I have had the privilege of learning from many wise older men throughout my life, one of them being Peter Drucker. Peter and I worked together through my role with Bob Buford and Leadership Network. For the first 12 years I was around Peter, I spoke only when he asked a question. Otherwise, I listened and took notes.
In 1996, Peter and I spent a day together talking about the future of The Gathering. He was especially interested in our focus and what we hoped to accomplish. And if you know anything about Peter, you know that all discussions lead back to results.
Peter and I met again to talk about The Gathering in 1998, 2000 and 2004. Always a gracious host and intensely focused, those conversations have been foundational throughout the life of The Gathering. So much of what he asked me about our work has shaped who we are and how we live in the world of philanthropy.
Last week, I was rereading the notes I had saved from these meetings and noticed a theme running throughout that I had not seen before. Peter was always ahead of his time, seeing then what many of us are only beginning to understand decades later. He was not a futurist.  As he put it, he simply looked out the window and saw what was obvious to him.
While some consider The Gathering an “elite” organization because of the wealth it represents, Peter defined us differently:
“Traditional philanthropy has been the practice of giving for personal satisfaction or feeling good but the members of The Gathering are committed to more than personal satisfaction. In a very real sense this is what makes you an “elite” group. Not elite because of money but because of the commitment of your members to Christian causes and the Kingdom.”
This distinction between formal philanthropy and committed giving was very important to Peter. He had little interest in those with great assets or celebrity donors but he had deep respect for those committed to giving – whatever the amount.
Peter continually reminded me that the mission (and responsibility) of The Gathering was not to teach only our participants, but that the learning and shared experience of The Gathering would benefit others:
“How will you use your accumulated wealth of relationships, learning and experience?”
“Remember the Parable of the Pounds. Use what you have learned as an investment in those who do not attend The Gathering. Your value is in helping make as many people as possible aware of this kind of giving – and to practice it.”
In ways I could not have imagined then we have done that over the years. We have not only collected mountains of material from our Bible teachers, speakers, participants and other resources, but we have also grown our ability to make available what we have learned to far more people than those attending the conferences.
And over time, we can now see how important it has been to encourage people to ask the right questions and not just be looking for pat answers. Peter told me, “What is important is learning how to learn. It is partly a curiosity, but it’s also a discipline.” Being a part of that discipline of learning is one of the great satisfactions of the work.
I was reminded of this when I recently read an interview with Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen. She has been a friend and consultant to the new wealth of Silicon Valley and teaches a course in philanthropy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
In the interview, Laura says that she is tired of reading about wealthy philanthropists. “After all, ordinary Americans drive much of the nation’s giving.”
As a result, she has designed and launched Giving 2.0, a free six-week online giving course sponsored by Stanford University and “intended to teach givers of all ages, backgrounds, incomes and experiences to give more effectively.”
At the end of one of our last conversations Peter walked me to the door and said, “Your example is broader than you think. Take it seriously.” I think we have, and we plan to keep taking it seriously for as much time as we are given.
Sometimes we glibly quote it is “a long obedience in the same direction” but that is exactly what it is. Results do not come quickly, and we could not have known at the beginning how our lives in this work would have played out. I can say this for certain. It has not been a career. It has been for all of us a calling, and when people ask how long we are going to do it I like this answer most of all:
In Frederick Buechner’s book Peculiar Treasures, he writes of Isaiah’s initial experience with God and his calling.
Isaiah said, “Do it till when?” 
Mystery said, “Till hell freezes over.” 
Mystery said, “Do it till the cows come home.”
We are going to do it till the cows come home.