I’ve come to value goodness and kindness. For a long time they were out of fashion for me – reserved for old ladies and dying churches. I didn’t want to be merely good. Kindness was a sort of Christian give-up. I wanted to be the best, the strongest, the most powerful of Christians – not a kind one. Now I realize how priceless goodness is in this world. So I’ve given up trying to be the most kick-ass Christian in the world (hours of prayer in solitude and demanding miracles of the almighty) and now I’m just trying to be a decent one.

I’ve come to value generosity. I was taught to give from a very early age – in our house at least 10% of our income went to God. This normally meant “church” but it was normal for us to give above and beyond that to other orgs and causes. As an adult, I now realize that not everyone views the world this way so I’m especially grateful to my parents and churches for this value. I think my checkbook speaks so much more accurately to the things I value than what I write on my blog or what I’d tell you over coffee. In other words, this isn’t who I really am. Who I really am is hiding in plain sight – check my bank statement.

Most recently these values are the motivation behind the event 1 House 1 Night that my brother and I are putting on for the organization Ten Thousand Homes. Ten Thousand Homes is a grassroots organization based out of South Africa that is bringing hope and homes to HIV/Aids orphans. Our goal is to raise $5,000 (enough to build one home for an orphan or two) for them in one night – thus the name – 1 House 1 Night. It’s a goal that stretches me. I realize that most of my friends are starting families, paying off school loans and credit card debt (the sins of their youth) and simply don’t have a ton of disposable income. But I also know that they’re amazing people who share many of the values I mentioned above – which is why I’m holding out hope that we can do it.

You can checkout our website here and follow us on twitter here (@1house1night).