It’s Christmas time and I’m hoping someone buys me a goat. In many gift catalogs, including HOPE’s, we have the opportunity to give alternative gifts to each other. A goat has always been in the upper echelon of alternative gift giving. But did you ever wonder how a goat really benefits a family? We...
Vampires, Valkyries, and the Mission of HOPE
This week teenagers (and perhaps my wife) will flock to see the opening of the vampire-romance film, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn,” once again unleashing vampire mania around the country. While vampires have caught the public’s imagination, they aren’t the only fascinating creatures in mythology. In high school, I took a course on European...
Why Aren’t Churches More Engaged in Microfinance?
Sitting under a thatched gazebo with a group of friends in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Janet asked me, “Why haven’t churches become more involved in microfinance?” The best answer I could come up with was that too few people really understand microfinance and how it can be a tool to effectively address physical...