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.

Nuru International and One Days Wages Work Together To Empower Farmers Out of Extreme Poverty

What started last spring with conversations between staff of Nuru International and One Day’s Wages while attending the !deation Conference in Long Beach, has culminated in $15,000 being raised through the grassroots efforts of ODW to help 70 families take the first step to lift themselves out of extreme poverty through a loan of high quality agricultural inputs from Nuru.  This loan of agricultural inputs, along with training in proper planting and harvesting techniques will allow these families to produce a harvest large enough to feed their families, to pay back their loan, and to sell their surplus for a profit.  They will no longer go hungry during the hunger season, and they will be able to grow in financial freedom as well.

We are excited about the people that ODW has given an opportunity to join Nuru in the fight to end extreme poverty through their movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty.

You see, every single one of us have a contribution to make toward the goal of ending extreme poverty. Maybe you will be like Naomi and her family, and donate your birthday for a cause.  This little girl and her family had a goal of raising $500 for Nuru’s work, but ended up raising $1500. Or maybe you can be like Esther, who raised over $2000 for Nuru as she ran a marathon.

 

At Nuru most of our videos end with a simple statement. Be hope. Be light. Be Nuru. Nuru is a Kiswahili word that means light and has a connotation of hope. We love seeing people take steps to tangibly be Nuru in this world that needs more hope. We applaud the efforts of ODW as they provide individuals with great tools to be Nuru. We need more Esther’s and Naomi’s in this world.

Our recent grant with ODW has been fulfilled, but there is still a great need to be met in Kuria, Kenya. This winter, we are expanding our programs to over six hundred new families. Will you join us in this effort?  Here’s a few ideas to help get you started. Together, we are ending extreme poverty, one community at a time!

Reflecting On 2010

I’ve tried to make it a habit to take a little bit of time at the end of each year to look back on the past and prepare for the coming year.  Interestingly, over the last several days, I’ve filled my time with connecting with friends and family, and although it has been incredibly enjoyable, it has left little room for reflection.  In an effort to change that, I have committed myself to take time to steal away a regular time of solitude in 2011.  (More on that in a future post!)  Also, I just realized that this is the first time in three years that I have blogged this annual reflection.

The year started with a frantic rush to facilitate Nuru’s first nation wide tour making a drive around the country to tell Nuru’s Story, and to host a nationwide mobilization event called Be Hope To Her that encouraged college students and young professionals around the country to grow in empathy for the daily challenges for women living in extreme poverty.

As the year progressed, I found myself meeting more and more wonderful people in cities all over the country who were passionate about advocacy and service.  Folks like Charles Lee, Jeff Shinabarger, Daniel Li, Mark Brinkmoeller, and Nicky Yates are among the many who inspire and encourage me with their lives on a regular basis.  These folks are amazing! I discovered and shared some really incredible causes, organizations and events through this blog, and that is a trend I hope to continue.  I believe that our hearts become more fully awakened to what we were made for when we begin serving others, and I hope that as you read this today, you will consider some small way that you might be able to serve another person (and will you DO it?)?

Of course, time with friends and family never seems adequate, but I was fortunate enough to see my brother in California on three separate occasions this year.  We were able to commiserate WVU’s final four loss to Duke, and celebrate an early season hoops win over Oakland this fall.  I was also able to visit my dad and sister on at least a dozen occasions this past year.  In my travels over the year, I was able to see many friends too, and I’m hopeful to visit and catch up with even more folks in 2011.

This summer also was a major step for me.  On the 147^th anniversary of West Virginia’s Statehood, Father’s Day, and Mission Sunday at South Ridge, Church, I asked Jamie Reaser to marry me, and she said yes.  Here’s her telling of the story. (In some future blog posts I’ll share a little more detail about some decisions we made with the ring, etc., so stay tuned.)  I am humbled and amazed that God would be so gracious as to allow such an amazing woman to say yes to marrying me.  She is absolutely incredible!

The year also had its share of challenges.  I lost another relative to cancer late this summer, my uncle Bob, and I took time to reflect on losing my mom in 2007.  My Uncle Bill and Aunt Rosemary both had surgeries that while painful in the moment have led to a better quality of life for each of them.  And, I’ve been in PT for the last few weeks myself because of injuries sustained by not taking care of my own physical fitness.  (A goal for 2011 for sure!)

As the year wrapped up, I was traveling again and spent time enjoying friends and family, and participating in service.  Jamie and her family welcomed me into their family and into a Christmas tradition of service, that you may have read about last week.  Jamie got on TV too!

So what are some of the highlights of your 2010?

German Artists Fighting Injustice

One of my friends shared this video with me and I felt like it was only fitting that I pass it along to you.  The focus of the video is the issue of human trafficking and slavery, and since this month is national human trafficking and slavery awareness month, I pass this video along to you.  The video was created by a collaboration of artists in Germany who are dedicated poverty fighters and justice seekers.

About a year ago I found out about this collaboration of artists in Herrnhut, Germany through a woman named Rebecca Meinhard, who is a great supporter of Nuru International's work. Rebecca and her team use the arts to spread awareness about issues of injustice such as poverty, slavery, and human trafficking, and although we haven't formally met, I am personally just blown away by the passion and talent she and her friends possess. Just a little bit before last Christmas, she shared this video that members of her team created as they set-off to travel to Peru with the Not-For-Sale Campaign to care for rescued victims of human trafficking.

Will you consider ways you might work toward stopping human trafficking and slavery in your community, and in the world at large?  I know I shared this link to tips for ending slavery earlier this week, but I thought I'd make it accessible again.

Will you join me, Rebecca, and others in pursuit of justice, relief, and opportunity for the oppressed?

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Last year January 11^th was recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the month of January was recognized as National Human Trafficking and Slavery Prevention month.  Last year, I started off my blog with some great information about trafficking which you can read here.  Will you click over and read, and then come back to this post?  There are some great links with some practical steps you can take to help end human trafficking.

It’s 2011, and a new year, and still trafficking and slavery are huge concerns.  People are being bough and sold for less than $100 and there have been documented cases below $30—for a HUMAN BEING!!!  I get angry and sad when I think about it.  This isn’t the way this world was meant to be,  and there are an estimated 27 million people in our world today who are suffering in slavery.  Many of them are trafficked to another country where they don’t even speak the language.

The majority of the individuals who are trafficked are women and small children.  They are sold, enslaved, and forced to work for next to nothing. 

I’m writing this post for much the same reason as I did last year.  I believe that the first step to combating a problem like this is greater awareness that the problem exists.  I feel like most of us live life believing that slavery died with the American Civil War, but today the problem is worse than any point in history.

There may be people trafficked in your own town.  As I mentioned in a blog post last year, my friend Charles Lee gives 11 tips for ways you can take an active role in combating slavery and trafficking.

If you’ve got a few minutes, read up on the issue a little more, and then, start a conversation with someone about the issue.  Talk to a classmate, a coworker, a family member or a friend.  Resolve to do something beyond reading.  Invest some of your time and resources into supporting organizations that fight human trafficking.  Report suspicious activity to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. 

May we never tire of fighting injustice.  As Martin Luther King once said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Father's Day 2010

Of course, aside from being West Virginia’s 147th birthday yesterday, it was also Father’s day. And thankfully I was able to spend a little bit of the day with my dad, tell him I loved him, and thank him for the way he raised me. Not everyone has had the same kind of dad that I have had, and while my dad is not perfect (he would be the first to admit it), he is a wonderful father. He and my mother were instrumental in helping my siblings and I become the people who we are today.

Last night, after visiting with him briefly on Lake Floyd yesterday afternoon, I gave him a call. I called to tell him just how wonderful he was, and how much it meant to me that he and mom invested in me, my sister, and my brother. He can safely say that he has not wasted his life, and he still has more of it to live and to enjoy.

I can remember Sunday mornings being a very sacred time for us growing up. Now for all of my Christian friends, you probably think I’m going to talk about going to church and getting dressed for Sunday school. That wasn’t the case. I didn’t put my faith in Jesus until my junior year in college (and my life has been radically altered since then). No, it was a different kind of space my dad and I visited. Sundays around 10AM from the time I was in junior high (maybe earlier), we would go into my high school’s gym. He was a custodian at my high school and so we would use his keys to get in. I would practice free throws and do different drills, and we would spend a couple hours together. I never blossomed into the next Magic Johnson, as I had hoped, but dad and I had some pretty special Sunday memories together.

Not only that, my dad has always been a tremendous example of hard work and dedication to family and friends. Dad would always make sure all of us kids had enough to eat, and were able to take advantage of any opportunity to better ourselves and give us further possibilities to have better careers than he and mom had. He would work a full day, come home, and go to work in our family garden, cut grass and take care of several chores around the house. And then, before it got dark in the summer time, there was always time for playing basketball, helping me work on fielding, pitching, and hitting with baseball, kicking around a soccer ball, or going fishing in our little “Sea King” boat at Mountwood Park or the Belleville or Willow Island locks and dam (or wherever the fish were biting!).

He always encouraged us to do our best growing up. We had total freedom to fail, as long as we gave our best efforts. Dad and mom spurred us on so we might have the opportunities that he and mom did not have. He worked hard, he loved us well and truly helped us become the people we are today.
Dad has never been one for going out to eat a lot, but I can remember trips to places like Becky’s Hot Dogs in Parkersburg and sitting with our food hanging from the window as we drank root beer slushes together.

As we got off the phone last night, he was making his way into the hospital to spend time with my uncle who was in pretty intense pain after his knee surgery last week. My dad has always given selflessly of his time, and really strives to care for others around him. I hope that as I grow older, I can love people as well as he does, and I hope I can help him realize what a great example he has been to all of us kids.

And as for you, I hope you can take time to hug your dad and love him, and I would challenge you to do it, even if he hasn’t been the most loving to you. Maybe you can change the trend. I realize not everyone has great relationships with their fathers, but I hope that somehow you can mend those ties. And no matter what, I encourage you to do it soon if your father is still around. After reading Nick Kristof’s NYT article and my friend Charles Lee’s post yesterday as I was lying down for sleep, I can’t help but be reminded of the importance of taking advantage of the short time we have with people. Give em a read yourself, and then call your dad, or better yet, visit him!

And Dad, if you are reading this, I love you very much, I’m honored to be your son, and I know Becky and Chuck are as well.

The !deation Conference

Recently, I had the extreme pleasure of attending one of the most creative and innovative conferences I’ve ever attended. The name of the conference was The !deation and it was organized by a really sharp group of people led by one of the most industrious individuals I know, a guy by the name of Charles Lee @charlestlee on twitter.
Besides being a proficient blogger and utilizer of multiple forms of social media, Charles also teaches at a college in Los Angeles, pastor’s a church in Torrance, and co-founded a nonprofit that works to serve the poor and hurting both locally and globally. It’s called “Just One” and I recommend you check it out.
In his minimal spare time, Charles and his team put together an amazing gathering of non-profit leaders who worked toward realizing the tag-line of the conference. “Love Human. Do Good.” I arrived with Nuru’s CEO, and my old friend (and now boss) Jake Harriman on Monday April 5th for this two day conference, and although I had been to two other incredible conferences that Charles had assembled, I had very little idea of what to expect.
The environment of the conference was incredibly intimate. I think there were between 200-300 people in attendance, and this added to the very special atmosphere. But the team that designed the space really made that large group feel even smaller. From the arrangement of seating to some great opportunities for interaction in the space itself, it provided the perfect contect for networking with other likeminded people. In fact, the first night of the conference ended with a fashion show and mixer that allowed some very intense leaders from the non-profit world to relax a bit and interact with one another. I truly wonder what great organization and foundation connections were made under the umbrella of “loving human and doing good” at the ideation conference.
Instead of several days of long sessions from really sharp speakers, the !deation featured morning sessions that consisted of many influencers sharing their personal stories of getting involved in the non-profit sphere. There is something deeply soul-stirring that happens when you fill a room with people who have dared to step out in faith to help fight injustice in the world. There’s also something beautiful that happens when many of these individuals who may experience a bit of a rock-star status share from their mistakes and failings in an effort to help others learn from their experiences. I think the humility that I witnessed in the space was among the most touching aspects of the conference.
Each afternoon, there were a handful of “workshops” that consisted of someone who had done a great job in some aspect of non-profit work sharing his/her successes and failures as he/she guided a room full of passionate and idealistic leaders in ways that they could move forward in greater ways.
This was the first conference of its kind that I have experienced, and I hope it is not the last. Next year, I hope Nuru is among the non-profits invited back to participate in this wonderful event. I also hope that if you are in the greater Los Angeles area and you are interested in loving humans and doing good that you will make it a point to attend the 2011 !deation.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

This is my first blog post for 2010, and I apologize in advance that I haven't posted for quite some time. I really wanted to share some perspectives on the new year, and other sundry thoughts, but I need to inform you about a major issue affecting our world right now. I don't know if you knew this or not, but today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Did you know that this month has also been designated National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month?

Actually, I don't know if you know what human trafficking is. Let me start by laying out a definition. Human trafficking is the practice of people being tricked, lured, coerced or otherwise removed from their home or country and being compelled to work with no or low payment on terms which are highly exploitative. You can find out more about the issue by reading this wikipedia article too.

Many of the victims of trafficking are women and children. They are sold, enslaved, and forced to work for next to nothing. There are some great websites with resources for reporting this issue to others as well. A quick google search is extremely helpful, as is this blog post by my friend Charles Lee. He has listed 11 practical ideas to combat slavery.

I'm writing this post because I believe we all really need to be more aware of this issue. I think sometimes we can be guilty of thinking that this kind of thing happens only in big cities like Amsterdam (where some reports state that up to 75% of the prostitutes "working" in the red light district are victims of human trafficking) or Los Angeles. The truth is that this is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it could be happening in your neighborhood. I was in a small town not far from Morgantown late last year when I saw a "business" that looked like a text book case for a trafficking and slavery operation. After doing some further research I called the National Human Trafficking Hotline. 888 373 7888. If you have a cell phone, store it in your phone in case you see something that looks suspicious.

I also recommend tuning in to television programs/news today that may have a focus on this issue. It is estimated that there are over 27 million slaves in the world today (as I have blogged before), but we can reduce that number by understanding the issue better, and taking steps to combat the problem.

I hope you will join me in taking a step today and maybe starting a conversation at work, at school, or at home about this issue, and what everyday people like you and I can do to prevent this problem from growing.

Happy New Year everybody! Let's make 2010 the year of fighting injustice!

The Idea Camp

ICDC Behind the Scenes from The Idea Camp on Vimeo.


A few weeks ago, I had an awesome privilege of participating in a really cool idea that was created by my recently made friend, Charles Lee along with many, many others. The Idea, a FREE conference that would bring together some of the top minds in non-profits, churches, and social ventures to share ideas, to create, and to collaborate. The idea camp's tagline is "a collaborative movement of idea makers" and the conference experience is dissimilar to any conference in which I've ever participated. The theme for the idea camp conference in Washington DC I attended/participated in was "Compassion and Justice" and was hosted by a group called International Justice Mission

During the conference a group from Nuru International participated, and then Nicole Scott and myself "led" an idea session. The session was called Lessons from Silicon Valley: Innovation and Collaboration with "Competitors", and the discussion was centered around the idea of partnering with other organizations in one's area of focus to accomplish more and to do so in a better way. Click the link to find out more about the session, and some of the ideas that were generated during it.

That's one of the cool and different concepts around the idea camp. Rather than listening to a person talk for an hour and fifteen minutes, the facilitators share a brief introduction to the topic and then open the room up for questions and discussion from the entire group. This allows for people who are "attending" a session to participate, and to hear from each other. Not only that, but new ideas and collaborations form as people discuss an idea or concept in the session or beyond a session.

I understand that there is another Idea Camp forming in Portland Oregon on November 20-21st. The theme will be "Being Present with the City" If you want to find out more, check out the idea camp website.

I think there is a lot to be said about collaborating with other idea makers, dreaming big, and seeing ideas become implemented.

Sex And Chocolate

If you choose to watch the video above, I have to warn you that it's content is EXTREMELY disturbing. And sadly, the story depicted in this video is not uncommon in the world today. I don't want to discourage you from watching the video, but I do want to warn you that it is not pleasant. I've never left this disclaimer on my blog before, but if you are under eighteen, you may want to ask your parent or guardian to watch the video first and then get their permission. At I'm trusting on your honor to do so. The content isn't crass or distasteful, but it is highly disturbing. The video is about 20 minutes long, and was nominated for an academy award. It was produced by Florida State University.

Friday night, this video was shown at sozo café in Morgantown as part of our series of events Another World Is Possible. It left people speechless, and caught up in trying to process what they had just seen. The speaker who showed the video told the group that he wished he could say that the story being told was uncommon to re-assure folks that this was not the norm, but unfortunately this story is all too common. The event was called "Sex and Chocolate" because both of these industries have strong ties to human trafficking and slavery.

Friday night was one of our most packed nights for an event. We had a speaker by the name of Charles Lee come and share with folks about the issues of slavery and human trafficking. The numbers are staggering. Over 27 million PEOPLE are ENSLAVED in the world today. This is more than at any other point in human history. 600,000-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. Most of these are women and children who are forced into the sex industry. The numbers are staggering. And there is a very real possibility that there are slaves being held against their will EVEN IN YOUR TOWN! Charles Lee Created a website called One Voice To End Slavery. You should check it out and learn how you can spot potentially trafficked or enslaved individuals in the businesses around your town.

Of course the root cause of this issue is the darkness of the human heart. And the root solution is for individuals to be reconciled to God. But there are also some ways of making strides to reduce the frequency of slavery and trafficking. It starts by being aware of the issue. Once your eyes have been opened, there's really no turning back. Then you have to take action. You have to do something.

Here are some ways to fight it.

Learn how to protect yourself and others by educating yourself and others on the issue.
Contribute to organizations that are fighting slavery, trafficking, and extreme poverty.
Did you know that many children are sold by their parents because they don't have enough money to feed the rest of their family?
Research the products you buy. Charles shared that many well-knownchocolate companies are buying cocoa that was harvested by slaves. Maybe you could write letters to those companies to change their practices. Buy fairly traded products when you can.
Jump into the foray, and use your talents to enter the frontlines with a qualified non-profit who is doing excellent work.

Here are a few groups that might be of interest to you--I've blogged about them before, and I'll probably blog about them again.

International Justice Mission--they work to bring perpetrators to justice
One Voice To End Slavery--awareness group training folks to take action.
Nuru International--wholistic sustainable solutions to extreme poverty

Whatever you do, don't merely do nothing. Take action. Take a stand. Change the world.

Technology, Creativity, and Information

Friday afternoon, I attended a talk by a guy named Charles Lee at sozo. Charles comes from the South Bay area of Los Angeles (Torrance) where he not only pastors a church, but he is heavily involved in social justice and in teaching creativity.

He and many others (including our friends at Google) realize that we are in a rapidly changing world. Information is traveling faster than it ever has in history. People in our world today have more information at their fingertips than at any point in history. As you can see from the video above, our world is moving very quickly.

It's kind of funny. You can feel the movement at times. Like I notice that there never seems to be enough time to do all that you want to do anymore--there's so much going on with every decision we make. As I reflect a bit more on my time in the desert this was one of the aspects of that time that is coming into focus for me.

Literally the morning I left, my email inbox was bombarded with requests and information. I had someone call me 10 minutes before I departed into the desert who needed information shared with him immediately. There was really no 'down-time' in the days leading up to the desert. And when I came back, everything felt like a whirlwind rush. I jumped in a car, drove for an hour and fifteen minutes, ate dinner, packed my bags, checked-in for my flight, and went to bed. The next morning, I got up, went to the airport with my dad, hopped on a plane, rushed to make a connecting flight, and arrived in Pittsburgh. From pittsburgh, me, dad, and Jamie ate dinner and drove to morgantown. Upon arrival, I talked for a bit with folks, caught up, went to sleep, and then spent the entirety of the next day answering emails, voicemails, and txts that came to me during the desert time, and then began preparing for a week of another world is possible. Our world is definitely fast paced. And when you come back from the desert, you also realize how heavily distracted our world can be from the things that are most important.

In the middle of that difficulty, we have a huge challenge. As Charles Lee shared on Friday, and as the Senior Vice President of Google shared in this blog which you should take the time to read, we are in a place where great good can come from attempting to stay ahead of the technology curve. We need to plan for a future in which we don't know what the technologies will be. As Charles pointed out, we need to creatively come up with ways for people to connect, share, and improve ideas. We have tons of information at our fingertips, but many of us have lost our knack at creativity.

You might remember my posts about the environment last Spring and the ideas I shared from Matthew Sleeth's book and lecture in Morgantown, but one thing I may not have shared was his insight that a lack of creativity is connected to our connectedness to the created world. It might be worth while to slow down a bit and create some space to let ideas run wild in our minds.

We have tons of information and amazing technology at our fingertips. We have amazing potential (unlike any other point in history) to make sweeping changes that will either be hugely detrimental or hugely helpful for future generations of people made in the image of God.

In my mind, in light of all of this the question before us is challenging yet simple. What will we do with all that we have been given to bless others and care for those in the world around us? To whom much is given, much is expected. Take some time today to think about long term solutions and real change that YOU might be part of bringing about.