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Simpler Living, Compassionate Life, edited and compiled by Michael Schut, produced by Earth Ministry, and published by Living the Good News Press (1999). A four-, six-, eight-, or twelve-week curriculum that uses a shared leadership format. This best-selling study, with thirty-two accompanying readings, looks at voluntary simplicity from a Christian perspective. âThis wonderful collection of essays on money, time, environment, community, and related topics offers a compelling alternative vision of a healthy, whole, and balanced life.â (-Jim Wallis, Editor-in-Chief, Sojourners.) This book may also be used for personal study. Table of Contents Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective edited by Earth Ministry's Michael Schut Foreword, Bill McKibben Introduction Introduction, Michael Schut Overview, Michael Schut The Sacred Journey: Seeking the Abundant Life Introduction to The Sacred Journey, Frederick Buechner The Good Life and The Abundant Life, Michael Schut Time as Commodity, Time as Sacred Excerpt from The Overworked American, Juliet Schor The Spirituality of Everyday Life, Cecile Andrews Entering the Emptiness, Gerald May Contemplation and Ministry, Henri Nouwen Your Money or Your Life: The Place of Money in Modern Life Spending Money as if Life Really Mattered, Evy McDonald Money, William Stringfellow How Much Is Enough?: Lifestyles, Global Economics, and Justice The Big Economy, The Great Economy, Michael Schut Christian Faith and the Degradation of Creation, John B. Cobb, Jr. How Much Is Enough?, Alan Durning Word and Flesh, Wendell Berry Social and Environmental Impacts of Everyday Food Choices The Pleasures of Eating, Wendell Berry The Great Hunter-Gatherer Continuum, James T. Mulligan Social Structures and the Politics of Simplicity Christian Existence in a World of Limits, John B. Cobb, Jr. Structural Changes, Cecile Andrews The Lifestyle of Christian Faithfulness, William Gibson Simplicity Is Nothing New: A Brief Historical Overview Introduction to The Politics of Simplicity, Jerome Segal Epilogue from The Simple Life, David Shi Simplicity Among the Saints, Richard J. Foster Theology in Support Of Simplicity and Eco-Justice Some Notes from Belshazâzar's Feast, Timothy Weiskel Creation's Care and Keeping, Calvin DeWitt The Discipline of Simplicity, Richard J. Foster Worldviews: The Lens Through Which We See Worldview as Inheritance, Michael Schut Traditional Western View of Reality, Duane Elgin Healing Ourselves and Our Earth, Shantilal Bhagat Sacred Cosmology and the Ecological Crisis, Philip Sherrard Widening Our Circle of Community: Journey to Abundant Life Building Community, Cecile Andrews Winter Solstice at the Moab Slough, Terry Tempest Williams Epilogue Seeing the Sacred in the Ordinary, James T. Mulligan Extending Our Circle of Compassion, Michael Schut Study Guide by Michael Schut The study guide (which appears at the back of the book) provides an opportunity to learn with others and develop a community of support among participants. The material accommodates four, six, eight or twelve weeks of group study. Leadership is shared as the role of facilitator rotates. Facilitators need no special training or material. Discussion questions, prayers and other meditative materials, and suggested action steps are provided. Meeting One -- Storytelling: Listening to Our Lives Two -- Worldviews: The Lens through Which We See Three -- Simplicity is Nothing New: A Brief Historical Overview Four -- Theology in Support of Simplicity and Eco-Justice Five -- Theology for the Practice of Simplicity Six -- Time as Commodity, Time as Sacred Seven -- Your Money or Your Life Eight -- The Big Economy, The Great Economy Nine -- How Much is Enough?: Lifestyles, Global Economics, and Justice Ten -- Broader Impacts of our Everyday Food Choices Eleven -- The Politics of Simplicity Twelve -- Widening Our Circle of Community: Journey to Abundant Life How Small Groups are Using SLCL Simpler Living, Compassionate Life's study guide is designed to be user-friendly. It is also flexible and meant to fit whatever needs a particular small group may bring to their time together. Many congregations or organizations began by sponsoring a six or eight week class. Many of these groups, from what we hear, end up continuing to meet for the full twelve weeks. Some groups meet weekly, some monthly; some meet during a Sunday School hour, some gather for a longer period of time in someone's home. One particularly energized congregational-group met for 31 weeks, one for each of the book's essays! The study guide's introduction includes a variety of suggested lengths and themes a group might pursue. Numerous congregations use the book during Lent or Advent. To Order Cost: $14.95 plus shipping. ($12.95/book plus shipping for group orders.) Order online, print out the order form, or call Earth Ministry, (206) 632-2426. Earth Ministry provides a discount ($12.95/book, plus shipping) for multiple-copy orders. You can also call your local bookstore. If not in stock, they will be able to order SLCL for you. ISBN Number: 1-889108-62-6. Or, call the publisher at 1-800-824-1813.
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