Archives: Spirit of Simplicity - ART

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ART Captions/Commentaries

Voluntary Simplicity
Building Community
Celebrating

Celebrating: Advent & Christmas
Celebrating: Easter
Celebrating: Other

Peace & Justice
Care of Creation
Alternative Giving
Economics
Media
Sustenance
Faith (including list of Scripture references for the entire art collection)

This file contains:

All the ART, captions and commentaries that accompany the art (items with "A" numbers). The commentaries can also be used by themselves.

Go to QUOTES for all the quotations (items with "Q" numbers)

See MAIN page for Credits, Permission, Foreword, Introduction, Helpful Hints, Appendices, etc.

To find a keyword, author or item number quickly, use your computer's "find" function.

ART Captions/Commentaries by categories

1. Voluntary Simplicity

Consumo

Do Justice.

Learn from the World Community.

Nurture People.

Cherish the Natural Order.

Non-Conform Freely.

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2. Building Community

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3A. Celebrating: Advent & Christmas

I don't care if Santa IS in town!

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3B. Celebrating: Lent, Easter

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3C. Celebrating: Other

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4. Peace & Justice

4-A0852
What Then Should We Do?

XXX

John didn't mince words. He got right to the point and said what needed to be said. He told the first people who came to him to share. He told the tax collectors to be just. He told the soldiers to make peace. He would speak with equally straightforward words to us -- words that would zero in on the weak points of our lives. See Luke 3:10-18.

4-A0875

"A gun takes the life of a child every two hours -- the equivalent of a classroomful every two days. Homicide is now the third leading cause of death for elementary and middle school."

"A child growing up in America is 15 times as likely to be killed by gunfire as a child growing up in Northern Ireland." --Children's Defense Fund

4-A0961

And my great prayer is that God will save me from the paralysis of crippling fear, because I think when a person lives with the fear of the consequences for his personal life, he can never do anything in terns of lifting the whole of humanity and solving many of the social problems that we confront. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

4-A1002

Sometime they ought to give a "Golden Lemon" award to the most disgusting idea of the decade. I would immediately nominate "elevator music" for that award. You can scarcely go into a store nowadays without having to listen to that stuff droning on and on. Even while holding on the phone, you can't turn the volume down while waiting for the other party. Soon there won't be any spot on Earth where you can escape it.

How about a new idea: natural stillness! How else will a person be able to hear the inner voice of God, which is only perceptible when we create a quietness within us and around us.

4-A1015
Broken Promises XXX

So many recent "peace" treaties are questionable promises in a world filled with dissension.

Christ's word is much more. "My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." To establish eternal peace between God and us, Christ paid his life and guarantees it with the same.

That spiritual peace empowers us to work for peace within families and communities, and between nations.

4-A1016
Are We Still Flower Children? XXX

We are told that we are enjoying a period of unprecedented peace in the world. However, is this truly peace?

Is this the kind of peace Jesus was talking about? Can the wolves really be turned into sheep? Of course we know they can't, and fighting will soon break out again. On second thought, maybe wolves can turn into sheep when God is involved.

We thought of the flower children in the Sixties as radicals. Christ's peace is even more radical (radix = "root"). He goes right down to the root of the problem and deals with the sin which creates divisions between people and their God and between each other. He creates reconciled people out of hating and hateful people. In the freedom which God gives, these new creations can truly work for peace.

4-A1223

Hiroshima
August 6, 1945
August 6 -- Two Kinds of Light:
Light of Transfiguration
Light of Destruction
� The anniversary of the dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
� The Feast of the Transfiguration.
Two Kinds of Light:
Light of Destruction which threw those blinded to the Earth.
Light of Healing which makes the blind see.
Let our prayers be that we and the world will see the Light,
the Light of healing and reconciliation.

4-A1248
Wealth in the Soup Kitchen XXX

In soup kitchens around the world hungry people are guaranteed a hot meal. These soup kitchens hold tremendous treasures. Love is generously shared. Joy comes out of the fellowship of hosts and guests eating together. And thankfulness is practiced -- even when there isn't much to share.

4-A1252
Upper Middle Class XXX

"...when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you." That's what the Gospel says.

Now, exactly, who do we invite to our homes and to the programs offered by our church? Better said, who don't we invite? Is our congregation really a church for all?

4-A1279
Money or God XXX

The bread which you hoard belongs to the hungry; the clothing stored in your closets to the naked; the shoes rotting from lack of use to the bare-footed; and your silver buried in the ground to the needy. You perpetrate so much injustice toward those you could help. -- Basil the Great

4-A1290
The First and the Second Act XXX

When people believe that life has only one act, and they look on those who live and die without even once eating enough to be satisfied, they call it "bad luck" or "fate." They look on while extremely clever and brutal people skim the cream off the poor's milk and without inhibition, squander their bread. They eat their fill and get drunk, "for tomottow we die." NO! Tomorrow we live. Tomorrow is the second act. Tomorrow the cards are once more shuffled. At that time the lines of life are traced again and the scales balanced. Empty hands will be filled. And God will pass by the satiated....

4-A1344

Giving isn't really charity. It's only sharing in a little more fair way what's been given for all of us to live on.

4-A1347

The church knows no foreigners - it should be home for all people. --John Paul II
The country which doesn't protect its aliens soon goes under. --Goethe
Be kind toward the poor and toward strangers, for both belong to God. --Homer

4-A1360

I cried out to you in my night...

4-A1405

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4

4-A1544

Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and homeless. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn. Isaiah 58:7-8

4-A1599

I will be non-violent, because in non-violence I see the answer to mankind's problems. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

4-A1605
Building bridges XXX

4-A1896

You give them something to eat... and in the end, all were filled.

4-A2051

In the mirror of your quiet moments you see the faces of the people far and near who need your love.

4-A2141

Don't bury your head in the sand.

If you do, your eyes will water, your teeth will grate on the sand, and your hands will be empty tomorrow.

Let Advent come. Let God come to you.

4-A2302
Without Prospects XXX

When other children go on vacation, many children have to stay at home. When other children play with their new toys, many children stand by and watch.When other children proudly display their new clothes, many children hope that nobody notices their rather worn, second-hand clothes. When other children always seem to have everything, this thought passes through the mind of many: "Then I'll just have to take what I need...."

4-A2317

Raise your eyes with hope, not to the sights of guns.
Sing a song of love and not of war. Don't say, "A day will come."
But bring that day to us.
For it is no dream, and in every place, sing for peace.
--from "Song for Peace" sung by Israeli President Yitzak Rabin immediately before he was assassinated at a peace demonstration

4-A2435
On Looking Away and Moving On... XXX

"I simply had to get involved. The man was beating and kicking the woman brutally. If I hadn't gotten between them, he would have half killed her. If I was scared, I only noticed it later."

Opportunities for heroism, unfortunately, are common. To the degree that we care about people and the natural environment, we'll rise to the occasion.

4-A2716
Giving Others A Voice XXX

Advocating for the weak, fighting to keep the memory of political and religious prisoners alive, spreading information about injustice and exploitation. People who become publicly active about causes in which they believe may become vulnerable, but it's worth it. This "giving a voice" creates human bonds.

4-A2979
We Are Just Following Along XXX

God sent Jesus to the poor, the prisoners, the sick and the oppressed. However, that did not complete Isaiah's prophecy. It is still going on. Only now, Jesus is sending us.

4-A3002
I'm Fine XXX

When one's well-being is gained at the cost of the poor, it will only last as long as the money lasts. The one whose happiness is gotten at the expense of those who weep, can expect no deeper joy than the toothpaste grin which he plasters on his face. The one who snubs those around him will soon be completely alone.

4-A3541

The bread which you hold back belongs to the hungry;
the clothing which you store in your closets to the naked;
to the bare-footed the shoes which are rotting;
to the needy the silver which you have buried.
--Basil of Caesarea

4-A3505
August 6, 1945 -- When the clocks stopped
HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI XXX

4-A3606
Reconciliation XXX

4-A3882
January 18 -- Dr. Martin Luther King Day XXX

Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King made his mark on American society as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement who acted out of a religious conviction for social justice.

Born second oldest in a pastor's family, he decided to follow his father's footsteps while attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He had been profoundly influenced by the president of the college, Benjamin Mays. After being ordained a Baptist minister and graduating from Morehouse, he went to graduate school at Boston University and earned a Ph.D. in Theology. Then he became a pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

As a pastor, he was asked to serve as president of a group organized to protest the arrest of Rosa Parks. He insisted that the protest be nonviolent. For the next 13 years he continued as a leader in the struggle for civil rights until he was violently killed on April 4, 1968.

In 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in promoting peace in the world.

4-A3884

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day... Peace on Earth, good will toward all."

As the song goes on to recognize, there is no peace on Earth.

Let us pray for peace. Let us live for peace.

4-A4003

Every four minutes somewhere in the world a child dies. With these words, a missionary once began his sermon. So that another child wouldn't die while he was preaching, he kept his sermon shorter than four minutes.

4-A4008
Fasting for Justice -- Have you already chosen? XXX

4-A4049
The Exalted One XXX

The ascension of Christ is the most peculiar triumph in the world. The Resurrected One returns to stand among the dropouts, the Victor among the failures, the Exalted One among the rejected. The Kingdom of God is present in our midst.

4-A4056
Every hand can be a dove of peace. XXX

4-A4226

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. --Matthew 11:28-29

4-A4273
Homeless

XXX

Throughout the world people camp out around various transportation routes, dreaming of going home. But they can't go home. The borders are closed. They aren't welcome. They can't earn a living. People are out to kill them. Refugees. Homeless.

4-A4344

Give God hands which help the suffering.
Give God feet which go out to others.
If we love God, we love your neighbor
and only those who love their neighbor can love God.

4-A4363
Misunderstanding (a dream) XXX

I saw an angel selling something and said, "Angel, what are you selling?" "Whatever you want!" replied the angel, smiling. "If that's so," I said, "let's get started! Let's wipe out human rights violations. I'd like to see the world at peace, orphans in good homes, the lonely having the fellowship they need, and the hungry with plenty of good food-and, for myself..."

Then the angel interrupted, "I'm not sure you completely understood. I'm not selling ripe fruit. I'm selling seeds."

4-A4397
The Good Samaritan XXX

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5. Earth Care

Environment
5 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore, Respond
Transportation
Eco-tourism
Homes & Buildings
Sustainable Development
Sustainable Farming
Organic Gardening
CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture)
Population
Pollution
Sprawl

Also see: 1-A0506, 1-A1822, 1-A2223, 1-A2243, 1-A2563, 1-A2748, 1-A501, 1-A505, 1-A805, 1-A880, 1-A881, 1-A883, 2-A0256, 2-A2303, 2-A4258, 3-A003, 3-A0342, 3-A2454, 4-A0366, 4-A0432, 4-A0755, 4-A1252, 4-A2141, 4-A2435, 4-A303, 4-A321, 4-A324, 4-A809, 4-A861, 5-A036, 6-A2943, 7-A026, 7-A035, 7-A1280, 9-A0594, 9-A0766, 9-A309, 10-A091, 10-A1317, 10-A2343, 10-A2843,

5-A090--Earth Prayer

5-A333--sun/flower

5-A851
The World in a Lemon Squeezer

Take one world.
Cut it in half.
Take the southern half
and squeeze it out
over the northern half.
Press hard and some more will
continue to dribble out.

5-A0298a
"You shall have no other gods before me," announced the almighty automobile. "You have me to thank for your riches and prosperity." And in faith the people paid homage to their god, who was faster, smarter, more economical and more versatile than all the other gods around.

5-A0298b
"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy," spoke the automobile industry. And faithfully people observed this commandment. They turned away from their daily work and gave their attentions to the four-wheeled god which had found an entrance into their hearts.

5-A0367
"We are the generation of choice. We still have a choice to halt the destruction, the ravaging of the Earth. We are the generation that could stand in harm's way and be those who preserve God's creation for future generations." --The Rev. Joan Campbell, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ

"Churches must be the bridge over the chasms between human nature vs. natural world." -Al Pitcher

"If we are ever able to stop destroying our environment, it will be because person by person we decide, by God's grace, to turn aside from greed and materialism. It will be because we learn that joy and fulfillment come through right relationship with God, neighbor and earth, not an ever-escalating demand for more and more material consumption. Nowhere is that more possible than in local congregations that combine prayer and action, worship and analysis, deep personal love for the Creator and for the Creator's garden." --Dr. Ronald Sider, Executive Director, Evangelicals for Social Action

"The idea of stewardship is based on the first verse of the 24th Psalm: 'The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.' From this first principle, both logic and theology come to the conclusion that we who inhabit the earth are managers, not owners. We are stewards. All we have we hold in trust - for sustaining life and serving one another. Congregations concerned about understanding and acting upon environmental issues are simply living their faith, a faith that calls for stewardship." --Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., President, The Catholic University

"How people of faith engage the environmental crisis will have much to do with the future well-being of the planet, and in all likelihood with the future of religious life as well." --Paul Gorman, Executive Director, National Religious Partnership for the Environment

"The challenge before the religious community in America is to make every congregation - every church, synagogue and mosque - truly 'green'-a center of environmental study and action. That is their religious duty." --The Very Reverend James Parks Morton, Dean, Cathedral of St. John the Divine

5-A0516
For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome. Wisdom 1:14

5-A0823
Learning From Trees

Throwing off the old -- even the things which we had used for decoration. Being able to let go. Not fearing change. Going back to the roots and letting new strength grow out of them. Preparing for a new phase of life.

5-A0544
Hiking

5-A1226
Be praised, O Lord, through brother Wind, through winds, clouds, and any kind of weather that we, creatures of your hand, receive. --Francis of Assisi

5-A1399
Let's Party!

When we live our lives focused on drinking, and dancing, and playing around, we're saying to God, "I'm successful. And, man, am I having fun! I'm doing everything. People think I'm great!"

However, God looks at whether or not we're living faithful lives.

5-A1371
For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. Wisdom 11:24

5-A1624
Water for Life

5-A2330
Stop us from crucifying you again by the way we treat other people and God's Creation. Empower us to serve and conserve.

5-A2678
Right of way

5-A2859
The flood in Noah's time saved people from nature.
The next flood may try to save nature from people.

5-A2917
Winter time -- a time of rest. Time to find yourself again.

5-A2944

We are biting into our own flesh.

5-A2962
We praise and glorify you. We come to you in prayer. We, who are the water, the Earth, the heavens. We who are the grasses, the bushes, the trees. We, the birds and all the other animals. We, the people here on Earth. Everything that you have created enjoys the sun that you give. We bask in your mercy and by it our hearts are warmed. --from Africa

5-A2964
Living Light

The sun is light for the eyes. With it, the world around us is visible. Jesus is light for the soul. With him, the world within us becomes evident.

5-A3231
Peace I Leave with You

Martin Luther is said to have written, "If I knew that tomorrow the world was coming to an end, I would go ahead and plant my apple tree."

5-A3462
New Approaches

There are already people who have chosen not to buy a new house because they don't want to destroy any more of nature through opening up that land to construction.

There are already people who wash their cars using a pail rather than a hose, because they don't want to waste our precious water resource.

There are already people who use a bike to go shopping, because they don't want to add to the congestion and pollution of our cities.

There are already people who sort out their trash, so that most of it can be recycled. They don't want us some day to be choked in garbage.

There are already people in our congregation. Are you one of them?

5-A3464
The Clock is Ticking

The Earth isn't ours. It has been entrusted to us to take care of for a short while. There is a time in which we will have to give it back into the hands of the One who will ask us, "Where are the lilies in the fields and the birds of the heavens? Where are the tall trees which I planted? Did you make them into paper? Were they in the way of your cars? Even Solomon with all of his wealth can't compensate with gold for all of the flowers which his foot mashed at the side of the road."

5-A3465
When respect for living creatures decays, respect for people soon dies. --Indian proverb

5-A3466
Like a lemon

5-A4157
Lord, Forgive them, for they know exactly what they're doing.

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6. Alternative Giving

Contributions
Volunteerism
Alternative Christmas Events (Third World Crafts & Clothing)
Sharing
Charity
Service
Kindness

Also see: 1-A1822, 1-A2188, 1-A3386, 2-A0436, 2-A0560, 2-A1989, 2-A2109, 2-A2225, 2-A2551, 2-A2993, 2-A3052, 2-A4155, 2-A4285, 2-A826, 3-A510, 3-A511a-c, 3-A513, 3-A516, 3-A517, 3-A520, 3-A523, 3-A526, 3-A552, 3-A553, 4-A0199, 4-A0209, 4-A0800, 4-A0801, 4-A0852, 4-A1248, 4-A2979, 4-A304, 4-A4397, 4-A862, 7-A319, 9-A1339, 10-A2096

6-A904

6-A2073
Balancing the Scale

Nowadays you hear a lot of complaining about how materialistic our society has become. It's true. Let's not overlook the people in our community and congregation who are working hard to tip the scale in the direction of human compassion. What they do is rarely noticed, and quietly they take their time and money to pray for and help people near and far when they know there is a need.

6-A2101

Jesus is giving a pep talk, encouraging us to approach our lives with everything we have. Trusting in Christ we can take risks for the sake of good. For he gives generously, and he expects us to do the same.

6-A2203
Ten percent for charity? I can't afford that!

6-A2562
Adopt older people in your congregation or community who aren't able to get out and about. Go for walks. Just be friends. It will mean a lot to both young and old!

6-A2768
"Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." --Mark 10:21-22

6-A2909

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" He said to them in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise." --Luke 3:10-11

6-A2943
Gifts, and Nothing More

The one who thanks, thinks of things beyond himself, lives a life greater than himself.

But we often forget to be thankful because we don't see that our lives are a gift, our health is a gift, our children are gifts, nature is a gift, sharing and service are gifts, joy is a gift, love is a gift, our parents are gifts, our work is a gift.

In our minds we underestimate all of these wonderful gifts. We think of them as something to be expected -- because they are so commonplace? Or because we think we earned them? When our minds play such tricks as these, we tell ourselves that we have nothing to be thankful for. What a mistake!

6-A3375
Who Is My Neighbor?

The one who needs my help is always my neighbor.

6-A3376
...And Did Not Pass By

6-A3428
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." --Luke 10:27

6-A3543
The more love grows, selfishness diminishes.

When selfishness has completely faded away, there is perfection.
--St. Augustine

6-A3598
Faces of a Partnership

We write each other letters and thereby create ties between the two continents.

6-A3599
We collect things we have abundance and help others meet the basic necessities of life.

6-A3600
We learn to cook the foods eaten by our partners and share in their cultural heritage.

6-A3601
We pray for each other, for, after all, we are all children of the same heavenly Father.

6-A3602
We learn from our partners, so our congregation will continue to grow in new life.

6-A3603
We share the gifts that God has given to us.

6-A3701
Because there was no room for him in the manger?

6-A3824
Threefold Temptation

Not satisfying your hunger but eating until you are full.

6-A4115
And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. --Matthew 10:42

6-A4200
Daring to Share

The secret of the miracle of the loaves and the fish lies in people believing that sharing makes more, not less.

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7. Economics

Money, Goods, Property
Green Business
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)
Products
Personal Finance
Credit & Debt
Globalization

Also see... 1-A3262, 1-A827, 1-A829, 1-A857, 1-A883, 3-A004, 4-A3002, 4-A862, 5-A031, 5-A034, 5-A038, 5-A3463

7-A319--Camel through the eye of a needle

319

7-A1280
Money Wisdom

It's only when the last starving person dies, the environment lies waste, the family is destroyed, and the soul has withered, will we with a shock realize that money can't make us happy.

7-A2140
John the Baptist today

7-A2019
When the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Ezekiel 18:27

What's our wickedness today? Abusing others and God's Creation by our overconsumption and protecting our addiction to stuff with force and violence. What's the saved life today? Living justly with others and with the Earth.

7-A2342
Big Mistake

Money and influence give others the impression that an individual has a real grip on life. Such a person, so much in love with his own life, wouldn't entertain the idea that something might not be quite right.

Yet the end is already beginning to cast its unmistakable shadow over this person's life. Soon he will realize that he has been hanging on to an illusion.

Wealth Becomes Deadly when a person uses life to get money instead of using money to share life.

7-A2880
"Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you," says John the Baptist. "That's all well and good," we retort and then show him that through our efforts we now have a lot more than we used to.

John's viewpoint certainly is no longer fashionable. We look at the bottom line. If there is a profit in it, come hell or high water, we'll do it-no matter what the human cost may be. 7-A3574
No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. --Luke 16:13

We cannot serve God and stuff.

Return to Table of Contents

8. Media

Media Literacy
Advertising, Marketing
Public Relations
Alternative Entertainment
TV, Video Games, Movies
Internet
Books, Magazines, Radio
Gambling

Also see... 1-A1409, 1-A2152, 1-A3262, 1-A501, 2-A0436, 2-A3056, 2-A826, 3-A002, 3-A079, 3-A519, 3-A520, 3-A527, 4-A0209, 4-A0672, 4-A1002, 4-A2734, 4-A2735, 4-A308, 5-A033, 9-A854,

8-A852

8-A0243
Descent

Once, in the loneliness of the wilderness an unarmed Jesus faced the power of the tempter.

Now, it appears that this tempter dresses respectably, habituates elegant restaurants, and delights when people fall for the advertisements.

8-A0433
"The child who has been watching programs with primarily aggressive content comes away with the impression that the world is a jungle, fraught with dangerous threats, and the only way to survive is to be on the attack." --Leonard Eron, University of Michigan

"The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that parents limit children's TV viewing to one to two hours per day. The National PTA advises parents to watch children's favorite programs as well as the news with their children, discuss the violence. Explain how violence is faked on entertainment shows and encourage children to watch programs with characters who cooperate with each other rather than fight." --"Congressional Quarterly Researcher"

"The average American child watches 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school - thanks to the miracle of television." --The American Psychological Association

"American children (are) glued to the TV for an average of 27 hours each week (in the inner city it's often 11 hours per day)." --Charles S. Clark in "TV Violence" from "Congressional Quarterly Researcher"

8-A1337
TV Tips for Families

Parents and children decide together at the beginning of a week which shows they will be watching - and then stick to it. Don't give children a free reign with the television.

Parents become familiar with the shows that their children are watching. Then they can talk with the children about what disturbs or excites them in a particular show.

Budgeting television time for the week will help the children start to make priority decisions. What is important to me? Which programs waste unnecessary time out of the budget?

One program is enough. Then there should be a break, especially for preschool children.

Denying access to the television as a punishment, or using it as a reward for willingly staying away from the TV only makes the medium more attractive.

Offer alternatives. Children would prefer to go do something fun outside than watch television. Spend lots of time together. It takes effort, but it's worth it.

8-A2081
Evolutionary theory suggests that over time humankind has been able to adapt successfully to challenges in its environment to the point where people are actively able to manipulate their surroundings. By this process wonderful forms of life and culture developed. The Age of Information now begins a reversal of this process. People no longer change their environment, the media force them into its mold.

8-A2280
Exit: Lent
Get off the Information Superhighway.
Exit: Lent.
For six weeks with the monitor blank you will have time again for real flesh and blood people.

8-A2882
TV counselors are extremely popular. But the value of their advice is often worth no more than cardboard. For help in our "flesh and blood" problems, we would do a lot better to turn to people in our real community.

8-A2937
Don't Miss!

Fall is a season with lots going on, but most of it probably won't give you the enjoyment and nourishment that sitting down with a good book can give you.

Check out a book on simpler living or social justice from the church or public library.

8-A3060
The Symptom:

Television has become a house altar in many homes. Programming replaces the liturgy. Talk show hosts are looked up to for guidance and support. The schedule is kept with religious fervor. Advertising to sell more stuff is the driving force.

The Effects:

In the family, the smallest unit of society, the trend of people living next to each other, not with each other, is increasing.

Is it any wonder that our society is in trouble?

8-A3359
At the next commercial now, be a good boy and go to bed!

8-A3665
Good Entertainment?

In earlier times, catastrophes and wars were seen as signs of the Apocalypse. Nobody takes that seriously any more. With the daily dose of catastrophes reported in the media and violence in the movies, we no longer experience the fear. It has even gone so far that the Apocalypse is now entertainment.

8-A3475
Church library

8-A3869
Also shutting it off is a basic technique which needs to be taught. --Bishop W. Huber

8-A4190
Overstimulation

Because of sound pollution, we are losing our ability to hear. Because of competing images, we are losing our ability to see. It is no longer a question of whether we can choose between good and evil. The question has become, what's evil? what's good?

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9. Sustenance

Self-care
Food
Recipes (from Developing Countries)
Personal Choices
Change, Responsibility
Success, Happiness
Fulfillment
Work, Stress & Health
Exercise
Sabbath, Leisure
Gratitude
Risk, Non-conformity

Also see: 1-A0236, 1-A0299, 1-A0506, 1-A0944, 1-A1081, 1-A1291, 1-A1587, 1-A1604, 1-A2152, 1-A2264, 1-A2563, 1-A2748, 1-A2750, 1-A3262, 1-A3386, 1-A3743, 1-A3779, 1-A4359, 1-A506, 1-A805, 1-A827, 1-A829, 1-A855, 1-A858, 2-A0436, 2-A0680, 2-A1588, 2-A1630, 2-A2109, 2-A2225, 2-A2226, 2-A2471, 2-A2757, 2-A2990, 2-A3051, 2-A3052, 2-A3055, 2-A320, 2-A826, 3-A0333, 3-A0602, 3-A2454, 3-A3036, 3-A329, 3-A522, 3-A527, 3-A531, 4-A0199, 4-A0432, 4-A1279, 4-A2317, 4-A2435, 4-A2874, 4-A308, 4-A311, 4-A4008, 4-A809, 4-A862, 5-A031, 5-A0347, 5-A0544, 5-A2917, 6-A2562, 6-A2768, 6-A2943, 6-A3426, 6-A3600, 6-A3824, 6-A4126, 7-A830, 7-A856, 7-A859, 8-A0243, 8-A039, 8-A2937, 8-A3475, 8-A4190, 8-A852, 8-A853,

9-A903
Supermom syndrome

9-A0246
Looking for a Bit of Rest

In good times and bad, a manager is always responsible for his company. From the time he walks into the office in the morning 'til he closes the door behind him at night he hears, "He's looking for you." "There's a call for you on line 2."

Because of the stress, many have turned to New Age solutions like transcendental meditation and other popular methods: subliminal recordings, massage therapy, private telephone consultation;therapy programs exclusively for management.

When Jesus healed the sick, it was a critical moment in their lives. Either things could go downhill -- or they could get better. His "therapy program," prayer to God in the quiet, was lived out by his example. Out of these times he gathered his strength. And he needed it because, "Everybody's looking for you, Lord."

9-A0257

9-A0594
Bread in the Garbage?

Bread is a blessing. Bread received as a blessing has to be seen as more than just "something to eat." If it is, it won't land in the garbage can.

9-A0760
The weather that you make inside yourself each morning is more important than the weather outside.

9-A0766
So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. Genesis 1:31

9-A0945
Create a space of quietness among the steel and glass, the parking places and jets, the radios and TVs, the grocery carts and shopping bags of our lives. Approach Christ with empty hands. No briefcase, no calendar, no telephone. And see the light which breaks through the window's cross and draws you near. Then find a coworker or friend and pray together.

9-A1118
Our Nation's Most Dangerous Drugs

Excessive passion for work has become one of our nation's most widespread narcotics. In serving the goddess of Success, this drug is used to avoid dealing with family and marriage problems. It also is an effective anesthetic against important questions about life itself.

Many people consider it a blessing when they have no time at work and are too tired at home to reflect on anything. However, just like any other drug, workaholism doesn't solve problems, it creates new ones.

Throw in the addiction overconsumption -- a common mutually supporting combination -- and the result is deadly for self and the Earth.

9-A1339
"Each day I watch the grass growing under my feet," complained a man who couldn't find work. "Work is more than earning money. It's what determines how my day runs. Now there's just a huge emptiness, and I feel totally unnecessary."

Voluntary Simplicity is a life of integrity, a life in which we "walk our talk." One's work is far more than a paying job. No one is unnecessary as long as people and nature have needs. Helping fill those needs, even as a volunteer, can fill that void.

9-A1348
Let's not back off in fear from the idea of the great "harvest of life." A tree only produces for the harvest the amount of fruit which it can carry in one year. The next year there will be a different set of fruit.

9-A2235
Only the Best for My Child

Believe me, my husband and I earn well. We give our little one all that he needs -- at least all that he says he needs.

9-A2406
A Modern Shepherd

The profession of shepherd is no longer common. However, if you look around, you will see many people acting like shepherds -- people giving of themselves for their neighbors. They'll stay by those who need their help, even when the going gets rough. For example, think of the "Doctors without Borders" and their work in refugee camps.

9-A2559
Meals Together

Does your family have a time when everyone sits down and eats together? Even though all of us are so busy that it is hard to work it out, when we do, it's worth it. The more time we share together, telling what happened at school -- or just what's on our minds -- we become closer as a family.

This isn't a new idea. Jesus put a lot of value on breaking bread (eating) together with his disciples. And we should put a lot of value on it, too. This goes not only for meals with our earthly family, but also for meals with our heavenly family. When the Eucharist is offered at church, that's also a mealtime which we should spend together. It will bring us all closer to each other and to God.

9-A3567
Dirt

No one goes through life without the stains of guilt. When we pretend that we're already clean, then we are denying ourselves the opportunity of actually being cleaned.

9-A3597
The World of The Satiated

The gifted Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel (1525-1569) graphically portrays what happens to people when they grow up in the lap of luxury. Stuffed and sleepy, they dose off in apathy. He shows people who are beyond the normal human emotions -- without any drive, stupefied through overeating, incapable of doing anything productive.

How would Bruegel paint us? At this moment parts of the world are suffering famine and disease. Christians in many countries are suffering dearly for their faith. Important moral issues are being battled in our own country. And what are we doing? Business as usual.

9-A3766
Stress and strife,
you call that a life?

9-A3640
Living Faith

People can see our faith and values where we work.

9-A4146
People Who Pray

People who pray face up to the difficult problems of life, to those dark corners where they don't have any control. People who pray know that folded hands are stronger than balled fists. People who pray forgive others. People who pray have hope. People who pray tap into a source that can even keep a nation on track.

9-A4417
Prayer for Labor Day

Despite our petty complaints about work, Lord, we have to acknowledge that work is one of the good gifts you give us. Without it, we wouldn't be able to meet our own and our family's needs. Without it, we wouldn't experience the joy of accomplishment. Without it, we wouldn't have as much to share with needy people.

In the same way that we distort so many of your other gifts, too often we find ourselves making your gift of work our god. Forgive us for the times that we have sacrificed ourselves and our families to our jobs, so that we could gain a little more in the way of worldly possessions or esteem.

Help us each day, as we begin our work, to sacrifice it to you; so that people around us will see your goodness and glory through the work of our hands and of our minds. Amen.

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10. Faith

Spirituality
Theology
Personal Prayer
Meditation
Scripture
Biblical Characters & Symbols

Also see: 1-A0236, 1-A0299, 1-A0944, 1-A1409, 1-A2306, 1-A2307, 1-A2308, 1-A2309, 1-A2310, 1-A2311, 1-A2750, 1-A805, 2-A1588, 2-A2990, 3-A0342, 3-A0602, 3-A078, 3-A1077, 3-A2277, 3-A2459, 3-A305, 3-A328, 3-A329, 3-A330, 3-A331, 3-A332, 3-A511a-c, 3-A513, 3-A515, 3-A519, 3-A520, 3-A521, 3-A522, 3-A526, 3-A531, 3-A551, 3-A552, 3-A553, 3-A557, 4-A0701, 4-A0755, 4-A0961, 4-A1002, 4-A1252, 4-A1896, 4-A4049, 4-A4344, 4-A4397, 5-A0298a, 5-A090, 5-A2330, 5-A2917, 5-A3316, 5-A3464, 5-A4157, 6-A3375, 6-A3376, 6-A4126, 7-A2140, 7-A2880, 7-A319, 8-A0243, 8-A885, 9-A0945, 9-A3640, 9-A4146

Scripture
Art #

I John 3:17 = 3-A553
Ezekiel 18:27 = 7-A2019
Genesis 1:31 = 9-A0766
Isaiah 2:4 = 4-A1405
Isaiah 58:7-8 = 4-A1544
John 14: 15-21 = 2-A884
John 18: 1-19: 42 = 8-A885
John 1: 1-18 = 3-A876
John 1: 1-18 = 3-A878
John 1: 1-18 = 3-A879
John 1:5 = 3-A514
John 1:6, 8, 19-28 = 1-A883
John 1:6, 8, 19-28 = 1-A882
John 1:6, 8, 19-28 = 1-A880
John 1:6, 8, 19-28 = 1-A881
John 2: 13-25 = 4-A877
Luke 10: 38-42 = 9-A854
Luke 10:27 = 6-A3428
Luke 12: 13-21 = 1-A855
Luke 12: 13-21 = 7-A856
Luke 12: 32-48 = 1-A857
Luke 13: 1-4 = 1-A858
Luke 14: 25-33 = 7-A859
Luke 15: 1-32 = 8-A860
Luke 16: 19-31 = 4-A862
Luke 16: 19-31 = 4-A861
Luke 16:13 = 7-A3574
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-24 = 5-A851
Luke 3:10-11 = 6-A2909
Luke 3:10-18 = 4-A0852
Luke 6: 39-45 = 8-A852
Luke 9: 28b-36 = 8-A853
Mark 10:21-22 = 6-A2768
Mark 12: 28b-34 = 7-A830
Mark 4: 26-34 = 2-A826
Mark 6: 7-13 = 1-A827
Mark 9: 38-43 = 1-A829
Mark 9; 30-37 = 2-A828
Matt. 10: 26-33 = 5-A806
Matt. 11: 2-11 = 5-A807
Matt. 11: 25-30 = 4-A808
Matt. 11:28-29 = 4-A4226
Matt. 15: 21-28 = 4-A809
Matt. 23: 1-12 = 7-A810
Matt. 2: 1-12 = 3-A801
Matt. 2: 13-15 = 3-A802
Matt. 2: 13-15 = 3-A803
Matt. 3: 1-12 = 3-A804
Matt. 4: 1-11 = 1-A805
Matt. 10:42 = 6-A4115
Psalm 24 = 5-A0367
Romans 15:13 = 3-A554
Wisdom 11:24 = 5-A1371
Wisdom 1:14 = 5-A0516

10-A091 - Resurrection

10-A1317
The Other Style

In a time, in which the first banks were being established, he showed the richness of poverty.

In a time of self gratification, he demonstrated true joy. St. Francis sang. He didn't moralize. He lived with intensity. He kissed lepers, preached to the birds, and spoke to the Pope and cardinals about abuse within the church. His life said, God loves you.

10-A2096
What are these oil lamps in our lives? They are the little everyday things: faithfulness, punctuality, kind words, thoughtfulness of another person, the way we are silent at times, the way we look at things, the way we speak, the way we act. Those are the little drops of love which make it possible for our life of faith to shine brightly. --Mother Theresa of Calcutta

10-A2240
The Well-Heeled Disciple

He seems to have everything. Why is he following Christ? Is he looking for a new kick? Does he want a change of pace? His search is one in which all his bases are covered and he isn't risking anything. He's making no sacrifices. His search leads to emptiness. His discipleship is one in which he follows nothing but his own desires.

10-A4040
Laws and Commandments

Laws help people achieve justice. Christ gives us his commandments as he teaches us love.

10-A2843
St. Francis of Assisi

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©Creative Commons (originally ©2001 Alternatives for Simple Living)

Collection compiled, edited and prepared by Gerald and Peter Iversen.

ALTERNATIVES for Simple Living, 1973-2011
Gerald Iversen, Alternatives' National Coordinator, 1995-2007
Founder, 2011, Simple Living Works!

"Equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly"
SimpleLivingWorks.org
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