Browsing Tag

generosity

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 …

Generosity, Philanthropy,

Power Dynamics & Generosity

If we want to give wisely we must learn about power dynamics.

One of the tenets of my understanding of generosity is we must go beyond merely writing checks. We need to build a relationship with the people we are trying to serve. This is why we must tear down walls that separate us by class, age, race, economics, politics, etc..

But when we start building those relationships we will find that our power — or perceived power — will alter the relationship. There are an infinite number of gears and levers in any relationship so it’s easy to not …

Generosity, Leadership,

Defining a More Generous Church

What is the church? It’s a question we need to be asking more urgently than ever. And I fear that good people are too narrowly defining church. We need a more generous definition.

I know there are millions of books on the topic, and countless papers, and nearly 2000 years of thought on the topic. I’m well aware that my amateurish opinion is no more than ramblings and I’ll likely regret this post because it’s not as carefully crafted as it should be.

Still, we need to redefine what church is, so I’m adding my two cents.

If we are …

Family, Generosity, Philanthropy,

Pouring Gas on the Fire

A few days ago I was talking with a friend who runs a large family foundation. They support a lot of causes but I was curious what motivated them to give to one organization over another. With all the good groups out there, and all the need in the world, how did they decide?

He used a phrase we’ve all heard often when he answered, “We love to pour gas on the fire when we see something is really working.”

Now this wasn’t an especially unique comment. I’ve heard it many times before. For that matter, I’ve said it many …

Generosity, Leadership,

Generous Leadership

Healthy leadership is an act of generosity. And wise generosity is an act of leadership.

Let’s run a thought experiment. Let’s say you don’t consider generosity as one of your core gifts. Oh sure, you give where you can, and you aren’t stingy. But you are not seen by yourself or others as particularly generous.

Continuing with that thought experiment, let’s say you often find yourself (by design or accident) leading people. At work, home, church, school, or a junkyard. Wherever it might be, you are one of those people that tends to end up leading.

Well, to wrap up …

Generosity, Philanthropy, Random Thoughts,

Generous Theology

It’s a truism that the older we get the less sure we are. But for me, at least, that’s been a blessing. Certainly there are some things I’m more sure of than ever. For many other things, well, let’s just say that with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom we begin to see how little we actually understand. Life becomes a little less clear, a little more blurry. Which, as I said, has been a blessing.

I’ve become comfortable not fully knowing something, which paradoxically has allowed me to relax. You might think just the opposite happens — that by …

Generosity, Junkyard Management, Philanthropy,

Financial Planners and Generosity

Last week I wrote about not expecting pastors to be your primary source of information about generosity.

This week it’s about financial planners. Don’t assume that because they know the difference between a charitable remainder trust and a charitable gift annuity that they know anything at all about actual generosity.

The truth is that most financial planners are trained at, well, planning your finances. Most have a financial incentive in mind — namely fees for managing your money.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I use them regularly. In this increasingly complex world we all need their expertise.

But … …

Generosity, Philanthropy,

Pastors and Generosity

This is going to be a thread the needle kind of post that will be easily misunderstood. It will likely offend some pastors I’m not trying to offend. But here we go anyway.

Pastors should not be the primary source of information about generosity.

I can already see some pastors upset by that. But let me explain.

Pastors are, by and large, among the most generous people I know. They give of their time, their heart, and when possible their wallet. This post is most definitely not a rant about the pastor who invites you to lunch then expects you …