A few years ago, attorney Albert Hessberg III (brother-in-law to famous singer/songwriter James Taylor) was disbarred and sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for stealing over two million dollars from his clients. What’s so fascinating about Hessberg is that no one really understands why he felt the
Category: Contentment
A few years ago, I took intentional steps to break my addiction to online shopping. When I was going through that process, I peeled back the layers of why I became addicted in the first place. I discovered that– at core of it– my issue was discontent. Contentment and Consumer
Imagine: you’re in the checkout line, and you see something small and inexpensive on display. Without thinking, you grab it and buy it. It’s cheap, it’s quick, and it’s easy to grab and add to your purchases. If it’s a consumable, you pop it in your mouth right after you
Real riches are the riches possessed inside. B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine When people gauge success in consumer society, it’s typically based on salary and the accumulation of wealth/material possessions. As you make more money, and amass more money and possessions, you continue to be more and more “successful.”
Note: This is a guest post by Johanna Rehbaum, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Pittsford, NY. She enjoys pine-covered mountains, perfectly ripe avocados, writing theological reflections, and jam sessions with her husband and two young children. She can often be caught mindlessly harmonizing. Joy: Our Natural State I had
As the pandemic continues to drag on, many of us are having a difficult time feeling positive or excited about life, as well as feeling unmotivated and/or stuck. If you’ve felt like this, you’re not alone. I’ve felt it myself– It’s usually accompanied by a sense of numbness, apathy, or
Over the last few years, like many people, I’ve been in the job market searching for openings and applying to jobs. One phrase in particular kept standing out to me in many job postings– employers frequently wrote that they were looking for someone who went “above and beyond.” This struck
Ignatius of Loyola (eventual founder of the Jesuits), while serving in the military, was hit by a cannonball and severely injured. During his time recovering (and enduring multiple, very dangerous surgeries), he had a spiritual awakening and turned toward God. This event and long recovery was a turning point for
A few years ago, when we started our Christian minimalism journey, my husband Will and I minimized 60% of our stuff. It felt good to simplify our material possessions. But letting go of things was much harder than we anticipated. We were prepared to have a hard time paring down
Well, I did it! Tomorrow will be Day 100 of my 100 Day Dress Challenge— I actually wore one single dress for 100 consecutive days, for at least eight hours a day. Though this minimalism experiment sounds extreme, I found it to be life-changing. I started to see some benefits