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Generosity

Generosity, Goble Properties, Leadership,

Choosing Our Problems

Our company recently had everyone take an online class in workplace harassment prevention. Information in the course made me wonder . . . what problems do we choose to address and which ones do we normalize?

Now let me be clear: I’m not minimizing workplace harassment. It is a problem that needs to be addressed. When I hear people I know/trust/love talk about the hassles they’ve had, it saddens me. We must do better.

So the issue isn’t whether we need to address workplace harassment. Of course we do. The question for me is this: what bad behavior are we …

Generosity, Leadership, Philanthropy,

Fear And Faith

Years ago I was sitting in a small shack that a family called home. The father, about my age, was afraid of what the future might hold for his family. He expressed his fear through his language, his sad eyes, his forlorn look.

I left that meeting more aware of how the poor – the truly poor – often live in fear. There is no margin for the poor. One setback could set off a downward spiral that undoes years of progress. Thus the fear – perpetual, consistent, draining fear of all the uncertainties of life.

A few years later …

Generosity, Leadership, Random Thoughts, Wine Reviews,

Frozen Friends and Cold Wine Cellars

A friend and partner, Josh, was reminiscing about a corporate drama we had faced years ago. He and I were not central to the battle, but a close friend was. Because of that friendship we were guilty by association.

The fallout of all this was our friend was frozen out of any real decision making authority, and we were suspect.

As Josh put it, “He was put in the freezer. I was put in the refrigerator.” With a chuckle he continued, “And you were put in the wine cellar.”

I had to laugh at that imagery … it was true, …

Family, Generosity,

Crazy People

We all have our share of crazy people around us. I don’t mean clinically crazy. I mean the people who have crazy opinions that cause us to shake our heads in bewilderment. Or they make decisions based on easily disproved facts. Or they anticipate a series of events with no grounding in reality. Or they willingly embrace lies because it fits their narrative.

These people can drive us crazy, can’t they? Having conversations with them raises our blood pressure. We watch their mistakes – and then they double down on why it’s not a mistake – and we can easily …

Generosity,

Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Pinot

What might a generous friendship look like? Typically we think of a friend who is kind, loving, and supportive. Thank God for friends like that. They are indeed generous friends.

But sometimes we need friends who kick our butts. Actually that’s not quite true. We always need friends who kick our butts. It’s often the most generous thing we can receive.

This has happened to me three times over the last month. For which I’m thankful – if still a bit grumpy.

The first was when a long time friend reminded me of something I said decades ago. I cringed …

Generosity,

The Ungenerous Men’s Group

I’m not a public speaker, but on occasion there are groups foolish (or brave) enough to extend an invitation. My inclination is to accept all the invitations if the logistics and timing work. A few years ago when my first book was released, a number of small groups asked me to visit. Most were wonderful. A few were just okay.

And one … was awful.

It was a breakfast event for men. Loosely affiliated with a larger group, they had a mission statement promising fellowship, confidentiality, and a safe place for men to share about their struggles. All sounded good …

Generosity, Random Thoughts,

Messy Viewpoints

There are seemingly endless expressions of how to do church. It’s something I love about my faith because there are always new, creative, interesting things happening. The church is not homogenous, thank goodness.

This is true globally of course. Cultures, traditions, languages, and contexts all contribute to the diversity.

It’s also true locally. It’s expressed through dozens of denominations, traditions, and teaching or worship styles.

Despite all these options, most of us, most of the time, attend one kind of church. The upside of this is we come closer to true unity because we surround ourselves with people who think …

Generosity, Leadership, Philanthropy,

Generosity in Action

Have you ever worked on something for a long, long time … and then found a simple sentence that sums it all up for you? You feel a bit silly. That’s how I feel right now.

For the last several months I’ve (mostly) written about two themes: generosity and action. I’ve talked about how important they are, how they go together, and how they can change the world (and have changed the world).

Then I read, for probably the twelve thousandth time but I wasn’t paying that much attention, the simplest way to say it all in I John 3:17-18.…