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…

Listen to “Look Out for Pirates.”   This morning I am in New York serving on a panel at the Praxis Redemptive Imagination Summit. Here is the assignment: “As tectonic shifts happen in technology, secularization, wealth creation, and business as a mechanism for impact, the theologically minded philanthropist or foundation executive may face tough decisions in the years to come: should we invest in tech-driven solutions? Or focus on relationships that may get left behind in the pursuit of scale?” For me, redemptive philanthropy is preparing the next generation of family for wealth and giving. I want to invest in redeeming inheritance. Today, wealth is synonymous with money or other…

Listen to “Jars of Clay or Faberge?”   A conversation this week with Dan Haseltine, the lead vocalist for the band Jars of Clay and the founder of Blood: Water Mission started me thinking about the origin of the band’s name. Why “Jars of Clay”? “We chose it after studying the passage in 2 Corinthians 4 and it expressed who we desired to be as artists. We wanted to deflect the attention from the band and concentrate people on the message – the treasure inside the container.” I grew up believing the phrase described our frailty or feet of clay or even our disposition toward the weakness inherent in anything earthen.…

Listen to “More Than A Singing Cow.”   It’s not often I ask someone to pray for me before going to a museum or library. But last year I did ask that of my brother-in-law because going into the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte N.C. was a test of my skeptical nature. Growing up in the middle of the post-WWII evangelical culture, I was exposed to some of the giants of that era: Bill Bright, Elton Trueblood, Billy Graham, Henrietta Mears, Ray Stedman, and others. They were men and women of great faith and vision living in a time of extraordinary expansion of the parachurch movement, seminaries, megachurches, and global ministries. Sadly, many…