Simple Living Works! Weekly
Posted on: November 24, 2015
An angel appeared to the shepherds and they were terrified.
Simple Living Works! Weekly Digest
Nov. 24, 2015
In This Issue:
- Worth Revisiting
- WHOSE Birthday? Podcast series
- New SLW! Blog Index
- WHOSE Birthday Is It, Anyway? #27
- Advent Conspiracy – interview with Ken Weigel
- Wisdom from Author David Shi on Simple Living
- Do-It-Yourself “Whose Birthday?”
- Free Fall Festival Resources
- What Others Are Doing – So much help!
- More!
New SLW! Blog Index
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Worth Revisiting
How We Celebrate Says a Lot About How We Live: Observations on Thanksgiving
from Whose Birthday? #21 —
Reflection: ‘RULES’ for Buying (Lynn A. Miller)
Activities:The Best Gift I Didn’t Get (Sandi Baete)
Parties with a Purpose (Sandi Baete)
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SLW! Podcast #57
A legacy ‘Whose Birthday?’ is a three-part SLW! podcast series released Nov. 15, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15. It features well-known preacher and national leader Louis Lotz, author Meg Cox and others. It can also be used as text or audio. It’s calendar and readings match this Advent’s lectionary cycle (C, Luke).
Encourage others to listen. Use this article in your newsletter/web site.
Each episode is released about two weeks in advance so that you can plan how to use the calendar, reflections and activities with others at the appropriate time. Nov. 15 episode includes Advent 1 and 2; Dec. 1, Advent 3 and 4; Dec. 15, Christmas and Epiphany. (Complete previews of all three episodes are also available now.)
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WHOSE Birthday? #27
“Xmas Gift Equation” and “Priceless Gifts” by Susan Vogt
“Saving Forgetful Old St. Nick’ and “O Holy Night at the Clothes Closet” by Melodie Davis
“Advent Devotions” by Bob Sitze
“Putting Herod Back Into Christmas” by Joy Carroll Wallis
The classic Advent/Christmas resource “Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?” is available in multiple formats in 2015 to meet your personal, family and community needs.
“Whose Birthday?” #27 is a new, free online collection. You’re welcome to contribute to our most widely-read resource. All past editions are still available on the SLW! site. The articles are carefully indexed. The current edition will be updated as new material arrives, so send ideas and items anytime. Prepare something now while it’s really on your mind. Submission Guidelines
Yes, YOU can have our own customized, DIY Whose Birthday? Click here for tips to CREATE, PRODUCE, DISTRIBUTE and PROMOTE your do-it-yourself version.
Make it provocative, humorous, serious or a combination, in your way to advance SLW! mission: “equipping people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly.”
A legacy “Whose Birthday?” is being release as a multi-part SLW! podcast series in Nov. 15, Dec. 1, Dec. 15. It can also be used as text or audio. It’s calendar matches the lectionary cycle (C).
Read past editions in the archives.
What’s NOW with SLW!
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SLW! Podcast Episode #56: Ken Weigel, Director of Advent Conspiracy
Since 2006 Advent Conspiracy has become a global movement of people and churches resisting the cultural Christmas narrative of consumption by choosing a revolutionary Christmas. In this episode, Ken illuminates each of four tenets:
- Spending Less,
- Giving More
- Loving All
- Worshipping Fully
Because of people who have entered into the conspiracy, millions of dollars have been given to provide clean water solutions around the world.
FREE Church Resources: Children’s Curriculum, audio, video, more // Advent Conspiracy FAQ’s // 2015 video on YouTube, 3:09
- FALL FESTIVAL RESOURCES (free online)
- SUBSCRIBE to SLW! Podcast for free through iTunes, Stitcher.com or your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to SLW! Blog. Click “+Follow” at lower right of blog post, enter a name and email address. Welcome!
- Simpler Living Alternative Daily Calendar — NOVEMBER // DECEMBER
- Check out a few of SLW! thought-provoking, timely resources that might meet your personal, family or congregational/group needs. They’re all FREE. Visit Seasonal/Thematic Resource Index
What’s Coming
- SLW! Podcast: WHOSE Birthday? parts 2, 3 (Dec. 1, Dec. 31)
What Others Are Doing – So Much Help!
I’m glad to pass along links from simple living bloggers, podcasters, coaches and others. Some faith-based, some not. You needn’t read them all. Choose FIVE links — including SLW! — to investigate.
- Becoming Minimalist (Joshua Becker)
- But What Do You Want to be Thanked For? (11/23)
- Inspiring Simplicity Reads. (11/21)
- 5 Tips for a More Intentional Holiday Season (11/16)
- Inspiring Simplicity Reads. (11/6)
- The Hope Effect: Changing How the World Cares for Orphans (11/1)
- A New, Minimalist Economy (10/26)
- Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads. (10/24)
- Center for a New American Dream: Kids Unbranded Action Kit
- The Common Good Podcast
- Episode 65 :: Mel Lions: Why Food Choices Are Our Best Portal to Making Differences Ecologically (11/1)
- Episode 64 :: Paul Canavese: Why Pope Francis’ Encyclical and Visit Matter (10/1)
- NEW – Creation Justice: CAPSULES– News and Opportunities for Christians Doing Creation Justice, Fall 2015
- Earth Mama (Joyce Rouse) — Website, Songbooks, Whole Enchi-Mama on a USB Thumbdrive, Standing on the Shoulders music video, sheet music offerings — all NEW
- Eco-Justice Ministries (Peter Sawtell) // Voluntary Simplicity archive
- Paris (11/20)
- Bus Boycott and Pipeline Protest (11/13)
- Balancing Abundance and Need (11/6)
- Thou Shalt Not Exploit (10/30)
- We Have Defaulted (10/23)
- Destruction and Transformation (10/16)
- A US Dialogue with the Pope (9/25)
- GodSpace (Christine Sine)
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My Favourite Books on Gratitude (11/26)
- How Then Are We to Respond (11/17)
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Preparing for a Blue Christmas – New Ideas for 2015 (11/16)
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- The Homesteading Guide Daily: Homesteading adventurer exploring life off the grid. Inviting you to share my journey and the friends I meet as we help you with your homesteading endeavors.
- Living Lightly (Susan Vogt on living more simply but abundantly): 365+ Days of Give-Aways // TMI-Too Much Information
- Generosity vs. Prudence
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Finding good homes for no longer needed items rather than just putting them in the trash.
- Finding Good Homes #2 – These are the miscellaneous items that have been gathering dust while I focused on Too Much Information over the summer.
- Finding Good Homes #3 – Weird things like carpet squares, trinkets, and not-so-weird things like towels
- Good Homes Are Hard To Find #4 – Things like mattresses and trophies are a challenge, plus the old stand by of “Leave it by the curb the day before garbage pick-up and hope someone “steals” it.
- Homes for Inherited Stuff #5 – What to do with stuff that carries emotional attachments or is too upscale for Goodwill.
- Pros & Cons of Recycling – When recycling is not enough.
For those who like to be current, you could also check out Inheriting & Investing Money that I just posted today.. - Live Simply (Third Way: Celeste Kennel-Shank)
- Mustard Seed Associates (Andy Wade)
- New Celebrations (Clyde Griffith)
- NorthWest Earth Institute‘s newest discussion course ebook, Change Is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions
- The OneEarth Project (Lee Van Ham)
- Three minute film: Ecology and Economics—Colleagues, Not Rivals
- Conversation about The OneEarth Project and Lee’s book,
Blinded by Progress: Breaking Out of the Illusion That Holds Us - The Common Good Podcast, episode 42
- Lee’s new Slide Show
- The Pastoral Center/Gospel Living (Paul Canavese)
- CatholicCreationCare.com – General resources
- CreationCareKids.com – Children’s resources
- Advent/Christmas resources for families, some incorporating Alternatives.
- Easter resources for families
- PostConsumers: Find the Satisfaction of Enough
- The Hidden Consumerism of Crafting (10/30)
- 37 Marketing Traps to Look Out For This Holiday Season
- Tips for Raising PostConsumer Children: Grade School // Middle School // High School // College
- Simple Enough (Bob Sitze)
- “Simple Things: Rope” (11/23)
- “Simple Words: Intimacy (11/20)
- “Simplicity’s Children: Best Friends Forever” (11/17)
- “The Law of Unintended Drones” (11/14)
- “Mortal thanks” (11/11)
- “More Magic Thoughts” (11/8)
- Mother Carey’s Chickens” (11/5)
- “Simple congregations: Longevity” (11/2)
- “No (Reformation) Choice” (10/30)
- “Simplicity’s Children: Shared Hobbies” (10/27)
- “Simple Things: Flowers” (10/24)
- Simple Living: the Good Life (Janet Luhrs)
- Simple Times (Debi Taylor-Hough): Saving Your Time, Money & Sanity
- Latest edition
- Simplicity Collective – Let us be pioneers once more (Samuel Alexander)
- Simplicity Parenting (Kim John Payne): because it is a beautiful world
- Smart and Simple Matters podcast (Joel Zaslofsky of Value of Simple: Liberate Your Time, Money and Talent)
- How to Grow Food Anywhere and Build Community Everywhere with Eugene Cooke, Ep. 83 (9/21)
- 5 Strategic Steps to Streamline Your Life with Miriam Ortiz y Pino, Ep. 82 (9/7)
- For links to earlier entries, check the previous SLW! blog.
Upcoming Alternate Celebrations
What’s Happened
- SLW! Podcast Ep. 55: David E. Shi, educator, speaker, consultant, author of the classic “The Simple Life: Plain Living and High Thinking in American Culture” Complete Preview
- SLW! Podcast #54: Paul Canavese on Pope Francis — How to Keep His Momentum Building
- SLW! Podcast #53: World Community Cookbooks UPDATED
- SLW! Podcast #52: Kristina’s “Alternative” Ph.D. Dissertation + Plus links to other fascinating historical “Alternative” documents and photos.
- Previews of Simple Living Blogs, Podcasts and Sites // New Collaborators and Champions
- Recent Responses to all SLW! media, including links
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). Complete Episode Index Listen through your computer, iPod, iPad, iPhone (or equivalent).
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Peace, Gerald “Jerry” Iversen, Chief SLW! Activist
*IMAGE: Spirit of Simplicity #3-A0864
For hard copies of Alternatives’ resources at nominal cost, contact ELCA Archives, 321 Bonnie Lane, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 * (847) 690-9410 * archives@elca.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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