Across Europe, we’ve seen many great and historic churches close. Some now are owned by businesses. Some are converted to mosques. For many, the response to these closures is shock, dismay. For those wondering why, the answer is often the apparent decline of faith in these countries. But few are as quick to point to another cause: population decline. For …
When they hear the word “inheritance,” most people run. We typically associate inheritance with estate planning, which traditionally means working with lawyers, talking about death, and confronting difficult issues with children. A 2012 survey by Alliance reveals some troubling paradoxes about the idea of inheritance: The Desire to Avoid Conflict – The number one concern by far of Boomers and the …
The blog below is from a few years ago but worth repeating. Give away your passion? No, this is not a blog about Valentine’s Day. But the story is about passion. My daughter Jessica has always been a passionate person. Even when she was a baby, she’d wake up babbling, and when she learned how to talk, it seemed a …
They sat in front of me—50 of them, wide-eyed, eager, young, some with girlfriends or boyfriends, some engaged, and some with years to go before landing a degree. It was my son’s college ministry team, and I’d been invited to speak. As I looked out at them, I saw myself—a long time ago. What could I say? What could I …
Did you ever read My Side of the Mountain? It’s the story of a young boy who tells his parents that he’s going to go live in the mountains. By himself. At 12 years old. They let him go because they think it will wear off soon. But his adventure carries on as he learns to live in a tree, …
Taylor Smith was 12 years old when she died on January 5, 2014, from complications from pneumonia. Her parents were devastated. But when they sorted through her belongings, they found a curious envelope with the words, “To be opened by Taylor Smith on April 13, 2023.” Inside was a letter Taylor had written to her future 22-year-old self. The words …
“People will actually invest in [the program] even if they don’t care about [the cause], because they care about the model,” says Jim Fruchterman. Fruchterman’s quote comes in the June 2015 Chronicle of Philanthropy. There, the article notes in particular about how Silicon Valley is changing the face of philanthropy. Silicon Valley funding looks for faster, more efficient ways that …
Prince died on April 21, 2016. Within days, his sister Tyka Nelson filed papers in probate court alleging that he died without a will. Prince’s estate is said to be worth more than $300 million dollars. Making matters all the more complicated is that his estate will hold title to his ongoing intellectual property rights. This means that the management …
Dennis Swanberg is a comedian. He makes people laugh, but sometimes he does it in a reflective way. He tells the story of how his grandfather loved to hear young Dennis do Ed Sullivan and Jimmy Stewart impersonations. And in his thick accent, he’d ask Dennis to tell another “yoke.” But it was the faith of his grandfather and his …
It seems like a few nights ago that our four children were six and under. My, those were exhausting days—especially for my wife. Two girls, two boys, homeschooling, church and sports all made for a busy life. But those were also days of such fun. The kids would come running and screaming when I came home. “Daddy’s home!” meant play …
