New “Simply Advent” eResources
Posted on: August 27, 2014
It’s so encouraging when someone uses or re-issues some of Alternatives’ resources. World Vision Canada has repackaged our Simply Enough DVD of Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne as Choose Justice with an extensive Conversation Guide.
Wood Lake Books — publisher of The Alternative Wedding Book and Treasury of Celebrations — has included The Christmas Game in their popular curriculum Seasons of the Spirit.
Now Paul Canavese of The Pastoral Center has incorporated some of Alternatives’ Advent/Christmas resources in its new Simply Advent eResource series. (Or see all of their Advent eResources.) Although their market is primarily Catholic, their four inserts for the Sundays in Advent are quite ecumenical. Their goal is to continue including Simple Living into future resources.
How an eResourse works. You pay a small amount for the right to copy a resource for your family or congregation. You make as many copies as you like. Yes, you could create your own resources for free using Alternatives’ art and text, either the original combination or your new combination. Or you could add your own text to our art or visa verse. For example, we use Alternatives’ art each year for our family eNews Christmas letter from Spirit of Simplicity or Worship Alternatives. (Some examples of finished designs)
You may ask, “Why are these folks selling these items when they are available for free on SimpleLivingWorks.org?” They received permission to incorporate them into new resources. They are people we have worked with before and we trust. Almost all of Alternative’s resources are now covered by the Creative Commons license to save them from abuse. That allows them to be used free of charge, but not sold without permission.
I’ve scheduled an interview with Paul Canavese, also the head of GospelLiving.org, for a SLW! Podcast in Oct. Paul and spouse Ann have contributed to the supplement to Wedding Alternatives. They also hosted Rita and I on a speaking tour. Read the notes of that visit at Post #58. As an internet security expert, he also brought our colleague organization, Jubilee Economics back to health after we were hacked.
So, you have the choice — if you have the time and inclination — to design your own resources using Alternatives’ elements, or to pay someone else a bit to use their Alternatives-inspired eResources.
Yet another option: get copies of Alternatives’ originals on paper, CD or DVD from the ELCA Archives at nominal cost.
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What’s NOW with SLW
- Tony and Shane Uncut Finale — Tony Campolo & Shane Claiborne’s complete dialog on simpler living and global justice, in eight parts. To LISTEN visit the Episode Index. The topics are different for each episode. Complete Endorsements by Jim Wallis, Author of God’s Politics & President of Sojourners; Aiden Enns, Geez magazine, BuyNothingChristmas.org; Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary; Justo L. Gonzalez, Author of The Story of Christianity; Tom Sine, Author of The Mustard Seed Conspiracy; John de Graaf, Co-Producer and Co-Author of Affluenza: the All-Consuming Epidemic
- Simple Living Humor? What’s That? A problem with simple living is that we’re so serious. We don’t even know what to call ourselves. “Simple Livers” seems so anatomical. I mean our heart is really in it, but our livers? We might as well call ourselves Simple Kidneys. • Spirit of Simplicity: Quotes & Art cartoons: Christmas #’s 3-A001-A004 (cartoons by Dan Livdahl) | Earth Care #’s 5-A028-A038 (cartoons by Steve Babbert) | Economics #’s 7-A026, A035 (cartoons by Steve Babbert) • PostConsumers.com: Get Satisfied Gallery (cartoons & short video by Mike Swofford) • Bob Sitze’ Simple Enough blog is often humorous in a sophisticated way. Six algorithms I’d like to see is especially funny.
- Seattle Recharge — meeting Glen Gersmehl, Exec. Dir. of Lutheran Peace Fellowship; interviewed by Christine Sine for her Godspace blog. I plan to issue my interview of Tom and Christine Sine and as a SLW! podcast in Sept. See the notes I took of our group discussion (Post #293) at Mustard Seed Associates, as well as the notes from my speaking tours through 40+ states (including my first visit to MSA, post #168). Tom is the author of the best-seller Mustard Seed Conspiracy. He gave me a copy of his recent The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time. +Tom’s blog.Also on this trip I reconnected with one of my influential college instructors, Gerald Stolp, in Eugene, OR.
- Simpler Living Alternative Daily Calendar – August
- Check out a few of these thought-provoking, timely resources that might meet your personal, family or congregational/group needs. They’re all FREE.
- Treasury of Celebrations*: Create Celebrations That Reflect Your Values and Don’t Cost the Earth Earth – May-Aug. | Sept.-Dec.
- Worship Alternatives: Pentecost/Ordinary Time
- Spirit of Simplicity: ART | QUOTES
- 10 Tips for Simpler, More Meaningful Celebrations | Spanish: 10 puntas
- Alternatives’ Seasonal/Thematic Index
What’s Coming
- Tom and Christine Sine of Mustard Seed Associates — SLW!Podcast, Sept. 1
What’s Happened
- Thank the Rich
- How Many HITS for Your Today? A cautionary blog about advertising for the beginning of the school year and the upcoming onslaught of political ads for the fall election. See the fifth Life Standard: Non-Confirm Freely text or video.
- Jerry’s Excellent Adventure in Social Media complete. READ MORE
- The response to my blog “Why Are Danes So Happy?” has been AMAZING. Thank you! The responses to my blogs and podcasts are collected HERE
- Alternative Pentecost & Ordinary Time
- The Common Good Podcast Episode 49 – Geoscientist Jeff Severinghaus: How 800,000 Year Old Antarctica Ice Confirms Earth’s Changing Climate & How to Respond
What Others Are Doing
- The Common Good Podcast Episode 50 – Colin Richard on Permaculture
- Seeing Systems: Peace, Justice and Sustainability – New Course from Northwest Earth Institute
- Interviews, Book Groups, etc. – Spreading the Conversation about The OneEarth Project and the book, Blinded by Progress: Breaking Out of the Illusion That Holds Us, by Lee Van Ham. | TheCommonGoodPodcast.com, episode 42 | Lee’s new Slide Show
- Summer of Peace: Transforming Conflict in Your Heart, Your Relationships and the World, a free online event, June 13-September 21 | Spring of Sustainability: Turning Crises into Creative Solutions [Since this series is over, you can only access it by subscribing. Or hear two free samples.] — both series from The Shift Network and Sustainable World Coalition
Podcast Reminder
You can access all SLW! podcast audio and the show notes either at SimpleLiving.startlogic.com/SLW-PODCAST or at SimpleLivingWorks.org (then click window #3). Listen through your computer, iPod, iPad, iPhone (or equivalent).
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Peace, Gerald “Jerry” Iversen, Chief SLW! Activist
*GRAPHIC – GospelLiving.org
We do not solicit or accept donations, nor do we sell anything. All our resources and services are free of charge. We’re an all-volunteer organization. Instead, we urge Alternative Giving. Give away at least 25% of what you spent last year on all celebrations – Christmas, birthdays, etc. — to local, national and international causes.
Copyright: Creative Commons non-commercial attribution share-alike license.
*Treasury of Celebrations: published by Northstone, a division of Wood Lake Publications, BC, Canada, best known for its Seasons of the Spirit curriculum.
Through social media, we extend the mission and resources of the non-profit organization Alternatives, 1973-2011. Simple Living Works! web site home page | Theme/Seasons Index. To learn more about SLW! – our MISSION, for example — please listen to our getting-acquainted episodes, especially #1 and 2. We produce a half-hour podcast twice a month, hopefully educational and inspiring for you, your family and your congregation or group. We blog several times a week.
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