Family

Listen to “The Time Is Right” by Fred Smith   A dozen years ago I was asked by a friend if I would consider sharing what I am thinking: “People are curious about why you think [...]

Listen to “Talking to Elephants” by Fred Smith   As a young man stationed in Italy in the Navy I invited my family to come and join me for a tour of the country. One day in Rome [...]

Listen to “Paper Dolls” by Fred Smith   There is no topic more widely discussed and fretted about in family philanthropy than that of donor intent. Horror stories (both true and [...]

Listen to “Late Night On A Long Drive” by Fred Smith   As a boy I did not have much time alone with my father. The best opportunities came late at night on long car trips while [...]

Listen to “The Family Farm” by Fred Smith   I’ve had many conversations over the years with friends about the dangers of leaving wealth to children only to ruin them. It’s taken [...]

Listen to “End of the Line” by Fred Smith The story of Abram’s calling begins at the end of the line. If you trace the descendants of Adam through Noah and then to Terah, the [...]

Listen to “Rise Up” by Fred Smith   My father had a life removed from us that we knew little about until we were grown. It was only a few years before he died that I understood [...]

Listen to “To Be Worthy of Honor” by Fred Smith   Most of us are first made to read Shakespeare before we have enough life experience to even partially understand his genius. It [...]

It was a delight to see two amateurs, which literally means “those who do it for the love of it.” What drew them together was their love of the game.

Today we would likely label Jacob a sociopath: cunning, deceptive, detached, manipulative and ambitious. He was often cruel and incapable of being loyal. He lived by his wits - and was [...]