There was a time when families who were establishing private foundations rarely thought about an end to the foundation. They assumed what they had created would last (as intended) in perpetuity from generation to generation. What they discovered, as John D. Rockefeller observed years ago, is that “perpetuity is a very long time.” I have been talking with families and executives lately about the gr ...[Read More]
For Sunsetting Foundations, a Limited Life but a Perpetual Contribution
Our Peculiar Game
The philosopher Jacques Barzun wrote years ago, “Whoever would understand the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball the rules and realities of the game.” From its very beginning during the Civil War, it has been the defining sport of America. “The game of Base Ball has now become beyond question the leading feature of the outdoor sports of the United States It is a game which i ...[Read More]
Winter/Spring 2016
As some of you know, I enjoy taking pictures – and then finding something to say.
One Thing Can Lead to Another
More than once in this blog I have written about the differences between the theological roots of older and younger evangelicals. The older have been the inheritors of the belief that our primary task is taking the Gospel to the whole world through evangelism. Once the Gospel had been heard by every nation and every tongue, the Great Commission would be complete and Christ’s return would fol ...[Read More]
Imaginary People
“In Port William only strangers and preachers and traveling salesmen ever went to anybody’s front door.” That line from Wendell Berry’s “Jayber Crow” fairly describes my own neighborhood where I grew up. It was the side door leading into the kitchen – the heart of the house – that was the place we went in and came out. People coming to the front door were those we did not k ...[Read More]