Browsing Tag

Poverty

Belize, Jaguar Creek, Junkyard Wisdom Book,

Junkyard Wisdom Belize 2018

Did you miss the first Junkyard Wisdom Belize event and want a second chance? Interested in exploring the issues of my book with some amazingly bright people who will become lifelong friends? Want to spend five days with Ken Wytsma to better understand the theology of justice and how it relates to wealth, poverty, generosity, and faith?

Well, great news! The second Junkyard Wisdom Belize event is scheduled for February 15-19, 2018. We will again stay at the amazing Jaguar Creek, from which we will visit Mayan ruins, rainforest villages, and even a local chocolate producer.

If you are …

Belize, Jaguar Creek, Junkyard Wisdom Book,

Junkyard Wisdom Belize – the Recap

My goodness. Junkyard Wisdom Belize was … well, I don’t know how to put it into words! Wonderful. Amazing. Thoughtful. Deep. Fun. All of the above!

Twenty people gathered in Belize for five days to talk, think, reflect, and share. Each day, Ken Wytsma shared about the theology of wealth, the need for holy discontent, the importance of doing things right, and feasting in celebration of God. His wife Tamara led an early morning workshop about the challenges and hardships of obedience. My wife D’Aun led another early morning session on the embarrassment of wealth. Each day I weaved the …

Junkyard Wisdom Book,

Junkyard Wisdom: Belize

My friend Ken Wytsma read Junkyard Wisdom and texted, “Let’s do an event in Belize where we host 20 people for a multi-day retreat and talk about the issues in the book.”

I was struck by the idea. So many conversations around stewardship, wealth, and poverty tend to be held at fancy hotels. But there’s something odd about spending $500 a night for a hotel room so you can talk about how to serve our neighbor. Hosting an event in the rainforest, near villages where people live on just a few hundred dollars a year, seemed like an excellent counterbalance.…

Belize, PathLight,

Poverty Does Not Surrender

It was a calm Friday morning at the PathLight office in Belize – well, as calm as could be expected when dozens of students were coming by to pick up their textbooks. Orderly and focused, the students were full of smiles as the PathLight mentors guided them through the process. I was with my wife D’Aun and a group of friends who joined us so they could see what PathLight was doing to help students like these.

Dennis Thomas, PathLight’s Belize Field Director, gathered my friends into a private room to share a few thoughts. He told us about the …

Belize, PathLight,

Off to Belize!

I’m off to Belize tomorrow for the first ever PathLight International graduating class! Hard to believe it was four years ago that we selected our first group of students. They have put in a lot of hard work leading up to the commencement ceremony.

The ceremony is on Tuesday night, but our big PathLight blowout graduation party is Sunday night. It’s going to be fun to see the proud parents and excited students! Hopefully I can post pictures soon afterward.

The kids have overcome a lot of odds. Born into poverty, living in a rural setting, and attending poor schools …

PathLight, Random Thoughts,

Christmas Greetings From PathLight

Recently wrote this for the PathLight email blast, but thought I’d post it here as well.
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David L. Fleming writes, “The son of God became poor by becoming incarnate. He embraced poverty in the circumstances of his earthly life. God was born in a stable manger and was given the name Jesus. His parents fled with him as refugees to escape a murderous tyrant. Later he lived a simple workman’s life in Nazareth. He became an itinerant preacher and teacher, without wife or children, without a home. He died utterly poor — stripped of even his clothing, an executed …

Random Thoughts,

Billy Graham Quote

Love this quote from Billy Graham. No idea where or when he said it, though.

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They just had a conference in Denmark to see what they can do about the poverty in the world. Last year in Rio de Janeiro they had a conference on the environment and the ecology. When we abuse the environment we pay a price. When we are selfish and oppress people and don’t give people justice, we have poverty. And there’s always been poverty. Some people have always had less than others. And Jesus said it would always be that way. But as believers …