“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . .”

• Romans 8:28

Hard to believe it has been twenty-five years, since the 9/11 attack that is.  Most of us, I imagine, who were beyond toddler age at the time remember vividly exactly where we were at the exact moment we became aware of the attack on the World Trade Center towers.  Some have referred to that event as our generation’s Pearl Harbor, and have likened the firemen and other heroic first responders to those brave souls who sacrificed their lives on the beaches of Normandy on D-day.

I was managing a regional bond trading operation for a major Wall Street investment firm at the time, with our offices located on the forty-fourth floor of a downtown Dallas skyscraper.  In our large trading room was a television situated at one end as a financial news source, which we rarely watched.  But being closely linked with our New York headquarters, we were alerted right away about a plane crashing into one of the towers, which caused us all to migrate toward the TV.  Moments later we stared slack-jawed as we witnessed the second airliner slam head on into the other tower.

These were evil acts we had just witnessed, visited upon thousands of innocent victims, our fellow citizens, in our own country, on our own soil, specifically in New York and Washington, D.C. . . . Then, before we could even begin to process what we had seen, the most amazing thing began to occur, good overtaking evil.  In a flash it seemed, the courageous firemen and other emergency responders arrived – incredible heroes who literally saved thousands of lives at the risk, and losses of their own.  Then others came, and more began to pitch in from all over, however they could.  The goodness of people rose to the occasion.  Thousands of stories have emerged since then in testimony to this goodness.  We’ve all heard many of them, and will hear more for years to come.

It has always been my belief that in the long-run, goodness wins out over evil, that love wins out over hate.  We are God’s children after all, and because of that, He works in all things for our good.  This does not mean that all that happens is good, for evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to redeem every circumstance for our long-range good.  9/11 bore witness to that, the goodness of God and His people prevailing over evil.

“Streams of living water will flow from within him.”  – John 7:38

It has been said that “we make a living by getting, but we make a life by giving.”  I’m reminded of the book Rich Dad Poor Dad back when it was a highly advertised bestseller, and its author Robert Kiyosaki was out touting his “Rich Dad Poor Dad” seminars all over the media.  I resisted all of it back then assuming it was just another self-help get-rich-quick scheme, which typically meant the author getting rich, not the reader.  I remained skeptical, until for reasons I don’t recall, the executive coach I was working with at the time, insisted I read the book.

In a nutshell, the book is about the contrasts between the two father figures in Kiyosaki’s life, one being his natural father, the poor dad, the other his best friend’s dad, the rich dad.  Poor Dad, though was not actually poor, in fact earned a rather substantial salary.  Neither was Rich Dad, an entrepreneur, always flush with cash.  The difference was that Poor Dad, being on a fixed salary, viewed money as finite – scarce.  Rich Dad, though, being an entrepreneur, viewed money as abundant for those willing and creative enough to harvest some of it.  Oddly, though, their contrasting attitudes toward money – scarcity versus abundance – was not as evident in their accumulation as in their giving.  Poor Dad would give to charity only when he had some left over, but Rich Dad extended generosity regardless if he was short of cash, on the conviction he would be able to come up with it one way or another.

It was in reading that message that I began to take Kiyosaki’s book seriously.  Although I was right about one thing in my original skepticism, the subject of the book was about getting rich, but not rich in wealth, rather rich in life.  That was eye-opening and life-changing for me, for I had spent most of my adult life up to that point pursuing wealth by hoarding my gains assuming there was a limited supply.  Instead of allowing living water to flow through, I was trying to dam up my little part of the stream, which oddly limited the potential rather than expanding it.

As Oswald Chambers says, “We cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us.”  For when streams of living water flow through us, only then do we become rich in life, for we make a living by getting, but we make a life by giving.

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”  – Matthew 25:23 

Like most Americans and many around the world I have spent much of the past week in mourning over the loss of Dolly Parton who indisputably was one of the most beloved entertainers of our time, and even more remarkably one of the most amazing human beings.  For me, though, her death caused more than a lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes, it also forced me to reveal a secret I have kept hidden since my adolescent years, even from my wife of 55 years.  Only my parents knew.

When I was in high school, you see, every Saturday afternoon around 5:00 pm I would sneak away from whatever I was doing and retreat to my parents’ den to watch the Porter Waggoner Show on TV.  I was absolutely addicted to it.  I particularly loved that genre of country music, the famous guest stars of that era he invited on, and especially the regulars who performed in his band.  I would sit and fantasize about picking the banjo like Buck Trent, or playing the fiddle like Mack McGaha who could dance a jig in his high-healed cowboy boots while playing Orange Blossom Special on his fiddle at the same time.  (How did he do that?)  I dreamed of being just like those guys.  Then, of course, there was Dolly Parton.  God bless Porter Waggoner for introducing her to all of us!

Why the secret, you ask?  It was a joke really, that had to do with my dad.  Daddy always fancied himself as being more the sophisticated type, favoring the highbrow when it came to music.  So, when he would walk in and catch me listening to hillbilly music on TV he would tease me unmercifully.  Except . . . I began to notice how more often than not he would hang out with me to watch the entire show.  And even though he groused about it the whole time, I think he was sort of fond of country music too, just that his highbrow taste wouldn’t allow him to admit it.  I suppose that’s the reason I always kept it a secret.

So, when Dolly passed away last week all those precious memories came flooding back, like my Daddy poking fun at me, and how I used to fantasize about becoming a Buck Trent on the banjo or Mack McGaha on the fiddle.  And then there was Dolly, not Dolly the singer-songwriter-entertainer, or even Dolly the philanthropist, but that magnanimous human being she was.  If only we all could aspire to become more like her, even if just a fraction.  What a role model she was!  “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

“. . . and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply . . .”  – Genesis 1:28 

August in Texas, not exactly my favorite season of the year, never has been.  Worse, as I age I find myself less and less tolerant of the extreme heat that inevitably presents itself this time of year, while when I was younger it had little impact, I could work or exercise outside in the middle of the day without giving it much thought.  Nowadays, though, it seems that not only do I slow down, but everything else does as well.  Business slows to a crawl, clients are out of town (someplace cool no doubt), and no one wants to do much of anything.  It’s the season of the doldrums when, if I am not careful, I can fall into the trap of becoming idle and unproductive.  And I don’t like being idle and unproductive!  Who among us does?

No wonder, for from the very beginning of creation we were commanded by God to be productive – “. . . and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply . . .”   In other words, from our very origin we were designed to do work.  So, if we find ourselves in a place where we are not doing something productive we can quickly fall into a funk.

Work comes in different forms, though, and how and what we produce can evolve as we grow in our careers or grow older in our lives.  Tee and I both had grandparents who lived well into their nineties. Old age had sapped them of much of their energy and physical abilities, much like we suffer from the summer heat, yet we found their wisdom, life experiences, and encouragement invaluable.  Even though they struggled at times in that their physical abilities were not what they once were, they were extraordinarily productive as far as we were concerned.  Similarly, career growth sometimes requires us to relinquish to others some of the “doing”.  Instead, our jobs may transition into mentoring – providing wisdom, encouragement, and leadership.  That too qualifies as productive work.

I know I will never be able to tolerate the heat the way I once did, but that’s a poor excuse for falling into the doldrums.  God commanded us after all to “be fruitful and multiply.”  And I don’t think He ever mentioned anything about age limits on that.

“For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.”  – Luke 9:48 

A client of mine from years ago had just been hired as the top leader of a large organization.  In one of his first acts he called a meeting of the other senior executives who would serve as his direct reports.  It was late afternoon, so when he arrived at the meeting room he found a custodian hustling to finish cleaning up the room which had been used for other purposes that day.  My client noticed and began to pitch in by helping empty wastebaskets.  He thought nothing of it until he overheard some ridicule about someone in his high-level position stooping to do such menial work as picking up trash.

Moments later after the custodian had left, my client (and friend) looked around this room full of big shots, then opened the meeting with this message: “You and I cannot do our jobs effectively without the help of those who endeavor to keep our rooms and offices clean.  They help us immensely in doing our jobs.  The least we can do is help them in doing theirs.”

Not to diminish the importance of the work of those high-level executives gathered in that meeting that day, for such groups – the big thinkers – are depended upon to provide the visions, directions, and strategies that will impact the success and future of organizations.  Yet, equally important, or perhaps even more so, is the role of the menial and mundane, as author Wendell Berry points out in an essay written many years ago titled Think Little.  In it he offers the example of “a couple who make a good marriage, and raise healthy, morally competent children.  [They] are serving the world’s future more directly and surely than any political [or organizational] leader.  “Though,” he adds, “they never utter a public word.”

I wonder if that is what Jesus is trying to point out when he says, “For he who is least among you all – he is the greatest.”  Like my friend walking into that room.  While some viewed the task of emptying trash as menial, he recognized it as vital work to the organization.  We have a great society and a strong economy because we’ve all been encouraged to Think Big.  But as Wendell Berry points out in his essay, it is also essential that we Think Little – for while the big thinkers are debating their big ideas, it is often the least among us, and the least noticed among us, who turn out to be the greatest.