. I just hope he gets his life straight. I think he could do some good with the money."
By Kelley Schoonover
©MMIV The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
