Life

Charity / Christianity / Health / Prayer — No Comments
4
Nov 09

The Luke Society

luke-societyAnother charity I have grown attached to over the last few years is the Luke Society. Their mission is to “[support] indigenous Christian health professionals dedicated to medical missions.” (I’m not sure, but I think their name is a reference to Luke, the physician who wrote the Bible books of Luke and Acts.)

Breaking down their mission explains why some of the reasons I like them.

  • Indigenous: they empower local people to help other local people, which is both more practical and more effective than “shipping in” people from other regions, meaning that money I give goes a long way
  • Christian: the mission is more than just physical health, but is also concerned with eternity (because what’s the point of being healthy now only to miss out on eternal life and health for, you know, infinity?)
  • health professionals: their ministry is more than just words, however powerful they may be—they also help relieve suffering in the here and now

One of the other things I like about the Luke Society is that they seem to genuinely value prayer, and not just cash. I originally started working with them when I saw they were looking for people to pray. They have a monthly newsletter that talks about answers to prayer and prayer requests. I’ve received the newsletter for a couple of years, and it’s neat how I’ve gradually “gotten to know” the various doctors.

The prayer aspect is important to me, because while many Christian organizations encourage prayer, it’s rare that they seem to truly believe it’s more important than money. Being on the Luke Society mailing list has shown me over and over that when they are facing a crisis (for instance, the current persecution in Pakistan), they look for prayer first.

Further evidence of their belief in prayer is found in the current ministry of Dr. Peter Boelens, the former Executive Director. He and his wife now spend their time researching, reporting, and applying healing prayer to hurting people.

One of the other strong points, which I’ve already alluded to, is they are excellent communicators. Many organizations mean well but forget to ask for help and, probably more importantly, to follow up after they are given help.

The Luke Society sends regular updates in a variety of appropriate formats (a PDF or print newsletter for the monthly news, with occasional emails with urgent prayer requests relayed from their doctors). They don’t waste my time (or money!) with gimmicky “gifts,” either, which I consider a big plus.

Even if you’re not a Christian, I believe the Luke Society offers a great ROI thanks to their willingness to serve people who really need it in places very few others will venture. If you’re so inclined, you can sign up for their mailing list or donate online.

Charity / James 1:27 / Kids — No Comments
2
Nov 09

Compassion International

Compassion International is one of my favorite charities. They’re one of the big players in “child sponsorship,” and that’s how I’m involved with them at the moment. Poverty is a huge issue, and it’s pretty overwhelming, but Compassion gives me a concrete way to help at least a couple of kids get free.

Compassion is a Christian organization that takes a holistic approach to helping children. They operate in 25 countries and are currently helping over 1 million kids. They work with local churches (I’m a big fan of working with local folks who already have a burden to help) to provide the kids in the program with food, education, and an introduction to the Gospel. They also help parents with everything from parenting skills to vocational training.

Uwitonze Sarah

Uwitonze Sarah

I first started sponsoring Sarah in the summer of 2005 in response to an invitation by Caedmon’s Call, one of my favorite bands. Their Share the Well album is very focused on social justice, so it wasn’t a surprise that they support Compassion’s mission of “[r]eleasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name”.

I picked Sarah because we share our given name and because she was one of the kids who had been waiting a long time for a sponsor. Compassion strongly encourages sponsors to write to their sponsored children, and it’s been very cool to see, even from such a great distance, how she is growing up. She used to just color the pictures that were pre-printed on the stationary, and now she’s writing her own letters in cursive.

A couple of years ago, a local Christian radio station did something unprecidented and asked their listeners to sponsor a whole Compassion project in Honduras (usually when a radio station does this kind of sponsorship drive, the kids come from all over the world, but KTSY wanted one project where they can go visit—they’ve been down there twice and have a third trip planned for next spring).

Lauren Yohana Monje Tróchez

Lauren Yohana Monje Tróchez

At the time, I wasn’t in a position to sponsor another kid, and when they were all sponsored, I was a little sad that I wasn’t able to be involved. The following year, though, some of the younger kids who had previously been too young joined the program, and the radio station sought sponsors for them. That’s when I started sponsoring Yohana.

I haven’t had a chance to go visit my kids yet, but hearing the stories from my friends at the radio station is both awesome and heartbreaking. The incredible poverty that these kids suffer through only emphasizes the incredible love and hope that they have.

Now that I have a son of my own, I want to start contributing to the Child Survival Program to help babies his age. I can’t imagine the universal challenge of childrearing with the added stress of poverty, illiteracy, unsanitary birthing and living conditions, and a lack of knowledge about parenting. Becoming a parent has made me more empathetic in general, but I’m especially moved by the plight of other, less fortunate mothers.

When Benjamin is a little older, we will sponsor a boy his age. My hope is that, in addition to helping someone who desperately needs it, sponsorship will also help develop empathy, compassion, and an awareness of the world in Benjamin.

I’m planning on featuring a child who needs sponsorship as part of this site in the near future, but don’t wait for me! If you want to share the blessings, you can sponsor a child today.

Charity / Christianity / Family & Friends — No Comments
1
Nov 09

Why I give

I’m on the operating board of a non-commercial radio station, and one of the remarks I’ve heard thrown about is that “young people don’t give.” I have no doubt there’s a kernel of truth in that (and I’m sure the speakers have had specific experiences support the conclusion), but it’s obviously not completely true across the board—I’m 27 and give, and have lots of friends who do as well.

The statement does make me think, though. I give little bits to a lot of causes, but only a few consistently receive my dollars (and my love). Clearly, I have some kind of criteria, even if they’re mostly subconscious.

First, the easy one: I give because of who’s asking. This isn’t a strong enough factor for me to commit to ongoing or long-term giving, but when one of my friends asks me to sponsor their charity walk or tells me about organization they care deeply about that needs a one-time gift, I’ll usually bite.

For bigger or longer commitments, I weigh a few more factors:

  • Is the organization effective? This goes a lot further than just having low administrative overhead. I want to see great results.
  • What kind of impact do they have for eternity? There are so many needs in the world that many charities can all work to meet them without overlap, but my money isn’t unlimited so I give preference to those that address spiritual needs as well as physical, mental, social, and emotional needs.
  • Am I needed (and do I know it)? There are charities who may be doing great things, but if they feel impersonal or don’t seem like they need my gift, I don’t give again. I’m not looking for a big public awards ceremony or anything—just a sense that my contribution matters.
  • How far does my money go? Thanks to radically different costs-of-living around the world, the same dollar amount can go much further in other countries. I do give money domestically (for instance, to my local church), but I like how much my money can accomplish when given strategically. I especially like projects that are self-sustaining—projects where today’s successes set up tomorrow’s victories.
  • How urgent and important is the need? Again, there are so many real, important needs in the world that I have to prioritize. I usually go for concrete projects rather than abstract ones as a result.

These are just guidelines, obviously, but they help narrow down the vast field of good charities doing good work in areas that need good solutions.

I’m going to write about some of my favorite charities over the next few days, but in the meantime, I’m curious: what makes you give to one charity over another?

Monday Motivation / Simplicity — 2 Comments
22
Sep 08

Tackling One Habit at a Time

Here at last
Creative Commons License photo credit: timtom.ch

I was up early this morning with heartburn (completely new to me courtesy of pregnancy; I’d never encountered it before last week, so I can only be so whiny :) ) and decided it was finally time to buy the Zen To Done ebook.

I’ve been wanting it for months and am starting to feel the crunch with the impending arrival of our son, so it seemed like a good way to spend my “bonus” waking hours.

I’ve just finished reading it, and the piece of advice that really caught my attention was the repeated caution to only try to adopt one or maybe two of the 10 recommended habits at one time. Ideally I should focus on just one for at least 30 days.

It’s probably good that Leo repeated it so many times. Maybe it will help me actually do it! :) Focus is probably my number one challenge in every area of my life. I have diverse interests and love starting things, and then forget about all the things I’m already doing. I think I’m his exact target reader. :)

So that leaves me with two immediate decisions.

First, which of his habits to start with… I feel like I’m in desperate need of most of them right away, but that’s not realistic. So I’m going to spend the next 30 days focusing on the “Process” habit. Leo sums it up like this:

Habit: make quick decisions on things in your inbox, do not put them off. Letting stuff pile up is procrastinating on making decisions. Process your inboxes (email, physical, voicemail, notebook) at least once a day, and more frequently if needed. When you process, do it from the top down, making a decision on each item: do it (if it takes 2 minutes or less), trash it, delegate it, file it, or put it on your to-do list or calendar to do later.

This seems like a great place to start because one of my worst habits (productivity-wise) is letting everything pile up, particularly in my email.

If I start to deal with everything promptly, I expect that at least a few of the other habits will start to take care of themselves. For instance, if I deal with email immediately and am forced to say “yes” or “no” to new projects, that probably will help with the “Simplify” habit.

The second decision is about two productivity courses launching this week that I really would like to sign up for. One is called the 100 Day Challenge—it starts today and goes until December 31, 100 days away, and costs $97. The other is Wake Up Productive—it starts next Monday and runs for 90 days, so essentially the same time-frame, and costs $297.

Both courses include daily content and assignments. I’ve watched sample content from both and they both look like very high quality programs, which makes it both hard to choose and imperitive that I do—I want to get the most out of them, and I don’t think I can do that if I split my attention between them.

They’re both time-based, so I likely will only do one unless they’re repeated. Wake Up Productive seems more likely to be repeated, since the “draw” of the 100 Day Challenge is accomplishing specific goals before the end of 2008.

I’ve never purchased anything from either “guru” so no bias there… My business cash flow is tight, and I definitely need to get things in order before the baby is born, so should I decide strictly based on price? What do you think?

Gratitude — 1 Comment
27
Nov 07

Grateful

Reading a short (free) ebook called “The Power of Gratitude” and while I think a lot of the content was hokey, I believe in the recently featured benefits of being conscious about gratitude, so I’m doing the exercise.

I’m grateful for…

  1. A weight average that has stayed good over Thanksgiving week
  2. The ability to have my pets cared for by qualified vets
  3. My Christmas tree decorated with lights
  4. My husband’s newfound enthusiasm for Christmas activities
  5. Yummy but not-too-unhealthy food like Pubhouse Battered Cod
  6. A body that works for me
  7. A wealth of great ideas and the freedom to pursue many of them
  8. Friendships with family
  9. Being warm and comfy
  10. The ability to read and write effectively
  11. My church that cares about people inside and out
  12. Friends who are happy to just be together
  13. My great-and-getting-greater marriage
  14. The “democritization of media”
  15. Sore muscles that mean I worked hard on a hike
  16. My thriving business
  17. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens… and fun muscials!
  18. My ability to sing
  19. Cheap but cute clothes and accesories
  20. My experience with web development
  21. Things that smell nice
  22. The convenience of a laptop (so I can type this while watching Biggest Loser!)
  23. Clean water as close as my sink or Nalgene bottle
  24. Silly chat conversations
  25. Bright colors
  26. Kiva.org and other innovative difference-makers
  27. My great library system
Amusing / Culture / Evangelism — 2 Comments
31
Oct 07

“Christian” t-shirts that make me smile

Spreadshirt is one of my three favorite t-shirt sites (the other two are Threadless and ThinkGeek, rather predictably), and they’re having a contest that ends today, so this is my entry. I’m always up for a contest, especially one that has relatively few entries (and don’t you all go entering and ruining my odds, hear?!). :)

I use the term “Christian” pretty loosely in the case because I really only consider one of the shirts to have a message that actually represents Christianity accurately, but the other two are funny to me and would have a good chance of sparking conversations, which is my primary goal in wearing unique t-shirts.

First, the funny ones:
Come to church, we have cookies
I find this particularly amusing as I’ve attended “church with cookies” since I was about 14 (with a 4-year exception while going to college; I still went to church, they just didn’t offer cookies). One of my favorite things about The Experience is that there’s a meal after each service; it makes it a lot easier to get to know people better, since that seems to happen naturally over food. But it’s not the whole point!

Angel & Devil
This one has an angel on one sleeve and a devil on the other. The concept makes me smile because in our culture that’s almost universally recognized (though more likely from cartoons than anything else!). I’d probably get the cookie one first, because though this one could land me in a conversation about influences, etc., more likely it would just get smiles. I could get this for my friend, Cindy, though; she claims I’m her conscience.

And the more serious one:
Love never fails.
Humans fail, though. Interesting point, and one of the better-designed shirts I found (the downside of “crowdsourcing”: the crowd often has appalling taste… in my hardly-ever-humble opinion).

If I win one of the gift certificates, you may see me sporting one or more of these in the future. :)

Charity / Inspiration / Life — No Comments
3
Oct 07

I’ve figured it out!

Okay, that headline is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, because I know my own tendency to change my mind on a whim. But I’m also somewhat serious. I think I’ve figured out what I want to be when I grow up. :)

I want to be a philanthropist.

I’ve been reading Bill Clinton’s excellent new book, Giving. It’s stuffed full of inspiring stories about people who are making a real difference in the world—everyone from kids to celebrities—and it’s reminded me of just how much one person can do. (I also think I’m going to have to get my own copy so I can dog-ear all the pages of organizations I want to learn more about…)

I’m an enthusiastic subscriber to GOOD Magazine (where your subscription price is entirely donated to a charity you choose from their list). While occasionally they publish a piece that has a strong political slant, it’s the only magazine where I feel compelled every page to tell Daniel about something incredible I’ve read. They are believers in using capitalism to improve the world, not just the checking account.

Tim Ferriss launched LitLiberation this week in an attempt to to raise $1 million in the month of October for education, domestically and internationally. This caused me to dig into the DonorsChoose.org site and start a challenge of my own (go donate right now, people! :) ).

Here’s what gets me. The dollar, devalued or otherwise, can do a tremendous amount of good in places where it’s scarce. Realistically, it’s pretty easy for me to earn money. I have skills which are in demand and which people will pay me for. Just a small amount of the money I earn could change the education and standard of living for literally thousands of people. With just $75, I’ve been a part of the success of six entrepreneurs in the developing world, and that will continue indefinitely on that initial $75 investment. That amazes me.

When I think about what motivates me, and the conflicts I’ve had about making money, this seems like the obvious solution: make money to give it away in ways that really matter. How can work be worship? When the result is doing exactly what Jesus asked me to do.

At least that’s my thinking this week. :)

Books / Charity / The Purpose Driven Life — No Comments
11
Sep 07

40 Days and mixed-up motivations

A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump;
a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.

Proverbs 11:28 (The Message)

We’re doing the 40 Days of Purpose (going through The Purpose Driven Life in groups and in the sermons) again at The Experience.

Even though I’ve been through it twice already, I’m looking forward to it. It’s always a different experience because 1) I’m an ever-changing person and 2) I’ll be going through it with a different group of people.

The timing is also good. Lately I’ve been struggling with the question of how to put my whole life together. On the one hand, I have my work life, which consumes most of my waking hours. I like my work pretty well, but my constant goal in that part of my life is to make enough money (both by saving it and by creating passive income) to not have to work. I have that goal in common with many folks, I think, and it’s generally considered reasonable.

But on the other hand, I go to sites like Kiva and hear how such a small amount of money is changing lives so drastically, and then I want to throw myself into doing “things that really matter.” I have a hard time reconciling the pursuit of money for my own comfort with the state of the world and the Great Commission.

The optimistically pragmatic among you are probably thinking, “Well, easy. Take the money you make with your business and put it into Kiva or other things that matter.” If I was a less-disjointed person, I’d do just that. But I want my money for that new touring bike I’ve been eying, or to afford more cycling vacations, or just to have Daniel around more. There might be some “mattering” side effects (like doing more work on the church website or contributing to open source software if we didn’t have “jobs”), but really, I’m in it for my own personal comfort.

Something has to shift. I think God’s going to have to help me shuffle my priorities or I’m going to go nuts. (Only I hope He’ll wait until after I get the touring bike… and sadly, I’m only half-joking about that…) Maybe He’ll show me how to use my resources better, and give me the desire. I’m really hoping I don’t have to learn by losing everything, though if I continue to be selfish, that may be what it comes to! Definitely prefer to avoid that.

So maybe this 40 Days of Purpose will give me both tools and inspiration to get my priorities straightened out. That’s what I’m hoping for.

As far as blogging it, I’ve learned my lesson… I’m not going to promise to blog every day, but I will blog whenever it makes sense and I have time.

Culture / Life / Rants / Simplicity — 6 Comments
2
May 07

If you want gas prices to go down, use less gas

Gas pump photo by B TalI’m both amused and annoyed by the various schemes going around by email to lower gas prices. I got two today: one that’s calling for a don’t-buy-gas day and one that’s calling for a boycott of a specific chain.

Clearly people don’t really get the whole supply-and-demand thing. Demand is still demand, regardless of what day it is or where you do your demanding. The market is not going to reduce costs of a limited-supply commodity unless demand goes down.

Though it certainly wouldn’t be popular, I think the best long term outcome for the US would happen if gas prices continue to rise. I’d be in favor of pretty drastic measures to get people to stop using so much gas. So much of what we do use is wasteful (seriously, why do you need an Expedition for a commuter vehicle?), and maybe we could positively impact one of our other “great outrages”, the cost of health care, if people actually started walking and biking more (not to mention reducing the long term effects of city pollution).

Enough ranting for me. If you’re bored, go replace your incandescents with CFLs.

Amusing / Frugality / Simplicity — 3 Comments
23
Mar 07

Ordinary object-hacking trancends the language barrier

I don’t speak Czech, but that didn’t keep me from really enjoying this book of new uses for familiar objects. I particularly enjoyed 17, 21, and 25…

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