Simple Living 101: 1. Motivational Speakers

More Resources for Speakers

For a list of Biblical Passages Related to Hunger and Justice, see Beyond Guilt by George S. Johnson.

For hundreds of Practical Ideas, Quotes, Holidays, Organizations, Publications, see “The Simpler Living Alternatives Calendar for Any Year.” It is arranged by month and topic. Free at SimpleLivingWorks.org >> Archives.

“Alternatives for Simple Living,” a personal adaptation of “Flex Talk” by Darrel Fickbohm. Free at Visit SimpleLivingWorks.org >> volunteers >> SL101 >> bonus

“Banquet of Praise,” A book of worship resources, hymns and songs in the spirit of justice, peace and food for all from Bread for the World, 250+ pp. (800-82-BREAD)

“ChristStyle” by Daniel B. McGee and L. Katherine Cook, a four-part series in Seeds Magazine, 1993. McGee conceived this particular interpretation of Christ-ordained lifestyle and has discussed the eight elements of ChristStyle in various settings. The eight are gratitude, single-mindedness, simplicity, servanthood, justice, mutuality, integrity and activism. Contact SeedsHope.org

“Non-Consumptive Gift Ideas: The best gifts are tied with heart strings.” 150+ ideas and tips from a 1998 contest, from Creative Twist, 1007 Newport Rd SE, Salem OR 97306 (503/363-7416; free by email: cretwist@open.org).

“Redeeming Christmas: Celebrating Christ and People, Not Santa and Things,” an oral presentation and anthology of ideas and inspiration gathered by Ruth Meek. Free. Visit SimpleLivingWorks.org >> volunteers >> SL101 >> bonus

Bible Verses and Brief Commentary

(Categories and dates refer to “The Simpler Living Alternatives Calendar.”)

Do justice: 1/1–“The Lord of hosts is exalted by justice.” –Isaiah 5:1

Learn from the world community: 1/9–“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8.

Non-conform freely: 1/29–“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”–from Matthew 6:24-33. How do my clothes reflect my personality and my values? Did the people who made my clothes get a fair wage for their work? Go to your clothes closet. Choose enough clothes to wear a different outfit each day for a week. Put the other clothes aside. Wear only the clothes you’ve chosen for the next two weeks. (from Trek, see p. 62)

Lent & Easter: 2/13–“If I give away all my possessions… but do not have love, I gain nothing.” – from I Corinthians 13. What keeps me from giving the gift of myself more often? What nonmaterial gifts could I give on the various gift-giving occasions during the year? (from Trek)

What is “enough”? 2/23–Meditate on the concept of “enough.” (pp. 35-38) “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need.” – from Proverbs 30:7-9. “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” –II Corinthians 8:15. Do I think a world where everyone has enough is part of God’s vision for humankind?. Worth Reading – How Much Is Enough? by Alan Durning

2/24–“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”–from Isaiah 55:1-5. Do I give the people who love me what they most want from me? Am I able to spend the time I need to build special relationships with the people I love?

Hunger & homelessness: 3/16–“Just as you did it to one of the least of these… you did it to me.”–from Matthew 25:31-40. What sense of connection with people in need can unlock my compassion and generosity? Was there ever a time when I really didn’t have enough money? How did or does that make me feel about people who are wealthier than me? (from Trek)

Cherish the Natural Order (Care of Creation): 4/1 – Read the Story of the Creation in Genesis chapters 1 & 2. Reflect on “And Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” (“to work it and take care of it.”) –Genesis 2:15.

4/16 – Read the Story of Noah in Genesis 6-9:17. Reflect on 6:19-22 and 9:8-17. God does not want the Earth harmed.

4/17 – Reflect on the implications of the Prophet. “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?” – Ezekiel 34:18

4/22 – Earth Day. The Earth belongs to God and therefore cannot be held perpetually. –Leviticus 25:23

4/25 – Think of the implications for the Creation of John 3:16-21 – “For God so loved the world…” People, animals, plants, all Creation.

5/13–“If riches increase, set not your heart on them.”–Psalm 62:10. “Those who trust in their riches will wither.”–Proverbs. 11:28. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth.” –Matthew 6:21, 19. The biblical injunctions against exploitation of the poor and the accumulation of wealth are clear and straightforward. The Bible challenges nearly every economic value of contemporary society.

5/16–“Do not damage the Earth or the sea or the trees.” Revelation 7:3.

Alternative Giving: 6/1–“No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and wealth.”–Matthew 6:24 (also Luke 16:13) Substitute the word “stuff” for money.

6/8–“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”–from Luke 12:13-34. What do I own that is not necessary for the activities I find most meaningful? What would I do with my free time if I only had to spend half as much time working? [Trek]

6/9–“For the love of money is root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” –1 Timothy 6:6-10.

6/17–“Keep your lives from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’”–Hebrews 13:5

6/21–“God loves a cheerful giver.” –2 Corinthians 9:7. Jesus calls all who would follow him to a joyful life of carefree unconcern for possessions: “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”–Matthew 5:42

Money & goods: 7/1–Meditate on the many kinds of abundance in life. “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”–from John 10:7-18. “The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy.”–from Psalm 65. “…the mountains and the hills before you shall burst forth into song….”–from Isaiah 55:6-13

Personal happiness: 8/3–“Be still and know that I am God!”–Psalm 46:10. Take a few minutes each day for meditation and prayer, with or without devotional material. Be silent, be still, be open to what God may be telling you.

Non-conform freely (media): 9/23– “But seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness and all these thing will be given to you as well.” –Matthew 6:33.

Food: 10/1–Reflect on Luke 12:22-32 or Matthew 6:25-33. Don’t worry about what you’ll eat or what you’ll wear. That sounds like encouragement to live more simply.

Preparing for Christmas: 11/13– “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish... all ate and were filled.” –from Matthew 14:13-21. Do I miss the chance to do what I can because I can’t do it all? (from Trek)

Let’s Talk About Christmas! Worksheet

Let’s Talk About Christmas! Worksheet (pp. 29-32) can help get people talking.

Simplify & Celebrate! is a big collection that shows how to have a more meaningful, less commercial celebration. It includes several sets of meditations on the readings for Advent through Epiphany for personal and group/family reflection, sermon preparation, etc. Also, ideas, articles, stories and activities for families and church leaders.

[[Gifts of Peace. Christmas, the season of peace, is a poignant reminder of the lack of peace in our lives and world. The 13 resources in this packet help people celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Included are: six graded study guides; a giving guide; models for prayer and worship; a puppet play and more. Free online.]]

Alternatives provides collections of Christmas stories to read aloud or alone. A Christmas Reader and Christmas Collection contain old and new stories, well-loved poems and a prayer to reflect the true spirit of Christmas (each 24 pp.). A Christmas Sampler helps us celebrate Christmas with a collection of classics and stories from different countries. And we learn greetings in 31 different languages (28 pp.). Excerpts from all three collections are available online

The Christmas Game promises hours of family storytelling for those 5 to 105. It makes a wonderful Christmas card stuffer. For additional activities, see other resources, such as Before and After Christmas, Joy to the World and A Simple Christmas.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a video, explores creative ways to decommercialize Christmas. Vivid photography, music and interviews help us rethink how we observe this holy day. This provocative video is an ideal way to introduce people to the idea of celebrating more simply, more meaningfully (17 min.).

We recommend books from other publishers on simple living and related topics, both for Christmas and for year-round use. Other Christmas titles include Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love & Joy Back into the Season; Joy to the World; Behold That Star; and A Simple Christmas. We carry numerous titles for children.

Alternatives' resources may be used as idea starters, sermon illustrations, art and articles for bulletins and newsletters, etc. Customers are authorized to copy Alternatives’ resources but not to sell the copies. Samplers for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany include bulletin inserts; posters and calendars; Prayer, worship, celebrations, plays and scripts; adult discussion guides; child, teen and intergenerational discussion and activity guides; guidelines for alternative giving; and variety.

Lent/Easter. For over 20 years, Alternatives provided resources for Lent and Easter. Each year, we produced an all-new 40-day calendar for Lent which contains daily suggestions for thought and action from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday in English and Spanish. This calendar can be used by individuals, families and other small groups.

The best of Alternatives’ Lent/Easter resources have been combined into an expandable collection called “Who’s Risen from the Dead, Anyway?” The popular “Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Easter” (p. 58) is available online. It summarizes much of Alternatives’ emphases into a helpful list.

Year-round Resources. Other resources produced by Alternatives are usable year-round. Recent titles include The Simpler Living Alternatives Calendar, Sing Justice! Do Justice!, Living More with Less Study-Action Guide and Stories and Songs of Simple Living (book & CD).

The Simpler Living Alternatives Calendar for Any Year strives to help change our wasteful habits into Creation-conserving, Earth-friendly ones. Based on living the “Environmental Tithe,” this 366-day calendar is designed for people of various ages at various levels of commitment and ability. Some changes may come easily; some will be more challenging. Caring for God’s Creation is an invitation for all of us. The word “tithe” means “a tenth” or 10%. It's ideal as a bulletin insert series.

Wedding Alternatives: A Guide to Planning Out-of-the-Ordinary Celebrations comes in English or in Spanish. Both editions are free online.

The video, Break Forth in Joy!: Beyond a Consumer Lifestyle (45 min., $25), won a Gold Medal at the Houston International Film Festival! Its four segments are ideal for a Sunday morning adult forum series.

[[Alternatives’ Treasury of Celebrations – Celebrations belong to people. They are not natural resources to be strip-mined each year for the sake of profit. Treasury of Celebrations channels our desire to celebrate into activities that truly nourish the human spirit, express our solidarity with all the Earth’s people, and respect the environment. It helps us resist consumer pressures and celebrate in a more spiritually fulfilling, joyful way. If you are not satisfied with consumer-oriented celebrations, this big book of creative ideas is for you.]]

Treasury of Celebrations: Create Celebrations That Reflect Your Values and Don’t Cost the Earth contains life-giving ways to celebrate holidays and rites of passage.

Treasury of Celebrations draws material from the six Alternate Celebrations Catalogs published from 1973-87 by Alternatives and adds new ideas as well. At 384 pages, Treasury of Celebrations if free online.

More recent free online resources: Worship Alternatives; Quotes & Art for simpler living and global justice; Simply Enough: Straight Talk from Tony and Shane on Simple, Just Living (video); Simple Living Works! (video).

Other titles recommnded by Alternatives produced by other publishers suitable for year-round use include ’Tis a Gift to be Simple: Embracing the Freedom of Living with Less; Six Weeks to a Simpler Lifestyle; Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook; 365 TV-Free Activities: You Can Do with Your Child; the board game Lifestories; and more for adults and children.

The popular Ten Tips for Simpler, More Meaningful Celebrations (p. 59) is available online. It summarizes much of Alternatives’ emphases into a helpful list.

About one-third of the resources we offer are designed for children or people who work with children (like parents!). We hope to affect children’s buying habits early because they are targeted by so many advertisers. I was dismayed recently when talking to a well-intentioned grandmother. She said, “I like to spoil my grandchildren when they’re little. But when they turn ten, I cut ‘em off.” We’re hoping to be a little more helpful.

We hope that our children will not succumb to the pressures of overconsumption that most call success. [[A very touching thing happened shortly after my son Peter graduated from high school. Up to that point he had not been able to save money. Despite all of our modeling of frugal behavior, he spent it as fast as he made it. Then one day he said, “Ya know, Dad, if I don’t spend so much money, I don’t have to make so much money.” He finally got it!]] There are two ways to have the money we need. We can earn more, or we can spend less. Voluntary Simplicity says we’ll have more time for what really counts, for God and for the people in our lives, if we choose to spend less on things we really don’t need.

Author G.K. Chesterton said it another way. “There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.”

6. Activities

1. From “Reclaiming Christmas” Packet – a.) *What About Santa?; b.) What Makes a Perfect Christmas; c.) Christmas Traditions That Work for You; d.) The Gift of Giving (p. 61)

2. “Alternative Giving Guides” & card (p. 34)

3. “Unplug the Christmas Machine:” Leader’s Guide

4. Christmas Budget Worksheet (p. 33)

5. “Let’s Talk About Christmas!” Worksheet (pp. 29-32)

6. “Ten Tips for a Simpler, More Meaningful Christmas… Easter… Celebrations”(pp.57-59)

7. Other Reflection/Action Resources: What Is a Gift?; Looking Behind the Cost of Christmas (four-sessions) (p. 61)

*[[Personal Story: One Christmas, my mother bought a new plastic Santa to put on the top of the tree. I didn’t think much of it. When my Dad saw it, he quietly insisted that it come down. After all, he was the Sunday School Superintendent. Mother replaced Santa with a Christmas star. That incident had a profound effect on me. As greedy as I was as a youngster, I got the point that we celebrate Jesus’ birth, not the coming of Santa Claus.

Later, one of my sisters became a Jehovah’s Witness. Wow, was that a shocker for a conservative Lutheran family! That group does not celebrate much of anything, so her family stopped coming for Christmas. My mother bought my sister a little book, “Why I Believe in Santa Claus.” It was a lot like the famous newspaper column “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus.”

I feel now that we have much better symbols of Christmas and giving than Santa, who has been completely taken over by commercial interests to sell us more stuff. We have Jesus giving himself to us and the Three Magi giving gifts to Jesus. We have St. Nicholas, who gave gifts to the needy. Let’s not confuse our children with Santa. Let’s tell the real stories of our faith.]]

Gerald Iversen serves as National Coordinator of Alternatives for Simple Living.