A Different Kind of Inheritance

Written By Chris O'Connor

When Jesus is preparing His disciples for His Ascension into heaven, He tells them and us that He is not leaving us alone. He is giving us support with the Grace & Power of the Holy Spirit.

 I don't presume to speak for any of you, but given a choice  "OUR CHOICE"  what would you like to leave your children?   Where are our Priorities…     

The all too common Tangible/Worldly answer is: An inheritance of wealth, a nest egg, maybe your home, a life insurance policy' ... all in an effort to provide your children with a 'better life' easier than you had.   That's not a bad thing, I guess. 

The Intangible/Godly, Spiritual answer is: a lasting example & value of a strong Work Ethic; To ask them to strive to be better and give more than you did; To be a Servant Leader in both Word and Action; To stand up for the little guy; To cherish our Faith and raise their children with the strong morals you tried instilling in them;  To not give up and take the easy road; To be unselfish. 

I think about how many of our kids, young adults have fallen away from the Church. Have we failed?  For me in retrospect, We are fighting a losing battle and I didn't join the fight actively until my kids stepped away. So I am gently trying to nudge them back.  I'm not giving up however! 

 For a long time my answer would have been the Tangible Choice. I could rationalize that till the cows come home. I'd love to be able to do both... but which is my daily short-term / long term focus?  Am I watching my stocks and mutual funds or nudging my kids back to Christ.  Where is my daily/weekly focus?   Should I set an example...   They can't have one without the other...  WOW. radical.   

The Material World tells them, They can have one without the other...  In the wrong direction however...  What are we gonna do about it? 

I'm not afraid of death, but I am not done fighting either.  I live with Hope to improve the example I want to be for my kids and pray they will come back to the Faith. It's ultimately their decision,  Thanks be to God's gift of Freewill... but that's my focus... I have got work to do in both word, voice, and action!  For all the good I thought I was doing, darn it...  I didn't truly wake up until I was 50.   As you age out and hit your 3rd & 4th quarters of life... where is your focus?  Why wait?

John 14: 16

“And I will ask the Father, He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.”

Reflection

Dear Lord Jesus, Thank You for your inheritance and gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Please help us to accept and share this inheritance in all we say and do.

Chris O'Connor

Chris O'Connor

NFP Executive Director, COO/CFO and striving to be a Servant Leader

With nearly three decades of leadership experience with Fortune 100 and privately held companies, Chris O'Connor brings a triple focus and experience with hands-on, front-line P&L Operations Service Management, Corporate Finance and 10 years Non-Profit Leadership experience in the NFP world. A skilled Leader & Manager, Chris leads from the front by example. He is currently CFO for Abound Food Care, a NFP focused on ending hunger and food waste for all people, one community at a time.

In 2012, Chris founded a 100% volunteer run and funded Food Pantry. Ten years later, Chris continues to collaborate with businesses, churches, schools and civic groups to feed 48,000 people per year with >700,000 pounds of food valued at over $7 million at RSM Cares Food Pantry and SFSolano Pantry. Chris created this thriving Pantry and remains responsible for:

• Fundraising, Grants, Donor Engagement / Retention
• Board Development / Recruitment
• Administration, Financials, Compliance, Website, Social Media
• Food Sourcing, Vendor Negotiations, Logistics
• Program Development - Food Drives, Special Distributions
• Volunteer Development / Retention: (individual, civic, business)
• Client Engagement / Appreciation and Community Public Relations

Chris also leads a CXO Consulting business, ProCXO4U, delivering solutions to Owners/CEOs who focus on growing their business' top line and technology, while ProCXO4U works to:

• Implement Both Tactical and Strategic Plans
• Maximize /Grow Profits and Improve Cash Flows
• Increase Operational efficiency and Mitigate Risk
• Create Culture of Urgency/Concern for Values and Mission • Optimize Supply Chain
• Drive improved Customer and Employee Retention
• Assist / Mentor / Coach / Turnaround

"Come Empty, Leave Filled" In 2019, Chris was honored as Hometown Hero by Fruitful Futures Project for his work with the Homeless and

Veterans. Chris has also helped lead the turnaround and start up 3 other NFP Pantries.

In 2022, Chris was humbly nominated for Catholic Man of Year along with 9 other candidates for the Diocese of Orange. A 3rd degree Knight of Columbus, Deputy Grand Knight, he also has lead the Catholic Men's Fellowship chapter at Solano Catholic church in RSM for over 10 years. He has attended Alpha, CRHP and Cursillo as well.

Chris has been married for over 30 years to Diana and together they have been blessed to raise 4 awesome young adults. Chris and Diana live in Mission Viejo and attend San Francisco Solano Parish.

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