I just heard about two people that undertook to feed homeless children. They used their own money in the beginning of this project. I was inspired by their uncommon generosity.

There is so much good in the world. With all the financial gloom and doom, we should take time to celebrate the good.

I particularly like the following clip. Matt has undertaken to dance his crazy dance all over the world. Such joy. It makes me happy to hear about people like him and the sisters. Enjoy!

The Letters to the Editor section of the newspaper was longer today than usual.  Counting the editorial cartoon the letters occupied a full half of the “Perspective” page.  Eight letters comprise what I like to think of as the therapy section of the paper.

One screams out, “You really don’t get it do you?” as if they’re carrying on a conversation with a person across the table from them.  Another says, “I am writing to inform you of my opinion.” Still another angsts over why a road project is taking so long.

I’d hate to think of the newspaper without the opinion page.  It functions like a virtual town hall and gives you a bellwether of public opinion.  Sometimes the opinions expressed are well-thought, articulate, and reasonable in tone.  Other times they are angry and reactionary.  Just because they appear in print doesn’t mean they’re worth reading.

What drives me nuts about them is how frequently the authors don’t have a clue what they are talking about.  For example, a local hot button issue in our town has generated a lot of heat but little light.  Awfulizers write about the terrible things that will happen if we get a particular business.

In our democracy everyone has the right to speak.  Right or wrong we can express our opinions and come to a consensus.  It’s not a perfect process as is evident on the editorial page.  And we do not always arrive at good decisions.

Nevertheless, the respect and access that we give to all our citizens is a far better way to live than totalitarianism where people are told what to think. 

I don’t like all the opinions expressed on the editorial page.  Some are downright uninformed.  But I’d hate to think of our society without that right.

This video has gone viral and is appearing in several places including Facebook.  I identify with “David’s” question, “Is this real life?”  Sometimes things feel so surreal you wonder if it could possibly be happening.  Enjoy.

We became friends because we were colleagues in the same group.  It was a bunch of pastors from the same area of the state.  We got together once a month for food and conversation and enjoyed the professional and collegial stimulation.

He was pastor for a church that eventually had some internal problems, and the church had a terrible split which created two churches.  He left with the group that split away, and also left our group.  He disappeared, and we didn’t see him after that.

Several years passed.  One day the phone in my office rang; it was my old friend.  “Hi Bruce.  How are you?  Still at the same church?”  We talked for a couple of minutes, and I was elated that he had called to reconnect.  Until……

“Have you heard of colostrum?” he asked.  “Colostrum?” I’m wondering.  “Isn’t that the first fluid that a nursing baby gets from its mother?  Why would he be talking about colostrum?  What could colostrum possibly have to do with our friendship?”  My mind went into warp drive.

He went on.  “Colostrum has wonderful health benefits, and my wife is now a distributor of it.  By going to this website and entering her number, you can purchase this great product and she will get credit for it.”

Whatever warm feelings I had about his calling evaporated.  He wasn’t calling a friend; I was just a potential customer.  A means to make money.  I could feel my mind shutting down.  “How can I get out of this conversation?” I thought.  I didn’t buy the product, and we never talked again.

A good friend of mine calls people like this a “one way street.”  In other words, the relational traffic only goes in their direction.  They don’t care about anyone but themselves.  It’s disappointing, especially when you fall for their opening lines.  “How are you doing?  I’ve been thinking about you.”

We went to a New Year’s Eve party at Playhouse Merced. The event started at 8:00 on Wednesday evening, and it was in full swing by the time we arrived. 

The Playhouse was well decorated for the event.  The main stage area had a fresh coat of paint.  A small, raised platform supported the three-person band.  A few people were dancing to the music; others were sitting, enjoying the show.

The foyer housed the drink bar, nibbles, and conversation areas.  It stayed full most of the night.  Some folks went to the event to be with friends and chat.  Conversation areas were scattered around the room.  One couple was visiting the area from South Dakota.  They found the event on the web and decided to join the festivities.

Upstairs in the Studio was the karaoke bar.  Cafe tables were set up, along with a small bar and a karaoke stage.  It was my first time to experience karaoke, and I was pleasantly surprised.

One by one people looked at the huge catalog of songs available, signed up with the person in charge of song order, and then waited for their turn.  Some had lovely voices.  Others sounded like cats fighting.  However, the audience treated every performer with kindness.

The karaoke performances were very democratic.  Everyone that wanted to got their opportunity at the microphone.  Everyone was treated with the same courtesies and respect.  Maybe it’s not that way at every karaoke night, but it was true here.

The performance that impressed me the most was that of the child who, accompanied with an adult, sang “Jingle Bells.”  It wasn’t a stellar performance, but that’s not the point.  The child was included as part of the karaoke community, people applauded, and the child left with an optimistic view of human acceptance.  It was a good example of human cooperation and contribution. 

When I joined a business networking group, we were taught to be able to give a summary of our business or product in the amount of time needed for an elevator ride—about 60 seconds.  It was tough learning to be that succinct, and even now I want to use a few more words.

But what if you had to summarize your life in six words?  James Emery White asked that question recently in his blog.  I suspect that the 2008 summary would be drastically different than, say, the 2004 version.  Economy, jobs, war, and weather have had their impact on us all.

In the best seller, Not Quite What I Was Planning, Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith compiled the quotes of famous and not-so-famous people on this very idea.  Here are some examples:

“Liars, hysterectomy didn’t improve sex life!” (Joan Rivers)
 
“Well, I thought it was funny.”  (Stephen Colbert)
 
“Maybe you had to be there.”  (Roy Blount, Jr.)
 
“Revenge is living well, without you.”  (Joyce Carol Oates)
 
“Followed yellow brick road.  Disappointment ensued.”

“Should have risked asking, he sighed.” 

Then there was the USA Today reporter who offered his own while reviewing the book:  “Dad was Santa.  Downhill from there.”

Okay, we’re all about to climb on board the 2009 elevator, and I wonder what a 6–word or 60–second summary of my life should say.  If I’m not careful, it will be tinged with some regrets.  “Should have taken that other job.”  Or “wish I had gotten my doctorate.”  Or “I should have played more sports.”

There are some I like much better, and they make for a healthier life.  “He lived life full of enthusiasm.”  Or “Not afraid to follow his dreams.”

Six words can say so little or so much.  Depending on how seriously life is taken.

Recently I got to participate in a two-day set of interviews for openings at a local agency.  The candidates were each given a one hour appointment during which they would make their presentation and receive questions from our group.

This was the first time I had ever participated in a process like this one, and I was fascinated by how the interviews were conducted as well as by how much could be learned in only one hour.  I was also impressed with how uniform the observations of the group were.

I came away from the experience with some observations that were interesting and helpful to me.  They included these:

• You better do your homework.  If you have a group that you need to impress quickly, one of the best things you can do is find out all your can about them.  Find out history, demographics, who they serve, and what they want.  The more information you have about them the better.
• It’s really easy, and often fatal, to shoot yourself in the foot.  You can fire the fateful bullet by speaking ignorantly, by not having enough information, or by making too many assumptions.  In a one-hour interview there is no grace, no opportunity to recoup or regroup, and no call backs.  Time is of the essence.
• You probably can’t fool a group.  This goes back to the need for preparation.  However, it also addresses the important matter of not filling a presentation with bells and whistles.  They very quickly get brushed aside for the hard question of “how do you propose to use our money and accomplish our task?”
• A well-stocked toolkit is extremely important.  One dimensional approaches will lose every time.  When a group is looking for someone to represent and implement its interests, they look for someone/s who have several ways to approach the situation.  If one doesn’t work, there are other approaches also being used.

The group process is very important for making good decisions.  In the group there are different experiences, different educational backgrounds, different eyes looking, and different points of view analyzing the situation.  It is a good way to prevent the skewed, jaundiced eye of an individual.

My secretary ushered in a person I had never met before who had a folder in her hand. “Pastor,” she said. “I want to talk to you about a threat to our religious freedom.”

This was in the early 80’s, and what she told me was not new to me. According to my guest, Madalyn Murray O’Hair was filing a petition with the FCC to stop religious broadcasting. “Please ask your congregants to sign this petition and return it to me so that we can stop Ms. O’Hair.”

Since I had heard this before and previously signed one of the peripatetic petitions, I decided to call the FCC to see if this was true. In fact, over the next couple of years, I called them twice. But on each occasion I was assured that there was no such petition.

That was before the Internet became such a big part of our lives. Now such rumors proceed at light speed across the globe.

Most people know that Madalyn Murray O’Hair is now dead, so the rumor has morphed. One of the new versions has James Dobson pleading for us to stop some “group” that is attempting to stop religious broadcasting.

What’s interesting to me is that the people that are so anxious to spread this story make no attempt to correct their error when they learn of it. Any Internet search will quickly clarify the issue and give the truth.

Meanwhile this negative and false rumor continues to circulate. Where’s the integrity of these people that claim to want to tell the truth? I’d suggest that truth is not a concern of theirs if they are not willing to rewrite the people on their list to say, “I was wrong. This story is false.”

Christmas is just around the corner. Time for getting the right gift for your honey is running short. I just found this helpful video that I recommend all men watch before going to the mall. It could save you from going into the doghouse.

It was in the newspaper on Monday.  Contributions to non-profits are down because of the economy.  That is not good news if you are a non-profit and exist on the largesse of others.

I just attended a workshop on the subject of building relationships that will, in turn, result in a strong financial base.  Let’s Have Lunch Together was written by Marshall Howard who was the workshop presenter.

Howard is right, philanthropists get weary with continued requests for money.  Give to this.  Give to that.  At some point they want to have a personal connection with the organization/s they assist—to be treated as something more than a paycheck.  That sort of involvement takes time.

Which as been making me ask the question, “How do I go about making people interested in LifeSpring Church feel really connected to it in a way that transcends their financial contribution?” 

I was reminded of the importance of that question recently when I got a fundraising letter from a friend.  Even though I know him, I don’t feel particularly connected to what he is doing.  So he has a problem; if he wants me to give to him, he must create a tighter linkage between me and his project.

The temptation is to spend my time fussing with things that make little difference in the long-term picture.  The key to successful funding is building sincere and effective partnerships.  There is no way to make a short cut of that.