Business as Mission and Scale

Something I’ve noticed as I read through the literature on “Business as Mission” is that most of the efforts are focused on a relatively small scale. There is nothing wrong with starting small, but there almost seems to be a “common wisdom” that starting out small is the only way to go.

While I won’t argue the value of proof-of-concept efforts, there are times when small won’t cut it. Certain ideas need to start out at a scale that necessarily involves a great deal of risk. A good example is the Grameen Phone company started by Iqbal Quadir and discussed in his TED talk below:

Patient Capital: A Third Way to Think About Aid

For the past year I’ve been thinking about ways to use my entrepreneurial skills to help the international communities I work through the Vineyard. The ideas around “patient capital” that Jacqueline Novogratz proposes seem right on the money, so to speak.

Plants that clean the air

I’ve had a post-it note hanging around my desk for a while now with a list of plants that in combination supposedly clean the air of indoor pollution. I jotted it down from a TED talk. I’m posting it now so I can throw the note away. All quantities are per person. All plants are pre:

(4) Areca Palms--shoulder high (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) take it outdoors every 3 months

(6-8) Mother-in-Law plants at least waist high (Sansevieria trifasciata)...called a bedroom plant because it converts CO2 into oxygen at night

(1) Money plant (Epipremnum aureum) removes formaldehyde

Here’s the video:

MacJournal

I’m writing this entry with new software, MacJournal, I just downloaded from MacHeist. It promises to be a whizzy new way to organize my thoughts, create, write, journal, etc. I’ve been using a Mac for over 25 years now and I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for this kind of software. Remember HyperCard? I loved it. Learned it. Helped create a HyperCard users group. Then there was MORE, still the ultimate outlining tool (OminOutliner is more powerful, but I still miss the simple elegance of MORE).

This tool promises to let me organize and then post to my blog, which seems like a good way to motivate me to blog more since I can write drafts and keep them organized without having to log into blogger....we’ll see.

Dead Aid

I first read about Dambisa Moyo's ideas about the dangers of foreign aid in the NYT Magazine (see The Anti-Bono). I was particularly struck by her answer to the question:

Q) If people want to help out, what do you think they should do with their money if not make donations?

A)Microfinance. Give people jobs.

Here's another post about her book:
Dead Aid | Varlden idag

I just ordered it from Amazon (as if I need another book to read :-)

An Athiests Perspective on the Positive Value of Christianity to Africa

My friend Paul forwarded a link to this fascinating article by an African returning home after 45 years to present-day Malawi—As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God: Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset.

Quote of the week

"Act in such a way that your humility may not be weakness, nor your authority be severity. Justice must be accompanied by humility, that humility may render justice lovable." Gregory the Great