Martin Davis: A Simple Tribute to Howard Brown

June 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment

EDITOR’s NOTE: ‘Shining Brightly’  author and internationally known advocate for families struggling with life-threatening cancer, Howard Brown, reflected on his own passing before his untimely death from cancer in late May, 2025. As it turned out, we all are discovering that Howard—in his unique way—prepared some gifts for his many friends to discover after his passing. One of those was the ReadTheSpirit Cover Story last week, featuring an inspiring text called “I’ll be there,” which he wrote during his days in hospice. Because of the unique circumstances of Howard’s passing—after a long period in isolation with the Harvard medical staff—the news of his death spread slowly. That meant many readers did not learn of his passing until our June 9 Cover Story.

At our magazine’s home office, we received an outpouring of phone calls, emails and even physical cards and letters about how much Howard meant to families. As we continue to receive these inspiring messages, we decided to publish one of them this week—with the permission of author Martin Davis, who Howard got to know while Martin was finishing his 30 Days with America’s High School Coaches. Howard loved sports, played basketball even in the final months of his life and played a small but important role in Martin’s book, as well.

By MARTIN DAVIS
Author of 30 Days with America’s High School Coaches

What makes some of us “shine bright,” while others of us—dare I say most of us—are, shall I say, of a less-optimistic disposition?

I’ve often thought about that since Howard Brown came into my life. We were connected by David Crumm when I was working on my first book. And after its release, I was honored to be the first guest on his Shining Brightly podcast.

There was always something about Howard that never made sense to me. Despite bouts with cancer, a business career that took him from the heights to the pits and back to the heights, and living with the reality his own death was imminent when cancer returned, Howard was always bright.

Like a lot of creative people, I’ve rarely experienced the optimism that Howard lived daily.

Why was Howard’s demeanor so up in times of difficulty? Whey do most of us struggle to get up even when things are going well?

I wish that I could have asked Howard that. I don’t know if he would have answered.

Howard’s “brightly shining” personality is not something he developed — it was just who he was.

In the same way, we are all—in large measure, I suspect—just who we are.

Why was Howard so upbeat?

As we remember him today, it’s the wrong question to ask.

We should count ourselves fortunate that for a time, we could be lifted by his passion for life, his confidence in people, and his belief that in the end, things will get better.

And we should count ourselves fortunate that Howard was here to encourage us—if for too short a while.

Whatever is on the other side, I’m sure Howard’s light will be there to guide us there.

Martin Davis, Editor-in-Chief, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Advance

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Chaldean Christians appreciate bond between Pope Leo XIV and Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako

June 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment

By Joe Grimm
Founder of the MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters series

Click the cover to visit Amazon.

In the first week of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV was laying groundwork for the years he will lead the world’s largest church. According to the Vatican, Leo told an audience of 5,000 Eastern Catholics attending a jubilee, “Welcome to Rome! I am happy to be with you and to devote one of the first audiences of my pontificate to the Eastern faithful.”

What does “the Eastern faithful” mean?

These are not Eastern Orthodox churches. They are 23 churches in union with the Roman Catholic Church that follow Eastern religious liturgies, rites and traditions. Most came through centuries-old schisms and reunifications.

Most Eastern Catholic churches are in Eastern Europe, Eastern Africa, the Middle East and India, areas known as political hotspots. Chaldeans comprise one of the largest Eastern rite churches, the Chaldeans. Informally called Iraqi Catholics, they were reunited with the church in Rome in 1552.

The 133 cardinals who chose the new pope featured just one from the Middle East. He is Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako. He is both the patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and a 2018 selection by Pope Francis for the College of Cardinals.

Before the cardinals convened, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported that Sako predicted a “short conclave” that could chose Pope Francis’ successor in as little as two days. Sako was quoted as saying, “There is a very fraternal atmosphere and a spirit of responsibility.” ANSA asked Sako how he would vote and he said, “I have a very clear idea but I cannot say it.” The conclave had its answer in two days, as Sako had predicted.

Click the cover to visit Amazon.

After the white smoke rose signalling a new pope, Sako told the Ishtar Broadcasting Corporation he had stayed close to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the eventual selection. “I stayed by his side throughout the process. I told him how the Middle East is going through a difficult and critical period, and how great the hope and trust the faithful place in the Pope is. I said to him, ‘We are counting on you,’ at a time when Christians are under threat.”

The Chaldean Catholic Church is one of the largest of the Eastern rites. Its largest presence outside of Iraq is the St. Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Eparchy, headquartered at Mother of God Cathedral in Metro Detroit.

THIS MONTH, the Bias Busters will publish 100 Questions & Answers about U.S. Catholics—Pope Francis, his Legacy and the Transition to Pope Leo XIV. You can preorder your copy today from Amazon and it will arrive after the June 24 launch date—and you’ll have one of the first new books in the U.S. to include Pope Leo XIV.

Also, the Bias Busters have published has  a two-in-one book resource about these emerging generations, titled: 100 Questions and Answers About Chaldean Americans, Their Religion, Language and Culture. 

Michigan State University’s Bias Busters series has 100-question basic guides about many faith, ethnic and occupational groups.groups. All are on Amazon.

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PBS shines its national spotlight on ‘Caregiving’—and our authors are ready with help and encouragement

June 16, 2025 by Leave a Comment

PBS debuts a major documentary on Caregiving
A call to action in communities and congregations

Our authors have been helping these millions of families for many years.

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit magazine

“Good media builds healthy communities. And healthy communities and congregations need compassionate, caring people to tell their stories so that others can find hope and resilience—and wise ideas that they can use.”

That’s part of the opening talk I delivered on the day we launched our publishing house and ReadTheSpirit magazine nearly two decades ago. I addressed 70 attendees from across the country at a launch-day retreat we held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I went on: “Our friend Phyllis Tickle tells me that this isn’t just another publishing house we’re founding. This will become a family of writers, editors, authors and creative people who will encourage each other every day to make this world a better place. A good book is a community between two covers—and we are welcoming a community of creative people who want to publish such books—books that will connect with readers who are waiting for signs of hope in our often-troubled world today. To you, today, that may sound like a grander vision than we can realize, but I can see this happening.”

And now, in 2025, we are doing this every day.

That’s why our ReadTheSpirit Cover Story this week is about this opportunity to freshly encourage awareness of caregiving. As millions of Americans tune in to the new PBS documentary, Caregiving, on June 24—our Cover Story is a reminder that Front Edge Publishing and ReadTheSpirit magazine are among the major national voices who have been highlighting the needs of America’s 50 million unpaid caregivers for many years.

Here are helpful caregiving resources as you prepare to discuss this issue with family, friends, co-workers, your congregation and other neighbors:

1.) You’re likely to be a caregiver yourself

‘I’m a Caregiver. Help!’

Click on that link to visit Jonathan Grimm’s website, The Future Poor, and learn how crucial this issue is for America’s future. Yes, as PBS is telling us, “caregiving” is a major national issue. This vast need is going to grow, given that half of us will become caregivers in the future, as Jonathan reports. In this earlier Cover Story focused on Jonathan’s work, we explained that he is a noted financial advisor and also a Christian ethicist who brings an inspiring message for healthy communities about the many ways we can improve life as we age.

Are you someone who is active in a congregation? As Jonathan points out, this also is a major church-growth issue, as well. Healthy growing congregations need to understand and respond to the ever-growing needs of the aging people in their communities.

As our publishing house Marketing Director Susan Stitt puts it: “Jonathan is a financial advisor with a theologian’s heart. Churches who want to grow and stay healthy need to read and share with their congregations the messages in The Future Poor.” 

So, as we just suggested: If you’re thinking about the importance of caregiving, this week, either start by reading Jonathan’s new column—or enjoy our earlier Cover Story about him. And share those stories with friends to spark community-wide interest.

2.) Caring for others is part of God’s universal call to the world

Five Ways the Earth Teaches Us How to Live Together

Just last week in ReadTheSpirit, we reported: “If you’re feeling anxious about our troubled world, take a moment right now to visit Christy Berghoef at Substack and sign up for her future columns. Substack does ask visitors if they want to pay for the service, but Christy provides all of her columns for free—so it won’t cost you a cent.”

While Jonathan Grimm brings his many years of economic research and data analysis to pragmatic reporting on the challenges we face about issues such as caregiving—Christy’s specialty arises from her many years of writing and teaching about faith, spirituality and resilience. Jonathan’s prophetic approach lays out provocative facts that prompt discussions. Christy provokes readers to reflect with her on our deepest spiritual yearnings as a way to move our hearts and minds toward action.

Right now, as you’re looking for caregiving resources, click on that headline link above to read her “Five Ways the Earth Teaches Us” and you’ll discover several of those lessons relate directly to the challenges of caregiving.

Just to recap: With Christy, either start with her new column—or start at her Substack gateway. And, there’s even more! This week, our Front Edge Publishing column features a video “short” with Christy unveiling her new book, Rooted.

3.) Need help?
Get “The” caregiving book

Finally, click this link to visit Amazon for an inexpensive Kindle edition of The book that’s packed with advice for maintaining your resilience as you embark on caregiving.

This book by Benjamin Pratt is drawn from the wisdom of many caregivers and we have taken their advice: these are short, easy-to-read sections packed with wisdom and practical help! This book is designed to let readers jump in almost anywhere and explore at their own pace. Considering the millions of people worldwide who are caregivers, this book also is great for sparking small-group discussion.

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4.) Planning to watch this remarkable documentary?

Here’s what you need to know

This 2-hour documentary will debut on PBS stations nationally on Tuesday June 24, 2025. The film explores how our American healthcare network relies on more than 50 million people who provide unpaid care. Among the real-life stories featured in Caregiving is an inspiring story of actor and filmmaker Bradley Cooper, who served as a caregiver during his father’s long struggle with lung cancer.

This film is widely recommended by nonprofit groups that focus on healthcare, on seniors and on the needs of these millions of families in which caregiving is a part of daily life. One example is AARP, which has alerted its membership nationwide to the film as a way to spark helpful family and community and congregational discussions. One of these AARP stories is headlined: Bradley Cooper on New PBS Documentary: ‘We Need to Care for Caregivers Better’

The main PBS Caregiving website offers more details about the film, including “clips” and a couple of additional videos about Caregiving.

NOTE: Subscribers to the PBS streaming service already can see the film through that streaming app, so you could watch the film in advance and that would help you to more effectively encourage others to watch it and discuss it with your group.

 

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‘I’ll be there.’

June 9, 2025 by Leave a Comment

From Howard’s family at ReadTheSpirit magazine:

Here is Howard Brown’s last column—

First, let me explain this remarkable column …

A FINAL EDITOR’S NOTE for Howard from David Crumm: My dear friend Howard Brown died recently at age 59 during his third titanic battle with cancer, surrounded and supported by his loving family and the medical staff from Boston’s Harvard-related Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

A full obituary with lots of photos from Howard’s life was published with cooperation from his family at the Paltown website. That’s exactly as it should be—and as Howard wanted it. Howard loved people associated with Paltown—the vast, supportive, social network of people involved with cancer that he supported with so much of his professional energies in recent years. Friends through Paltown’s “Colontown” online community helped him beat his second of three long-shot battles with cancer. Then, every single day of his remaining life, he was involved in paying that life-giving kindness back by helping Paltown’s efforts around the world.

This is a different kind of tribute to Howard’s life and legacy. This column is part of ReadTheSpirit—the weekly online magazine from Howard’s publishing house. This is where Howard wrote, edited with me and published countless columns over many years. This remarkable final column was written by Howard himself in collaboration with his family and with me, as his long-time editor, through a series of phone conversations in the final weeks of his life.

How did this column begin?

One evening, shortly before going into official “hospice” status, Howard rang my cell and told me he felt strong enough to talk a while. Then, midway through our conversation, he said, “You know, even if—well, you know—even if this ends with me going—I know people still will hear my voice shouting from the housetops: ‘Get screened!’ And: ‘Join the marrow registry!’ And—all those messages I repeated everywhere I went across this country, trying to get people to understand that we need to help families going through cancer. I’ve been saying those things so loud and so long that my voice is going to keep echoing. Don’t you think?”

“Certainly,” I said. And I told him that he was reminding me of Tom Joad at the end of The Grapes of Wrath.

“Henry Fonda?” he asked.

“Yeah, you’ve got it. He played Tom Joad in the classic movie. It’s that final scene from Steinbeck’s novel when Tom Joad is going—but he wants to reassure his family that his faith is firm about his ongoing impact in the world. He keeps saying that people will see him ‘wherever you look,’ when they see those things that he felt passionate about. And he tells his family not to worry, because ‘I’ll be there.’ ”

“Let’s do it,” he said. “Let’s work on one last column together.”

And we did just that—as we had so many times over the years—but, this time, via a series of brief calls and texts. After having spent hundreds of hours working with Howard as the editor of his memoir—and talking with him every single week for years—Howard became like a brother to me. He often used that word “brother” to describe our relationship. Of course, his real “miracle” sibling was CJ, his twin sister whose bone marrow helped Howard beat his first long-shot battle with cancer as a young man. But Howard pretty much adopted me over the years and, like brothers who sometimes talk about the deepest stuff in life, Howard would talk to me about his faith and expansive vision of spirituality. And that was part of Howard’s core personality and affirmation to the world: We all have the power to choose our families, as Howard did with his Little Brother Ian in California, a deeply moving story that Howard told in his memoir.

Howard was born, was raised and was deeply involved in Judaism throughout his life—including years of volunteering with major Jewish nonprofits and fundraising for Jewish causes. However, as he crisscrossed North America in recent years with the message of his memoir, Shining Brightly, he made many new friends from a wide range of spiritual traditions. Toward the end of his life, Howard told me repeatedly in our writer-editor conversations that he could feel the power of prayer from friends of many different religious traditions. He also told me that he knew there was something after death—and that he was in such awe of that possibility that he did not even want to precisely name what he thought would come next.

Except—he said often—except that he knew that he would continue to have an impact in this world.

So, here is Howard Brown’s final version of that affirmation. It is the last Howard Brown column I will edit: I’ll Be There.

—David Crumm, Howard Brown’s Editor and Friend

I’ll Be There

By HOWARD BROWN
A final column

Don’t worry, you’ll see me.

I’ll be there.

You’ll see me when the sun shines fully on your face on a morning walk.

And, on a chilly day—I’ll be in a warm hug.

You’ll see me in unexpected light that makes you blink and think.

I’ll be there when a volunteering cancer survivor picks up a phone to “talk through” someone caught in the nightmares of a full-on struggle with cancer—and agrees to listen and wait and doesn’t hang up—and even calls back later to check again—and helps to carry that other hurting soul through the darkness and back toward the light.

You’ll hear me screaming to others from the rooftops: “Get screened for cancer! Now!”

You’ll see me when a guy gives up most of his day to help a buddy by driving that friend to and from a long chemo appointment.

I’ll be there in so many simple acts of kindness like that.

You’ll see me when a Big Brother buys a Little Brother a hot dog at a ballpark.

I’ll be there when international diplomats sit down around a Seder table. I’ll be there whenever “foreign” friends share their food and the stories of their lives until they finally discover they’re becoming “family.” Oh, I’ll be at those tables!

Watch closely when guys from very different backgrounds meet on a basketball court and run and sweat and trash talk their way until they all sit back together afterward and tell stories of their families! Look closely at those circles—because I’ll be there.

When you’re so struck with gratefulness for a selfless act from a stranger that you just have to sit down and ponder what just happened with a smile—you’ll see me.

I’ll be there when an 18-year-old freshman bursting with ways he wants to change the world first walks across the Babson College campus and sees that giant Babson globe. Oh, I will be there, too!

And you’ll see me when tough guys who never cry sit down together and admit to each other their fears for themselves and their families.

You’ll see me when my daughter broadcasts an inspiring or a rabble-rousing story from her TV station. And I’ll be there when she crests a rocky mountain that she never expected to summit.

You’ll see me when a loved one—like my twin sister CJ—agrees to go through all the challenges of donating marrow to help save someone else’s life.

And I’ll keep on saying it: Don’t worry. I’ll be there. Someone will be there. Together, we will rekindle that light that shines so warmly and hopefully when anyone reclaims their own internal resilience.

I’ll be there in the laughter. Just remember all those silly reflective-lens sunglasses that I passed out to everyone at Babson College one day and challenged everyone who had gathered there on campus to put them on together and “Shine brightly!” with me. I will never forget that moment—nor will so many others.

I’ll be waiting in that blinding light.

And I’ll be in the darkest night when someone is consumed with fear of the cancer that seems to be eating them alive—and they feel so profoundly alone—I’ll be the voice calling out to others: We need help here! Get up! Reach out! Now!

And you’ll see me in the smallest, simplest act of unexpected kindness, like someone picking up a phone, reaching out with a verbal hug and listening—just listening.

In those stories you’ll hear, you’ll hear me, because we are all part of that One Big Story that goes on and on.

So, don’t worry, you’ll see me.

I’ll be there.

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Carlos Acutis will become the Catholic Church’s 1st Millennial Saint

June 1, 2025 by

Click this image to visit the official website set up by Catholic leaders for the “cause” of Carlo Acutis, the official effort to welcome people around the world to learn more about this boy. Like other such efforts within the Catholic church worldwide, this website was produced in multiple languages. This link takes you to the English version of the site, but you can select other versions using icons in the upper-right corner of the front page.

Who was this young man and why does his faith inspire others?

By JOE GRIMM
Founder of the MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters series

Saints are a source of inspiration for millions of Catholics and a source of puzzlement for other people.

Today, as the Catholic Church and other religions are concerned about lower participation among young people, the church is about to canonize its first saint from the Millennial generation, people born between 1981 and 1996.

Who is the candidate, how are Catholic saints chosen and what is the process?

The candidate is Carlo Acutis, who was born in 1991 in London. His family is Italian. He died of leukemia at age 15.

Here are some answers about Roman Catholic sainthood from 100 Questions and Answers About U.S. Catholics.

Who are saints?

“To Catholics, saints are examples of how to follow Christ. Catholics venerate saints but should not worship them. Rather, Catholics look to saints for guidance and ask them to intercede on their behalf. Appealing to saints is like asking someone to pray for you. Some Catholics implore saints based on what they are known for. Based on their lives, some saints are declared patrons of qualities or locations. …”

Acutis is already being called “God’s influencer,” one who showed how the internet can promote faith and connect younger people to God. He is also being called the first saint of his generation.

A coder and gamer, Acutis created “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World,” a website about the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. He meant for it to connect young people to Christ. Acutis died soon after he launched the site. It has been translated into about 20 languages. Here is the English site. https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/

He embraced Holy Communion from the age of 7, prayed the rosary, opposed bullies who picked on disabled kids at his school and used the internet to share the Gospel.

How is sainthood decided?

Again, from the new Catholic guide: “The Catholic Church specifies that everyone in heaven, known or unknown, is a saint. Official, verified sainthood, on the other hand, comes from a process called canonization. It can take many years and several steps. Investigation takes years. It begins after the candidate has been deceased for five years and a local petition is written. A report must be approved by a succession of panels including a tribunal, nine theologians and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, composed of cardinals and bishops. Finally, there must be proof of two miracles arising from the candidate’s intercession. The pope, who has seen the interim reports, canonizes the saint.”

In 2012, the Archdiocese of Milan applied to have Acutis canonized. People at the first step toward sainthood are “called servants of God.”

If the Catholic Church’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints confirms heroic virtue in people, they are called “venerable.” This second step happened for Acutis in  2018.

For Acutis, the miracles were the medically unexplained recovery of a Brazilian boy’s recovery from a pancreatic defect and the recovery of a young Costa Rican woman who suffered a severe head trauma. Both had family members who prayed for Acutis’ intercession with God.

Verification of the miracles leads to beatification, a church declaration of holiness. These individuals are called “blessed,” the last step before canonization.

People are calling Acutis the patron saint of the internet. In Chicago, St. Hedwig and St. John Berchmans parishes have come together as a single parish named Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish. In 2020, Pope Francis beatified Acutis. He was to have been canonized April 27, 2005 with an official ceremony in July. However, Pope Francis died on April 21.

Canonization now falls to Pope Leo XIV, who is from Chicago.

Care to read more?

Version 1.0.0

For many years, students at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism, known as the Bias Busters, have produced books that answer questions about our friends and neighbors who represent what might seem like “different” backgrounds, races, cultures and ways of life. The two dozen Bias Busters books cover everything from racial groupings to major world faiths to the lives of veterans and police officers and their families.

THIS MONTH, the Bias Busters will publish 100 Questions & Answers about American Catholics—Pope Francis, his Legacy and the Transition to Pope Leo XIV. You can preorder your copy today from Amazon and it will arrive after the June 24 launch date—and you’ll have one of the first new books in the U.S. to include Pope Leo XIV.

Also, the Bias Busters publish a two-in-one book resource about these emerging generations, titled: 100 Questions and Answers About Gen X Plus 100 Questions and Answers About Millennials: Forged by economics, technology, pop culture and work

Michigan State University’s Bias Busters series has 100-question basic guides about many groups. There are guides about East Asian cultures, Hmong Americans, U.S. Sikhs and Indian Americans. All are on Amazon. 

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‘Resilience’—a remarkable documentary about service in California’s 2025 wildfires

June 1, 2025 by

35-minute documentary shares stories of courageous public service

JONATHAN GRIMM, author of the new book The Future Poor, fled from these fires with his family early in 2025—and they lost everything but their lives. Now, the opening chapter of his book explains why that experience has fueled his urgency in sharing his call for communities to come together to help families in need—especially Americans who are aging and are slipping beneath the poverty line.

“I’ve seen this documentary and it’s really very good if people want to know more about our experience in this area, this year,” Jonathan said in recommending this video.

The film was produced by “LA County First Responders,” and you can learn more about the project at the documentary’s main website.

Here’s the documentary—

Care to learn more?

Right now, go visit Amazon and pre-order your copy of The Future Poor: How families and communities can join together to survive the looming retirement crisis.

Then, visit Jonathan Grimm’s professional website—TheFuturePoor.com—and contact him (there are connection links at the top and bottom of his front page). Tell him in your email that you’ve pre-ordered his book and ask him about scheduling an appearance for your community group, congregation, conference or podcast.

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Jonathan Grimm and the launch of ‘The Future Poor’—don’t wait to invite this guy to your community

May 31, 2025 by

By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit and Front Edge Publishing

Trust me on this: Right now, go visit Amazon and pre-order your copy of The Future Poor: How families and communities can join together to survive the looming retirement crisis.

Then, visit Jonathan Grimm’s professional website—TheFuturePoor.com—and contact him (there are connection links at the top and bottom of his front page). Tell him in your email that you’ve pre-ordered his book and ask him about scheduling an appearance for your community group, congregation, conference or podcast.

Do that before his already packed calendar gets so jammed that he’ll be out of reach for your group, like so many emerging, prophetic authors. Those of you who are community or congregational leaders understand this advice: Remember the growth of the nationwide work of Rob Bell? Nadia Bolz-Weber? Richard Rohr? Leymah Gbowee? Ched Myers? Barbara Brown Taylor? Parker Palmer? All of them were virtually unknown and now, as dedicated as they all are, they’re in such high demand that they’re tough to reach.

Why should you act now to get involved with Jonathan?

Here are 4 reasons you shouldn’t wait to invite this guy to speak to your community

I asked Jonathan about these 4 reasons and here’s what he said:

REASON 1: He brings a truly prophetic message about the need for healthy communities as we age

DAVID: Jonathan, you decided to undertake all the research and effort to write this book because, although you’re already widely known as a financial expert, you were horrified to uncover a a pretty much untold story. It’s a story about the size and scale of the looming crisis in America’s retirement planning. What you found is shocking: If we don’t collectively do something about this, then, in coming years, millions of Americans are going to discover that they’re living below the poverty level. That was the real gut-level motivation behind this major new book, right?

JONATHAN: Yeah, that’s right. You know that feeling when you realize something you’ve believed your whole life just isn’t true? That’s what happened to me when I started digging into the numbers behind retirement planning nationwide.

What I discovered scared the hell out of me—and it should scare all of us. If you’re under 50 and making less than $150,000 a year—and that’s millions of us—then we have almost no hope of realizing that dream we’ve heard about all our lives that has us retiring happily when we’re 65. Instead, and the underlying facts are so clear about this: When we hit 65, the numbers won’t add up for most of us. Millions of us are going to be poor if we try to retire. Not “struggling a little” poor. I’m talking about living at or below the poverty line. Actually poor!

We’re looking at the biggest financial crisis most of us have never heard of. I call it “the future poor”—that’s now the title of this book—and chances are, if you’re among the readers who find this book, then you’re facing this crisis along with so many others.

QUESTION: So, this book really is “prophetic” in the classic biblical sense of courageous prophets who spoke the truth to the powers that be. Most financial experts out there are ignoring this core structural problem in our society, our way of doing business, our governmental structures. Nobody’s telling Americans about this looming crisis—until, now, with you out there raising your voice and hoping to join a chorus of allies. That’s what it means to be a prophet—speaking the hard truth in the hope that our communities will wake up and do something about this.

REASON 2: He’s got a got a hopeful message for congregations

QUESTION: I think this is very important to tell readers: You are actually hopeful and a major part of your message is that we need to put more efforts into our community groups like our congregations. What gives you such hope?

JONATHAN: Look, our grandparents had it figured out. After World War II, we created this beautiful system where you worked for a company for 40 years, they gave you a pension, Social Security actually meant something, and you died relatively young, so your money lasted for what was left of your life after 65. This system worked because everything was simpler and cheaper, people lived shorter lives, and we all took care of each other.

Then everything changed. In 1978, some genius invented the 401(k). Companies loved it because they could dump the massive liability of pensions and make it your problem instead. “Here’s a retirement account,” they said. “Good luck figuring it out.” Meanwhile, Social Security became a joke—it might cover a third of what you used to make, and oh, by the way, you’ll pay taxes on it too. We went from a system where institutions took care of people to one where everyone’s on their own. And guess what? Most of us suck at being our own pension managers.

DAVID: But, wait a minute! Where’s the hope in all of this?

JONATHAN: I know there’s hope—because I know that we can come together as families, congregations, communities and do this! We’ve met very hard, very large challenges before in our history. That’s what our success stories were all about as we came out of the Great Depression and then came out of World War II.

I am convinced there’s hope—because I have seen it first-hand. When my own family lost our house in the California wildfires in early 2025, I saw something beautiful. People didn’t survive that disaster alone. Churches organized supply drives. Neighbors opened their homes. Strangers sent money. Companies donated goods. The government provided emergency services. It was messy and imperfect, but it worked because everyone pitched in.

That’s what we need for this retirement crisis—not rugged individualism, but smart cooperation. We need families talking honestly about money instead of pretending everything’s fine. We need companies to stop treating employee benefits like an afterthought. We need schools to teach kids about money the same way they teach them to read. We need government policies that actually help instead of just sound good in speeches.

And yes, we need to stop demonizing things like life insurance and annuities just because some guru on YouTube says they’re bad. Sometimes pooling resources with other people gets you a better deal than going it alone. That’s not weakness—it’s math. That’s not some kind of sales pitch—that’s good financial planning.

REASON 3: His message about transforming retirement encourages community service

DAVID: Your book also is prophetic because, rather than accepting poverty as inevitable, you’re calling for a new American dream—one built on shared responsibility, innovative financial strategies, and the recognition that our individual futures are inextricably linked to our collective well-being.

JONATHAN: Here’s my radical idea: What if we stopped trying to make the old retirement model work and came up with something better? What if instead of planning to quit working at 65, we planned to keep doing meaningful work as long as we can—but on our own terms?

I’m not talking about working at McDonald’s until you die. I’m talking about using all the skills and experience you’ve built up over decades to create income streams that give you purpose, flexibility, and money. Start that consulting business. Teach what you know. Build something that matters.

The research backs this up. People who keep working past 65 are happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life than those who don’t. Work gives us more than money—it gives us meaning, social connections, and a reason to get up in the morning.

REASON 4—Bottom line: This guy inspires people

DAVID: I’ve seen a lot of financial planning books and, frankly, most of them leave me cold—because, as you point out in your book, most of those planning ideas aren’t possible given the real-world resources people have. A lot of what passes for advice about retirement just isn’t helpful.

JONATHAN: I agree. Look, I could have written another book about index funds and compound interest. There are plenty of those already. Instead, I wrote this book because I believe we’re facing something bigger than a financial problem—we’re facing a moral crisis.

When millions of people in the richest country in human history are heading toward poverty in old age, that’s not just their problem. It’s our problem. It’s a threat to everything we say we believe about opportunity, dignity, and taking care of each other.

But here’s the thing that gives me hope: We’ve solved big problems before. We created Social Security during the Great Depression. We rebuilt Europe after World War II. We put people on the moon. We figured out how to make retirement work for a generation.

We can do it again. But only if we stop pretending this is someone else’s problem and start working together to build something better.

The future doesn’t have to be about choosing between the lucky few who can afford to retire and everyone else who’s screwed. We can create a future where everyone has dignity, security, and hope as they age. But we have to choose to build it.

So here’s the question I’m asking people in this book and wherever I speak to groups:

I know we can do this together—so, are you in?

And here’s that advice again—

Right now, go visit Amazon and pre-order your copy of The Future Poor: How families and communities can join together to survive the looming retirement crisis.

Then, visit Jonathan Grimm’s professional website—TheFuturePoor.com—and contact him (there are connection links at the top and bottom of his front page). Tell him in your email that you’ve pre-ordered his book and ask him about scheduling an appearance for your community group, congregation, conference or podcast.

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