Listen to “He Told Stories” by Fred Smith   Years ago, as a much younger man, I began a search for wisdom in giving. Although looking back, I realize that I didn’t know what “wisdom in giving” truly meant. I was really looking for advice and a jumpstart – not wisdom. I had read everything available, but I wanted to find a person from whom I could learn not only the practical aspects but also the essential values of philanthropy. I had heard a talk by John Gardner, the author of Self-Renewal, who said, “Some people strengthen the society just by being the kind of people they are.” I knew…

Listen to “The Rich You Will Always Have Among You” by Fred Smith   Like others, I have been disappointed by corrupt wealthy parents and coaches finding a way around the system by helping a scoundrel open the “side door” to admissions to elite colleges and universities. I don’t think anyone familiar with admissions was shocked by the fact that it happens. We have had various forms of favoritism and rule-bending for many years: Scholarships and loyal alumni boosters making under the table payments to athletes, deals for parents of valuable recruits, and prestigious awards given to major donors for little more than writing large checks. While it clearly points…

Listen to “A Sometimes Solitary Life” by Fred Smith   If you read biographies you notice a frequent pattern in the lives of many great leaders. Early success and then years of obscurity and hardship – even rejection and exile. Two good examples are Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln. Writers and artists may show promise – even brilliance – and then languish for decades before creating anything again. One hit wonders are common in music as are novelists who cannot produce a second best seller. In other words, early success is no guarantee of longevity or continued success. These people battle for years with doubt – especially self-doubt. They wrestle…

Listen to “A Living Thing” by Fred Smith   My grandfather was a Baptist pastor with the temperament of an Irishman. Named Matthew Bunyan after John Bunyan, he was always addressed as Brother Smith by my grandmother. Mercurial and unpredictable are likely the right words for his relationships with both the deacons and the congregations he served. Today, we would call him a church planter but the truth is he moved around in his career more than most. I remember my father telling me that Brother Smith had an uncomfortable habit of telling the whole truth about the departed at funerals. Maybe his ill-timed honesty kept them itinerant and poor.…

Listen to “The Reef” by Fred Smith   In “Where Good Ideas Come From” Steven Johnson uses the illustration of a coral reef as an example of a structure that is both fragile and still able to withstand the incessant pounding of waves and storms. He relates Charles Darwin’s first experience with reefs and his amazement they were able to withstand the violent surges of water. “The ocean throwing its waters over the broad reef appears an invincible, all-powerful enemy; yet we see it resisted, and even conquered, by means which at first seem most weak and inefficient…Yet, these low insignificant coral-islets stand and are victorious: for here another power,…

Listen to “A Hand In The Flood” by Fred Smith   The Bible reminds us, “With a strong hand and an outstretched arm His love endures forever. We are safe in His hand and with His firm hand He is with us when we pass through the waters and when we pass through the rivers that threaten to sweep over us and overwhelm us.” I love that strong hand and outstretched arm. Especially when life is overwhelming. Mike Gerson’s stunning sermon on Sunday at The National Cathedral reminded me of an incident in my own life.  Not depression but fear. A few years ago, I was in just such a river…

Listen to “The Arena” by Fred Smith   Long before being appointed Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos in an interview spoke about something she had learned on a trip to Israel with her husband, Dick. There is a particular area between the foothills where Israel lived and the coastal plains controlled by the Philistines.  The site of many battles, it was a highly contested territory. However, it was never held permanently and so became the place where two cultures co-existed in tension. Called the Shephelah, it was a dangerous place to live. In the interview, Dick and Betsy described their desire to do just that – to live in the…

Listen to “If I Were Rich” By Fred Smith   “If I were rich, I would tell them exactly what I was thinking and not hold back. I would ask the hard questions. What could they do to me?” Like my friend, which of us doesn’t say that to ourselves now and then?  Of course, there are people who have enough confidence or lack of experience being rebuffed who are able to say what they are thinking without considering the consequences. That is why Doc Martin on PBS is one of my favorite characters.  His personality is gruff, to-the-point, and completely lacking in bedside manner. His total absence of filter means…

Listen to “God and the Good Life” by Fred Smith   Listening to Meghan Sullivan this week at the Augustine Collective Conference describe her introduction to philosophy course at Notre Dame titled “God and the Good Life” I started thinking about what the “good life” would mean. While there are a few outspoken critics about the role of religion in creating a good life – like the late Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins – it’s nearly a universal consensus that the role of religion is central in any consideration. But what religion? Is it all religions or just a few? Is it a defined orthodoxy or perhaps a combination like…

Listen to “At Last – Not Free” by Fred Smith   Max Pennywise, a local small business owner and new Chair of the Long-Range Planning committee at First Church had just finished reading the latest book on making churches sustainable – “Five Steps to Freedom: An Innovative Business Model for Congregations.” In it, he discovered how the leadership of First Church could move from dependency on donors to creating a business approach that was not only responsive to the customers but would guarantee a future based on effectiveness and efficiency. After all, with the number of people attending weekly services on the decline, an aging population of loyal donors, an…