Tis a Gift to Be Simple

This short book will rock you, it will change your world and help you understand what really is important and what is not. I have recommended this book to all of my friends, and I also wanted to recommend it to you. If you are tired of always swimming against the current in order to accomplish that good 'ol American dream, maybe you should just stop doing that an realize that there is so much more out there than making the most money possible and driving the nicest car. Give yourself a break and read this book!

A VERY FAST read. Basic wisdom reminder of Less is more, re-stated. If you can hold it in your short term/working memory long enough, it can possibly take root in your long term memory to cause lesser pre-programmed responses to change. So ponder away! The books reminders: *Remember to: Function in a mindset of having a Lifestyle of Worship(appreciation/joy)and wellness. I've heard it also stated as living in an "Attitude of Grattitude" (The book, The Secret) *Reminder: That the simple awareness alone, of an influence/situation reduces its power over you. Yipee! I like not feeling helpless! Reminds me of (Daniel Golemans-Emotional Intelligence) EQ=Which determines your lifes success better than IQ, talents, etc. This book validates-The Law of Vacuum. Like if you purge your clutter and just donate your house crap that does not actually serve you...you will be surprised how you will not actually miss it-then you end up making room for real blessings to suck into that space-like friends coming over. So if I loose 10 lbs of lard off my rear end...eyeballs will gravitate toward my new hotness! Or Enneagram Institutes description of how "Constriction" is bad for us vs. "Expansion" (Wallace Wattles book-The Science of Getting Rich-principles of The Law of the Increase of Life-think Oprah, she functions from the "use-value" facet of this principle) **The books exciting REALITY CHECK though, is the authors exerpt from another book (Joan Bodner/Taking Charge of Our Lives-Living Responsibly in a Troubled World) That sums up,in a simple paragraph on absurdly why world corruption happens. Starting with..."If the world were a global village of 100 people,..." Makes a great point! Worth the QUICKIE read.

This book is a guide to the simplicity lifestyle written for Christians. At the beginning of the book, the authors ask readers to reflect on the following questions: --What are the values that guide my actions? --What is my fair share? --When is enough enough? --Why don't I feel good? --How can I live a more integrated faith? --Who are my neighbors, and do I really care about them? These questions form a rough outline of the topics to come: dropping out of the competitive consumption race, eating well and practicing healthy habits, environmental reasons for reducing consumption, reducing consumption to leave more of the world's resources available for others, setting appropriate priorities, and building community. What differentiates this book from other books on simplicity is its focus on Christian values and scriptures. Every chapter asks the reader to reflect how Christ would approach the topic under hand. There are numerous references to scripture in the text. At the end of the book is a collection of scripture readings and prayers designed to fill out a six-week period of reflection and study. There are also endnotes to cite sources and a bibliography. There is no index. Although the book is designed for self-study; it would also work well as a basis for church-related discussion groups. The authors argue that following the simplicity lifestyle is exactly how Christ would have us act. "Voluntary simplicity...is a matter of obedience- -to live a faith integrated with life, to live as Christ taught, to live as Christ lived, joyously aware that we have the ability to be generous if we so choose." They discuss the reasons enumerated by Jorgen Lissner of the Peace, Justice, and Human Rights in the Luther World Federation, for Christians to review their life-styles, which include: 1. An act of faith ... as an expression of personal commitment to a more equitable distribution of the world's resources 2. An act of self-defense... against the polluting effects of over-consumption 3. An act of withdrawal ... from the achievement neurosis of materialistic societies 4. An act of solidarity with the majority of humankind 5. An act of sharing with others what has been given to us 6. An act of celebration of the riches...found in community 7. An act of provocation to arouse curiousity [about the reasons for our conspicuous under-consumption] Although I am very much in favor of simplicity myself, I'm not altogether swayed by the arguments for it based on charitable action, trying to consume less so that less fortunate people will have more. Such an approach may work within a single household, but I can't see it really working in any group larger than that. It's vital to devote time, energy, and resources towards helping others, but I don't believe that infinitesimally small steps towards reducing consumption such as eating one less meat meal per week will really provide more food for the less fortunate. The thing to focus on here is that the p