Category: Uncategorized
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Stewards Not Owners: A Downton Abbey Lesson
I began last week’s reflection with a quote from Downton Abbey. The context of the quote is from Robert Crowley, the Earl of Grantham, responding to his mother Violet, the Dowager Countess, after she asks him if he cares about Downton, i.e. the estate. His answer was, quick, direct, and emotional: “Do I care? I
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The Why of Legacy Giving
During the church Zoom meeting, a longtime member of the church recounted her family history with the church. Her parents were married in the church, she was baptized and also married there, and her children were baptized from the same baptismal font. It reminded me of a scene from the TV series, “Downton Abbey.” It
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Giving More Than I Can Spare
“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc, is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we
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Falling into the Trap
Well it happened again. After the church meeting was over, I realized that I had fallen into the membership trap. The discussion on investments led to income, the income discussion led to stewardship and the Fall campaign, which led to needing more members – read pledge units. This is what I call the membership trap.
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Unlocking the Doors of Poverty
Home ownership has been and continues to be the foundation for building multi-generational wealth. Over time, real estate generally keeps pace and even out-performs inflation. A lifetime of renting, without contributing to a growth fund to compensate for the equity lost due to not owning real estate, significantly reduces net worth. This means less to
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Between the Heart and the Head
The distance between the heart and head is what some have called an eighteen-inch journey. In viewing the world, and interacting with people, some of us start with the head, others with their heart. The Myers Briggs folks would describe it as the difference between thinking and feeling. Isabel Briggs Myers identified 16 personality types
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Invocations
The Latin root of invocation is to “call upon.” In the church we begin our services with an in-vocational prayer. We call upon God to be with us. Imagine for a moment our response when during that prayer Jesus appears physically, standing behind the Altar. Our prayer of invocation is now evoking fear and trembling.
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A New Take on “Rally” Sunday
Back in 2015 I shared this observation: “What got me thinking was the ‘RALLY’ Sunday sign I saw in front of a church this weekend. It was a call to the church community to come together, with hopes, I suppose, that non-members would respond as well. Sometimes the church hangs a ‘Homecoming’ sign with the
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Ode to Wendell Luke
Our friend Rev. Dr. Wendell Luke died this week. He was a prophet, a force, and a voice for justice. He was also a thoughtful poet. His served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors for several years, shaping and encouraging our growth in both assets and ministry. I am sure that upon hearing of his
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The Dog Days of Summer
For many people the dog days of summer mean vacation and a slower pace of life. It is this slower pace that creates the environment for reflection and planning. This is especially true for life planning: retirement and estate planning etc. These longer-term issues tend to be put on the back burner when life is