Wedding Guest Asked To "Adjust" Gift
Toby Meyjes, writing for Metro, reports on a wedding guest who revealed she was contacted by newlyweds to say her gift wasn’t generous enough.
The unnamed guest posted to a forum on Mumsnet asking for advice after she was told the £100 cheque she provided wasn’t enough.
She revealed how the couple, who had asked for cash gifts, had emailed to say they were ‘surprised’ by her contribution and suggested an ‘adjustment.’
She went on to say that the bride and groom declared ‘we were surprised that your contribution didn’t seem to match the warmth of your good wishes on our big day.
They added: ‘In view of your own position, if you wanted to send any adjustment it would be thankfully received.’
The wedding guest assumed that the reference to her position was in regard to a recent inheritance. She then asked …
'Should I reply, ring them, ignore it or what?’
The suggestions ranged from ‘cancelling’ the check, to telling mutual friends about the incident, to sending a glitter bomb.
Instead, she chose to respond with the following:
‘I assume this was some sort of mistake?’
Many of us struggle with being as generous as our faith calls us to be. But perhaps the real lesson of this story lies at the other end: Learning to be content with what we receive. Judging others for their lack of generosity comes easy. What’s much harder is to keep one’s own sense of entitlement in check. The world doesn’t owe us as much as we tend to think. When we have to resort to shaming others to get what we want out of them, it might be time to let it go. It’s just not worth forfeiting our contentment, not to mention the likelihood of losing a relationship.
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you' ” (Hebrews 13:5).
No Other Name
CARACAS (Reuters) - A member of Venezuela's Socialist Party has rolled out a variation of the classic Christian "Lord's Prayer" to implore beloved late leader Hugo Chavez for protection from the evils of capitalism.
"Our Chavez who art in heaven, the earth, the sea and we delegates," red-shirted delegate Maria Estrella Uribe recited on Monday at the PSUV party Congress.
"Hallowed be your name, may your legacy come to us so we can spread it to people here and elsewhere. Give us your light to guide us every day," she said in front of an image of Chavez.
"Lead us not into the temptation of capitalism, deliver us from the evil of the oligarchy, like the crime of contraband, because ours is the homeland, the peace and life forever and ever. Amen. Viva Chavez!" she exclaimed to applause.
Though Chavez died of cancer in March 2013, he remains omnipresent in Venezuela. His photo is plastered all over capital Caracas, state TV frequently airs excerpts of his famously lengthy speeches and supporters sometimes don earrings or pendants with an artistic black-and-white rendition of his eyes.
Chavez won over many poor in oil-rich Venezuela with his massive social programs and frequent attacks of what he deemed a "squalid" business elite. Many feel a spiritual connection with the gregarious former soldier, who also hails from a humble background.
Opponents blast what they see as a detrimental personality cult. They also accuse current President Nicolas Maduro of piggy-backing off his predecessor's popularity to distract supporters from shortages of basic goods, an annual inflation of around 60 percent, and sky-high crime rates.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
The world has only been given one Savior. It's not Chavez, Mary, Mohammad, or Buddha. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Of Selfies and Sacrifice
Czech gymnast Natalie Stichova is just one of the latest of so many to tragically die while attempting to take a selfie. In August 2024 she travelled to the mountains of Bavaria with friends to capture the perfect selfie moment, posed atop the peak the majestic Tegelberg Mountain with the famous Neuschwanstein Castle (the model for Disney's Cinderella castle) spectacularly centered in the background. But this fairytale moment quickly descended into the stuff of horror films when she lost her balance, falling some 250 feet to a tragic end. Though she survived the initial fall, she died 6 days later having never regained consciousness.
According to a comprehensive global study, at least 425 people have died from selfie-related incidents between March 2014 and May 2025, spanning 49 countries. Falling from heights accounts for nearly half of all deaths and injuries. And these statistics represent just the "obvious" or forensically "verifiable" deaths by selfies.
This does not factor in the countless deaths that were peripherally related to taking a selfie or were selfie-related but that could not be verified as such during the autopsy or at the crime scene. Odds are, the number of selfie-related deaths and injuries is likely much higher.
Spiritual self-centeredness is just as dangerous.
According to one commentary:
Looking out for our own interests is natural. In fact, Jesus uses our innate self-interest as a basis for gauging our love for others: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). In other words, in the same way that you (naturally) love yourself, learn to love others. Our universe should be others-centric, not self-centric. As Paul puts it, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3–4). This command leaves no room for self-centeredness.
Being focused on oneself usurps the biblical commands to love and care for our neighbors (John 13:34–35), to not pass judgment on others (Romans 14:13), to bear others’ burdens (Galatians 6:2), and to be kind and forgiving (Ephesians 4:32). Being self-centered is directly opposed to the clear command, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). There are many other similar commands calling for selfless sacrifice and service to others (Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:21; Galatians 5:26).
It concludes:
Every act of self-love is rebellion against the authority of God. Self-centeredness is rooted in one’s fleshly desire to please self more than God. In essence, it is the act of supplanting God’s authority with one’s own ego.
In such conditions, you dangle on the precipice of spiritual demise. Take your eyes off yourself. Step back from the edge. Take off the binders, and turn the lens of your focus to the needs of others!
“No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24, NIV).
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV).