Finding Joy in Serving
I have been thinking recently about what it means to serve in the church and how that may correlate to whether or not people serve outside the church. I know from experience that getting people to “volunteer” or serve within the church is hard. There are never enough childcare workers, youth leaders, people to serve […]
David’s Last Blog
Today is December 30 . . . which means tomorrow is my last official day as an employee of Operation Inasmuch. Writing blogs every other week has been a routine part of my work for a couple of years, and I have enjoyed it. First, I enjoy writing. Second, these blogs have “forced” me to […]
7 Levels of Serving Others
What’s the best way to serve others? There is no shortage of opinions about that. Does it matter? All serving has value, but some produces better outcomes. December is the giving time of year. More people give and givers give more during Christmas. Then maybe it would be worthwhile to consider the various ways we […]
A True Compassionary
We have said “Goodbye” to a true compassionary in the last few days—Rosalynn Carter. The celebrations of her life have been a sweet break from the chaos and negativity that dominate the news cycle these days. It would not surprise you that I steer clear of anything political in these blogs. It’s just not worth […]
Serving Others was Center Stage in the First Thanksgiving
My wife and I just returned from a short vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. While there, we visited the Plimouth-Patuxet [their spelling] Museum in Plymouth, MA. We toured a recreated Wampanoag Indian village and a recreated English settlement that represents the “plantation” the pilgrims built at Plymouth. From the costumed guides we encountered at the […]
Top 13 of 50 Ways To Do Well While Doing Good
In my reading, I have learned of an article published by Forbes several years ago, “50 Ways to Do Well While Doing Good,” by Bruce Kasanoff, ghostwriter for entrepreneurs, executives, and social innovators. It’s an impressive list of ways to do good—simple, practical, somewhat challenging, and many transformative. Because the list relates so closely to […]
Elder Wisdom for Serving Others
In doing research for the Compassionaries book, I ran across an 80-something grandmother who devotes almost all of her “free time” to serving others. Her name is Louise Jackson. She volunteers in various capacities and often answers people who question whether she should be working so hard at her age. Ms. Jackson’s response is: “This […]
One Sentence Sermon
Really?! A whole sermon in one sentence? How can that be? It can . . . and is. What’s more, it’s just the kind of sermon a lot of listeners of sermons have yearned for—one sentence instead of several pages of theological rambling or ethical pronouncements or long-winded, homiletical speech. But it’s not what you […]
Compassionary Church
When I hear good stories of churches fulfilling Christ’s instructions to be compassionate, I want to share them as an encouragement for other churches to follow suit. The story below is such a story, taking place literally half a mile from the Inasmuch office. My source is the July 14 issue of The Call, the […]
The Working Poor
I volunteer at a local benevolent organization because I think it’s important to practice what I preach. I work with people who come to the organization asking for food, help with utilities or rent, or information where they can get help for any number of needs. I am constantly amazed at the trying circumstances in […]
