“But Can’t You See It’s Burning?”

This month’s post is from Derek Kessen, Managing Partner of Heron Ventures. He wrote this story shortly after his trip to Africa earlier this year. A meaningful exchange with company founders led to convictions about stewardship and the need to make sure we are pursuing God’s plans and not just our own. Derek’s post on Medium relays a powerful message about stewarding relationships as well as money.

He says, “I’m not in the business of making my journal entries public, but this one on February 6, 2023 felt too important to keep under wraps.” I agree, and I invite you to read his words, starting with the excerpt below.

But can’t you see it’s burning?

By Derek Kessen

“Misled,” “embarrassed,” “frustrated,” “disrespected.”

The words didn’t mean as much as how they said them.

There was no anger in their voice. No force. No accusation. It wasn’t even a complaint. They were asking for help. It almost felt like a final throwing up of one’s hands as if to say, “Does anyone even hear us?” “Do you hear us?”

click here to keep reading on Medium.com

Derek Kessen is the Managing Partner of Heron Ventures, a global venture capital firm that invests in early stage ventures in sixteen frontier and emerging markets across Africa and Asia. Derek also serves as the Managing Partner of OnCenter, a strategy consultancy that helps mid-market leaders make wise decisions and lead confidently.

Donald Simmons, CFP®

Don has over thirty years of experience building and managing a boutique investment firm in upstate New York that he founded in 1988. A CFP® Professional with a degree in counseling and post graduate training as a portfolio asset allocation specialist, Don fuses professional portfolio strategy with investor psychology and behavior to provide a well-informed perspective on our role as Christian steward-investors.  With nearly a quarter billion dollars of assets under management, his firm consistently ranks among the top 1% of financial advisor practices in the United States. Read Full Bio

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