THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES

I love radio-controlled vehicles. I've always had a fascination with them. As a kid, I remember my best friend Garrod got a new radio-controlled monster truck one year. It was amazing. It could climb, it could throw mud, and it could plow through massive styrofoam obstacles. (Later we found out the one thing it COULDN'T do: Float.)

So, I decided I had to have one. Thought I couldn't swing the monster-truck-a-rama my friend had been blessed with, I did find something I could afford on my income, which consisted of change I found on top of the dryer, under seat cushions, and in car ashtrays.

The box showed this fantastic little remote controlled vehicle jumping massive piles of dirt, skirting around at break-neck speed, and pictured a group of young boys watching in absolute awe and fascination. It was packaged perfectly to display this radio-controlled super car and it's simple, but powerful remote.

So with a little help from mom, and a trip to the store, I brought this brilliant piece of plastic awesomeness home. I ran into the house and viciously dismantled the cardboard and cellophane packaging to unleash this beast of a machine.

And that's when I noticed it. A peculiar cord running from the controller to the car.

What I did not know at the time was that, in the world of RC toys, there is a big diff between REMOTE controlled and RADIO controlled. Lesson number one.

Lesson number two: There is also a big difference between 3-function and 4-function controllers. I'll do the math for you: FORWARD, LEFT, RIGHT. That's three. Add REVERSE and you have four.

You can guess how many functions mine had.

Not to be daunted, I quickly put the batteries in the controller so I could salvage some fun out of my broken dreams.

That's when I learned Lesson number 3: NiCad batteries take FOREVER to charge when you are 10. (or 36)

Several days later when the LED light turned from red to green, I was finally able to take it for it's maiden cruise. And cruise it was. With a top speed of 0.0125 MPH, the experience was anti-climatic at best. What a rip.

In this week's message on HOW TO BE RICH, we'll be discussing the deceitfulness of riches. Money and possessions, like my RADIO-controlled car, usually over-promise and under-deliver. I'm interested in hearing YOUR stories on how this has played true in your life.

Feel free to comment below, and I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!