Barnabas File

The United States has provided the environment for many titans of industry--such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller--to flourish.     Although many of these individuals used extreme tactics to build their empires, they tended to become philanthropists in their later years and turned their attention to the good of humanity.     Most invested their income in benevolent causes, but few invested their knowledge.     Bill Gates is different. Bill Gates, former CEO of Microsoft and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, at age 63 is now the second richest person in the world (behind Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon). In  Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates,   a new three-part  documentary   series on Netflix created and directed by  Davis Guggenheim , we are exposed to an in-depth look at the mind and motivations of Gates. Each episode introduces a challenge that Ga...

No, we are not talking Tennessee Basketball here, but the Global Leadership Summit sponsored by the Willow Creek Association.  The conference is held live in South Barrington, Illinois, each year and broadcast to 590 locations across the United States. It is also repackaged and presented in over 125 countries around the world.  I have often said that Willow Creek, the parent congregation, knows how to do big church better than anybody else.  One reason is Bill Hybels, the pastor, who can get a bit emotional at times, but is willing to address social issues (like AIDS, racial relations, and the refugee crisis), is clearly a lifelong learner, and is remarkably transparent about his struggles and those of his congregation.  Once again, the Summit has brought together a great line-up of speakers—leadership gurus, business leaders, ministry entrepreneurs, and preachers—to challenge and inform.  Hybels himself is one of those people....