”Finishing Well”, “It Is Hard to Finish Well”, Finishing Strong are some of the sermons, books and articles I have studied for this writing. I was sobered by Dr. J. Robert Clinton’s, Professor at Fuller Seminary, work wherein he tallied that only 30% of the leaders described in the Bible finished well. I’m a little fuzzy on the criteria he used to determine which leaders finished well and which ones did not. So I’m just considering a 10,000 foot view of this topic. I studied lives of guys in the Bible and guys today who had reached a high level of influence and responsibility in politics, government, business, church or sports. Be sure you understand that I know that I am a sinner as is every living person. My objective is not to criticize, but to learn from the mistakes others have made. Then maybe you and I won’t commit the same mistakes they did. And be reminded, we all have influence and responsibilities to a large or small group of folks. So this lesson is important to us all. King David of the Bible went from farm boy to God’s pick at the age of approximately 10 to be king over God’s chosen people. After handling heavy duty opposition in a very Godly manner, David, about 53 years old, had established a large and prosperous kingdom at peace. Then at about age 55 he made the very harmful choice of deliberately summoning another man’s wife to his palace bed chambers for sex. More bad choices of lying, murdering and abusing authority got him and his kingdom deeper into trouble. Why? Why did David go from the youngest of a large farm family to risking his life obeying God’s call to the world’s pinnacle of prestige, fortune and power, and then to, Boom!, in one evening he forever severely harms his family, his kingdom and God’s work by a big, bad choice. King David is one example from the Bible of not finishing well. The recent and current news frequently has examples of not finishing strong – Mark Sanford, Mark Souder, Mark Foley, David Peterson, John Edwards, Charles Rangel, Eliot Spitzer, Ted Haggard, Tiger Woods, Bernard Ebbers… Some of these names are not familiar to you, but they were all significantly successful in their vocation and had been for many years. Then later in life, many of these in their 50’s and 60’s, committed actions that badly harmed their families, constituents, businesses and others who relied and trusted in them. Why is it soooooo hard to finish life well? Especially, why is it sooooo hard to not make a big, bad choice after many years, maybe even many decades, of making almost all the right choices? Here are some highlights of what I learned to help us guard against making big, bad choices: Sex, money, power and pride are the most frequently traveled avenues to big, bad choices. So we should guard those areas of our life most diligently. And then do these things – work at what you do to bless people, not impress them; hone your character in prayer and Bible study – character is more important to finishing well than are skills and competencies; tell those close to you and show them in your actions that you still have much to learn, no matter how many years you have been doing your thing; give your time and money generously to God’s work so you won’t use too much of either on yourself; tell those who depend upon you how much they mean to you so they will be fresh in your mind whenever you are tempted to make a big, bad choice that would hurt them.
Hello to all our customers and friends, The weather patterns continue to bring nice rains for the crops that have been planted. A few areas are having a tough time planting milo and soybeans. Early reports of wheat harvest indicate some good to very good yields. There have been some losses to the great white harvester also known as hail. Recent storms, especially to the north and east of Beloit, have severely affected areas from Jewell to Hiawatha. It seems most of the state is ready to harvest at the same time as some of the local custom cutters are still in Oklahoma. The wheat looks ripe all the way to the Nebraska state line. The fat cattle price has backed down a couple of dollars /cwt but is still profitable with low feed costs. While the number of cattle placed on feed to fatten last month was up it was still behind placements compared to last year. The local cash wheat price is being impacted by the extreme basis being assessed by the big grain companies. It makes it very difficult to know how to market this commodity because the cash is so low and trying to protect oneself on the board of trade is risky; you don’t know if cash will come up to the board or if the board price will reduce to the cash price. One aspect seems to be clear, if you have good protein levels there will likely be premiums if you can sell it in a manner to retain it. We have plenty of problems with the gulf oil spill. The Huckabee Show demonstrated how oil is attracted to hay, straw, used carpet padding and several other simple solutions. It was so interesting I thought about doing it myself to prove it was not some slight of hand trick. Two farmers showed if you put hay or straw into a dishpan containing oil mixed with water and simulate wave action with a couple of swishes and then pull the hay or straw out, the water is clean. It was also demonstrated that used carpet backing material could do the same thing and be rinsed out and reused to capture more oil over and over again. When I watch the live reports I wonder how much of the smell and eye burning affects are from the oil and how much is from the dispersant. With the size of this spill one would think they would soon deplete the world supply of chemical dispersants. When it disperses the oil where does it go? Does it just emulsify the oil so it is a less noticeable coagulated goo? I wish they would figure out we need to cover vast areas of the gulf with wheat straw. The price of straw would shoot up and maybe offset the lousy grain price. Have as good of a harvest as possible and stay safe.
Untill next month. Myron
Introduction to Identity Theft
Videos
AVOID ID Theft - Provided by the Federal Trade Commission
Protecting Your Identity
The number of Americans who have experienced identity theft has surpassed 27 million, with the incidence rate increasing every year. Substantial measures are in place at your bank to protect your identity and your accounts against theft and fraud. For example, stringent bank privacy policies protect your personal and financial information. Password protection for online transactions help assure online security. When using our online services, you develop a secret password that only you know. Encryption of online transactions with your bank converts your information into secure code, protecting you against hackers.
Maximum security is possible only with your help. Here's what you can do to stop these crimes before they happen:
Do not give out financial information such as checking and credit card numbers, or your Social Security number, unless you know the person or organization.
Report lost or stolen check immediately. Your bank will block payment on them.
Notify your banker of suspicious phone inquiries such as those asking for account information to "verify a statement" or "award a prize."
Closely guard your ATM Personal Identification Number and ATM receipts.
Shred any financial solicitations and bank statements before disposing of them.
Put outgoing mail into a secure, official Postal Service collection box.
If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company to find out why.
If you bills include questionable items, don't ignore them. Instead, investigate immediately to head off any possible fraud.
Periodically contact the major credit reporting companies to review your file and make certain the information is correct. (See related article on the FACT Act to learn about obtaining free reports.)
Credit Reporting Bureaus
Equifax (www.equifax.com)
Place a fraud alert: 1-888-766-0008
Order a credit report: 1-800-685-1111
Experian (www.experian.com)
Place a fraud alert: 1-888-397-3742
Order a credit report: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion (www.transunion.com)
Place a fraud alert: 1-800-680-7289
Order a credit report: 1-800-888-4213
The bottom line: If you have any questions or concerns about protecting your financial identity, come in and visit your banker.
FACT Act Helps to Fight Identity Theft - Free credit report, other provisions help consumers
The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) will help reduce identity theft according to Congress and the Federal Trade Commission. For example, one provision requires the three major credit-reporting agencies to provide consumers with a free copy of their own credit report.
Another provision to help prevent identity theft is the National Fraud Alert System. Consumers who reasonably suspect they have been or may be victimized by identity theft, or who are military personnel on active duty away from home, can place an alert on their credit files. The alert will put potential creditors on notice that they must proceed with caution when granting credit.
Other measures will help consumers recover their credit reputation after they have been victimized:
Credit reporting agencies must stop reporting allegedly fraudulent account information when a customer establishes that he or she has been the victim of identity theft.
Creditors or businesses must provide copies of business records or fraudulent accounts or transactions related to them. This information can assist victims in proving that they are, in fact, victims.
Consumers will be allowed to report accounts affected by identity theft directly to creditors - in addition to credit reporting agencies - to prevent the spread of erroneous information.
Have you used The Guaranty's telebanking service? This service allows you to monitor your checking and savings account balances, verify a particular check amount, see if a check has cleared your account, transfer between accounts and even make a loan payment!
Try this service out - just phone 738-9988 (Beloit) or toll free 866-738-9988. It is simple and easy to use!
