Happy 75 Birthday Dad!

My dad is one of the most amazing human beings I know. At 75 years young, he is probably more fit and more strong than many who are half his age—and that’s even after a massive heart attack seven years ago. My dad has always been a pretty amazing individual, and I don’t think I could write enough about the lessons he has taught me through his work ethic, his patience, his respect for others, and through his rich faith.

I remember when I was growing up, he would drive me to school EVERY DAY and pick me up EVERY AFTERNOON when school let out. He would ALWAYS find time for me no matter how busy his day was. He would be up early getting ready for work, and he would work late on projects around the house, in the garden, or helping our neighbors—at least on the occasions when we weren’t going fishing! On those days, him and my uncle Russell, and my cousin, Jo Ann would load up in Russell’s van as soon as he was off work, and we would venture out to see who could catch our limit of trout first. We wouldn’t stop fishing until the sun was going down.

We did a lot of fishing, me and Dad. Sometimes, when we would go fishing, he would reach his hand across the cab of his pickup truck and say, “Ol’ Billy Williams, used to be my buddy…” and every time, I would reach my hand out to give him a high-five, and say emphatically, “Still am!” And to this day, my dad is not only my dad, but he is my buddy as well. At my wedding, I had two best men, Willie (My best friend in the whole world) and my dad. My dad has been there for every important moment in my life, and it only made since to have him stand by me on my wedding day.

He used to take me to the PHS field-house every Sunday morning to play basketball for at least an hour. We would shoot free-throws, and he would teach me how to properly execute a hook shot. After a shoot-around and warm up, we would play a few games of horse or play one-on-one. I loved those mornings of us just hanging out. I loved them as much as the evenings fishing and the evenings practicing my fielding or my batting for baseball. Recently I was hanging out with one of my childhood friends who didn’t grow up with his father, and he told me that he always thought it was so cool that me and Dad did so much together. Growing up I just figured it was that way for every kid. Boy was I wrong!

My dad has one of the most intense work ethics of anyone I know—and he’s always looking for ways he can help others. Sometimes when he visits me, he will notice that the grass needs cut, and while I’m working, he’ll fire up the mower and cut the grass. When I had more trees around the house with low branches, he would come up and help me trim those branches too!

We don’t get to see each other as often as either one of us would like, but when we do, we always have a good time and great adventures. Whether it is going on long bike rides or hiking to the top of Seneca rocks, Dad definitely keeps you moving. I love that we get to explore so many parts of this world together, and I love that many of my friends have also had the privilege of meeting and spending time with my dad.

One year, I was able to save up to buy tickets to almost every WVU home basketball game for him to sit/stand in the student section with me. It was so much fun to be able to share some amazing times with dad at the WVU Coliseum to cheer on the Mountaineers. On top of all of the amazing character qualities my dad exemplifies and I strive to emulate, he is a HUGE Mountaineer fan! Part of my memories growing up consisted of listening to Jack Fleming, the Voice of the Mountaineers, giving play-by-play for WVU sports on my dad’s old transistor radio, while Dad prepared home-made pizzas for supper. And now, every once in a while, we will land a couple tickets to a WVU football or basketball game. And both of us have the same perspective on the games—as big of fans as we both are, the company we get to enjoy the games with means way more than our seats in the stadium.

Dad and Mom both taught me a lot about appreciating people, and appreciating the quality of time shared as much as the quantity. During my childhood, we would take bicycling ‘adventures’ from our house and ride to “The Point” (where the Ohio and Little Kanawha Rivers meet) and then make our way along the floodwall to explore some of the places along the river where he and his siblings would play and swim when he was a kid. The ‘adventures’ were always as much about the company as they were the location.

And today, on his 75^th birthday, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for a lifetime of memories like these that he has made with me—I know that just about everyone he knows well has a long list of similar memories made together.  And, for every one of us, we are filled with eager anticipation for the next set of memories we will make together.

Dad, I hope you have an amazing birthday! I am so grateful for every moment we have been able to spend together, every heartfelt conversation, every adventure, every Mountaineer victory (and loss), and every long hike, fishing trip, or bike ride. Even more, I’m grateful for all of the ways you have been such a solid example of the kind of man I aspire to be! I love you very much!

Milka: One Woman's Story

Milka: One Woman's Story from Nuru International on Vimeo.

This is one of the most amazing stories of empowerment and change I have ever heard or seen. It's the story of Milka Marwa, one of the many people whose lives have been changed because of Nuru's work together with the people of Kuria, Kenya.

Milka Marwa grew up in extreme poverty in Kuria. Her children and her grandchildren also grew up in extreme poverty. If one didn't know better, they could easily assume extreme poverty was a genetic trait as it seems to pass from generation to generation with ease like some set of dominant genes.

Milka's family, suffered from hunger, unclean and unsafe water, poor access to basic medical care, and lacked opportunities for education and entrepreneurship.

All of that changed when Milka got involved with Nuru. She was the third farmer who was met by the first Nuru team when they were conducting surveys in Kuria, Kenya in September 2008. Milka quickly proved herself to be a hard-working entrepreneur, and was named by her peers to be head of a Nuru group. Milka has continued to be recognized for her work ethic, and she is now leading over 500 farmers in 50 Nuru groups across her community.

Her family is able to get access to healthcare, they have clean water, funds for school fees, and plenty of food to eat. Her life and the lives of her descendants have been changed for good. She is a respected leader in her community, and her story comes as a result of people here and around the globe choosing to be Nuru.

Will you choose to be Nuru today as well? Take a few minutes, watch this video, and share Nuru's story with friends. Make a donation. Post it to your wall on facebook. Blog about it. Tweet it up. Just don't sit there waiting for someone else to take action.

The world needs YOU to step up. This is a great moment to help word spread and get more people involved in working toward the end of the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation.

Be hope. Be light. Be Nuru.

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.

Practicing Generosity

Practicing Generosity, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

As a follow up to my last blog about the stimulus checks and John Piper's blog about the subject, I thought I would offer a few (among many) possible suggestions for giving. Will you prayerfully consider giving 25%, 50%, or even 100% of your stimulus check toward one of these causes. Maybe by starting to give with your stimulus check, you can develop a habit of practicing generosity throughout the year as well.

Nuru International--This organization, which was started by a couple of my friends, is in the middle of a huge fundraising drive, and an individual donor is willing to contribute $100,000 toward this organization if they are able to raise $350,000 by June 14th. They have already raised half of it, and your gift could be a big step toward that goal.

Invisible Children--This is a great organization that is really making a difference in Northern Uganda. Every time I interact with people from this organization, I am thoroughly impressed by their passion, and their ability to accomplish much with the talents they've been given. Giving to this group definitely has an impact beyond the gift itself.

Compassion International--This organization is often endorsed by many Christian recording artists. You could sponsor a single child for most of a year with just half of a stimulus check.

Great Commission Ministries. This feels a bit self-serving, but I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention this organization. This is the mission agency I work for, and personally I think they do great work all over the world. Maybe consider sponsoring a missionary or one of their many mission projects if you don't already.

All of these organizations are doing great things in our world today, but there are also a couple of local things I would like to suggest to you as well.

Your Local Church--No matter where you live, your local church is hopefully involved in efforts to improve the community and impact the world around them for the cause of Christ. If you are a Christian, it would probably be a good idea to consider giving 10% or more of your stimulus check to your local church.

Neighbors/People in Need--I have no idea what is happening in the community where you live--do you? Maybe take some time today and investigate the greatest needs of your neighborhood or the town where you live. Maybe you have a relative or friend who just lost a job, and needs groceries for their family. Go find out--and help out.

Really, it's very easy to dismiss the value of generosity. It's easy to think that $150, $300, or $600 can't go very far to meet the huge needs of our world. But all of them will go further than $0.

Maybe now isn't the best time for you. Maybe you've already spent your stimulus check. Maybe you really needed that money and it's what is going to get you through this month. If that's the case, perhaps it would be good to look to practice generosity in other ways. Maybe give of your time to help a neighbor or a friend, serve in a church, volunteer in the community. When we practice generosity, God is glorified.

As a wise man once said, "There is not enough for every man's greed, but there is more than enough for every man's need."

May you endeavor to practice generosity every day, but before you spend this recent gift, consider ways in which you can make Christ's name and fame great by the way that you use it.