Luck

In a remarkable twist of fate, a couple from Bowling Green, Kentucky experienced the rare joy of winning the lottery twice—first by winning the prize and then by finding their lost ticket.

In November, the Kentucky Lottery announced that Mark Perdue and his wife were the winners of $50,000. Mark Perdue recalled the moment when he realized he won, recalling the store owner's words of congratulations.

“I said, ‘For what?’ And she said, ‘You won the lottery.’ I said, ‘I wish.’ She said, ‘You did, I have you on video.’”

However, the Perdue’s rejoicing turned to despair when they couldn’t find the ticket. Despite their best efforts, the ticket remained missing for several days, leading them to believe it had been accidentally discarded. His wife said, “I’ve been beating myself up for three months thinking I threw this ticket away.”

However, the story took a fortunate turn three months later in February. Mark was inspecting a company car, and found the ticket. He rarely does such inspections, but a visitor needed transportation, which prompted it.

“I don’t know how long it might have sat out there if I hadn’t needed the car,” he mused. The discovery left him visibly shaken.

With the ticket finally in hand, the couple visited the lottery headquarters the next day, and received a check for $36,000 after taxes. Reflecting on their plans for the money, the couple expressed a desire to clear debts and perhaps celebrate their good fortune with a trip.

Possible Preaching Angle:

You should use caution in using this illustration because it is not intended to encourage anyone to play the lottery. But, this does illustrate the elation of those who find what they believe was irretrievably lost, such as woman who found the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10).

In a fictional YouTube video, the main character, Eric, is walking his dog Nova. The dog sees a rabbit, runs after it, pulling the leash from Eric's hand. The dog is soon lost and Eric spends several days frantically searching for Nova. After a week Eric is devastated. He is upset about the bad luck of a rabbit jumping out just at the wrong time and leading Nova on a wild chase.

After another week a woman, Vanessa, rings Eric's doorbell with Nova in tow. After the emotional reunion with Nova, Eric slowly gets to know Vanessa and they fall in love. Eric realizes how lucky they were that Vanessa was at the right place at the right time to find Nova.

Two months later as Eric is driving to visit Vanessa, he is T-boned by a negligent driver. He suffers a severe head injury and tests are immediately done at the hospital. He is furious that his life could be ruined by this random accident when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The next day the doctor tells him of the results of the CT scan. There is a tumor growing in his brain. It had nothing to do with the accident, from which Eric would make a full recovery. The tumor was discovered because of the accident and the CT scan. It was in its early stages, and could effectively be treated. Normally the tumor is discovered when there are symptoms, when it is almost always too late. The doctor tells him the car accident saved his life.

A week later Eric has successful brain surgery. Days later Eric is at home, recovering, with Vanessa. To get some fresh air he takes Nova out for a walk.

You can watch this 6 min. video here.

Possible Preaching Angle:

This short story video is quite compelling and an excellent illustration for Bible verses like “All things work together....” (Rom. 8:28), facing trials (Jam.1:2-4) and restoration after suffering (1 Pet. 5:10). Christians are often perplexed by the things happening to them but God intends that good should come out of evil. (Gen 50:20)

The next time LeQuedra Edwards unexpectedly bumps into someone, she might expect more than just an awkward situation. Because her last unexpected bump resulted in some very good fortune. Edwards was in a convenience store when she spent $40 on a lottery vending machine. However, when she went to make her selection, a rude patron bumped into her, causing her to push an unintended number on the machine. Edwards said, “He just bumped into me, didn't say a thing and just walked out the door.”

Instead of spending money on several lower-priced tickets as usual, she ended up spending most of her money on a $30 Scratchers ticket. But her irritation quickly faded after she went to the car, scratched off the numbers on her ticket, and realized that she’d won the grand prize of $10 million.

She said, "I didn't really believe it at first, but I got on the freeway and kept looking down at (the ticket) and I almost crashed my car. I pulled over, looked at it again and again, scanned it with my app and I just kept thinking, 'This can't be right.'"

According to the news release, Edwards plans to use her winnings to buy a house and launch a nonprofit organization.

Possible Preaching Angle:

Even our accidents can be redeemed by God for our good.

On May 25, 1979, Denis Waitley was desperately trying to catch a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. When he arrived at his gate, they had just closed the jetway. Denis begged them to let him on that airplane. No luck! Out of breath and out of patience, he made his way to the ticket counter to register a complaint and rebook his travel. While he was waiting in line, an announcement came over the airport intercom. AA Flight 191 to Los Angeles had crashed upon takeoff.

The engine on the left wing of that DC-10 sepa­rated from the airplane right after takeoff. The unbalanced aerodynam­ics caused the plane to roll, a roll from which it could not recover. All 271 people on board died in the crash. It was the deadliest aviation accident in United States history.

That near-death experience had a life-altering impact on Denis Waitley. Had he been on time, it would have been the last day of his life. Needless to say, he never registered his complaint. In fact, he never re­turned his ticket for Flight 191. He took his paper ticket and put it in a visible place in his office. On difficult days, the days when he felt like throwing in the towel, all it took was one glance at that ticket to regain perspective. That ticket was a constant reminder that every day is a gift.

Samuel Kempf was in Spain representing New Zealand in the Fistballing World Championship when he took a break to ride a rollercoaster. While he was on the ride, he showed off his considerable coordination and fist skills.

During the beginning of the ride, Kempf noticed that another man had dropped his phone on the floor of his car. Because of the ride’s safety restraints, he was unable to pick it up. While pointing out the man’s predicament, Kempf joked to his brother and others around him that they should “get ready to catch.” Sure enough, that’s exactly what he did.

Kempf said, “The ride started and I totally forgot about it because I was just in the moment. And then after the first drop we rose up and I just saw the phone drift across my view, so I reached out and managed to catch it.”

After the ride, Kempf reached out to give the grateful man his phone back, and was surprised to find that the ride’s reaction video apparatus had recorded his miraculous catch. As a token of gratitude, the man purchased the video memento.

Potential Preaching Angles: Even things that seem like blind luck are within God's control, because God is sovereign and all-powerful and rules of all things and people. That said, both the righteous and the unrighteous suffer setbacks and triumphs alike. God's ways are not always completely understandable to mortals like ourselves.

Local police are convinced that a driver owes his recent good fortune to divine intervention after a pigeon prevented the person from being cited for speeding. In this particular area of western Germany, offenders are typically identified by the speed cameras installed at traffic lights. But when police reviewed the photo of one particular offender, the driver’s face was obscured by the image of a spread-winged pigeon that happened to swoop in at just the right moment. Referencing Ascension Day on the church calendar, police were quoted as saying “the Holy Ghost must’ve had a plan.”

The driver was spared a fine of 105 euro (about $117) thanks to the pigeon that police referred to as “the feathered guardian angel.” Nonetheless, they hope the driver will take it “as a sign from above” to slow down on the roadway.

Potential Preaching Angles: Sometimes God provides at just the right moment in order to send an unmistakable message of hope. Sometimes an act of mercy is what we need to change our behavior.

A Korean War veteran by the name of Laurel Hunsinger told friends and family that, "When I worked on the flight line in Korea and flew combat missions, there was a post set in the ground that everyone had to walk past. Someone had carved into the post these words: “You always have two chances.” When I asked what that meant, I was told that when you fly a combat mission, you have two chances: You'll make it back to the base or you'll be shot down. If you are shot down, you have two chances: You'll survive the crash or you won't. If you survive the crash, you have two chances: You'll evade the enemy or you'll be captured. If you are captured, you have two chances: You'll live through being a prisoner or you won't. If you die as a prisoner, well, you still have two chances.

(In 1953, Laurel's plane was shot down 15 miles inside North Korea. Though severely injured, the entire crew survived and was rescued. Laurel died January 6, 2018 and is buried in Little River, KS).

Possible Preaching Angle:

Life might seem like a series of events controlled only by random chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11 “time and chance happen to them all”). But for the believer there is the absolute certainty that God is at work behind the scenes of our lives to bring about his perfect will (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 1:9-11) for our good (Romans 8:28).

Friday the 13th isn't an unlucky day—unless you have "friggatriskaidekaphobia." That's the term psychologists give the small number people who are afraid of Friday the 13th. It's named after Frigga, the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named, and triskaidekaphobia, meaning fear of the number thirteen.

A study done by the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute revealed that "17-21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day." The head of the study said, "It's been estimated that $800-$900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do."

Why fear a simple number like 13? Apparently, numerologists considered 12 to a "complete number" because it represents the number of months in a year, the gods of Olympus, the tribes of Israel and the apostles of Jesus. For this reason the number 13 has long been considered unlucky because it is not 12 and thus causes a lot of anxiety in the world when it lands on a Friday.

Potential Preaching Angles: Fear is a big determining factor in a lot of the decisions we make. But Scripture reveals to us that perfect love casts out fear. When we put our trust in our heavenly Father, those things that we feared begin to fade away. Maybe not right away, like moving on to the next day after a Friday the 13th, but later we can look back and see how God's love shepherded us through our fears.

It's the time of year when large groups of Bolivian Catholics participate in a ritual meant to bring good luck to their lives. Thousands of people gathered outside of the Bolivian capital of Paz recently to try to break apart rocks. The tradition comes from a legend that the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd girl to take rocks from a nearby river, which then turned into silver. The tradition says that if a rock is more easily split, one's wish will be fulfilled more quickly. "You can ask for a house, a car, all your wishes are fulfilled," said one particular believer named Ricardo. "I broke the rock with a second blow and in a third attempt. I have been able to buy a house and also a car."

We probably read this example of misguided tradition and fail to relate. After all, there are countless warnings in both the Old and New Testaments about blurring the lines of culture and sound doctrine—a practice called syncretism. Yet how similarly do we blur the lines between what our culture wants (flashiness, entertainment, pleasure) and what God demands (sacrifice, faithfulness, holiness)?

Philip Griffin, in his sermon "A God Who Redeems," writes:

I saw a sign once that I love—a lost dog sign. There was a big cash reward for whoever found the lost dog, and a description of the dog. It said: "He's only got three legs, he's blind in the left eye, he's missing a right ear, his tail has been broken off, he was neutered accidentally by a fence—ouch!—he's almost deaf, and he answers by the name 'Lucky.'"

That dog isn't lucky! He's been through a whole lot of mess. But he's lucky because he's got an owner who loves him and wants him back. That's what redemption is all about!

David Wayne Sharpton, 54, has won major prizes in the Georgia lottery not once, not twice, but three times. In 2004 he won $350,000; in 2005 he won $1 million; and in February 2007 he won $2.5 million.

Sharpton continues to work at his job as a restaurant-oven repairman, though his accrued winnings have given him more than enough to retire. He has a different take on what it means to be wealthy.

"Am I the luckiest man alive?" he asks. "I suppose so. I got [sic] a pretty good circle of friends, a wonderful job, and a beautiful wife."

After a night out with friends, David Brown, an Englishman, woke up with a series of random numbers on his mind. After much internal debate as to why they were there, he sent a text message to the listing, asking, "Did I meet you last night?" The recipient was a confused Michelle Kitson, who lived just 60 miles from Brown. They had not met the night before, but over time, they would meet. In fact, five years after the first text message was sent, the two married.

"She really is the girl of my dreams," Brown says.

Signs is the story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who wake up one morning to find a 500-foot crop circle in the middle of their cornfield. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), his brother Merril (Joaquin Phoenix), and Graham's two children, Morgan and Bo, watch TV news reports with growing alarm as they learn that the crop circle in their corn field is similar to others around the world—all the products of an alien invasion force. On the TV screen they see 14 lights in the night sky over Mexico City, visual evidence of the invaders.

Merril turns to Graham, a former pastor who has lost his faith, for some comfort.

"Some people think this is the end of the world," Merril muses. "Is it true? Do you think it could be?"

"Yes," Graham flatly replies.

Alarmed by his brother's response, Merril questions, "How can you say that?"

"That wasn't the answer you wanted?" Graham asks.

Full of fear, Merril demands, "Couldn't you pretend to be like you used to be? Give me some comfort."

Graham explains, "People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than a coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence that there is someone up there, watching out for them.

"Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance. You can be sure that the people in group number two are looking at those 14 lights in a very suspicious way. For them, their situation is 50/50. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own.

"And that fills them with fear. But, there's a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those 14 lights, they're looking at a miracle, and deep down they feel that whatever's going to happen, there will be someone to help them. And that fills them with hope. So what you have to ask yourself: What kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, and sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or look at the question this way. Is it possible that there are no coincidences?

Elapsed time: Measured from the opening credits, this scene begins at 00:40:00 and lasts for approximately two minutes.

Content: Signs is rated PG-13 for language and frightening moments.

Lt. George Dixon was a genteel, well-respected man in the Confederate Army. In the early days of the war, his fiancée gave him a $20 gold piece. During the battle of Shiloh, a union minie ball struck him—actually it struck the gold coin, which saved his life. The coin, soundly dented, was to remain with him wherever he went. It became his good luck piece, and he would often be seen kneading the coin in his hand.

And where did Lt. Dixon take the coin? Onto the C.S.S. Hunley, the confederate submarine he staunchly believed could break the Union blockade. After sinking the U.S.S. Housatonic, the Hunley herself sank, taking Lt. Dixon and his crew to their deaths. Ultimately, his golden good luck piece could not save him. Recently the coin was found when the submarine was raised.

Man seeks out and trusts in many forms of security. Ultimately there is only one source of life and security: Jesus.

You don't just luck into things as much as you'd like to think you do. You build step by step, whether it's friendships or opportunities.

[A]s somebody said, ... "Coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous."