In 2018, I participated in a year of no shopping. It was an eye-opening experience, and it taught me a lot about consumption, the use of our God-given resources, and needs vs. wants. After that year, I did a less official follow-up year of no shopping, with the same rules,
People can make a lot of assumptions when they find out that you live a different type of lifestyle. Whether positive or negative, these assumptions can offer a great learning moment. For example, every time I tell someone I’m a Christian minimalist, chances are good that their immediate assumption is
There is a lot of uncertainty in our world right now. We have no idea how or when this global pandemic will end, or how many times lockdowns will happen. We also don’t know what any of this means for our loved ones, our jobs, or the state of our
Elijah was running for his life. The corrupt rulers Ahab and Jezebel wanted him dead. The prophet fled to the wilderness, and God provided food and drink to strengthen him on his journey. He traveled for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was told to stand on Mt Horeb
If there is a movie out there that shows the consequences of putting celebrity, wealth, and material possessions above all else, it’s Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring. Based on Nancy Jo Sales’ article in Vanity Fair, “The Subjects Wore Louboutins,” The Bling Ring attempts to tell the real-life story of
Note: This is a guest post written by Zach Labagh, Pastor at Allegheny Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mohnton, PA. In the last few months, due to the pandemic, I found myself and my family changing how we function completely. Our calendar that was full has now diminished to online and
Here on the Christian Minimalism blog, we’ve looked at minimalism in The Greatest Showman and A Christmas Carol. This time, we are looking minimalism in the movie Yesterday. In Yesterday, Jack Malick is a struggling singer-songwriter who plays gigs that are barely attended and booked by teacher-by-day, manager-by-night Ellie Appleton.
Note: This is a guest post written by Matt Kendziera. When Jesus Walked After beginning his ministry with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” Jesus walked down the mountain and didn’t stop walking for the better part of two chapters. He strolled
On Wednesday April 8th, my Father-in-Law Norman Platnick died. He had been in the hospital for 1.5 weeks following a nasty fall down the stairs and severe head trauma and stroke. My husband Will and I were not allowed to visit him in the hospital here in Philadelphia due to
Note: This is a guest post written by Sean Ewbank, Director for Evangelical Mission/Assistant to the Bishop in the Southeast Michigan Synod, ELCA. “You have a unique opportunity to begin again.” Those words were spoken to me by my dear friend as we stood in front of the smoking ruin