Santa Clause, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle. But Saint Nicholas has another lesser known moniker—the patron saint of pawn shops. How could this jolly old fellow be known as the patron saint of such a seedy business? In the Middle Ages, montes pietatius were charities similar to urban food banks. And they were created as...
Eight Levels of Charitable Giving
There are a lot of people talking about giving during this final week of the year, but my favorite “talk” on charity comes from the Jewish scholar Maimonides. He describes the “eight levels of charity” according to the Mishneh and articulates the uncomfortable truth that not all charity is equal in intent or impact....
There’s No Such Thing As a Banana Tree
Celebrating Christmas in Rwanda several years ago, my wife and I took a string of lights and wrapped it around a banana plant–which became our “Christmas tree.” I thought of this story while making a short video to thank our key supporters (below). Warning: The screen shot is ridiculous. Also, I talk about...