Those were the words of a woman none of us had ever met before, out in the middle of what I would consider nowhere. We had traveled 5 hours by truck over rough, rocky roads and stream crossings in rural Honduras, going slowly through mountain switchbacks, when it...
Recently a man read the letter below aloud at a friend of mine’s church. I thought it speaks clearly to the way churches can have an impact on those outside their own walls, and asked to reprint it anonymously here. “Although neither I nor my family are members...
A man I work with in the transitional living center recently wrote a letter to me and Janet asking for $100. Our policy in environments where we volunteer is that is that we don’t give money directly to individuals, but we do give time and training to them. That’s the...
Today I don’t want you to read my blog. I want you to read this entry by Tom Nebel. It highlights the importance of living out the values of what you want to reproduce. That’s true not just for individuals, but also for groups, churches, and movements. Read it here:...
Giving to organizations is easy. When individuals have needs, it can be more difficult to discern what to do. We can be hardened by the many who are not sincere, who are swindlers or con artists. Yet some people do have legitimate needs. We need to rely on guidance...
The entry below is part of a week-long series by Steve Fitch. Eden Reforestation Projects is one of the best, if not the best, in the world at: • Employing thousands of desperately poor individuals who • plant and protect whole forests • at 10¢ per tree $10 per month...
Too many Christians think environmentalism is a “soft” or political issue. Yet when we look at scripture, we see that God explicitly called us to be stewards of the environment (Genesis 2:15). Eden Reforestation Projects takes that calling seriously. Every year...
*Practice generosity *Foster new movements *Invest in the next generation This last of the 12 footsteps of Jesus may be the hardest it some ways. It’s about letting go, recognizing that for however much work we may have put into this whole thing, it’s not ours....
As leaders, we are tempted to take our best people and keep them tied into institutional responsibilities, which more often than not keeps them away from the mission. We take our business people and put them on boards and committees. We enlist our artists to help...
