When I was in college a friend of mine was at risk of dropping out. His family underestimated the full cost of tuition and living expenses, and there simply wasn’t enough money to continue through the end of the semester.

This was a big time of stress and my friend prayed and prayed that somehow he’d be able to stay in school. One day he got a phone call from the finance department. An anonymous alumnus had dropped into the head offices, asked about students struggling with tuition, and proceeded to pay the fees for my friend to finish out the year. It was something like $15,000.

This generous donor demanded to stay anonymous. They didn’t want their name in the alumni magazine, didn’t even want to meet the student they had helped. This person was more than happy to be a ninja philanthropist...

A good friend told me there are three types of people in the world:

1. Consumers

2. Critics

3. Creators

There was a time in my life when I thrived in my role as a Critic. I had an opinion about everything and spent many sleepless nights brooding over ideological arguments and creating fake debate scenarios in my head. It was mania, an obsession, fueled by the high of feeling "right."

One day I realized that my very critical opinions were taking up a lot of time and making me a very angry person.

I also realized that I was against a lot more than I was actually for...

The world doesn’t need more rock stars, celebrities, and media moguls doubling as humanitarians.

What the world needs are ordinary people inspired and empowered to confront the most pressing challenges of our time.

We are amassing a coalition of change agents. A People of Light, called to be messengers of optimism and architects of impact.

Together, we will confront our insecurities and battle our demons. Share the dark realities of doing good when all hope feels lost.

It is tempting to wish for the heroes of our history. Tubman, Lincoln, Wilberforce, Gandhi, King.

Yet it is us who are called to these troubling times. It is us whom God has chosen for today.

I want to help you do work that matters.

This site is a field manual for living an extraordinary life. A place for courage to grow and creativity to flourish.

Sign up Today and get free updates on doing work with lasting impact. I’ve seen it first hand. You can change yourself and change the world. Brick by Brick. - jz