Today is a Travel Day

I've got a long day coming up. Morning flight from Denver to Philadelphia, a few hours in Philly, then flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I arrive at 10am local time, 2 in the morning back in Denver.
       I'm much more motivated about traveling, because my family is already in Europe and I will see them Friday night in Amsterdam.
       For the next week I will post from Europe. Check back. It should be fun.

A Philanthropic GIANT

Warren Buffett is one of the heroes of the philanthropic world. I have a keen interest in stewardship and philanthropy. Studies show that wealthy people in the USA (those earning more than $200,000 per year) give less than 2% of their wealth away. Warren Buffett is a radical exception.

     Here is the the beginning of his "Philanthropic Pledge" which became public earlier this year:

    In 2006, I made a commitment to gradually give all of my Berkshire Hathaway stock to philanthropic foundations. I couldn't be happier with that decision.

    Now, Bill and Melinda Gates and I are asking hundreds of rich Americans to pledge at least 50% of their wealth to charity.

    So I think it is fitting that I reiterate my intentions and explain the thinking that lies behind them.

    First, my pledge: More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death. Measured by dollars, this commitment is large. In a comparative sense, though, many individuals give more to others every day. Millions of people who regularly contribute to churches, schools, and other organizations thereby relinquish the use of funds that would otherwise benefit their own families. The dollars these people drop into a collection plate or give to United Way mean forgone movies, dinners out, or other personal pleasures.

    In contrast, my family and I will give up nothing we need or want by fulfilling this 99% pledge.

Well done, Mr. Buffett. May I have one ounce as much generosity as you display.

I Laugh, or I Will Cry

A lot of people have commented about this photo of me. They wonder what I am laughing so hard about. The photo was taken at Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks of New York. It was October and I was speaking at a men's retreat of my home church, Grace Christian Fellowship in Cortland.


We were all standing on the boat dock close to the lake when one of the guys was dared to strip down and jump in the lake. Mind you that it was October in upstate New York and the lake was probably 50 degrees! Well the guy did it, and I laughed so hard that I almost peed my pants. And someone shot a picture of me.


The photo has an additional meaning for me. I have realized that I must either laugh at some things in life, or cry over them. Sometimes I do both. But my sadness over poor stewardship and even worse leadership that I have observed in various contexts can be overwhelming sometimes. So this picture reminds me to laugh hard when I can.

Notes from My Edge

Today is August 1st and I am starting a new blog. I had a blog for about 2 years after I moved to America from Europe. Since then I have not blogged, but now I am starting again. I have titled the blog, "Step Up to Life" which is a reference to a company I started with some friends almost a year ago (see www.stepupenterprises.com).


I'm concerned about three things which I want to give voice to here:
   1) Our stewardship of life - time, energy, money, etc.
   2) Leadership - how we exercise it, what truly great leadership looks like
   3) Next steps - everyone has a next step and I'm interested in people take next steps in healthy ways


This blog also serves as a journal of "notes from my edge." These notes are part of a manuscript I am writing on leadership. I'll share some of that along the way as well. So I hope you will be helped and encouraged by a few reflections here.