Junkyard Wisdom

Here’s a book that almost everybody I know should read.

Henri Nouwen was brilliant, of course. He gave a talk on fundraising and somebody had the good sense to publish it as A Spirituality of Fundraising.

And I think everybody should read it. Here’s why.

In his book To Sell is Human, Daniel Pink said that we are all in sales now.

I might add that we are all in fundraising now.

You don’t have to operate a non-profit organization to be in fundraising. In my mind, fundraising is encouraging people to use their wealth in a way that best impacts the world, their own spirituality, and the spirituality of those receiving the gift.

Looking at fundraising from that perspective means that all of us are fundraisers. We all influence how others use their wealth. Oh, you might not do so directly. But through our own decisions, actions, values and opinions, we shape those around us.

So if we’re going to be fundraisers in this way, don’t you think we should understand the importance of doing it right?

That’s where Nouwen’s book comes in. Here’s a book that looks at fundraising without being intimidated by wealth. Nor dismissive of wealth, corrupted by wealth, or lustful for wealth. Nouwen gets our heads screwed on straight about how to view people with wealth through a spiritual lens. And when we do that we put a proper perspective on their contribution to our work, ministry, church, non-profit group, school, etc.

Get the idea? Read the book.

Few books stand the test of time. But for over 125 years Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been able to entertain readers, irritate people, and force all of us to reflect on life. Why is that?

The entertaining part is the easiest to understand. Books about boyhood adventures have been popular for centuries. Twain was a master storyteller with one of the sharpest pens ever to put words on paper. His stories don’t just come alive; they are alive in our hearts, minds and souls.

It’s understandable, if regrettable, that Huckleberry should also still be irritating readers. It’s an unapologetic look at the 19th Century era South and written so well that the cultural racism can come across as “normal” if you choose to read it that way. Sadly, many people do, so the book becomes a lightening rod for debate.

But the book transcends the controversies because it can be read at a more meaningful level. That’s what makes us pause and reflect when you read a book like this. It captures an American spirit, a nation of unsurpassed promise, a culture that struggles through and finds right in the midst of wrong. This is a book that uncovers the seedier side of our nature as it makes us laugh and prompts our imagination.

That contradiction is what separates great literature from good writing. Mark Twain nails it in this book, and that’s why it is still relevant today.

But why does it make my list of 25 books that most influenced my life? Because it taught me values. It taught me the difference between right and wrong, between hate and compassion, between friendship and simply using other people. Those are values my parents, teachers and pastors all taught me. But to read it in a book of adventure cemented the ideals of goodness combined with taking risks. In many ways Huckleberry encourages non-comformity and independence alongside truth and justice.

Huckleberry is rightfully part of the fabric of the American consciousness. It’s themes of freedom, liberty and fairness are the best aims of our nation. And it develops those ideals alongside all the flaws and faults of our nation. Achieving this, while also telling an incredibly entertaining story, makes this one of the great American novels.

And it’s why Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is on my list of 25 books that most influenced my life.

Want to read more of my top 25? Here is the list thus far:

Only the Paranoid Survive – #6
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold – #7
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – #8
Truman – #9
Shantaram – #10
The Maltese Falcon – #11
The Shadow of the Wind – #12
Survey of the New Testatement – #13
Calvin & Hobbes – #14
Celtic Daily Prayer – #15
Managing the Nonprofit Organization – #16
A Wrinkle in Time – #17
The Practice of the Presence of God – #18
Catch 22 – #19
The Tortilla Curtain – #20
The Kingdom of God is a Party – #21
Earthkeeping – #22
Reviving Ophelia – #23
The Grapes of Wrath – #24
Peanuts – #25