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Following Christ and Minimalism 

I’ve been drawn to do some “research” on the minimalist movement in the past few days, particularly the writings of “the minimalists”—Joshua Fields Millburn and his best friend of over 20 years, Ryan Nicodemus, whose documentary “Minimalism” I had watched on Netflix (and was intrigued by) several months ago.

Because they are not obviously “Christian,” I’ve had some feelings of guilt for spending my time with them, but this morning upon awakening at 3:30 AM, I realized that God was speaking to me through these two young men who have demonstrated the courage to follow their hearts (in very practical and concrete ways) in a materialistic culture which is blatantly against all they are espousing in their lives and their writings.

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Count Everything as Loss

As the time of my departure for Italy (March 9) with my granddaughter draws nearer, I find myself bombarded with the what ifs connected with any unknown adventure. I observe myself attempting to do anything and everything possible to make this a pleasant experience for the both of us. I’ve bought her a hair dryer and hair straightener with dual voltage, purchased our euros and set aside any number of other things I think she may want to take along. I will be joining her tomorrow for our final preparations.

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Underdone Burgers

Today I made homemade buns and barbecue sauce for the twenty-five steak burgers my husband was going to grill. It was to be a wonderful meal for today and lots of leftovers for the freezer. The last time he grilled them, they were really scrumptious and a big hit. But I thought they were just a tad overdone, so I suggested he not cook these quite as long. I wanted them to be perfect!

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What Is Your “Giant”?

We read the stories of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, of Daniel, of the men who spied out the Promised Land (and even of Peter and Paul) and wonder what we would do if we were in their shoes. Those of us who enjoy freedom of religion are very thankful that we will probably never be put to the test.

We think this way because we read the Scriptures only as historical accounts of God’s people. What we fail to realize is that every story is our story —even when we are unaware of it. Every time I make a decision to believe the promises of God (which Paul tells us are yea and Amen —2Corinthians 1:20) rather than the wisdom of this world (which is foolishness in the eyes of God —1Corinthians 3:19), I am immediately face to face with my fears (the Nebuchadnezzars or the other giants of Scripture) which are threatening my very life. This is equally true in every area of our lives —physical, financial, mental, social. I may not be facing the same giants that you are, but all of us do face them. The moment you decide to believe anything promised by God, every conscious and subconscious fear you retain in that area immediately asserts itself.

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