My pal, Bert Montgomery - Minister of Mojo, has a Kickstarter campaign to publish a new book of Katrina stories. He's a cool guy and this is a great project. Let's do this thing.
March 20, 2013
September 09, 2009
Cheap Jesus?
I saw this store in Concord, NC on Tuesday evening. Random thoughts:
-Can you get Christ at a discount? Is a great truth greater at a deep discount?
- What are the "Great Deals"? On faith? On following Christ? Oh, on that book that did not sell as well as expected....
-50% OFF? I've head about cheap grace. Is that it? Or forgiveness?
-And if I saved 50%, but I tithed 10% what is the deal? Oh, legalism!
-I sure hope there is a list of sins under that "Clearance" sign.
OK. Forgive me for the rant. Some days I find myself thinking Gandhi was right when he commented, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
I'm sure the owners of the store are nice and well intended. I did step in. It felt unnatural (and a little girlie) and I could not connect to the "sacred music" wafting through the store. I browsed a few books quickly and left.
I went down about 25 stores and stopped at "Books-A-Million". It had that third place feel and was comfortable. I was there about an hour browsing. I checked the section that had books on sailing and cycling, but spent most of the time looking at books on theology and following-Christ. Another guy asked me about a book I was looking over and we had a good conversation about how people view the church. It felt natural and easy. I'm just saying...
April 10, 2009
The Blue Sweater
Not to long ago I was at my desk when an envelope hit from (800)CEO-Read. Inside was a fresh copy of "The Blue Sweater" by Jacqueline Novagratz. A note was enclosed asking me to review the book as soon as possible and then pass it along to someone who needs to read it. The note was signed by Sasha & Seth.
The book is a personal memoir from Jacqueline Novagratz, founder of Acumen Fund. She has dedicated her life to bridging the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the world. This often means asking questions about how we have been fighting poverty and challenging some of the entrenched views.
More than anything, people want dignity, not pity. It is easy for individuals, groups, and even governments to write checks and walk away, but this does not provide dignity. There is ample evidence that while there may be short term relief, there is no long term measurable result.
Jacqueline has not simply written the check and walked away. She makes it clear when we are willing to work with others, when we require accountability, when we help people understand that we are investing in them because we believe in them we can help improve circumstances and begin the path out of poverty. This takes commitment, trust, and listening. More than anything it takes listening. And listening takes time.
The book has a number of inspiring stories of success, but these are not business models. These are stories about people. There are also individuals in the book that would not change or become involved because history and past experiences prevented them from accepting change. On the other side there are the stories about those willing to give and working with them to ensure the giving has meaning.
This is a book that should be read by anyone with a social conscience. I agree that we are at a moment in history where we have the tools to solve the problems of poverty and illness on the planet. And if we can, we must.
Note: Photo credit Bethany Ziegler. This book readily available at Amazon or Barnes & Noble as well as the source above.