PathLight Archives - Junkyard Wisdom

Junkyard Road Trip

Well, not exactly a road trip, we fly not drive. But … anyone interested in Belize? I’ve just returned from a great trip with friends, and I’m already planning another trip for January. We will be full for this trip (no more than 15 people) so let me know soon if you are interested. It’s a blend of Junkyard reality, PathLight heart, and touristy fun.

The most recent trip was really short: we spent less than 72 hours in Belize. But it was packed. Here’s a list of the things we did:

Met with PathLight students and heard their stories.…

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Okay, full warning … you are about to be offered the opportunity to read even more of my miscellaneous ramblings!

If you read this blog regularly then you have heard about PathLight. Well, the team there has been brainstorming how to stay in touch with their supporters without boring them. Nobody needs useless updates, and we don’t want to act like PathLight’s work is the most important thing in the world. (Even though it kinda is).

Nonprofit updates often follow a familiar script. My snarky mind imagines something like, “Hello, we have fantastic news! The kids are fantastic! Our …

When Helping . . . Helps

I’ve held back on sharing this story because I didn’t want to embarrass anyone. But several years have passed and it seems okay to share now.

It began with a presentation I gave about the work PathLight is doing in Belize. An acquaintance listened and then quickly dismissed the work as cultural intrusion. Without using these exact words, the gist of her comments were, “You have no business imposing your cultural values on the people of Belize.” She continued with warnings about doing damage through our work because we do not understand all the cultural norms and thus were sure …

Books books books!

You’ve heard that I’m the new Interim CEO of PathLight International. One thing I’ve been pondering is how to integrate my writing with my role at PathLight, and I’ve come up with a plan. It’s a way to help PathLight, promote my writing, and give you something unique.

If you order a copy of my book Junkyard Wisdom Rebuilt directly from me, I’ll give 100% of the proceeds (up to five hundred books) to PathLight. I know, amazing right? You’re thinking, “Gosh he’s generous (and wow he has a lot of books in storage).”

Here’s how it’ll work:…

The Power of Friendships

For years our work at PathLight has assumed that friendships across geography, economics, race, and culture can create a better future for the students in the program.

A recent study — reported here by Axios — confirms this. It’s a simple concept really. Raise kids around other kids different from themselves and 1) the privileged kids build empathy, and 2) the less privileged kids build relationships that offer them a leg up.

Nice to know we were right all along!

If you are curious about the PathLight program then please check out our back to school campaign. Love to …

Nope, no age discrimination here!

Hey, I’m back from vacation! And did you hear the crazy news? PathLight International, an organization I co-founded and greatly admire, has hired a sixty-something snarky white guy to become their Chief Executive Officer.

Worse, he has no academic training in missions, never lived in a foreign country, only speaks English, has never been a teacher, earned no degree in theology, has no cross cultural training, and lives in what some call the spiritual wasteland of California.

I would add he’s bald and a little chubby, but that’s getting personal.

He has one advantage: he works for free. That’s

…

Alexandria

Lent starts on Wednesday. It’s never been a big deal to me. To be honest I was smug about it; all these people giving up chocolate seemed, well, shallow.

But a few years ago I read about the history of Lent and was impressed by the depth of the tradition. Lent could be summed up as a time to focus on three things:

Prayer to focus on our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Fasting, or giving something up, to prompt reflection on God.
Giving as a way to respond to God’s love.

The last one is what …

Generous Teaching

I’ve got an exciting announcement buried at the end of this article. So please bear with me for a few paragraphs.

Teachers are in the news these days as the nation moves toward reopening classrooms. It got me thinking about the selflessness of people who dedicate themselves to education. Teaching, and serving the educational system in general, is a way to be generous to our future.

Years ago a PathLight colleague asked me if I thought systemic change was best done from the top down or the bottom up. The question was in the context of a decision about how …