Articles from the Newsletter and E-Update.

The Gathering is pleased to welcome Restore International Founder and CEO Bob Goff as our Friday luncheon speaker. Bob is also the author of the new book, "Love Does."

Bob has become something of a legend among those fortunate enough to know him. And those same friends, including friend of The Gathering and best-selling author Don Miller, are thrilled Bob has given us this book. Not only are he and Don close friends, Don also wrote the foreword for "Love Does."

Bob is anything but typical. While in college, Bob survived 16 days in the Pacific Ocean with five guys and a crate of canned meat. He made friends in Uganda, and they liked him so much he became the Ugandan consul. Bob also wanted to get into law school but didn't have the grades. Instead of giving up, he sat on a bench outside the Dean's office for a week before the school finally allowed him to enroll.

We welcome "one of the world's most delightfully engaging and winsome people" to The Gathering in Dana Point.

Visit Bob Goff's website here.

Visit the Restore International website here.

Order Bob's book here.

It's not unusual for us to hear from people who have questions about The Gathering, and we think the best way to tell you our story is to let you tell yours.

Listen to Michael and Lisa Lujan's story of "First Time at The Gathering Conference" here.

Listen to Larry Anderson and Sasha Vukelja tell their story of "Family, Giving and Learning at The Gathering" here.

Listen to The Gathering Founder Fred Smith speak on "What is The Gathering?" here.

Learn more about this year's conference here.

For more than 10 years, the Faith Angle Forum has brought together a select group of nationally respected journalists and distinguished scholars for in-depth discussions of some of the most crucial issues facing Americans today.

Twice yearly, the Forum meets in South Beach, Fla., for two days to discuss these issues, miles removed from D.C.'s ideological battlefields. The forum is hosted by friend of The Gathering Michael Cromartie, Vice President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

The Gathering attended this year's forum, along with several notable journalists and theologians, including David Brooks and Ross Douthat from The New York Times, Michael Gerson from The Washington Post, Rich Mouw from Fuller Theological Seminary, Bob Millet from Brigham Young University, William Galston from The Brookings Institution, and several more key experts in the areas of religion and public life.

Below are links to writings from some of the people attending this year's forum.

Read Brooks' "The ESPN Man" here.

Read Gerson's "Romney at Liberty: The Case for Conservatism" here.

Read Douthat's "The Third Party Fantasy" here.

Senior Adviser and Theologian In Residence for Laity Renewal Mark Roberts writes for Patheos here.

Learn more about the Faith Angle Forum here.

The growth of microfinance has brought with it many promising new models for market-based solutions to world poverty.

The relatively new field of "impact investing," or investing in a social good while ensuring a financial return, has been rushed with people (and billions of dollars) looking for a place to make an impact.

But many investors report that they cannot find good opportunities. This new report from Monitor Group, in conjunction with the Acumen Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, addresses whether the new world of inclusive business can truly take a model all the way from idea to scale.

Learn more here.

Read the Executive Summary here.

Listen to Acumen CEO Jacqueline Novogratz speak on this new research during her plenary address of the Global Philanthropy Forum here.

At the conference this year, The Gathering is delighted and excited to welcome two of the finest humanitarian photographers in the world, Jeremy Cowart (left) and Esther Havens.

Jeremy has helped countless non-profits, including Blood:Water Mission and his own Help-Portrait, which is a community of photographers coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community.

We are also thrilled to have the very talented, sincere Esther Havens with us. Esther travels the world with organizations such as Charity:Water to capture joyful images of the people she meets along the way. Her images are full of hope and dignity, telling stories in a way we would otherwise never know.

Visit Jeremy's site here.

Visit Esther's site here.