Sharing Nuru At ÜberConf 2015 in Denver Colorado

Last week was a pretty amazing week for me personally, and for Nuru as well! Among the awesome highlights, Jamie and I had the privilege of sharing Nuru with an incredible group of some top notch software developers at ÜberConf. This was the fifth straight year we were invited to share Nuru’s story at this conference, and every year it just keeps getting better.

For some, it seems like a strange connection to be made between software development and ending extreme poverty, but the more time I spend around this group of men and women, the more clear the connection is to me. You see, these men and women who attend the conference believe strongly in integrated approaches, building on best practices, rigorous testing, and using metrics to evaluate the quality and impact of solutions. These beliefs align perfectly with Nuru’s approach to addressing extreme poverty, and because of that, I believe we all end up having a deep respect for one another’s work.

A philosophy, a lifestyle, and a work ethic of continuous improvement, failing fast and adapting and iterating quickly defines this community as well as our culture at Nuru. For me, being able to share Nuru with a room full of like-minded individuals is an amazing gift! The folks who attend this conference, the speakers, and the organizing team have all become incredible advocates for Nuru. In fact, each year, the conference provides attendees with uniquely designed Nuru shirts. It’s pretty amazing to me that the day after the shirts are made available each year, at least three out of five attendees are wearing them. In addition, people who have attended the conference in previous years will wear Nuru shirts from those years during the week as well.

This year was extra special with regard to sharing Nuru because it was my fifth year sharing at this conference. These folks have believed in and supported Nuru from our earliest efforts. I remember sharing with the attendees in 2011 that they had helped Nuru impact the lives of more than 10,000 people. And now, in 2015, I was able to share with the more than 700 attendees that Nuru has now been able to help more than 80,000 men, women, and children lift themselves out of extreme poverty permanently.

The folks who organize and share at this conference have been incredibly generous to Nuru, and they have become some very dear and treasured friends for both me and Jamie. It almost feels like a mini-reunion each year as we share updates from life, vocation, and mission. And this year, the conference is giving an incredibly generous $40,000 donation to Nuru to help further our work in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Every time I have an opportunity to share with the wonderful people who have helped move this mission forward, I am inspired and encouraged, but when I get to share with our friends at ÜberConf, that inspiration goes even deeper. These incredible people have been huge advocates for Nuru and they use the conference to help connect even more people to our life changing mission to end extreme poverty in remote rural areas.

Good Idea, Now What?

Today, I am pleased to share a review of a book recently published by my good friend Charles Lee. It’s called Good Idea, Now What? and it is one of the best books I have read on the subject of bringing ideas to implementation and execution. The first time I met Charles, he was sharing with individuals at West Virginia University and in the city of Morgantown, WV as part of a week of events called “Another World Is Possible.”  Charles spent an afternoon talking about how to take an idea from the starting block to implementation, and gave some fantastic examples. The same evening, he gave a presentation on the subject of slavery and human trafficking and gave people tangible steps to take toward eradicating modern day slavery and the trafficking of human beings. The next morning, while I was taking him to the Pittsburgh airport, he told me about a small conference he was hosting two weeks later for idea makers that was called Idea Camp. After talking it over with other members of our team at Nuru, I made it a point to go. Everything I’ve seen Charles produce or implement, has been done with thoughtful excellence and quality and with an end result of helping others to do better at doing good in the world.

As I picked up the book, I must admit,  I wondered if the world needed another book on getting things done or idea making. Books like ReWork, Making Ideas Happen, and The War of Art all seemed to hone in on the subject—what more could possibly be said?  Charles’ book is actually quite remarkable. It is a series of études within a book. He has put the book together so that individual chapters are short, and easy to draw out applications. He uses real world examples from both his own life and the experiences of other idea makers to drive home his points, and he talks about subjects that can be challenging for creatives and ideamakers to talk about, things like team chemistry, implementation, and maintaining a family life and boundaries for work.

With each new section, I was thoroughly impressed with both the quality of content, the brevity of words to communicate the content, and the practical next steps offered to individuals to take ideas to reality. I believe this book could be helpful for individuals involved in start-ups as well as for teams.  This book is perfect for creative folks who have a hard time staying grounded to push their ideas into implementation as well. The chapters are short enough that anyone can pick up and read and think through application points for individual concepts. For folks who chronically start books and cant finish, the book is set up to be read as a whole, or read as chapters in isolation.

If you know, have heard, or are in other ways familiar with Charles’ work, you know that this book is a must read. If not, and you have an entrepreneurial bent, you should give this book a read and add it to your short list of books that are motivating, informative, and practical for converting ideas into reality.  Buy it today,  and, if you have time to insert it into your calendar, you should make it a point to participate in a conference Charles’ consultancy created, called !deation in Chicago this May.

Francis Chan at Catalyst 2010

In Summer 2008, my good friend Josh Vance introduced me to a Christian communicator named Francis Chan. He told me in particular that I should listen to a sermon called Lukewarm and Loving It. I have a lot of respect for Josh Vance, so I took his advice and gave the message a listen. I had listened to a few other messages from Chan before this one, but I still remember it well. I had just arrived back in Morgantown, WV after spending part of the summer helping run a summer leadership program for college students near Wilmington, NC.

I was actually working on my daily practice of environmental stewardship by walking to a mid-morning meeting that was taking place with my friends Trey Dunham, Cameron King, and Mark Byrer at Trey’s house. I walked through Morgantown, and listened to about half the message by the time I arrived at Trey’s. After the meeting, I immediately proceeded to continue listening, and about the time I passed by the Mountainlair in the center of campus, I started weeping. I don’t think I stopped until I had arrived at my house 10 minutes later. The message touched my soul deeply.

Well, I had never actually seen or heard Francis Chan communicate in person, and I was told that his talk at Catalyst would be his last message before he left his church and community in Simi Valley to travel to Asia with his family and serve the poor of that part of the world. In three Catalyst events I have attended, I had never gone in to hear one of the messages given. I wanted to make sure I heard this message from Francis and I’m glad I did.

Some people are not fans of Francis for his communication style, his demeanor, or for any number of reasons, but the thing that strikes me most intensely about him is his passion and sincerity. He speaks with an authenticity that leaves people listening intently. As he spoke to this group at Catalyst, he challenged this group of leaders to examine their lives, and the lives of their churches. He asked, “Would what you do on Sunday morning, or during the week make sense if it were placed in this book?” “Would your personal life and daily experience, fit in with the stories that are found in this book?” He went on to say that much of what happens in our practice of Christianity really doesn’t make sense in light of what is seen in scripture. He listed a few examples, and then became laser focused on the issue of poverty.

He told 13,000 leaders that sometimes God doesn’t want to hear our worship. Sometimes our prayers our hindered because we don’t care for our spouses. Sometimes he is disgusted by our fasting and our ceremonies because we ignore the poor. He shared Isaiah 58 (a personal favorite of mine and Bono’s) along with many other references from the old and new testament to build a case for why our care for people who are suffering in extreme poverty matters.

After hearing a message like that, which just served to affirm so much of what I believe, I just found myself incredibly hopeful that the 13,000 in attendance would act on what they heard.

I am not quite sure what it looks like, but I am hopeful that it will involve the church taking a more active role in the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation. As Francis Chan leaves the United States to serve alongside his family, I’m grateful for the encouragement I was given through him to keep pushing onward.

And beyond the encouragement, the talk and the discussion that took place with a few friends after the talk reminded me of some unbelievable spiritual experiences that I had in the desert that solidified my decision to leave my work in vocational ministry to work to serve the poor.

May all who call themselves followers of 'the Way' take up Francis’ challenge and strive to live a life by the grace of God that would make total sense amid the pages of the sacred scriptures.

Catalyst 2010

Early Tuesday morning, my good buddy Derek Roberts and I hopped into Nuru’s van, and began our journey south.  Our final destination, Catalyst 2010.

What is Catalyst?  It is one of the largest conferences in the country for Christian leaders, and each fall approximately 13,000 leaders converge on the Gwinnett Arena in Atlanta, to participate in the Catalyst experience.  Among the people who have shared at Catalyst are Malcolm Gladwell, Andy Stanley, Scott Harrison, and Seth Godin (PS I randomly shook hands with Seth Godin).  The people who share at Catalyst invite the event’s participants into both their successes and failures.  And as a whole, the conference seeks to launch leaders to be better and better at their work of leading.

Catalyst also hosts a bi-weekly podcast on iTunes which features updates and interviews from some incredibly sharp minds in the world of leadership.  At the beginning of each episode, a recording from Andy Stanley reminds the Catalyst faithful, “Leadership is a stewardship; it is temporary, and you’re accountable.”  Personally, I love that quote, and it is one aspect of what I love about the conference.  The conference exists to both equip and remind leaders of their responsibility to lead.  It reminds me that whatever positions any of us hold in this world, they will not last, and that we must operate with a sense of urgency and excellence in all that we do.

The above photo was taken of a number of volunteers who were enjoying a lunch break.  It served as a reminder to me of just how many people it takes to accomplish something monumental like this conference. 

So Derek and I drove down to  share Nuru’s story with the attendees.  We did this in a space called the “Social Causes Tent” and we shared this space with about a dozen other nonprofits who work in a variety of arenas.  It was wonderful to see hundreds and hundreds of people pass through this space and to hear questions from many about who Nuru is and what Nuru does.  One of the best moments happened when two young women came up to our display and picked up information, and Derek said, “Have you heard much about Nuru?”  The woman looked at him and said, “This organization is the reason why I’m changing my major—I love Nuru!”

As I think back on the Catalyst experience, the opportunity to share Nuru, and the great friendships made and developed during the time, I’m filled with gratitude.  To think that Derek and I had an opportunity to share Nuru’s message with so many, and to think that these people are current and future leaders, it’s utterly amazing.  There are so many people out there who are dedicating their time, their talents, and their resources to serving others, and we were able to share a brief moment with a few of them. 

While it was great being at the event, I can’t wait to see how the event catalyzes even greater acts of service and disciplined leadership around this world.

Whether you were able to attend the conference or not, will you consider ways you might be able to pour your life into others, and make service a way of life for the good of the whole world?

Jubilee Conference

Last weekend I had the privilege of traveling with a talented team of volunteers from Nuru International to participate in a conference called Jubilee. The name of the conference comes from an idea in the Torah which talks about a time every 50 years when all debts are cancelled, property returns to its original owners, and everyone enjoys a time of rest and restoration.

The conference itself is a faith based conference that is hosted by Coaltion for Christian Outreach and seeks to encourage students to live out their faith in a way that meets the deep hurts of this world and works for the common good of all. It asks the question of everyone in attendance, “what does it look like to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God—in the place where you live, work, go to school?” Personally, I find that to be among the most profound questions that any Christian can ask, & it’s one in which I believe the whole world will benefit as we faithfully answer.

I found myself challenged and encouraged by the words of other communicators and the passion and fire I saw in the faces of the students who were participating in the conference. It was wonderful to be present at the conference because I believe that one of the biggest humanitarian issues of our generation is the issue of extreme poverty. It’s not a problem we can ignore, and I believe future generations will look back on our generation and either celebrate or criticize our engagement over this issue.

Being at a conference full of students and professionals who were thinking deeply about how they could actively work to use their time, talents, and resources to engage this problem was hugely refreshing. Imagine being around two thousand people who are thinking about their degrees as more than a means to a paycheck. I think there is something special that happens in us, when we realize that we have the potential to shape the future. We have the potential to be part of the solution to problems that exist in the world. We can say enough, and get engaged!

Seeing so many people who are engaged in these issues was more than a little refreshing for me. And to think, the folks at CCO who have organized the conference for over 30 years have been helping people get engaged for a long time. It is humbling to be invited to be part of this tradition.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend you check out Jubilee, and register for their conference next year. And if you can’t make it to the conference, I hope you take the time to consider how you might be used in some way to help make the world a better place.

58 Conference

For the last several weeks, a group of us at chestnut ridge church have been working furiously to put together a conference that culminates this weekend. The 58 conference is a call to follow in the footsteps of God the Defender and Provider. the 58conference is a call to defend the defenseless and to provide for those in need in our communities, our state, our nation and our world.

the 58conference is a state-wide gathering of high school and middle school students in West Virginia passionate about standing up for those who cannot, putting our faith in action, taking seriously the words of God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah…

“is this not the fast which i choose,
to loosen the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the bands of the yoke
and to let the oppressed go free
and break every yoke?

“is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into the house
when you see the naked, to cover him;
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

“then your light will break out like the dawn,
and your recovery will speedily spring forth;
and your righteousness will go before you;
the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”

ISAIAH 58



In coordination with the conference, churches around the state have been participating in a state wide food drive to fill food pantries around WV.



Our goal with this conference is to see students come alive for God, and to see the great needs of our world, and God's desire to see them work toward bringing healing to the hurts of our world.

There are a number of great organizations who will be participating in the conference as well. These include,
Dry Tears--An organization dedicated to getting water to people who do not have access.
World Vision--an organization that works to bring compassion and justice to our world.
Nuru International--an organization dedicated to helping impoverished communities of 5,000-`10,000 people lift themselves out of extreme poverty for good.
Invisible Children--an organization dedicated to ending a 20 year civil war in Uganda.

If you think about it, say a prayer for us and our participants. The kids who are coming to this conference will be fasting for 30 hours as part of the conference, and we are praying for this to be a life-changing weekend for everyone involved.

Thanks!

Heading back across the big water

Exciting news!!! GCM is hosting its first ever European conference Dec 27-31 2005. Churches from all over europe will be joining together for this historic gathering, and I am going to go help out!

Please pray for the conference as well as for my contribution over there. I have friends in Europe who have been part of LTs and Ignites before, and I would love for them to get a spiritual renewal through a conference like this.

I also ask for prayers that the necessary funds would be able to be raised in the next three weeks to pay for this short term support venture for Great Commission Europe.

Thanks again for lifting this whole faith venture up to the Lord. As much as I am asking for prayer for myself, I also ask you pray for the people who will be travelling from all over Europe to Amsterdam for this event. Please also pray for the handful of American travellers who will be journeying over to provide additional support for the Amsterdam church which is hosting the conference.