Frank Sinatra's daughter, Tina Sinatra, recalls her father's unceasing drive to
succeed and make money, even when his health was at risk:
"His health was in tatters and his life mired in financial wrangles, but my
father refused to stop giving concerts, 'I've just got to earn more money,' he
said. His performances, sad to say, were becoming more and more uneven.
Uncertain of his memory, he became dependant on teleprompters.
When I saw him at Desert Inn in Las Vegas, he struggled through the show and
felt so sick at the end that he needed oxygen from a tank that he kept on hand.
At another show he forgot the lyrics to 'Second Time Around,' a ballad he had
sung a thousand times. His adoring audience finished it for him. I couldn't bear
to see Dad struggle. I remembered all the times he repeated the old boxing maxim
'You gotta get out before you hit the mat.'
After seeing one too many of these fiascos, I told him, 'Pop, you can stop now;
you don't have to stay on the road.' With a stricken expression he said, 'No,
I've got to earn more money. I have to make sure everyone is taken care of.'"
When Frank Sinatra died in 1998, he left more than 200 million dollars to his
heirs. Since his death there have been constant family wrangles over his
fortune.
Our hearts can only be devoted to one thing. Today in prayer, exam your life and
see if anything competes with the Lord for your devotion. And if something other
than the Lord holds your devotion, ask the Lord to give you strength to remove
it from your life.
"An idol is anything you turn to for help when God told you to turn to him for
help." - Henry Blackaby
God's Word: "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." - 1 John 5:21
By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN JOSHUA, JUDGES
AND RUTH pkennedy@devotional.com
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