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Family

The Color of Life

About ten or fifteen years ago I was part of a small mentoring organization in the Bay Area. The focus was to identify and nurture “home grown talent” in ministry, business, church work … really anything that involved the integration of faith and vocation. I met some wonderful people, including Cara Meredith.

Cara struck me as thoughtful, a good listener, and eager to learn. We had several mutual friends — not unusual when you both live and work in the same region — so even though the mentoring program faded away I still heard occasional updates about Cara’s life and …

Family, Freestarters™, Goble Properties, Leadership, Salvaged,

Freestarter™ Awards

Over a decade ago I invented the word “freestarter” because there was no word that quite fit the kind of person I was trying to describe. Part prophet, part entrepreneur, part artist, and part leader (often without followers) it became my own concoction of traits describing a unique individual. I wrote about them in my book Salvaged and posted a list of great Freestarters™ on my blog.

Then last year our family foundation decided to honor these Freestarters™ and give them long overdue recognition. The first four were announced in December, and we hope to honor another one every three …

Family, Random Thoughts,

A Prayer for Your Thanksgiving Dinner

A prayer you might use for your Thanksgiving Day ….

Bless, O Lord,
this food we are about to eat;
and we pray you, O God,
that it may be good
for our body and soul;
and, if there is any poor creature
hungry or thirsty walking the road,
may God send them in to us
so that we can share the food with them,
just as Christ shares His gifts
with all of us.
Amen.

Graces, from Celtic Daily Prayer…

Family,

Life as a Hymn

My friend Brian Boerman wrote this shortly after the loss of his amazing mother, who graced this world for 96-years. It’s a blend of tribute, journal entry, and reflection. Most importantly, it is brilliant.

You might already be tuning out — who wants to read writings about loss? But that’s not what this is about. Brian can teach us all about grieving and loss of course, but even more about perseverance, faith, and renewal. He sees beauty in life where others see darkness.

This is inspired writing. Take the time to read this post …. you will not be disappointed. …

Family, Leadership,

Working the Angles

It’s County Fair season around here, and I’m reminded how carnival games can teach you to work the angles. Hang with me for a moment…there really is a fun lesson here.

There are lots of childhood memories of tossing darts to pop balloons, throwing rings over hooks, or shooting a basketball. More recently I laughed when my adult children visited a local amusement park and sent pictures of themselves throwing balls at bottles to win a prize.

All of which reminded me of the time my parents took me to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The place is famous for …

Family,

Goble Family Foundation

Years ago we formed a family foundation. Its fortunes have gone up and down, reflecting the wild gyrations that come from being funded by commercial real estate in Silicon Valley; sometimes it is doing great, and sometimes we neglect it completely.

About a year ago we decided it was time to take it seriously. Several reasons for our decision to focus on it now, but they would all bore you. So we’ll skip that part. Instead, we will jump straight to the here and now.

Which is my clumsy way of saying you should check out our new website. …

Family,

Hair Tonic

It’s been ages since I wrote a family story. Recently I was editing my upcoming book Salvaged and a line about my shiny bald head reminded me of the time a package of hair growth tonic arrived in the mail.

It was my Senior year at Westmont College. Midyear my Dad came to visit for a weekend. We did all the stuff Westmont students do with their parents: sightseeing in Santa Barbara, going out for dinner, and conversations about the family. Then Dad headed home and my studies resumed.

About three weeks later a package arrived at the Westmont …

Family, Random Thoughts,

“Daddy, why do you have splinters in your face?”

After a long day of travel my face was showing an unshaven shadow of stubble. We boarded our flight when my daughter Rachel, who was about four at the time, began staring intently at my whiskers.

“Daddy,” she finally asked, “why do you have splinters in your face?”

It was one of those beautiful moments of childlike curiosity, wonder, and simplicity that makes a parent smile. D’Aun heard her question too, but she had to look away from me to avoid both of us breaking out in laughter. Knowing it was a sincere question, I said to Rachel, “Honey, those …