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Leadership

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, …

Leadership, Random Thoughts,

Blockheads

A short post this week because I’m traveling. This simple insight — new to me but probably glaringly obvious to everyone else — struck me when I was reading Matthew 16.

Peter calls Jesus the Christ in Matthew 16:16. It was a key turning point in his understanding of who this Jesus person really was.

In response, Jesus declares Peter the rock upon which the church will be built. That’s….heady stuff. Like really big important stuff.

And then in the very next section Peter screws it all up. He pulls Jesus aside and … well, go read it yourself. Point …

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.…

Goble Properties, Junkyard Management, Leadership, Random Thoughts,

Small Business

Hey, do you know anyone who owns a small business? Odds are you do. So you probably know how hard the past year plus has been for all small businesses.

If the person you know is a person of faith, you might forward this article to them: Buy Local (For God’s Sake): Why the Church Should Partner With Small Business.

Also, if you know anyone in church ministry, you might share that same article.

One of the reasons I volunteer for the De Pree Center and admire groups like Faith Driven Entrepreneur (among others) is because they see how our …

Book Reviews, Generosity, Leadership,

Wealth, Temptation, and Job

This story of Job has always fascinated and often confused me. It’s fascinating because it’s impressively rich in wisdom about why God allows evil in the world. It’s confusing because the logic in the dialogue is sometimes hard to follow — are you arguing for God’s goodness or not, Job? It’s also confusing because his buddies offer insane advice followed by what seems like sound advice.

But then that’s life, isn’t it? Life is … well, it’s messy, to use a word often found here at Junkyard Wisdom. And the story of Job is certainly messy.

As one who writes …

Generosity, Leadership,

Defining a More Generous Church

What is the church? It’s a question we need to be asking more urgently than ever. And I fear that good people are too narrowly defining church. We need a more generous definition.

I know there are millions of books on the topic, and countless papers, and nearly 2000 years of thought on the topic. I’m well aware that my amateurish opinion is no more than ramblings and I’ll likely regret this post because it’s not as carefully crafted as it should be.

Still, we need to redefine what church is, so I’m adding my two cents.

If we are …

Generosity, Leadership,

Generous Leadership

Healthy leadership is an act of generosity. And wise generosity is an act of leadership.

Let’s run a thought experiment. Let’s say you don’t consider generosity as one of your core gifts. Oh sure, you give where you can, and you aren’t stingy. But you are not seen by yourself or others as particularly generous.

Continuing with that thought experiment, let’s say you often find yourself (by design or accident) leading people. At work, home, church, school, or a junkyard. Wherever it might be, you are one of those people that tends to end up leading.

Well, to wrap up …