The first of two times I went fishing with my father I was nine years old and we were staying for two nights in Camden, Maine.  It was handline fishing from a boat rocking in a small storm on a cold day.  Everyone was sick and all I remember is the repeated advice, “You’ve hooked him, now yank him!” Even though I’ve only been fishing once since then, I’ve read several books on fly-fishing and consider it an art.  One of the best books I’ve read is by Howell Raines titled “Fly Fishing Through The Midlife Crisis.”  Raines describes the difference between “hook ‘em and yank ‘em” and the subtlety…

I have often questioned the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?” First, he had an advantage: walking on water, curing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead. As well, it is difficult to predict with certainty what Jesus would do. We look for a tight pattern and we are often surprised. Sometimes he responds to crowds but then gets away from them. Sometimes he heals directly and other times uses mud on the eyes or even a second touch. He is what we could call inconsistent or unpredictable and trying to pin him down to one response for every situation and person is impossible. But one thing is constant—the people come to…

Paul’s letter introducing himself to the church in Rome has had more impact on Western civilization and the life of the Church than any other he wrote. His influence while imprisoned in Rome laid the base for the institution that filled the vacuum after the fall of the Roman Empire. St. Augustine was converted by reading it. Martin Luther was inspired by it to start the Reformation. The theology that allowed the eventual spread of the church beyond Judasim is defined here. In some ways, the concepts of natural law which led to the founding of our own country are here. It’s hard to imagine Western history without this one…

An article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy may indicate a change in a 20-year trend of measuring nonprofit performance. The “effective philanthropy” movement took a small hit when the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced it was closing down its eight-year, $12-million funding of projects to “get donors to rely as much on their heads as their hearts.” Their funding for Charity Navigator, GiveWell and GuideStar ended shortly after the conclusion of the study. As you may know, these organizations are three of the most visible and successful tools for public information about financial performance and social impact of nonprofit organizations. While Larry Kramer, the President of the Hewlett Foundation,…

In New York’s Central Park you can choose to walk the meandering trails or the circular paths like the one taking you around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Walkers on the first lap barely notice each other. If you pass on the second lap you nod and should you be serious enough to be taking the third lap you may actually catch a small wave or smile. By then you have something in common. Not quite friends but if you see each other tomorrow morning you’ll not have to start over. You might even speak. New York Times columnist David Brooks writes about the three rings of relationships we have…

                      Risk   Entrepreneurs are often described (mistakenly) as heroic risk-takers not calculating before acting. Nothing could be further from the truth. They work hard reducing as much risk as possible but having done that they are willing to launch. This is why I love watching the process of true entrepreneurs eliminating risk to give themselves the best chance of succeeding. Being a part of their identifying an opportunity is good work.  Two friends having built a successful company are now turning their attention to a complex, important issue in our community: access to healthcare. They want to do something…

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them…” Matthew 6:9 During a meeting last month, one of my friends quoted President Obama, “The biggest deficit that we have in our society and in the world right now is an empathy deficit.” None of us disagreed or questioned him. After all, with every horrifying situation in the world how could anyone doubt what we need is more empathy? What is the first question asked of victims of disasters like hurricanes and fires, losing a child, or escaping a mass shooting in a school? “How did you feel?” The reporter is working hard to get to the human side of…

  Our church has several of the ATM-like machines for donations and offerings very discreetly placed in high traffic areas.  There are no lighted signs flashing an update in giving like we have in Texas announcing the latest lottery payout. In fact, years ago when surveys revealed visitors and members alike were intimidated by taking collections during the service, many congregations eliminated the practice completely. It was just another instance of  micro-aggression making it necessary to keep worship a safe space. While I don’t have up to date accounts for what percentage of the church’s giving comes through these kiosks, I do know there was a time when they were…

A single line from Wendell Berry’s “Jayber Crow” is a picture of my neighborhood where I grew up. “In Port William only strangers, preachers and traveling salesmen ever went to anybody’s front door.” For us, it was the often left open 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 know but people coming to the side were friends, neighbors and family. The side door was for people we trusted. I’ve been turning that over in my mind this week while studying the power of…

In the last few years I have been paying closer attention to shifts affecting the American church. It’s too easy for older believers to look at another generation and say, “They’ll come around when they have a few more years of life under their belt,” but the truth is while a number of these changes are welcome, there are some that are fundamental and, honestly, concerning. One is the growing attraction to selected teachings of Jesus and an increased questioning of or even discounting those of the Apostle Paul. For a number of reasons, there is a widening divide between the influence of Jesus and that of Paul among Christians…