Friday; June 22

One of the things that has made America great to this point is volunteerism.  From the beginning of the history of our nation, people have been willing to invest their time, their finances – and most important of all – themselves into our communities and our country.  However, as I look around at volunteer agencies today, it seems that volunteerism is waning.  Whether it comes from a sense of feeling too busy to help, a belief that unless someone pays us for our time/expertise we aren’t going to be involved or just a flat-out refusal to help others, people don’t seem to be drawn to volunteering.  While this may be a growing trend, it is a damaging one.  First, due to decades of cost-cutting, many of the programs that used to be publicly funded are no longer receiving funds and must depend upon volunteers.  If we believe in the value of non-essential services that improve our communities, we’d better be willing to invest our own time and money.  Second, when we volunteer, we allow people to be blessed by the talents we have been given.  Not everyone can afford our services or have access to our time, so the best way to touch lives with our gifts is by voluntarily reaching out others. 
What skills do we have that can bring a blessing to our community?  Do we have it in us to mentor a child, serve a meal, fix a car, provide pro-bono legal advice, become foster parents, serve on a community board or answer a hotline?  Each one of us can make a difference – some through our jobs, but others of us will only be able to achieve it by donating our own resources.  Are we willing to make the world a better place – even if it personally costs us our time or money?
Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more