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Pruning
Thursday, July 15th, 2010 by richfossRecently I asked one of the farmers at Plow Creek to describe pruning. In February each year he and another farmer or two prune our two acres of blueberries. I assumed that the he and the others are doing a good job because this season we’ve taken off more than four tons of blueberries from the two acre plot.
Pruning is not for the faint of heart. Not only do they remove the dead branches but they also cut substantial portions of each plant in order to produce more fruit.
Another farmer spoke up and said, “The purpose of pruning is to direct the energy of the plant so that it grows in the direction you want it to grow.”
When he said that the purpose of pruning is to direct the energy of the plant I flashed back to last fall when I suffered five compression fractures in my back. I wasn’t able to drive from November through March. In addition, I had a series of lung infections.
The effect was the same as pruning. Suddenly I had very little energy and was not able to move freely and travel. I did the one thing I could do—write. I wrote the first draft of a projected 200-page ebook, Green Light Fundraising: Your Sustainable Fundraising Guide to Raising $50,000 to $500,000 a Year to Light Up the Eyes of People You Serve, completing it in June.
I’m now over half way done with the first re-write.
I don’t know if God was pruning me or not but it sure felt like it. My ability to move was cut way back and I directed my energy into writing Green Light Fundraising.
I wonder whether Green Light Fundraising will bear much fruit in the nonprofit world. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Nonprofit to help people find ways to help the world
Monday, March 22nd, 2010 by richfossA tale of two schools
Saturday, November 14th, 2009 by richfossI am endlessly fascinated by how organizations treat people on the edges of our communities, those people who don’t fit the norm. It’s partly personal–I became disabled when I was a teen and have used a wheelchair a lot since then–and partly professional because I’m passionate about helping organizations thrive that work with people on the edges of our communities.
Here’s an amazing personal story by a Texas Baptist preacher–Part 1, Part 2–that portray how two organizations with the mission of educating children respond to the same child in very different ways.
The gift of stillness
Sunday, July 26th, 2009 by richfossLast week I completed a three week vacation (the first two wonderful weeks were lots of travel, children and grandchildren) with a week of silence.
I spent the week in St. Louis. Monday through Friday I did not speak to anyone other than to order coffee or lunch. I read, wrote in my journal, and wrote three poems a day, allowing my soul to search for meaning.
In the evenings I visited with my daughter and her husband’s whose home I was staying at.
As CEO of EGL and a pastor of PCF my days are filled with sound of conversation, the demands of plans, and motion from one task to the next.
It was a gift to be still.
It was good to let silence flow into me. By Friday morning I was ready to return to my life of blessing, honesty, and sharing words of liberation with those who find themselves trapped.
Over the years I have noted that when I return from vacation I have the energy and vision to deal with longstanding issues in the organizations I serve. I look forward to that burst of creativity.
1st published 7/18/08.