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Junkyard Wisdom Book

Book Reviews, Junkyard Wisdom Book, So you think you're a writer?,

Looking for a good book to read?

To everyone sheltering in place, thank you. It’s clearly working and it has saved lives. As one wag said, our parents/grandparents were called to war to defeat facism and save the world, whereas we are called to stay home and sit on a couch; we can do this! 😂

So to do your duty you’ve watched all the Netflix shows, gone through the backlog of chores, organized the kitchen and garage, spent way too much time shopping online, and perfected the Zoom call. You’ve probably also read a fair number of books. Actually, you might need more books to read!…

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. …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership,

Solutions of Privilege II

A few years ago I wrote about the “problems of privilege” and what the solutions might be for those problems. A recent conversation about the people on a cruise who were quarantined off the coast of California had me thinking about what we call privilege versus what we call sacrifice. So here is a redraft of the original post.

What are problems of privilege? Well in the simplest of terms, these are problems that become evident when people complain about meaningless things — my new iPhone is now outdated, the waiter didn’t bring us water when we asked, or I …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership,

Hope Is What You Do

Todd Deatherage had just finished moderating a panel discussion during which I was impressed with his insights. Several people in the audience had surrounded him and were asking follow up questions, but then I saw an opening to introduce myself. We chatted briefly and I ended up giving him a copy of my first book. And that, I thought, was the end of it.

The next morning D’Aun and I were leaving breakfast when I heard someone call my name. I turned and there was Todd, big smile on his face, walking quickly toward me. “I stayed up late last …

Belize, Jaguar Creek, Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership, PathLight, Salvaged,

Givers, Leaders, and Drinkers

Greetings from Jaguar Creek, Belize! I’m here with a dozen or so givers, leaders, and drinkers. Not necessarily in that order. The third annual Junkyard Wisdom Belize is happening and we’re having a blast talking through the challenge of being a good donor, a wise leader, and a sober … well, never mind.

Seriously though, the conversations are amazing. Most conversations about philanthropy take place in fancy hotels. Most conversations about leadership happen in large conferences or online TED Talks.

What I love about this event is we have these conversations in the rainforest of Belize, within a few …

Belize, Junkyard Wisdom Book, Leadership, Salvaged,

Junkyard Wisdom Belize 3.0

Want to go to Belize with me in November? I’m heading there November 17 for a 4-day workshop focused on generosity, faith, and leadership. This is definitely not like any other trip before it! Read on for more information.

A few years ago, after the publication of my first book Junkyard Wisdom, a few friends suggested a retreat event based around the themes of the book. That led to the initial Junkyard Wisdom in Belize where we had an amazing event with twenty or so people. The next year we did it again.

This year one of my collaborators, …

Belize, Junkyard Wisdom Book, Salvaged,

Input, please?

I’d love your input. If I were to lead another Junkyard Wisdom Belize trip, would you be interested? And if so, what would you like to achieve on the trip?

I’m asking because we’ve done the trip for the last two years and thinking about doing it again in 2019. Of course there needs to be strong interest to make it happen.

Check out the pictures on the website if you are curious about what we do — it’s an absolutely blast for 20-25 people.

If we do this trip I’d redo the curriculum a bit to fit my recent …

Junkyard Wisdom Book, Random Thoughts,

Creating Wealth

I’ve posted this John Chrysostom quote before but it’s so insightful it seemed best to do so again. Hope you find it as interesting as I did the first time I read it some 30+ years ago!

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“One person has the skill to hammer brass into the most exquisite shapes and to engrave elaborate patterns on to it. Another has the skill to make furniture, joining together different pieces of wood so firmly that no one can break them apart. A third person can spin the finest yarn, while a fourth weaves it into cloth. A fifth craftsperson can …