Listen to “Ties that Bind” by Fred Smith   In his address to the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast in Westminister Hall last month, Tim Keller tells the tragic story of the shooting of ten little Amish girls in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania in 2006. It is a remarkable account of forgiveness and grace on the part of the families. In fact, over half of those in attendance at the killer’s funeral were Amish. Three scholars of Amish history and culture were prompted to write the book “Amish Grace” that exposed many for the first time to the deeply rooted practice of forgiveness in Amish spirituality that is an everyday part of…

 Listen to “The Soil of Partial Truth” by Fred Smith   A humorous article on Christian music included this quote from Joe Bob Briggs: “Christian music is bad songs written about God by white people.” My friend, Steven Garber then at the Washington Institute and now at Regent College, messaged me back with a piece he and Charlie Peacock had done at the Art House in Nashville. It began with the question “Can you sing songs shaped by the truest truths of the universe but in a language that the whole world can understand?” In the course of our back and forth Steven passed along this observation from writer Walker Percy…

Listen to “The Beginning And The End” By Fred Smith   I have worked with a number of entrepreneurs over the years and there are a few common themes and characteristics in their lives. One of them is an extreme focus and a personal identification with projects. They start things, grow them, and then look for exit strategies. In fact, the exit strategy is built into the plan from the beginning. In non-profit work, there are very few exit strategies – especially for founders. A familiar and common characteristic of entrepreneurs founding ministries is, for a variety of reasons, they sooner or later start looking for other partners. Sometimes they…

Listen to “A Picture or a Thousand Words” by Fred Smith   Several years ago I read an article in the Boston Globe about research being done on the reasons people give and motivating them to give more. This week, ten years later, I found an update and new insights. “What we find is when people are thinking more deliberatively . . . they end up being less generous overall ” said Deborah Small an associate professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Is it possible to be both generous and smart about it? A lot of donors would like to think so but new…

Listen to “Never That Far Apart” by Fred Smith.   In 1977, it was not common to hear a young man in his 30’s considering giving away a fortune.  But, there we were, Bob, Linda and me, all three of us in our thirties having dinner at Nieman Marcus in downtown Dallas, the flagship store, talking about just that. Seven years passed before we had dinner again but this time it was more than musing.  That same young man had decided to act on his intentions and invited me to join him in the adventure.  Who in their right mind would say no to that?  No one mentioned what great…

Listen to “Shower the People You Love” by Fred Smith   An article in the Baylor Magazine investigates the factors in father-daughter relationships that make the most difference. These are called “turning points” and when asked what key experiences improved closeness in their relationships both fathers and daughters mentioned events typical of those that you normally think of as helping to cement father-son friendships. The most frequently mentioned turning points by daughters and fathers alike were participating together in sports, work and vacations. It’s really a wonder I have any relationship with my two daughters at all given those results! Neither of them showed much interest in sports and that suited…

Listen to “This is My Story” by Fred Smith   Two weeks ago in Menlo Park, a friend convened a group to talk about mentoring. It must be that time of life when people ask you to come and “reflect” on what has been learned. Not all that many years ago we would have been talking about what it means to find a mentor but now the tables are turned and we are looking at it from the perspective of what it means to be one. I am comfortable with that especially as I think the word “mentor” has been so diluted and misused. One of our group, Rick Woolworth,…

Listen to “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by Fred Smith   Bishop Michael Curry’s royal wedding sermon went viral last weekend partly due to one quote: “Jesus did not get an honorary doctorate for dying…He sacrificed his life for the good of others, for the well-being of the world, for us.  That’s what redemptive love is.”  While I agree, there is a redemptive love that causes me great embarrassment. In fact, I can only cringe when I read about it. Many years ago, the Temptations sang about it: Now I’ve heard a cryin’ man Is half a man with no sense of pride, But if I have to cry to…

Listen to “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” by Fred Smith   Bishop Michael Curry’s royal wedding sermon went viral last weekend partly due to one quote: “Jesus did not get an honorary doctorate for dying…He sacrificed his life for the good of others, for the well-being of the world, for us.  That’s what redemptive love is.”  While I agree, there is a redemptive love that causes me great embarrassment. In fact, I can only cringe when I read about it. Many years ago, the Temptations sang about it: Now I’ve heard a cryin’ man Is half a man with no sense of pride, But if I have to cry to…

Listen to “And You Have So Many” By Fred Smith   This being the week of Mother’s Day, I remember one of my father’s favorite stories about his mother. They lived in a very poor section of Nashville where my grandfather was the pastor of a small Baptist church. With a pitiful salary the struggle to keep the family of five boys fed and in clothes was a constant pressure on her. One day in the market she spied some ripe tomatoes but could not afford more than one. “Those are beautiful tomatoes,” she complimented the shopkeeper. She then paused and said, “And you have so many.” How could he resist the…