Steve Martin is known most widely for his early work in absurd comedy but he has also evolved into a serious art collector playwright and fine writer. In his memoir, “Born Standing Up” he recounts the death of his father. Growing up in Waco, Texas, Steve remembers his feelings toward his father as “mostly ones of hatred” as his father was cold and stern. He was critical of Steve’s career. and their relationship was awkward at best: “In his early 80s my father’s health declined further and he became bedridden. There must be an instinct about when the end is near as we all found ourselves gathered at my parents’home…

The final commentary on the lives of many of the kings of Israel is, “He did evil and walked in the ways of Jeroboam.” But even when they did good things, the Old Testament always offers an addendum – a last line in their obituary and funeral eulogy, “Yet he walked in the ways of Jeroboam.” This has been the final word on the kings of Israel for hundreds of years. What is this defining sin, the standard by which all the kings came to be judged? What is the sin of the house of Jeroboam and does it have any relevance for us today? Jeroboam understood the nature of…

A friend asked me to write a few words about a passage of Scripture that has been meaningful in my personal giving. That sounded easy enough. But as I thought about it I realized I do not have one verse. Different phases of my giving have been informed by different verses. Early in life, I was required by my parents to “tithe to the storehouse.” That meant putting a coin in the Sunday School envelope. There was no questioning them on this. It was my duty, and yes, there were times I resented having to part with even one coin, but every study on giving I have ever seen has…

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 growing number of private foundations deciding to “sunset” after a predetermined number of years. The primary reason for this is the concern about the mission and values of the foundation shifting away over time from the original intent of the donor. There are other reasons, like…

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  baseball has now become beyond question the leading feature of the outdoor sports of the United States It is a game which is peculiarly suited to the American temperament and disposition; the nine innings are played in the brief space of two and one half hours or less. From the moment the first striker takes his position and poises his bat it has an excitement…

As some of you know, I enjoy taking pictures – and then finding something to say.

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 follow. In the last few decades the holistic message of the Gospel has been given more emphasis, opening up broader opportunities for medical missions, education, poverty relief, microfinance, business development and social justice. But, most of this work has been in areas outside the…

“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 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 stories. They come through the side…

For five years I was a teacher and principal in a small school in North Carolina. One of the traditions of each senior class was to take a trip and, of course, it was ideal if it was a cruise in the Caribbean. It was also a tradition that the senior class spent their final year raising the money for the trip. Parents could not pick up the expense so there were endless rounds of car washes and cookie sales every year. Students love cruises. One year, the seniors kept putting off their fundraising in spite of all our reminders and warnings that there would only be a trip if…

Everyone likes a mystery, especially those about the rich. My interest was piqued while reading “A Big Bet for Change in America’s Heartland,” an article by Drew Lindsay in the “Chronicle of Philanthropy.” The article’s subject is David Gundlach, the enigmatic donor who left close to $150 million to his hometown’s community foundation in Elkhart, Indiana. I began to read articles about his life – what little that was known about it. In fact, it is less of a true mystery than it is a story of an unfinished quest in the life of a boy from a small town becoming rich after the sale of his company. This line…