Whatever our philosophy on money, however much we give or save, and regardless of how we rationalize, we’re still left with some basic practical realities. No matter how lofty your spiritual ideals may be, no matter how many powerful affirmations you can speak by rote, you still have to pay your bills.” —Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics We still have […]
The gift of presence
This week, I’m in a class on philosophies of philanthropy and reading Eric Butterworth’s Spiritual Economics and Lynne Twist’s The Soul of Money. Butterworth’s book was first written the year I was born (some of the content shows that), but Twist’s book combines her reflections from a career in non-profit development, fundraising, and work on tough […]
Three ways to preserve the innocence of giving
Ever received a hand-made card from a child? The drawing might be bright and the handwriting might be inscrutable, but neither of those things are why we display children’s notes on our fridges or treasure the gifts they make. There’s an innocence in the act of open-hearted giving and receiving, and that innocence is worth […]
LGBT Youth Homelessness? Not The Time To Argue
I recently learned that an unofficial student group at Andrews University has been blocked from fundraising on campus to support a regional LGBT youth homelessness organization. (Read more via Blue Nation Review, Windy City Times, and Raw Story.) I’ve heard for years about the differences in how heterosexual and LGBT youth experience homelessness and youth services, but I […]
A Few Words on World Vision USA
“The quest for doctrinal purity & the exclusion it necessarily brings about is the very definition of missing the point.” —Carla Jo, 3/27/2014 There’s been a lot of e-ink given over to World Vision USA this week. I’ve had no personal dealings with this organization, though I’ve known of the work other World Vision branches […]
Coding for the Community: A Conversation with Teagan Widmer
I met Teagan about three years ago. She had just graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a compelling thesis on the representation of transgender women in film. After moving back to the Left Coast, she started learning computer programming languages on her own and in Bay Area coding collectives. Teagan recently hit the news with […]
