It’s mid-October; the numbing effects of American life are reaching into the stability of souls, every waking hour. Shut-downs; tariff tsunamis; wars in Ukraine and Gaza; Nat’l Guard troops on assignment to bring order: are you feelin’ it yet? Will pro baseball’s end-of-season play offer any relief?
The effects of World War I were still oppressive when the 1919 World Series gave Americans some distraction. It was short-lived: coming out of that competition, the Black Sox Scandal emerged. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the series – against the Cincinnati Reds – in exchange for payment from a gambling syndicate. “Say it ain’t so, Joe!” expressed the disbelief felt by the young and vulnerable who had counted on the reliability of their baseball-card heroes to give them hope and confidence.
Back in 1953 (my birth year!), Harold and LuEsther Mertz and their daughter Joyce started a direct-mail subscription service for magazines. Their concept: in an era when separate periodicals were independently soliciting for subscribers, they would consolidate the appeals for a myriad of publications into a single marketing appeal, allowing the prospects to peruse multiple offerings into a grab-bag of options. Their idea gained traction; Publisher’s Clearing House laid claim to America’s mailboxes.
The big breakthrough came in 1967 when they launched their signature promotion: the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. The television ads told the story: a team would show up on the front porch of homes across America, holding a massive check, payable to the lucky winners who had been chosen to become briefly famous, and forever rich. Their tag line: no purchase necessary…
Winning the sweepstakes was great, but it introduced a new problem for the surprised victors: would they elect to take the payoff in an upfront lump sum? Or, would they elect to accept an annuitized payout that would give them big money for life?
Fast forward: the world has changed. Media has gone digital; printed publications have nearly disappeared. Publisher’s Clearing House posted revenue of $854 million in 2017 to $182 million in 2023. A few months ago, PCH filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
What about those past prize winners who elected to receive their massive pot of gold in installments? Their new status in the post-bankruptcy reality: they are “unsecured creditors” who have little chance of recovering their promised proceeds. A new enterprise – mobile-gaming company ARB Interactive – has acquired PCH’s assets but did not accept their liabilities.
The big fat checks on the front porch are no longer binding. Burt Bacharach and Hal David set the sadness to music back in 1983 in their hit song, written for the musical Promises, Promises. The chorus:
“Oh, promises, their kind of promises, can just destroy a life… take all the joy from life. Oh promises, promised, my kind of promises can lead to joy and hope and love: yes, love…”
I think my pen-pal friend, Paul, offered some great advice for the folks who have won this world’s prize:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
The promises on the porch can disappear in a downturn. The promise of a future payoff is only as certain as the backer behind the commitment. Here’s the Platinum Promise underscored by Heaven: take the lumpsum today and send as much as possible into your Kingdom Portfolio. The certainty of a rock-solid foundation awaiting you in Eternity is the best course for “the life that is truly life.”
And, my personal guarantee: God’s Kingdom will never file for Chapter 11 insolvency…
Bob Shank
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