Signing Off

I’m far enough down my road to retiring as president of Wheat Ridge Ministries that almost daily I’m confronted with reminders that my years of service are coming to an end – final meetings with board and staff, office routines, last conversations with donors, travelling to a few last program sites, etc., etc. This installment of “Rick’s Reflections” now qualifies for this list. By my count, this is reflection number 119! I’ve been writing these for such a long time that what started 10 years ago as monthly “articles” are now known as “blog posts.” One hundred and nineteen is also the number of times that my good friend and colleague, Anne Schoenherr, our talented Director of Communications, has had to remind me in her gentle (and occasionally not so gentle) way of the monthly publication deadline! 

There’s music in my head during my final days as president of Wheat Ridge, too. I wish I could tell you that it’s a hymn verse or some other sacred or significant composition. It’s not. If you are an aging cartoon buff, you likely enjoyed the adventures of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes gang as a kid. If you’re old enough, perhaps you remember the theme music from these cartoons. At the end of each show, the music leads to sign off That’s All Folks!! spoken by Bugs or sometimes by other characters. How sad it was to hear these words knowing that 30 minutes of fun and laughter with these wacky characters had come to an end.  

Of course, I am already experiencing some inevitable sadness as I prepare to “sign-off” after 23 wonderful years as a member of the Wheat Ridge Ministries team. I will miss working alongside my colleagues and friends on the staff and board of directors. I’ll miss the regular opportunities to visit with the generous friends and supporters of our ministry. And I’ll miss the joy of talking with inspired leaders and visiting the new ministries Wheat Ridge helped seed. It’s been quite a ride!

While there’s no denying some sadness during this time of transition, I’m also looking forward with considerable joy that’s captured well by this revised version of Bugs’ sign-off: That’s NOT All Folks!! It’s certainly not all for Wheat Ridge Ministries. By God’s grace, a great new leader will be joining the Wheat Ridge team as president in the person of Mr. Paul Miles. He is a gifted leader and churchman! Paul and our dedicated staff, guided and cared for by our wise and talented board of directors, will continue to creatively grow the impact of Wheat Ridge in pursuit of a vision that increasing numbers of individuals around the world experience health and hope in Christ’s name. This will be possible because of the continuing generosity and encouragement of the large host of friends and donors like you who understand the importance of seeding new ministries and who provide the resources needed for this to happen. 

God willing, That’s NOT All, Folks!! will also be a good description of the next phase of my life. While I’ll always look to do whatever I can to further the mission of Wheat Ridge, I also look forward to experiencing some new ways to serve. I hope to pay forward the blessings of remarkable opportunities and learning experiences from which I have benefitted during the past 41 years of service to the church. And, of course, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my wife, Deb, and being helpful as she continues her outstanding career as an artist and teacher.  

I look forward to staying in touch with you, the readers of these reflections over the years, in whatever ways God’s plans make possible, as we continue to move through the transitions of life. Thank you, again, for reading these reflections throughout the years, for praying for the ministry of Wheat Ridge, and for allowing me the privilege of serving as a leader of our ministry. What a blessing we all have to look forward to a future together on earth, and eventually in heaven, made possible by our loving Christ who cries loud and clear from the cross and the empty tomb to each of us and to all God’s children, That’s NOT All, Folks!!

Showing Up

“80% of success is showing up” ~ Woody Allen

I’ve been thinking about Woody’s well-known observation quite often lately as my official retirement from Wheat Ridge Ministries grows closer and as I look back on 41 years of service in church-related ministries. I’m better at looking ahead than I am at looking in the rear-view mirror, but one of the things I’ve been trying hard to consider is what I’ve learned over these many years. In this regard, I agree with Woody – showing up is important!

 

One might interpret his observation as a snide commentary about the value of work – like a quip that might appear in a Dilbert comic strip. While that might be true, I’d like to believe it is not. It seems to me that “showing up” in life is an admirable and extremely important activity. I agree with some of the definitions that members of our Wheat Ridge staff provided the other day when I asked them what they think “showing up” means:  being actively present, paying attention, coming prepared to do one’s best, listening carefully, giving full attention, helping others, and putting full effort into the task at hand.

 

During my life, I’ve been incredibly blessed by people who have taught me the importance and value of showing up. My parents showed up daily to raise four children – Dad working hard every day at his small business to provide for the family and Mom diligently managing the home front. In spite of my testing her patience regularly, Deb has shown up for the past 40 years of our life together, providing love and care for me and our daughters, while at the same time showing up for her very successful career as a gifted teacher and artist. I’ve been part of exemplary teams of colleagues in the places I’ve been called to serve, who have taught me how to show up each day working together in pursuit of a mission.  And then there are many friends who have shown up throughout my life to lift my spirits and provide encouragement. I’m guessing your list of people who have shown up for you during your lifetime might look pretty similar.

 

Whatever success any of us have is the result of other people showing up diligently and regularly to impact our life. There is no such thing as self-made success. Likewise, the measure of any success that each of us has in life is ultimately not the accumulation of wealth or the growth of the organizations we serve, but the impact we’ve had in the lives of others. I’ve always appreciated the application of “showing up” that Robert Greenleaf used as he defined servant leadership:  Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

 

While the phrase “showing up” doesn’t appear in the Bible, the good news for all of us is that the entirety of Scripture tells the story of God showing up in our lives. As the writer of Psalm 100 reminds us, the Lord is good, God’s faithfulness continues through all generations. During the aforementioned staff conversation about showing up, Anya Knodt, our brilliant assistant director of programs, observed that it’s not like God chooses to show up one place today for one person and in another place tomorrow for another person. God doesn’t need to show up, because He is already there! As we’re reminded in another Psalm (36), God is not only here, there and everywhere, but God’s love endures forever! By the power of God’s Spirit, we are able to respond to this enduring and faithful love by showing up each day for the sake of others.

 

While Woody might give you 80% odds of being successful because you showed up, by God’s grace, we can be confident that there is a 100% chance that truly showing up at home, at school, at work, and in our neighborhoods and communities makes a difference in someone else’s life. So, thanks for showing up today, wherever you may be!

Unique Logistics

I’ve been intrigued by the name, Unique Logistics International, ever since they moved into our office complex here in the Chicago area. When I write my first espionage novel, I am for sure going to use this name. It conjures up all sorts of story plots in my mind. Perhaps they are a “Mission Impossible” organization that takes on incredibly difficult jobs that help keep the world safe from evildoers! I imagine their CEO having the last name “Bond” and liking his martinis shaken, not stirred!

Fortunately, the name Unique Logistics International also reminds me of some very real and heroic ministry work that Wheat Ridge Ministries has been blessed to help seed over the years in locations around the world. Sharing health and hope in Christ’s name requires the leaders of these initiatives to be very creative, dedicated and brave as they manage the logistics necessary to provide services to people where they are needed. 

When I think about the international ministries that have taken on the challenge of unique logistics during my 23 years of service at Wheat Ridge, many come to mind.  Here are just a few of the many new international ministries we have had the privilege to seed that are particularly memorable to me:

The China Rehabilitation Project – For more than 15 years, beginning in the late 1980s, Wheat Ridge helped volunteer medical teams whose goal was to bring healing to children with physical disabilities in China. Led first by Dr. Marcy Ditmanson and his wife, Joyce, and later by another talented leader, Kay Dole, these teams taught medical professionals in China how to use modern surgical methods as well as physical and occupational therapy. I was always amazed at how these teams managed the logistics of getting large quantities of donated medical equipment into China and moving around the country through various connections with the medical community in China. Our teams were among the very first to be provided access to orphanages in several Chinese cities, where many children with disabilities were placed by parents who didn’t know how to care for them. As a result of their teaching, the quality of life for thousands of children in China improved.

Care of Widows, Cows for Kids Project – Imagine being a poor widow living in poverty in rural India. Local customs prohibit you from being employed. You are desperate to provide for your children. Lutheran churches in southern India found a unique way to help – provide the widow and her family with a cow! The pastors and other leaders in these churches solved some difficult logistics to make this happen. Milk from the cow was not only a source of sustenance for the family but also a source of income as the milk was able to be sold. Thousands of children and families in the United States supported Wheat Ridge’s “Care of Widows, Cows for Kids” mission education program and their generosity helped us invest over $300,000 in this effort. One of the most moving experiences of my life was participating in the ceremonies in the small villages as church members gifted the cow to the widow and prayed over the family.

Hope for Grieving Children – Through a logistical miracle, God led a Christian psychologist, Dick Matteson, to visit the African country of Zambia. There he learned that children in many towns were being raised by caregivers other than their parents. The reason? The parents had died from HIV/AIDS. Dick also learned that these caregivers were having a very difficult time caring for these children because they were misbehaving. The caregivers, and other adults in their towns and villages, did not understand that these children were acting out because they had received no help as they grieved the loss of their parents. Dick developed a curriculum to teach caregivers how to help children. To solve the logistical challenge of delivering this training, Dick engaged with local churches. A non-profit organization, Hope for Grieving Children-Africa, was incorporated to provide structure and support. During the past several years, hundreds of people have participated in the training and many local trainers have been equipped to deliver the training. Thousands of children have been helped. A wonderful “part two” of this story is that the leader of another Wheat Ridge-seeded project, BLOOM Africa, which helps provide education for children in Lesotho, Africa, learned about this healing ministry and this training is now being delivered to caregivers of orphans there.

Bright Stars of Bethlehem – In the town of Bethlehem, Palestine, where Jesus was born, less than 2% of the population is Christian and the city is totally surrounded by a 20-foot high wall, with access in and out severely restricted. Talk about a logistical challenge! Yet sharing the love of Christ with the people of Bethlehem is the mission that Rev. Mitri Raheb and God’s people at Christmas Lutheran Church pursue. By God’s grace, thousands of people have been touched in Christ’s name as this congregation has overcome tremendous logistical challenges to develop a wellness center, an elementary school, programs for older adults, and even a university focused on the arts!

 

One of the reasons I love the mission of Wheat Ridge Ministries is that we are able to meet and learn from leaders who have clearly been moved by God’s Spirit to respond to the Gospel by caring about the welfare of others. It’s impossible not to be inspired by these leaders as they take on all of the unique logistics required to share the love of Christ with others in Word and deed. They are great examples of people who draw strength from the same assurance that the apostle Paul expressed, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

What great news it is that God’s plan for addressing the unique logistics of telling the world about the healing Christ involves calling each of us to love and care for our neighbors using our unique gifts and talents. And what a blessing it is to be led by God’s Spirit wherever our neighbors may be!

Howdy Neighbor!

Summer is the time of year when neighborhood block parties become a common sight along the streets of Oak Park, Illinois, the town where my wife, Deb, and I live. The block is closed off to car traffic and the streets become the space for badminton nets, portable basketball hoops and inflatables. Neighbors bring their favorite foods and drinks to share with others. Sometimes the local fire department even sends a truck that the kids can explore.

We didn’t have block parties where I grew up, but perhaps we didn’t need them. Everyone on our block knew everyone else. It was commonplace to take over the street for games of whiffle ball or “running bases.” In the summer, people sat on their front porch and greeted neighbors passing by. As often as not, these greetings became extended discussions.

I think of these things whenever I hear or read the Biblical imperatives about neighbors, such as love your neighbor as yourself. Of course, God intends for us to see everyone as our neighbor, not just those who live next door or on the same block as us. But, perhaps similar to the old adage about charity, it’s true that neighborliness begins on one’s own street.  

I haven’t always been a great neighbor on the blocks where I’ve lived as an adult. We’ve lived in a number of neighborhoods over the years and I confess that I rarely knew many of my neighbors by name. Unfortunately, this was the norm for others in our neighborhood, too. There were many “good” excuses for this, I suppose, as parents worked long hours and spent evenings taking their kids out of the neighborhood to various activities. TVs and video games replaced outdoor activities, churches ceased to be neighborhood gathering places, and front porches disappeared in favor of private decks in the backyard.

I’ve done better at getting to know my neighbors since Deb and I moved into a townhome in Oak Park 13 years ago – our first experience not living in a “single family” home. If you are a townhome or condominium dweller, you know that this choice brings with it a unique neighborhood gathering called the “condo association.” Our home is one of only five units in our development. We have elected officers, but we have chosen over the years to involve all owners directly in decisions that need to be made. One of us is the elected president of the association, but we actually take turns chairing our meetings.

Our neighbors/fellow unit owners are an interesting group. Laura and Matt are both attorneys who are expecting their first child soon. Scott is an accountant who works from his home office. Steve is also an attorney who works for a large company in Chicago. Judy is a school principal. For the past three years, she has been serving as the headmaster of an international school in Dubai! She’s been renting her unit to Juliann, who owns a beautiful greyhound. When we have our meetings, Judy “Skypes” in from her apartment in Dubai at 4 a.m. Deb and I are the senior citizens of the group, both in age and in our tenure as residents of the townhome community.

Participating as a member of our homeowners association has helped us get to know our neighbors. Our meetings ensure that we will see each other with some regularity. Much more fun than the agenda is catching up with each other about what’s going on in our lives. At the moment, of course, we are anxiously awaiting word about the birth of Laura and Matt’s first child.

It’s not surprising to me that the mission of so many of the new ministries seeded by Wheat Ridge is focused on helping people be good neighbors. Some of these organizations even have names such as Project Neighbors and Neighborhood House that makes their commitment to helping people serve their neighbors perfectly clear. Some of these new ministries help those being released from prison reintegrate into their neighborhoods and communities. Others provide support for people in neighborhoods who have lost their jobs or kids whose neighborhoods lack a safe place to play after school or during the summer. All of these efforts are supported by neighbors from around the country and the world who are partners with Wheat Ridge Ministries in the seeding of new ministries of health and hope.

One of my favorite TV sitcoms several years ago was Home Improvement. In almost every episode, the man who lived in the home behind Tim “the tool man” Taylor and his family would appear at the fence separating their properties. I especially enjoyed the way he greeted Tim with a friendly “hi-di-ho neighbor!” before dispensing some sage advice or words of encouragement. The show always reminded me of the blessing of caring neighbors.

God’s gifts of health and hope are so abundant and not the least of these is the gift of good neighbors. I pray that your summer will be filled with many opportunities to enjoy your neighbors and to be a good neighbor. Try greeting them with a big “hi-di-ho” as you benefit from the fellowship, support and friendship that good neighbors share!

We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbor.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Operating at Full Capacity?

I enjoyed sitting in the office of Joanne Otte, our Director of Programs, the other day as she and our Assistant Program Director, Anya Knodt, expertly managed a live webinar for Wheat Ridge Ministries. The topic had to do with developing an organization’s mission and vision. It was led by a good friend of Wheat Ridge Ministries, Jill Schumann, who is a great leader and former President and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. The webinar was one of a series that we offer for non-profit leaders, including those whose organizations have received seed support from Wheat Ridge.

Included during the webinar was a series of “poll” questions designed to help participants provide input related to the theme. A question that particularly caught my attention was:  As you think about defining mission and vision, what do you find most challenging? Of the five possible responses, the winner by a large margin was:  Finding/engaging enough person power for the process.

The number of participants in the webinar was far too small to draw broad conclusions, but I am confident that had the sample been much larger, this response option would have still been the number one choice. Person power is one of the main ingredients of organization capacity. Without staff members, revenue streams, equipment, etc., it is impossible for an organization to function effectively. Unfortunately, in the life of many non-profit organizations today, achieving and sustaining appropriate capacity is a significant challenge.

There are many reasons why this is the case. Sometimes leaders simply try to take on too much in their efforts to address an important need. Sometimes the organization’s mission, structure, business model, or operating plan is ill conceived. Sometimes leaders are unwilling to consider collaborations or partnerships that would improve capacity and impact. Sometimes there is too much competition for clients or resources. 

Complicating the efforts of most non-profit organizations to achieve the human, material and financial capacity they need to be effective are perceptions by supporters and potential supporters about what demonstrates effectiveness. One misguided notion in this regard is that low operating expenses for administration and fundraising equals organization effectiveness. I was very pleased last year when the executive directors of three very well-known and highly respected non-profit “watchdog” groups (Guidestar, Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance) signed a joint letter to donors in the United States pointing out the danger of what they call “The Overhead Myth.” Accompanying this letter are some compelling statistics that demonstrate that keeping operating expenses low does not make an organization effective. In fact, the opposite is often true. This data also demonstrates that inaccurate reporting of financial information is extremely common as non-profit organizations attempt to prove their efficiency. For example, during the year 2000, 37% of public charities with annual contributions of $50,000 or more reported no fundraising expenses to the IRS. Thirteen percent reported spending nothing on administrative costs and general expenses. As a wise person once said, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is!" It is impossible for any effective charitable organization to operate without administrative costs. Organizations who do not invest in their capacity can become trapped in a cycle of “capacity starvation” that results in decreased effectiveness and impact. 

If you are interested in taking a closer look at this issue, check out the resources listed at the end of the “Overhead Myth” letter. For an even deeper dive, check out Dan Pallotta’s very interesting books on this topic, Charity Case and Uncharitable.

Of course, all of us who choose to be generous in support of important causes also face capacity issues. The occasional news story of a non-profit “gone bad” makes us worry about whether we can trust organizations with the resources we share. Our mailboxes are full of appeals from organizations that all have a compelling reason why our support is needed. Doing research to figure out which organizations are worthy of support takes time. It’s no wonder that increasingly, people who have been blessed with the financial capacity to do so are forming family foundations and hiring staff to help them make prudent decisions.

The good news as we consider and address capacity issues, whether as individuals or organizations, is that our generous God has an unlimited capacity to bless us with vital capacity to be blessings to others. Our capacity includes generous hearts moved to service by the Holy Spirit, generous intellect and skill to build and sustain impactful ministries in our communities, generous resources that we can share with others, and generous wisdom and intellect to make wise decisions about the distribution of these resources.   

The financial challenges facing local, state and federal governments make the role of churches and the entire non-profit sector increasingly important in helping those who require special care or who cannot help themselves. Our service organizations will need to operate at maximum capacity to be effective. Thank you for investing your personal capacity in organizations and causes that impact the lives of others with health, hope and healing!

 

Time to Love One Another, Right Now!

My 17-mile drive to and from the Wheat Ridge Ministries office each day provides ample time to catch up on daily news stories on the radio. I’m not sure why I just don’t switch to all-music stations. Almost every day, there is a lead story about violence stemming from hatred toward a person of another race, culture or lifestyle. All too often, even the reporting of the story seems flavored by a bias in one direction or the other. To be sure, we are living in a world in need of healing.

A good friend of mine, Marlene Lund, lives in New York City and serves as the Director of the Center for Urban Education Ministries. You may recall that for several years the CUEM was located at Wheat Ridge Ministries. It was our privilege to help seed its development. Marlene recently wrote a poignant post for the CUEM eNewsletter on the theme of hatred and violence in response to a recent incident in New York that attracted world-wide attention. I am pleased to share it, with her permission (thanks, Marlene!): 

I’m writing this message as NYC and the rest of the country continues to reel from the random murder of police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, while on duty in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. According to the assassin, these murders were committed in retaliation for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. PO Ramos’ death hit many in the NY Lutheran community hard, as his children were former students at St. Peter’s Lutheran early childhood center in Brooklyn. Four families, four tragic deaths—who’s to blame?

As an aftermath of the shootings, demonstrations have cropped up in many cities in the U.S and globally. The police are furious at Mayor DeBlasio, demonstrators are furious at the police. As Christians, we need to be on the side of justice and peace. We need to be the voice of reason and hope. Violence of any kind, whether perpetrated by police or by the general public, is unacceptable. It’s easy to take sides, play the blame game and forget the human beings that lost their lives in a senseless manner.

What this situation has done is to provide an opportunity for dialogue and for education. I do believe that the majority of police are good people who desire to help others. I do believe that racism is still a problem that makes people uncomfortable and is hard to speak about.

Our churches should be safe places where frank discussions about inequality can take place, whether racial, economic or social. In fact, I’m glad that several prominent Lutheran theologians have addressed these shootings publically.

When incidents like these occur, I can’t help but think of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, which includes the song, “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” The lyrics include the lines:

You’ve got to be taught To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade,
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late, Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate, You’ve got to be carefully taught!

Our schools should be places where children are taught tolerance and respect for others, themselves and those in authority. All of this needs to be deliberate and ongoing. They’ve got to be carefully taught!

Being a child of the 1960’s, I lived through the civil rights demonstrations and the call for equality. I hope that we haven’t become complacent. I hope that we take action. I hope that our Christian love for all who are suffering due to the events of this last year shines through.

Perhaps you can recall times when the words, attitudes and actions of parents or others you trusted and respected when you were a child wittingly or unwittingly taught you to disrespect or even hate people who were different than you. I sure can. These influences on today’s children (and adults) have multiplied as a result of our media-centered instant communication environment that makes it so easy to sow seeds of distrust and hatred toward others who look, act or believe differently than we do.

 

Fortunately, even in the midst of these daily reminders that we live in a broken world, Christ’s Easter victory over sin and death provides us hope for a future filled with healing love rather than prejudice and hatred. What an important opportunity we have as Easter people to plant seeds of health and hope, recognizing everyone around us as a person uniquely created and loved by God. What a great time it is to teach this Good News to our children as we live into the encouragement Christ provides to “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) 

 

Like Marlene, I’m a child of the 1960’s, so I can’t resist concluding with words from a “hymn” of hope and encouragement from that era written by a band called The Youngbloods (the #5 hit in 1969!). It’s not one you’ll find in your hymnal, but I think it’s a great chorus to sing as we experience the joy of the Easter season each and every day of the year! 

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

The Paradox of Generosity

I recently finished reading a very interesting book called, “The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose.” The authors, Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson, are leaders of the Science of Generosity Initiative based at The University of Notre Dame. 

“The Paradox of Generosity” describes research testing the premise that people who are generous over time receive tangible health and wellness benefits as a result. This is an observation made not only in the Bible, but also in the teachings of many major world religions. For the Christian church, the apostle Paul’s encouragement in 2 Corinthians 9:6, provides one example: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

The results of the Science of Generosity research, which included conversations with and surveys of large numbers of individuals throughout the United States, has led initiative leaders to conclude that it is true that people who are generous with their time, talent and treasure over a sustained period of time are happier and experience wellness to a greater degree than those who are not generous. According to the research, generosity … 

1. Fosters and reinforces positive emotions and reduces negative emotions in givers;
2. Triggers chemical systems in the brain and body that increase pleasure and experiences of reward, reduces stress, and suppresses pain;
3. Increases personal agency and self-efficacy;
4. Creates positive, meaningful social roles and personal self-identities for generous givers to live out:
5. Reduces maladaptive self-absorption;
6. Requires and reinforces the perception of living in a world of abundance and blessing;
7. Expands the number and density of social-network relational ties;
8. Promotes increased learning about the world;
9. Increases givers’ physical activity.

An obvious question when considering this research is the motivation for generosity. Are we generous because we know we will be happier and healthier? The interviews and case studies from the research indicate that generous people are aware of the benefits they receive from their generosity, but it is not their primary motivation. Instead, their generosity is motivated by factors such as their faith perspective, a desire to live into the examples set by their parents and significant others, or by personal experiences in which they benefitted from the generosity and care of others.

 

I read “The Paradox of Generosity” shortly after returning from Wheat Ridge Ministries’ 18th Annual President’s Circle Retreat in Austin, Texas. I sometimes refer to this gathering as our “stockholder’s meeting” because it brings together generous people who are making a significant investment in our seeding mission. Significant during this annual retreat are inspirational stories of impact presented by leaders of new ministries seeded by Wheat Ridge. The retreat is also a time of fun and fellowship as these like-minded people gather together.

 

It was so helpful to have on my mind those who attended this year’s retreat as I considered the implications of the Science of Generosity research. Our attendees represent so well the thousands of people who provide support for our mission and who serve others so generously through the encouragement they receive from the resources of Wheat Ridge Ministries. These wonderful people are great examples of generous living and the blessings that flow to and from both giver and receiver from generous living. Our President’s Circle Retreat is a mountaintop experience for me each year because it allows me to be inspired by, and learn from, people who are models of generous living. It is abundantly evident that these people lead generous lives, understanding that all that they possess comes from God’s abundant generosity and responding with joy to the greatest gift of all – the redemptive love of Jesus Christ. 

 

Wouldn’t it be great if living a generous life became recognized as the main prescription for happiness and wellness in the world? What if doctors prescribed generosity as a way to stay well? What if “The Paradox of Generosity” became a best seller? Imagine a world ruled by generosity, filled with people who understand and experience the observation of St. Francis of Assisi that it is in giving that we receive! 

 

Enjoy the celebration as your heart and voice is filled with joyful alleluias during this Easter season in response to God’s ultimate act of generosity, the new life that is ours through Christ’s victory over death! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!