Articles for tag: Simplicity

August 23, 2013

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Remember summer camp or church camp? Those late nights raiding other tents or dorms? Those camp meals that looked increasingly familiar as the week went on? The mosquitoes, bugs, and sunburn that made for some uncomfortable moments? But most of all . . . cleanup duties at the end. Remember the scramble not to be assigned the shower and toilet block? Remember the hair, the soap residue, and the scum? It was nasty, and nobody in their right mind would volunteer for that job. We were made for a

September 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Christian Living

What Would It Mean to Live Simply?

By Eleanor Daniel Most of us have heard the old Shaker tune encouraging simplicity. And all of us are familiar with Paul”s affirmation in Philippians 4:11, 12: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” For the last couple of months, Paul”s affirmation and the song have echoed in my mind. It all started because I had decided to move. When I began preparing to move into a

November 1, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

A Simpler Way

By Matt Bortmess Why does it have to be so complicated? Because I crave simplicity in my life and my ministry, this is a question I find myself wrestling with more and more these days. My life has become so complex. Sixteen years into our marriage, now with four kids and a dog, my wife and I are finding a busy calendar crammed with appointments, ball games, birthday parties, school events, and . . . the list goes on and on. Add to that a church calendar filled with meetings, studies, and luncheons, and I”m presented with so many choices

September 23, 2009

Christian Standard

Conferences & Gatherings Organizations & Events

What We Do, Why It Matters

By Mark A. Taylor Actually what we do at the North American Christian Convention is not dramatic. We talk. We eat. We laugh. We sing. We pray. We listen to sermons, some of them excellent. Some of us go to meetings. Often we encounter people with names we recognize, but we”ve never actually met them before. How could we, when we live across the country from each other and they”re busy with their ministries while we”re occupied with our own? This is how it has been through the decades. The beauty of the NACC is its simplicity, its predictability, its

August 6, 2008

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Simply Challenging

By Mark A. Taylor Seldom does a gift-shop display demand a photo, but the irony in this one begged to be recorded. There, in the center of decorations, dinnerware, and every conceivable starred-and-striped Fourth of July doodad was a framed poster. Available for only $25.49, in hues of red, white, and blue, it sported only two words: “Live Simply.” It seems the American marketing machine can capitalize on any sentiment. This includes offering us ways to spend money promoting a philosophy that advocates spending less money. “What does it really mean to “˜live simply”?” I asked my traveling companion, when