I grew up in a family that regularly critiqued advertisements. My Dad taught advertising and marketing, and worked in the field for years. He would constantly show my brother and I what made a good ad, and how it helped sell the product. What made a good ad was its
In American culture, being empty is usually considered a bad thing. If someone sees the glass as “half-empty,” it means that person is a pessimist. If someone says they feel “empty,” then their loved ones want to cheer them up. If a resource runs empty, that means that someone has
Time is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. We all know that our time on this earth is short– but too often, we live our lives as if it is unlimited. Christian minimalists aim to use our time in ways that give glory to God. Rather
When I was growing up, I hated putting things back where they belonged. It was a task that I didn’t enjoy, especially when it involved getting rid of something that I wasn’t ready to part with. So I did what a lot of kids do– I shoved stuff into closet
One of the most famous Bible stories of all time is Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). A man’s son asks for his inheritance early, and then he goes and blows it IMMEDIATELY on “dissolute living.” When he comes back home, broke and hungry, his dad welcomes him
We are terrible at taking care of ourselves. We live in a society in which it is a badge of honor to be busy– to not have a second to breathe. It makes us feel like we are important people who have important things to do, and it looks impressive
“The Human Starter Kit” In an episode of the TV show The Good Place titled “Best Self” (Season Two, Episode 9), the immortal being Michael is named an “honorary human” by his human friends and given a “Human Starter Kit” as a gift. He is thrilled. “Car keys! So I can
Living as a Christian minimalist, I end up having a lot of conversations with folks who are curious. Many times, they’re curious about minimalism in general– but more often than not, people really want to know how I connect minimalism to my Christian faith. One of the major reasons I
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard of Marie Kondo and her KonMari method of “tidying up.” It all started with her best-seller The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Then her second book was born, Spark Joy. Now, Marie Kondo’s tidying method has reached even
Well, I did it! I went a whole year without shopping. When I wrote about the start of my no shopping year at the beginning of 2018, I had no idea what was in store (pun intended). I didn’t know how I would react to only buying necessities, and how my year-long