Vi’s House (l) and Mark’s Boat (r)

I was excited when I came across an article on a site called PsyPost, which promises to report “the latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.”  The report was titled “People Who Pledge 10% of Their Income to Charity are More Morally Expansive and Open-Minded.” I thought I knew exactly who they were talking about.  I have met many of these morally expansive people over the years.  They teach Sunday school and sing in the choir, they volunteer at the food bank and tutor kids in need of some extra help.  They live in the suburbs and the inner city, in Guatemala, Brazil, and Rwanda. Yes, I knew exactly who they had in mind when they wrote about “these extraordinary altruists, who often make significant personal sacrifices to help others, challenge traditional evolutionary theories of altruism, which suggest that helping behaviors are motivated by potential future benefits or kin relationships.”

But it turns out that the article was about a group of people inspired by Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ted Turner.  Yes, those “extraordinary altruists” who give away 10%, sometimes 90%, of their fortune but still have enough left to gift themselves with a $300 million yacht for their 40^th birthday.  So that’s what a significant personal sacrifice looks like. Continue reading →

Rua Gustavo Cândido de Souza, Belo Horizonte, Brasil

The message arrived Sunday morning and I read it just after worship.  A note, an announcement from a friend in Brazil I first met 24 years ago this week.  He wrote:

Good morning, friend Bill.
How are you – everything okay?
And Becky, how is she doing?
I hope that everyone in your family is doing well.
I am writing to present the newest member of my family
She was born this morning! 7:58 a.m. our time.

The birth announcement included the newborn’s name along with a photo taken just a few hours after her birth.

Such joy.  But how do I tell the story of this joy?  The baby’s dad is a good friend.  A good friend in the ways that the best friendships are good, and good in the ways that some people are good. He is a good man.  And he is a faithful Christian. Continue reading →

It’s my birthday today, so happy birthday to me. And thanks to those who have or will wish me well on the day. Now, in most ways this is not a big deal birthday – not a decade milestone or a year to be marked with precious metals or stones. But it is my RMD birthday and my life will never be quite the same.

As some of you know and understand better than I do, RMD stands for Required Minimum Distribution, and it has to do with how the IRS gets at that money you put in a tax-deferred retirement account over the years. Deferred no more. Starting with today’s birthday, I am required to withdraw a certain minimum amount from a little tax-deferred nest egg that’s been happily protected from the taxman all these years. The IRS says I will have to take out at least so much every year for as long as I live, and that the “so much” will be subject to income tax – the tax that was deferred back then. I can put the money in the bank, take a trip, buy a toy, or give it to my favorite mission cause. I have to take it. Absolutely fair even if a bit annoying.

So how much is “so much”?  It has to do with how long the IRS thinks I am going to live.  I know, it is a little more complicated than that when you factor in designated beneficiaries and so forth, but, yes, the IRS thinks it knows how long I am going to live. They publish a table with just such information. Turns out, they say I will live to be 90. And if I live to be 90, they’ll tax me as if I am going to live to be 96. The life-expectancy table runs to age 99 (when they’ll tax me as if I am going to live to be 101). One of their tables goes to age 120. The taxman cometh. Ben Franklin was right about death and taxes. Continue reading →

In Proverbs 12:15 Solomon tells us that a wise person listens to advice. In 11:14 he has told us there is safety in an abundance of counselors. Life tells us that advice is often easier to give than receive.

I have been thinking about the giving and receiving of advice. I am reading a fascinating book on Harry Truman’s – yes, another Truman book – first term as president (Ascent to Power, David L. Roll, 2024). To be sure, the book presents Truman in a positive light, but not without acknowledging his weaknesses and shortcomings. Eighty years later I am left longing for as decent a person and able a leader as Truman to ascend to power. I don’t think my longings will be satisfied any time soon.

Harry Truman faced as many difficult decisions as any modern president. Almost immediately after Franklin Roosevelt’s death, he had to decide about the use of the atomic bomb to end World War II. In time he was confronted with decisions to be made about the rebuilding of Europe and the rebuilding of the American economy from its war footing to being able to satisfy pent up consumer demands. He would have to decide about programs for returning G.I.s and the assurance of civil rights to all Americans, especially to Black Americans.

Some of the most important decisions Harry Truman made had to do with the people who would serve the nation during his presidency. He made some great choices and some really poor choices. Continue reading →

Becky and I recently watched a three-part British television series, MaryLand, and liked it very much. I’ll try to avoid any spoilers in case you wish to watch it yourself, so here is the description you will find at the PBS website:

MaryLand follows two estranged sisters who reunite to unearth the truth about their mother’s sudden death and her double life on the Isle of Man. This is not so much a murder mystery as a compelling tale of two siblings opening up to each other as they work out a string of family secrets. The Guardian (UK) hails MaryLand as “joyful and incredibly affecting.”

In fact, the heart of the series is the “compelling tale of two siblings opening up to each other.” But, as the teaser suggests, there is a mystery to be solved concerning the sudden death of Mary, the two sisters’ mother. Again, no spoilers, but Mary’s death and the mystery surrounding it is more than just a screenwriter’s device to get at the emotional and relational drama of the estranged sisters reconciliation. Neither the sisters nor the viewer will be reconciled to Mary’s death. Death wins. Enough said. Continue reading →