From the Hart...

Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits

2012-01-14T12:08:00.002-06:00

With the current economic climate and a critical presidential election on the horizon, I have been considering the place of nonprofits in today's environment. I have determined three things I believe: 1) Our economy is built on the backs of entrepreneurs 2) It is society's responsibility to care for society, and 3) Nonprofits are the entrepreneurial solution to fulfilling these responsibilities.

Without addressing statement 1 or 2, I have found that many of the people who want to create nonprofit organizations are somewhat entrepreneurial. They might not have what it takes to put their own for-profit business in place (something about being "for-profit" tends to scare people), but they are driven by a passion to fulfill a dream of serving others. They seek solutions to problems they have determined exist and need addressing. Their motivation may be different, but the process is often very entrepreneurish.

Having said that, I emplore those seeking to start a nonprofit to go about it much like you would if you were starting a new business. Is there really a need? What does the competition look like? Where is funding coming from? Is it sustainable and can it be replicated? Do I have the knowledge I need to be successful or can I get it from a reliable source?

Treat your nonprofit like a business (it actually is, you know) and you will have a greater chance to successfully fulfill your mission!

2012-01-14T10:54:00.002-06:00

Well, I took the year of 2011 off from posting. Not sure why, I just did. It probably had something to do with the fact that I seemed to be dwelling on negatives; not uplifting anyone, including myself. So, I'll try again.

2012 is shaping up to be a great year for our family. My son Bailey just graduated from ACU, is looking for a job, and is getting married to a wonderful young lady in March. My daughter is finishing her Jr. year at ACU and is growing into the mature woman her mother and I always envisioned her to be. And my 91 year old father and his wife have moved into a great retirement facility they are really enjoying. Everything is shaping up for a great year!

These are all wonderful changes, but maybe not the most significant. Lynette and I are really taking a look at our priorities. We both are somewhat burdened by the "stuff" in our lives. Twenty-five years of marriage can produce a lot of baggage - literal and metaphorical. Our goal this year is to clean our lives of the things that prevent us from having a closer relationship with God, our families, each other, our friends and those who need our help.

I'm not sure how successful we will ultimately be, but any step in the right direction will be positive. I hope we succeed in our goals and wish the same for you and yours! Happy 2012.

2010-08-19T21:19:00.002-05:00

I know it may seem extremely dark for me to post again on loss, but it has happened again. A week ago I woke to find out a young man I had coached in high school, and had become good friends with and contemporaries years later, had died suddenly in the night. At 41, Bart Phillips was taken from his young wife and three boys as he lived a life many only dream about.

Bart was successful and happy in his job as an assistant to the President of Focus on the Family. The job allowed him to do and see things with his family they would have otherwise missed. He was a family man from the word go. His mother and father showed him how marriage works, through the good times and the difficult.

It is not what Bart was that I am most taken with right now, but what he is to the many friends and loved ones who were close to him. He is a friend to those who knew him, his is a great father to his children, he is a loving husband to Suzy, he is a co-worker that cares about his peers. Bart is an example to us all.

I will forever remember Bart in his football uniform pleading with me to "Run the bootleg, Coach! Run the Bootleg!" which was his favorite play since it allowed him to blindside an unsuspecting defender. Or, standing with his hands on his hips asking me if he was going to have to "...call his daddy?" Or the time he was kicked out of a game for punching and ran to the sideline yelling "Coach I didn't punch him! He punched me!"

Those memories are fun to think about, but the more important ones are the ones of the man he became. Those memories keep him alive in the hearts of all of us who knew him. Tell Big Don hellp for us, Bart. We will all see you both soon.

She's Home!

2010-08-08T21:33:00.002-05:00

Yes, she's home. Our daughter, Emily, just returned from two weeks in China with the Let's Start Talking ministry. She was very sick the first three days she was there and wanted more than anything to be home. I wanted her home just as badly. I have never felt so helpless than when she was crying for help and there was nothing I could do.

Through many prayers and some time she bounced back. She went on to do the task at hand and had a wonderful time. Even with all of the bad memories that began the trip, she said she would gladly go back. It seems we all learned from her experience.

As hard as it was on everyone, we had to leave it in God's hands. Not surprisingly he came through once again. I am so proud of Emily and the young woman she is becoming. I am so thankful to God for watching over her life.

Losing Old Friends

2010-08-06T12:06:00.002-05:00

My last post was about losing an old friend-my dog Frisco. I talked about how he went well, with no complaining or fuss. It was not easy, but there was a reason for his death however untimely. I recently lost another old friend. Maybe he was not as physically close to me as Frisco, but we shared a lot of memories and good times together.

James was a good man who loved his family and coaching football more than anything. He was the kind of friend who expected little but gave much in a friendship. I talked with him as late as May at a track meet and new he was depressed from a change in job and the fact his wife of 30 years was leaving him.

Rather than lingering on his problems, James spent time thanking me for being his friend. He talked about how friends could count on each other when times were rough. No, he said, he was fine and there wasn't anything I could do I hadn't already done for him. He just wanted me to know he appreciated it.

Looking back there was some sort of finality in his voice. Less than a month later he tried to take his life. Unsuccessful in his first attempt, he made certain he did not fail in his second. Everyone loved and respected James except maybe the one person he needed to love him most. We will probably never know why he took his life, and I hope I never understand.

James went to a place few of us have been, and I wonder how many have been there and returned. Is there a place so dark that going there virtually assures that you cannot come back? I believe in the power of God and his ability to bring us back from any darkness we are willing to leave. But I wonder if sometimes the choice is made, the decision reached that God's grace isn't sufficient. I pray for anyone who might be struggling with that choice.

I lost Frisco but he couldn't tell me what was really troubling him. I lost James and neither could he.

Losing an Old Friend

2010-01-02T09:37:00.002-06:00

(Originally written Satuday, November 7, 2009)

Emotions are funny. Sometimes the ones that affect you the most are the ones that come on when least expected. I had to put our family dog to sleep a few days ago. He was pretty old, around 12, and had contracted some type of cancer that formed tumors in his abdomen that wouldn't allow him to eat or drink. Surgery would not have gauranteed a solution so I decided to let him go.

Especially since I began working from home, Frisco has been by my side most of every day. If I sat at the computer, he sat next to me. If I walked upstairs for something, he followed me. When I got up each morning, I would have to be careful not to step on him because most nights he slept beside the bed. He never complained (only one in the family who didn't) unless I put on my tennis shoes in front of him and didn't take him for a walk.

I've never been one to over-emotionalize about a pet. I was always the one to make rational comments about them just being aimals; don't get too attached. But I have to admit that it was hard to lose Frisco. He was part of our family and he lived the end of his life the way I hope I can end mine. He continued to love the family, tried every day to live the same as he always had, he never complained. Not a bad way to go.

Good Friends

2009-08-02T17:27:00.003-05:00

My family just spent a few hours with another family we have been good friends with for over 20 years. We have had children together, raised them, fought with them, fought for them, prayed for them, and now watch them as the last ones leave for college. What began as a process that seemed it would last forever, while not ending, is certainly changing.

Our friends moved away from the area about ten years ago. We remain close, although not always in close contact. We are the kind of friends who will always be there, no matter the circumstances. We have been there for each other through the trials and issues families go through. We know the good and the bad and are still here.

There is some comfort in knowing you have those kinds of friends. Is it always a perfect relationship - hardly. But just like any other good relationship, certainly worth the effort to keep it going. In fact, it is probably strongest when there is a need (and there have been plenty of those over the years). That's when we will all be there without fail. Don't even have to ask.

My Son

2009-07-12T08:06:00.005-05:00

Most recently, my time seems to have been focused on my 17 year-old daughter who will be leaving us soon for college. I assure you, though, that the actions of my 21 year-old son have not been far from my mind. He is currently attending the same university Emily will attend in the fall. He is living his first summer away from "home" in a small apartment he rented himself. I am continually taken back by the independence he has shown and the man he is becoming.

It is somewhat daunting when you realize you are needed less and less everyday. When the children you raised start learning "life" instead of "listen-to-me" lesssons. I am extremely proud of the decisions my son has made as he intentionaly builds his future. His willingness to work, his concern for the family and his friends, and his ability to step outside himself in the process.

I kept a card in my billfold when he was a child to remind me of the things I wanted him to learn as he ran the marathon of life. I wanted him to learn to love God, his family, and others. I wanted him to be respectful of his elders and those in authority. I wanted him to take responsibility for his actions. I wanted him to learn how to put in a good day's work. I wanted him to be non-judgemental and forgiving.

By God's grace he has become that man. The race is far from over, but he has certainly begun to out-distance the field. Do not be found faint, Bailey. Finish the race, for a crown of glory awaits.

Disapointment

2009-07-05T08:20:00.000-05:00

One of my greatest disapointments is to disapoint those I care about. It's not so much about how they feel about me as it is how I make them feel. It bothers me to see someone I care for to be frustrated, sad, or even angry about something I could have prevented with a different decision or action. No matter that I might have been correct, their perception and reaction is enough to make me have second thoughts. Unfortunately, it sometimes causes me to make the wrong decision or take an inappropriate action in order to please.

If only I had the same concern about my relationship with God. If only I was as concerned about how He might feel when I make poor choices as I am about how my earthly relationships respond. Does this put into question my love for Him, or my real reason for the concern I have for others? I tend to think the latter.

Upon introspection, I usually can find that my mistakes in life are more about me than anything, or anyone else. I pray that God will someday give me the wisdom and strength to truly be more concerned about others than I am myself.

Another Emily

2009-06-24T07:18:00.003-05:00

She never ceases to amaze me, our Emily. She came home from a mission trip to New Orleans ready to go back and provide more help to the people in that disaster-by-the-bay. She also began talking about work in India and Africa. She's going to college as a young 17 yr. old, but she is already turning into a mature young lady that is developing a world-view to replace the me-view that has tended to rule.

I guess that happens to all of us at different stages in our lives (maybe not all, but to many of us). The time when we realize that what we do really only makes a difference when it affects others. Bob Buford wrote a great book called "Half Time" which explored the fact that most of us men seem to reach this stage about half-way through our lives. This new generation is reaching it much sooner.

They are less concerned about wearing a tie than they are about being tied down. They are more concerned about writing the script for a better future than writing a check. They are already asking the questions we were asked not to ask. I catch myself wanting to tell them to "think about what they are doing!" when I realize that often times they are.

Yes, I am seeing another Emily. And I like her a lot.

Graduating Emily

2009-05-17T13:42:00.002-05:00

My daughter, Emily, is graduating this month. Doesn't seem possible. My wife and I were talking recently about her future and I expressed questions about the kind of man she might marry (a thought most dads consider at some point). Emily is a great girl and has caused her mom and I almost zero heart-ache or concern since she matured out of her terrible twos that lasted until she was seven. She does, however, tend to be harder on those that love her the most.

Lynette gave me much comfort in sharing Emily's list of "potential husbands" that Emily has kept for some time, with few updates. Besides UT quarterback Colt McCoy, the rest of the list consists of really good guys, most of whom she has never even dated. They all had in common (including Colt) coming from stable, God-fearing families, and calm, respectful personalities. Not a bad list for a still young high school senior.

It appears that Emily hopes to reconstruct the environment she was raised in. A fact that had significant impact on me. I only hope and pray that she allows God to provide her with the kind of man that can give her that. Around our house we joke that "if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Concerning that:

He must make her happy, but he also must lead,
Not with tight rein or bit, but with kind words and deeds.

Intentionaly Driven

2009-05-12T08:55:00.005-05:00

After hearing the story of Rachel Scott from her father this weekend, I have to wonder about the insignificance of most things we do. This young woman (the first student shot at Columbine) lived her life with an intentionality everyone should admire. Regardless of your ambition, goal in life, or faith, how much more successful could you be if you were as dedicated as she?

My challenge to myself is to be more intentional about my beliefs and my goals, and encourage others to do the same.

Life is definately short

2009-04-03T17:08:00.004-05:00

In the last two days I have been to the funeral of the mother of a friend who lived a long, useful life, got my 88 year-old dad out of the hospital for what appears to be another 10 years with us, been to the funeral of a 65 year-old friend who recently lost an infant grandchild, and visited a desperately ill friend who is younger than I am and fighting for life. If that doesn't get your attention, nothing will.

Life sometimes seems to be long and prosperous. Sometimes it is short and unfair. One thing is for sure, it will end. I worry about those grieving friends and loved ones who have been left behind and feel it will be hard to carry on. I worry more about those who are not prepared to go. I worry most that I don't worry about them enough.

What am I doing now?

2009-04-02T08:03:00.003-05:00

Well, I have no idea what I am doing right now. I don't really have anything to say or the time to say it, but I continue still. I suppose I will begin by saying how blessed I am to have a family that loves me in spite of my mistakes and a God who doesn't even remember them. I do not know where this blog will go, but I do tend to have opinions and I suppose some of them will end up here. We'll see.

Remember:
You can't teach a pig to sing. You waiste your time and it annoys the pig.