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Philanthropy

Hard Comfort

Fred Smith and I have agreed we should never sit next to each other at a conference or in church because we will continually say sarcastic things and get each other laughing. There’s an underlying reality to this kind of relationship: you have to think alike.

That’s why I read Fred’s blog on a regular basis. And why I’ve shared his post again this week. Fred always has fresh insight into ideas, stories, and especially Scripture. As we enter into what one might call the season of angels — what with them appearing to Mary, Joseph, Elisabeth and Zechariah in …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Philanthropy,

Awaiting Hunger

St. Augustine wrote, “Christ is the bread, awaiting hunger.” This was in the context of communion, but like a good junkyard project I want to tear it apart and put it back together in a different context.

The quote reminded me of something from my first book. There was a season in my life when things were going exceedingly well. Everything was clicking. It was like I had no worries at all. No “buts” here, it really was just a great season in life.

As I was driving one day and thinking on this — somewhat smugly I suppose …

Junkyard Management, Leadership, Philanthropy,

Which Part Are You?

Last week I wrote about junkyard wisdom and used the line, “Junk cars, like broken people, often have the parts to make something whole.”

It triggered some fun/silly exchanges with friends about what car part they actually are. One said he was a UV joint because he held things together, another said a seatbelt because he was strong but passive, and another said a spare wheel just waiting to go but enjoying the downtime (sounds Covid induced to me). There were others, but you get the idea.

So I was thinking about what spare part I am, and the metaphors …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Philanthropy,

The Soul of Money

This post was something I wrote years ago for my friend Mark Scandrette when he was exploring what the soul of money might be (long before a book of the same name by a different author was released). I’d somehow lost this article and was surprised to come across it again! It struck me as important because it foreshadows so many of the themes of this blog, my writing, and my Junkyard Wisdom Belize trips. It’s not exactly what I would write today but it still touches the core of my heart and passions. So it felt right to post …

Leadership, Philanthropy,

Tony Campolo

Tony Campolo has been a friend for decades. We first met in a brief encounter when he spoke at my college. Our friendship grew through letters — remember those? On several occasions through the years he spoke and advocated for ministries D’Aun and I were involved with.

Last month Tony had a stroke. The word is he is getting better, but this latest episode reminded me how much I appreciate the man. He was a mentor from afar, always full of encouragement, and even when I didn’t agree with him (or found his advice unhelpful) he always modeled love in …

Philanthropy,

Generous Relationships

A lot of people overlook a simple way to be generous: go through your rolodex.

A couple years ago I wrote about being generous without money. The Coronavirus pandemic had me thinking about that post, perhaps because I’ve seen so many selfless acts of generosity recently. So I’ve slightly updated the post to reflect our current world. Here goes:

Since writing Junkyard Wisdom I’m often asked a simple question about generosity: how can we be generous without a lot of money?

Plenty of people think generosity is about giving money away to worthy causes. It’s about sponsoring a child, supporting …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership, Philanthropy,

Celebrity Philanthropy

Years ago I wrote about celebrity philanthropy. It’s a topic that makes me roll my eyes (sorry Renee). It’s especially over the top as this virus sadly creates high profile opportunities to be … well, to just be a good person. Please understand — I’m all for celebrities supporting good causes. But celebrities often can’t resist making a big deal out of their philanthropy. They get their publicist involved, have the media cover the story, and generally put themselves in the story as the hero.

Anyway, I wrote about it years ago and thought I’d look at the topic again. …