The Gold Standard

Principal Financial Freezes 401(k) funds

Bill Littleboy — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:11:17 +0000

Without notice, Principal stopped allowing withdrawals from one of the accounts in many retirement portfolios. These funds may not be available for up to 3 full years! Here are some details.

Effective September 26, 2008 a provision that may cause a delay in certain withdrawal requests was applied to the Principal U.S. Property Separate Account under this retirement plan. As a result of these changes, participants will be unable to immediately affect investment transfers out of this Separate Account, obtain a loan from funds within this Separate Account, or obtain certain distributions, in full, from this Separate Account.

Requests for some withdrawal transactions from the Separate Account may be delayed or processed in phases as cash from the investments under the Separate Account becomes available to meet demand. This period, during which participants will be able to request such rights under the plan, however the complete exercise may be delayed, is called a “blackout period”. Note how this blackout period may affect retirement planning, as well as participant’s overall financial plan. The blackout period for this Separate Account under the plan began on September 26, 2008 and will end no later than September 26, 2011.

Should conditions change and this period may end earlier than this date, notification will be provided. During the blackout period participants will continue to be able to request transactions from this Separate Account. However a delay may be applied to certain transactions of this Separate Account. For this reason, it is very important that participants review and consider the appropriateness of their current investments in light of their inability to diversify those investments during the blackout period.

For long-term retirement security, participants should give careful consideration to the importance of a well-balanced and diversified investment portfolio, taking into account all their assets, income and investments.

Federal law generally requires that you be furnished notice of a blackout period at least 30 days in advance of the last date on which you could exercise your affective rights immediately before the commencement of any blackout period in order to provide you with sufficient time to consider the effect of the blackout period on your retirement and financial plans. Advance notice was not possible in this situation because notification of the provision could not be communicated in advance of its application.

All participants received notice on September 26, 2008 via the Message Center in their Principal online accounts.

Mastodon skeleton for sale

Bill Littleboy — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:57:11 +0000

I read an article on Reuters today about a family in California that has a Mastodon skeleton for sale. Yep, that’s right! A real one. Seems that this skeleton was found on their property in 1997. Since then, it’s been on display at a museum and in a wine bar. For the past few years, however, it’s just been taking up room in their garage. So now, it’s for sale. While the mastodon is not a dinosaur, it still is pretty cool. The mastodons in North America were the largest in the world. They were over 10 feet tall at the shoulder which makes the top of their head close to 15 feet off the ground. Wow! If I had the money, I just might buy this — but, not to worry because I don’t have the $115,000 minimum they are willing to take. Oh well, maybe next time I’ll have the cash.

Oh by the way, here’s a link to the original article. Click here.

Even Noah…

Bill Littleboy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:18:31 +0000

Noah was a man like many of us in a lot of ways. I’m not sure there are that many of us who would have the faith to build an ark like he did. He truly was a great man who walked with God during challenging times and stormy periods. But, what about when things weren’t so challenging and the storms seemed far away? Those are the times in his life that I have no trouble relating to at all!

Here was a man who spent about 100 years as a carpenter, building an ark, and preaching to the people the word he had heard from the Lord, warning the people of judgement. Then, for a little more than a year, he lived in the ark as God passed judgement on the world. Genesis 9:20 says he then changed occupations and became a farmer. 600 years old and starting a new occupation - how cool is that!

But then, the unthinkable. God’s judgement had passed. Noah’s guard was down. Everything was going good. It’s those times that are most dangerous. It’s those times when we are not on our faces before the Lord and crying out to Him that can trip us up. It tripped up Noah. Genesis 9:21 tells us that he got drunk and sinned. Regardless of your stance or belief on whether Christians should drink socially, it is undeniable that the Word teaches drunkenness is unacceptable. How revealing it is that a man who walked with God, and who was responsible for the saving of life on this earth, could slip and sin. The passage says that his nakedness was revealed. The same thing happens when Christians today get drunk. They expose themselves, too. Maybe not physically, but in so many other ways. They say things that they wouldn’t have said if they were sober. They do things that they desperately regret doing. When people’s thinking gets fuzzy from the effects of alcohol, they don’t make good decisions. They become vulnerable. They often get involved in things they never would have gotten involved with otherwise.

Noah got drunk, and was exposed. Then his familly saw him. As it happens so often today, when Christians get exposed, it is often a member of the family who sees it. If not the natural family, then surely the church family. Ham made sure to tell the rest of the family about what he saw. Why did he do that? I don’t really know. But, it’s the same in the church today. We tend to like to talk about the weaknesses we see in others way too much. The other two sons, Shem and Japheth, refused to look at the weakness of their father. They worked together to bring in a garment and cover him. I think the reason they carried it between them as they walked into the tent was to protect Noah from being seen by anyone outside the tent. Talking about each other’s weaknesses does not help our church to spread the gospel. People are looking for excuses to not embrace our message. And hearing us share the dirt on our members isn’t going to make anyone want to come inside.

Why was it important for Shem and Japheth to not look at his nakedness? And why is it important for us to not look at our fellow Christian’s sin? I think it’s because that even though I know we are all sinners, and our sin is forgiven, when I look at someone’s sin, I don’t ever see that person in the same way as I did before I saw him exposed. If you hear how someone lost their temper and berated their kids or spouse in public, the next time you see that person you have a different view of them than you did before. Or, if you hear of a young man or woman cheating on their spouse, the next time you see them you won’t be able to block the thoughts from coloring your perception of that person. It doesn’t matter that they had repented, sought forgiveness from God and those involved. Your perception is changed. And that’s a problem. That’s why as Christians we are to not look at the weakness ourselves and cover the person so that he or she isn’t exposed to outsiders, either.

The only time that we should talk about someone’s sin or weakness is when it is our sin or weakness. Be like Japheth and Shem when it’s someone else’s problem, sin, or weakness and cover them. Not only will you protect them, but you will be protecting yourself as well.

Paul writes in Galations 5:14-15, For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Samson - what a screw-up!

Bill Littleboy — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:11:03 +0000

We’ve all heard the story of Samson. He had a huge amount of potential. He was born into a godly home, was dedicated and consecrated to God from the day of his birth. He was called to ministry even before he was born. God gave him all the tools to succeed, and he could and should have done so much. But in the end, his was a life of mediocrity. Even though he missed being all he could be, we read in Hebrews 11 that he is one of the few men inducted into God’s “Hall of Faith”. Even though we might look at his life and think of it as mediocre, God saw something in him that put him into a very select group.

Samson was a man who ignored the counsel of his godly parents, became tangled up with Philistine women, was arrogant, proud, and messed up in many ways. Seeing that God could put him into a select group of people should be comforting to most of us. It sure is to me. I know that I am a man of mediocrity. I have been blessed. I have a great deal of potential. And God has called me to great things. And it’s the same with you. But, we have messed up. Every one of us has missed the mark more than once. Just as Samson heard the Philistine taunts, we hear things like, “You’re a Christian? You’re a godly man? You’re a leader? How can that be? Look how you’ve messed up!”

But Jesus died for us. His death on the cross silenced our enemies. In other words, he paid the price for both our mediocrity and our sin. I’m forgiven and so are you. Romans 8:1 says “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.” It’s great to know that God doesn’t reject us just because we are less than we could be. Thank you Lord for loving me.

I might not be able to kill Philistines. I might not be able to be a conqueror. But, I can be like Samson! You see, his greatest moment came when he chose to die. The enemy was dealt a crushing defeat on that day! I may not be able to perform miraculous feats like calling fire from heaven or kill giants, but I can die. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, “If any man come afer Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” The more I am willing to die to self, the more damage I will do to the kingdom of darkness. Just like Samson, I can choose to make a stand. And so can you. And if you do, you too will be eligible for God’s “Hall of Faith”.

What made Elijah so powerful?

Bill Littleboy — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:56:36 +0000

Our words are incredibly powerful! We all know that. But today I want to talk about the story that is found in the first part of I Kings 17. The background is this: Almost 60 years earlier, King Solomon died. After that, the kingdom of Israel split into two. The southern kingdom was ruled by a cruel king named Rehoboam. The northern part was ruled by a godless king named Jeroboam. When Jeroboam died, a series of wicked rulers rose to power and wickedness increased with each of them. Finally, Ahab became king and the wickedness reached its peak. While all of this was going on, God was preparing a powerful prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit and who was not afraid to speak out.

In I Kings 17, Elijah shows up and confronts the wicked king Ahab. He tells the king that, “It shall not rain according to my word.” What I find interesting here today is that the text doesn’t say that God told Elijah to do this. So what gave Elijah such faith? How could he be so certain that his words would carry that power? I can think of three reasons that together gave him the power.

First, Elijah had a heart for God. He wasn’t doing this to make a name for himself. In fact, it was very possible that he could have been put to death for confronting the king in that way. But he loved God so much that he was willing to risk death to go in front of Ahab and make this incredible, prophetic prediction. Elijah had a heart for God and God honored that.

Second, Elijah knew the Scriptures. There’s a verse in Deuteronomy 11:16-17 that states if the people turned away from God, the heavens would dry up. And, he knew the story of Joshua where the sun stood still at Joshua’s command. I can’t stress enough how important it is that we, too, get into the word to find out how God works.

Third, God listened to Elijah. The book of James says that Elijah was a man of passions like we are, but he was heard by God. It also says that fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much. The reason that Elijah was so powerful in public was because he was prayerful in private.

If you have a heart for God, learn how God works, and have a consistent and private prayer life, you too will be able to speak to the situations at hand and make a difference. Things will happen around you!

Selling blessings - is it right?

Bill Littleboy — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:31:34 +0000

I’m a little concerned about something that happened at my church this past week. The pastor felt led to bless people in the congregation who met certain criteria. The person had to be a business owner, want to earn a million dollars, and must be a tither. I guess I have a problem with someone withholding a blessing because a person isn’t already giving a certain percentage of their income. I’m sure it’s not how he meant it, but the way I interpret it is “I’m willing to bless you as long as I can believe that you’re willing to give $100,000 to my church. And, if you’re not already giving me money, I’m not going to waste my time on you.”

When you put this with the teaching we had a couple months ago that said, “100% of your money is CURSED if you don’t give 10% as the first thing you do”, one begins to wonder about the whole thing. I don’t have any problem with teaching that tithing is a way to honor God. I do have a problem when someone preaches that we’re doomed, or cursed, if we don’t give our money.

Be like Matthew

Bill Littleboy — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:32:14 +0000

Somewhere around 50 years after Jesus died, his disciple Matthew wrote the book that bears his name. Matthew was a man who had a particular relationship with our Lord. You see, when the Lord told him to, “Follow me”, Matthew was a tax collector. Not many people thought good things about them. They worked for the Roman government and were given a quota of money to collect. Anything above that quota they got to keep, so it was common for them to squeeze a little extra from their citizenry. We don’t know if Matthew was dishonest or greedy in any way, but we can assume that most if not all of his fellow Israelites thought he was. Many downright hated him, and the rest didn’t hold him in very high regard. And then the Messiah speaks directly to him and picks him to be part of his inner circle! Just imagine how Matthew must have felt. Have you ever felt like you’re too dirty to ever be close to God? Read your Bible and see how it really was when Jesus walked among us. It wasn’t the sinners that felt uncomfortable around Jesus. It was the religious people.

After Matthew was called by Jesus, he had a party in his home. Jesus was there along with Matthew’s tax-collector buddies and a bunch of prostitutes. In all likelihood, those were the only people who would be friends with a tax collector. The Pharisees thought it was scandalous for Jesus to be seen fellowshipping with these people. But Jesus said that the Son of Man came to seek and save those that were lost. And sinners flocked to Him. The Pharisees and scribes on the other hand had Him crucified.

But what about us? Are we like Jesus? Do sinners feel comfortable around us as we share the love of God or do they run from us because we act so holy? (Notice, I didn’t say that we should make sinners feel comfortable around us because we act like they do. That wasn’t how Jesus did it.) Or, do we make it a point to not associate with them at all because they aren’t “clean”? Pray about spending time with unbelievers. Go ahead and share with them the things that God is teaching you and doing in your life. Don’t talk down to them. Instead, talk to them as though they are already believers. You’ll be amazed to see that because of your acceptance of them just as they are, and the witness of your life, they will be drawn to Jesus just like the sinners were back in Matthew’s day. And pretty soon, they will be believers and sharing their lives with others!

Heath Ledger found dead

Bill Littleboy — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:32:28 +0000

Heath Ledger, 28 years old, died today of an apparent overdose of sleeping pills. Was it suicide or just a tragic accident? We’ll probably never know. But, what we do know is that a young life was lost. He had talent, wealth, good looks, a promising career, but because he didn’t have a relationship with God, he had an emptiness that he had difficulty coping with. How often do we complain that we don’t have enough wealth, talent, looks, or opportunity? Do we realize just how much we do have? We have a relationship with the Creator of the universe! If this young man had that relationship, he probably would be alive today.

It was only a week ago that another young actor, Brad Renfro, died at the age of 25. Cause of death hasn’t been revealed yet although authorities say there was no sign of foul play. This kid had a history of drug abuse, so most of us think that drugs had some part to play in his death. There’s a lesson here for all of us. Life is short, and we never know when it’ll be over.

It may be too late for him, but it’s not too late for you. God has a great and wonderful plan for your life. If you are hurting or afraid or just not sure whether you want to go on living, don’t give up! Instead, give God a chance. He only wants good for you.

Let’s not forget to pray for the friends and family of Mr. Ledger. May they look to God as they seek comfort and solace during this most difficult time. And may we all be sensitive to those around us. In Jesus’ name.

Josiah’s Camaro

Bill Littleboy — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:12:40 +0000

Here’s a link to my friend’s new Camaro. I think he’s going to have a pretty nice car when he’s done fixing it up! Sure beats the minivan I’m driving…..

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

(Don’t see the video? Click on this link: Josiah’s Camaro on Youtube )

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II

Bill Littleboy — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:58:04 +0000

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II: 101 More Stories of Life, Love & Learning
By Jack Canfield / Health Communications

Jack, Mark and Kimberly’s latest batch of stories focuses on love, friendship and tough stuff, along with some great teen-told tales of learning lessons, making a difference and growing up. Like in the first volume, you’ll find no adults preaching to you. Instead, this book is full of teens who share their experiences on learning to accept life, becoming the best person you can be, being happy with who you are, and loving yourself - no matter what. These stories will show you that no matter how difficult you situation may seem, you can make it through the tough times; and that no matter how lonely you may feel, you are never alone.