The Rich Fool

Once upon a time in Silicon Valley there lived a very important and educated man. He routinely worked twelve to fourteen-hour days. Even when he wasn’t at work, he found himself thinking of work so that it was not only his occupation, but his preoccupation as well. He was vaguely aware that his kids were growing up and he was missing it. But he also reasoned that he was working for them and their future security. Making it big was important to him, partly because of what it could do for his family, but mostly for what it would do for him. One day he woke up to find his company doing so well it became necessary for him to lead his company through a technological revolution. This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for! He brushed up on his leadership and passionately poured himself out for the benefit of his company. When he arrived home that night, he told his wife, “Our future is secure! This means we can relax and enjoy life more. Let’s take that vacation together you’ve been talking about.” That night his wife woke up around 3:00 a.m. and noticed her husband wasn’t beside her. She found him hunched over his desk and touched him on the shoulder. He was cold. His death was a major story in the financial community. His obituary was written up in Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. At his funeral, his friends and co-workers gathered and talked about what an entrepreneur and innovator He had been. They buried him at the cemetery, and then all went home to get on with their lives. That night the angel of God made his way past all this other graves to the newly dug grave of this man. There on that tombstone the angel of God traced with his finger the 1 word God used to describe this man: “Fool.” By now you may have recognized this story as an updated story that Jesus actually told 2,000 years ago. In this story, Jesus doesn’t call this man wicked or evil, but simply a fool. Why? Join us this Sunday to find out! It’s going to be a powerful weekend, and you won’t want to miss it.