"But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:20)

While attending a funeral at the Forest Lawn Mortuary in California, at the cemetery, I asked the mortician, "What was the most expensive funeral you ever had here?" The mortician didn't have to search his memory. He said, "A man embittered at his ex-wife and children had left them almost nothing, but had provided bountifully for his own final, ostentatious farewell. He had assigned $200,000 (about a half-million in 1985 dollars). First, a bronze casket was bought for around $18,000, and a beautiful rose window was created for $25,000. But, after these and other expenditures, the mortuary still had about $100,000. What next? Their solution was orchids--one hundred thousand dollars worth! And how many attended this $200,000 extravaganza? Exactly three!" (From Gil Beers in Christianity Today, May 17, 1985, p. 12)