Light & Life Magazine by Light & Life Communications

Feature

DEC 20 1 1

LLM

News

Discipleship

1 [openers]

Celebrate Simply, Significantly

ecember can be a complex flurry of obligations and stress. Late November’s Black Friday is followed by weeks of shopping, parties and traveling. For many of us, December is chaotic. In my family, I’m the scrooge. I still don’t get the idea that giving and receiving gifts is an appropriate way to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Every year, we attempt to make Christmas simpler. We’ve failed in many areas, but we’ve succeeded in two: 1. Cap spending: We set an amount to spend and don’t go over it. 2. Spend differently: Two years ago, we started taking the amount of money we would spend on each other and dividing it in half. With More Christmas coverage at llcomm.org 1] Do you use QR codes on your smartphone? Scan this box with your phone to access more articles about Christmas and simplicity. 2] What if your family gave up TV? Carla Morris and Erin Swarm discuss life without television. 3] Why do we celebrate Advent? Bishop Emeritus Donald N. Bastian explains the reason for the season.

What’s this? This symbol means there’s more info at llcomm.org.

half of the money previously spent on family gifts, we sent a gift to the child we sponsor through ICCM, helped start a business in Costa Rica through Kiva (this was before the online SEED store launched; see back cover), and bought books and uniforms for students in Africa. This issue of LLM focuses on simplicity. I recently heard someone say that strategy is just as much about the things you say no to as the things you say yes to. How will you simplify this Christmas season? Share your best strategy on llcomm.org, under this Archer i Jason Executive Director issue’s articles and celebrate Christmas of Free Methodist simply, richly and deeply together. [LLM] Communications

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:4

LLM LIGHT & LIFE MAGAZINE

Developing Earnest Christians Since 1868

Lead Writer Lead Designer Writer/Photographer Copy Editor Art Director Project Manager Web Director/Rich Media Publisher

Jeff Finley Erin Eckberg Michael Metts Dawn McIlvain Stahl Andrea Anibal Julie Innes Peter Shackelford Jason Archer

Spanish Translation Ezequiel Alvarez Janeth Bustamante Joe Castillo Jennifer Flores Guillermo Flores, Lead

Joel Guzman Carmen Hosea Karen Kabandama Samuel Lopez Rodrigo Lozano, Coordinator

To receive Light & Life in Spanish please contact our office: (800) 342-5531 or jeff.finley@fmcusa.org.

Website: www.llcomm.org Email us: www.llcomm.org/staff News and submissions: jeff.finley@fmcusa.org Advertising: jason.archer@fmcusa.org Address all correspondence to: Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317) 244-3660 LLM: Light & Life Magazine (ISSN 0024-3299) was established in 1868 by the Free Methodist Church. Published monthly by Light & Life Communications. © 2011 Free Methodist Church - USA, 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214. Views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the official position of the Free Methodist Church. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations, no portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.

Whole No. 5234, Vol. 144, No. 7 Printed in U.S.A. Member: Evangelical Press Association, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability Periodicals postage paid at Indianapolis, IN, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster, send address changes to: Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46214

’tistheseason

Simplify to

by JEN HATMAKER

ctor dist ns

hile some people sing about “seven swans a-swimming,” I reflect on my family’s seven months of simplicity. Three years ago, our Free Methodist church plant housed more than 80 evacuees from Hurricane Ike; we took in 12 of them. We moved our three kids into our bedroom, washed sheets, blew up mattresses, rolled out sleeping bags and readied the house for an onslaught. As carloads arrived and we welcomed them, one 10-year-old boy walked into our home, looked around with huge eyes and hollered: “Dad! This white dude is rich!” uuu

3 [feature] We are. For years I didn’t realize this, because so many others had more. We were surrounded by extreme affluence, which tricks you into thinking you’re in the middle of the pack. How can I be socially responsible if unaware that I reside in the top percentage of wealth in the world? (You probably do too, Make $35,000 a year? Top 4 percent. $50,000? Top 1 percent.) Excess has impaired perspective in the United States; we are the richest people on earth, praying to get richer. What does it communicate when half the global population lives on less than $2 a day, and we can’t manage a fulfill-

ing life on many times that amount? It says we have too much, and it is ruining us.

The Seven Experiment Enter Seven, a crazy little project in the Hatmaker family. Seven months, seven areas of excess, reduced to seven simple choices: l Month one: Food We ate only seven foods. l Month two: Clothes We wore the same seven items of clothing. No, I am not kidding. l Month three: Possessions We gave away seven things a day that we owned.

seven things my kids learned

They could go without Xbox, PSP, Wii, the Disney Channel, email and texting, and the Earth would not be sucked into a black hole of quantum nothingness.

2 3

They can give away a ton of their stuff and not only never miss it, but still be stunned by how much is left.

Not spending money at a single restaurant, theater, store or event for a month is hard. (OK, maybe that was my lesson.)

The only way to keep squash borers from wrecking your freshly planted summer squash is by cutting them out with a knife and squeezing them between your fingers until they pop, which zero children would do. So they learned how to pull weeds.

Even though one son declared, “You’re ruining our lives,” at the beginning of Seven, by the end, even he made a long list of best moments.

Their favorite element was observing the Sabbath, beginning with dinner Friday night — the fancy dishes, the candles, the readings and the big meal. They were over the moon.

Even when you strip away a lot of the glitz and excess, the precious parts of life remain. We laughed, played games, took walks, put on plays, cooked together, read books out loud, went to farmers markets, gardened, created and grew together.

onth four: Media M We took away seven forms of media, gaming and social networking, and imposed radio silence. The kids feigned aneurysms. l Month five: Spending We spent money in only seven places. (We missed you, Chick-fil-A!) l Month six: Waste We adopted seven substantial habits for a greener life, including gardening, composting, extensive recycling and buying only thrift or local. l Month seven: Stress We followed the “Seven Sacred Pauses,” pausing for prayer and worship seven times a day, in addition to observing the traditional Sabbath each week. l

New Habits How do I summarize Seven, an experiment that has forever altered our lives? The practice of reducing and simplifying has left us with a huge list of reforms and new habits and practices — not to mention the crash course I’ve received on the economy, capitalism, alternative fuels, sustainable farming, neurological processes, industrialized food, local economics,

consumer trends and ancient liturgy. I’ve eaten a Christmas feast of information and find myself sputtering and gasping. I’ve read precision analysis by global economists and rhythmic prayer poetry by a monastic nun. I’ve digested articles by farmers, food lobbyists, social activists, missionaries, financial advisers, marketing analysts, pastors, insurgents, doctors, ecologists, waste managers, priests, advocates, nonprofit leaders, documentary makers, politicians, revolutionaries, troublemakers and dreamers. After curbing my appetites for so long, I’ve discovered my appetites have changed.

cost comparison

[feature] 4

Annual U.S. spending on cosmetics

6 billion

Basic education for all the world’s children

12 billion

Living with Less In this season of Christmas consumerism, my heart is hungry to raise children who aren’t addicted to the American dream, but to the kingdom of Christ, whose birth we celebrate. I don’t want them to undergo a radical experiment in their 30s just to undo the damage already done. Before life saddles them with responsibilities and self-absorption becomes nearly inevitable, I want to give them a worldview that begins and ends with the mission of Jesus.

8 billion

Annual U.S. and European spending on perfume

9 billion

Clean water for all humans

17 billion

Annual U.S. and European spending on pet food

13 billion

Basic health and nutrition for all humans

Source: “The State of Human Development: United Nations Human Development Report, 1998”

5 [feature] Seven taught us that we can reduce, live with less, treat the Earth and its inhabitants with integrity, and sacrifice none of the good parts of the story. In fact, there is a better story than we ever imagined. There is more than the American dream. Jesus has invited us into a radical, exciting, dangerous and unpredictable adventure — becoming good news to the poor and proclaiming release for the captives. What’s next? We’re not sure.

Seven was a preparation, not an end in itself. We won’t be celebrating Christmas in a van down by the river. I’m not sewing my kids’ clothes. I’m still wearing makeup. But God has rended our hearts, and we will never be the same. We’re in the starting blocks, ready for what is coming, reading Isaiah 58:12 and saying, “Lord, teach us to be repairers of broken walls and restorers of streets with dwellings.” [LLM]

Jen Hatmaker resides in Texas with her husband, Brandon, lead pastor of Austin New Church, and their five children, two of whom were adopted from Ethiopia. Her latest book, “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess,” will reach bookstores in January.

Want to

reach

Free Methodists? We’re your

connection. www.fmfoundation.org

Get your message out to at least 75,000 people with our great advertising opportunities. Large range of prices available, plus digital edition and online ads.

(800) 342-5531 ext. 313 or ads@fmcusa.org.

[bishops] 6

Remove the Layers, Elevate the Joy

undreds of people I know have had the same experience — the Christmas celebration has gotten a little out of hand. Adding parties, decorations, expense, extra family, presents, work celebrations and extra travel makes for a very busy season. In fact, many complain that the meaning diminishes as the busyness increases. That is the nature of most things. Complexity and obligation rarely produce joy. Simplicity and focus generally allow room for meditation, reflection, appreciation, celebration and, ultimately, joy. We must make room. The beauty of Free Methodist tradition includes its historic emphasis on simplicity and purity. It has always been our movement’s desire to experience God fully, be full of His radiant love, and distribute it freely and widely to those who need it most. Our conviction is that in simplicity and purity we are more ready receptacles for God’s grace and the fullness of the Spirit. Christmas in this context makes sense. The beauty of the Christmas celebration is not cluttering it with more activity, but fully experiencing the Christ at the center of Christmas. Enjoy the quietness of time with God in Scripture, prayer and meditation. Join Mary in her isolated wonderment at the angelic visitation. Place yourself by the manger with the weary couple on their night of disappointing accommodations. Sit in the dark with the shepherds who were minding their own flocks and business when they received an unusual host of guests. Take time to appreciate the meaning of Emmanuel (God dwelling with us), and the “us” around you where God dwells. The person with many possessions does not experience the depth of delight held by a child with a single, wooden toy. If you want deep Christmas delight, peel off some layers and enjoy the stillness and the unadulterated simplicity of God being with us — i with you. [LLM]

Our conviction is that in simplicity and purity we are more ready receptacles for God’s grace and the fullness of the Spirit.

Bishop Matt Thomas

7 [foundation]

SCRIPTURE: James 1:27 Mark 7:1-23 Matthew 23:25-26

Rethinking Simple Shopping by DAVID BREWER

lainness and simplicity are core values for Free Methodists, but sometimes we use these values as excuses to not do what God asks. James 1:27 states: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Every day we are faced with a choice about which purchases we make and which we forgo for the sake of simplicity. Is it living simply to own a house, multiple vehicles, electronic gadgets, hundreds of books and closets full of clothes but then refuse to buy a piece of jewelry because of “simplicity”? Could it be that we are polluted by the world by spending on ourselves first? Do we, like the Pharisees, allow each other to declare “Corban” (Mark 7:1-23) in place of spending on “frivolous” things that are actually investments in others? Where we make our purchases may be just as important as what we purchase. It is more in keeping with James and with the spirit of simplicity to buy something made by an artisan, when the selling organization gives the money to the artisan instead of to stockholders. It is hard to imagine the Free Methodist founders objecting to partnerships with brothers and sisters to ensure they have sufficient income for daily sustenance, for their children’s education and to improve their own lives. Plainness and simplicity are guides, not gods. We do not want to appear clean but inside be “full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). Let us, this Advent, consider more carefully what we spend, where and why. “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:26). [LLM] David Brewer spent 20 years in corporate America before resigning to co-direct SEED Livelihood Network — the microenterprise ministry of the Free Methodist Church — with his wife, Rose Brewer, author of the World article on Page 13.

[history] 8

Christmas with B.T. Roberts by MINDI GRIESER CROMWELL

he proper way to celebrate Christmas has been a longstanding debate throughout Christian history. During Oliver Cromwell’s reign in 17th-century England, secular Christmas celebrations were banned in favor of church-centered worship. In Colonial America, whether a community celebrated the holiday depended in large part on which denomination was dominant in the area. Anglican, Catholic and Dutch Reformed believers celebrated Christmas; Baptist, Quaker and Puritan believers did not. After Christmas was declared a national holiday in 1870, most churches commemorated Christmas with worship on the Sunday nearest Dec. 25. In 1886, B.T. Roberts wrote an article for The Free Methodist (this magazine’s predecessor) in which he took Luke 2:13-14 as the guideline for a faithful and prayerful Christmas: B.T. Roberts u (Photo courtesy of The proper way to observe Christmas is to imitate, as Marston Memorial nearly as possible, the angels who, on the occasion Historical Center) made a visit to our earth. … 1. By giving glory to God in the highest. Let us, ourselves, praise him, and give thanks to his name. This cannot be deputed to a preacher or a choir. God is not worshiped by proxy. It is the feeling with which praise is rendered, and not the manner, which he regards. ... 2. By doing all in our power to promote “on earth peace, good will to men.” We should look carefully at the feelings we have entertained towards others, and at the way we have treated them. Roberts’ guide to a thoughtful, worshipful and simple Christmas focused on the individual Christian giving the gift of praise to God, giving the gift of peace to humanity, and using material gifts within the family to “bind more closely together those whom God in his providence has united.” [LLM]

Let Christmas be a day of forgiveness and reconciliation. — B.T. Roberts in “Christmas,” The Free Methodist, Dec. 22, 1886

family trades

receiving for

giving by jeff finley

Photo by Andrea Anibal

oanna DeWolf (right) and her family enjoyed Christmas shopping, but wondered if their purchases were excessive. “Every year we had this discussion with our extended family: ‘Oh, we really all have what we need,’” said DeWolf, a member of Central FMC in Lansing, Mich. “We don’t need all of this stuff. How can we simplify?” uuu

Photo by Andrea Anibal

[action] 10 A few years ago, DeWolf, her siblings and their immediate families set aside the money they would normally spend on gifts for extended family. They decided to let their children look at information from charities and decide where to contribute the money. Because the children became actively involved, their enthusiasm about helping other people replaced the excitement of opening gifts. The children now collect spare change and hold fundraisers to increase their Christmas giving to nonprofit organizations. “The Water Buffalo Song” from the “VeggieTales” animated series attracted the children to a Heifer International project offering the opportunity to buy a water buffalo for a family in need. According to the charity’s website, a $250 donation buys a water buffalo to help a Filipino family plant potatoes and rice while providing them with milk, fertilizer and fuel. “Last year, we actually had enough to buy the water buffalo plus a few extra things,” DeWolf said. “The kids were so excited.” DeWolf’s sister, Karyl Morin, said although the family members agreed to make charitable donations instead of exchanging gifts, the transition was not easy.

“The first year took a lot of effort to switch everyone’s mindsets,” said Morin, who added that family tradition has shifted so much that collecting for charity is now the focus of the children’s Christmas preparation. “They know that the point of Christmas is not more stuff for us,” said Morin, a member of Engedi (Wesleyan) Church in Holland, Mich. “It’s not the consumerism. It’s celebrating the birth of Christ through thinking about generosity for those who are in the most vulnerable place.” At the immediate family level, Morin said, family members reduced gift giving while still finding ways to express their love for each other. The children still have something to open as the extended family gathers. DeWolf’s parents — Dan and Judy Shinabarger, members of New Covenant FMC in Clio, Mich. — make sure each child has a gift to open, but the Shinabargers also support the charitable efforts. “It’s just been a joy to watch the kids, and they look forward to it,” Judy said. “It gives them a better perspective of what Christmas is all about.” Participating family members include Dan and Judy Shinabarger

Because the children became actively involved, their enthusiasm about helping other people replaced the excitement of opening gifts. (Dan is the former East Michigan Conference superintendent); Matt and Joanna DeWolf and their children, Lincoln, 10, and Leina, 8; Mike and Karyl Morin, and their children, Sarah, 12, and Becca, 9; and Atlanta residents Jeff and André Shinabarger and their daughter, Jada, 2. Jeff is a social entrepreneur and the founder of two philanthropic websites, giftcardgiver.com and plywoodpeople.com. [LLM]

11 [news]

FM Pastors Start Strong by JEFF FINLEY

ew Free Methodist pastors bonded with bishops and each other during the Starting Strong Conference Sept. 12-14 in Indianapolis. “On Monday afternoon, the pastors arrived as strangers to one another. On Wednesday afternoon, they left as friends and partners in ministry — connected to one another through common experience,” said organizer Beth Cullison, an FM elder and the Board of Bishops’ executive administrative assistant. Cullison said the three-day event introduced new pastors and their spouses to the ministry philosophy and vision of FM leadership, built relationships between the pastors and denominational leaders, and connected the pastors to the services of the World Ministries Center. The 30 participants hailed from 10 annual conferences. As the Starting Strong Conference drew to a close, the pastors expressed gratitude for the direct interaction with the bishops.

“I just continue to be really impressed by the humility of the bishops, their leadership and their love for God and their love for the church,” said Matthew Riley, pastor of the Outlet FMC in Dallas, Pa. Participants toured the World Evelyn Zigler (Left), a pastor at New Hope FMC in Rochester, Ministries Center N.Y., receives Communion from Bishop David Kendall during Starting Strong. and interacted us, jumping into the journey together,” with employees in each department. said Mark Hurt, lead pastor of “It was a blessing to see the staff,” Columbus (Ind.) FMC. said Mary Ann Milne, pastor of Ronnie Hampton — a pastor plantNew Life FMC in Jeannette, Pa. “The ing a church in Washington, D.C. — tour was fabulous.” described Starting Strong as “a great Milne and other pastors said they opportunity for networking with new appreciated the unity among the pastors, feeling the pulse of the Free Starting Strong participants. Methodist denomination.” [LLM] “The best part for us is getting the connection, not only through the bishops but with other men and women who are on the same page as

[news] 12 NORTHGATE FMC Batavia, N.Y.

In response to a growing congregation and a desire to offer a smaller venue option for worship, Northgate FMC officially launched its south campus Oct. 2. The additional space is in its previous, now completely renovated building. A new café adds to the casual atmosphere of the lobby. Technology upgrades include an HD screen that is 7 feet by 11 feet and displays the north campus’ sermons.

SPRING ARBOR UNIVERSITY Spring Arbor, Mich.

Spring Arbor University honored David and Yvonne Roller, 1975 graduates, as the Alumni of the Year during the Oct. 8 alumni awards banquet at the Spring Arbor FMC’s fellowship hall. The Rollers are former Free Methodist missionaries, and they developed the Rancho Betania spiritual retreat center in Mexico. David has served as a bishop since 2007.

FAITH FMC Pleasant Grove, Ala.

As their community continues to rebuild from a devastating spring tornado, members of Faith FMC and other local churches have begun the Locally Organized Volunteer Effort. LOVE helps families who were uninsured or did not receive enough insurance money to rebuild. Faith FMC has hosted more than a dozen work teams.

BIG RAPIDS FMC Big Rapids, Mich.

Pastor Peter Kadar preached a series of transformational messages about becoming immersed in God’s desire to build the church by preaching the gospel and making disciples of all people groups. A 12-year-old girl accepted Christ following one message. The series involved worship, outreach, godly fellowship, works of service, and discipleship/spiritual personal trainers.

The Rest of the Story Want to find indepth stories of remarkable Free Methodists? Visit fmcusa.org and llcomm.org.

We want to hear from you! Tell us what your church is doing to impact lives in the United States and around the world. Submit your story at fmcusa.org/ yourstory.

13 [world]

Buy Something Really Beautiful by ROSE BREWER

SEED product

e all want Christmas to be more meaningful. And most of us have people for whom we really want to buy gifts. Why not buy meaningful gifts that help bring joy to the world? The website for SEED (seedlivelihood.org), the microenterprise ministry of Free Methodist World Missions, has gifts from livelihood groups connected to FM communities around the world. You can buy beautiful shoulder bags from Peruvian women striving to support their families, satchels from women finding dignity in a creative access country, or paper jewelry from Ugandan parents using their earnings to send their children to school. You can also buy a pig to be given to widows in a new livelihood group in the Philippines. Heavenly Treasures (heavenlytreasures.org with an online store planned for shopmakertomarket.org) helps gifted artisans in 13 countries who rely on their handicrafts to sustain their families. Members of the Glendora, Calif.-based Heavenly Treasures team are all Free Methodist missionaries in the United States, demonstrating the love of Jesus in a practical way. You can help change a life by simply purchasing a beautiful fair-trade handicraft. For more information, call (626) 963-7717 or email info@heavenlytreasures.org. You may have someone in your life who doesn’t want a tangible Christmas gift. Consider donating in that person’s honor at give.fmcusa.org, the new online giving system for the Free Methodist Church where you can label your gift as a “tribute.”

International Child Care Ministries (childcareministries. org/give) makes it easy to buy a Bible, an animal, or a water filter or contribute to special funds for sponsored children, their families and communities. Do you know someone who would be thrilled to have money donated in his or her name to help prevent child trafficking in Thailand? Imagine the impact of matching the amount you spend on a Christmas tree to buy hundreds of trees to reforest Ethiopia or Madagascar (edenprojects.org). Consider spreading the Christmas spirit by donating in someone’s honor toward a friendship well in India (clearblueproject.com). Through Sister Connection (sisterconnection.org), you can even buy a house for a widow in Burundi — for $600! Now that is a gift that will outlast even fruitcake. [LLM] Rose Brewer is co-director of the SEED Livelihood Network.

[discipleship] 14

Frigid Luxury and Radical Simplicity by GREG COATES

he principal founder of the Free Methodist Church, B.T. Roberts, had a passion for living simply. His enthusiasm for avoiding all unnecessary expenditures might strike us as odd. For example, in his book “Why Another Sect,” Roberts passionately attacks the consumption of “expensive foods” such as oysters and ice cream — “that frigid luxury.” Although it is easy to write off Roberts’ remarks as old-fashioned and legalistic, we in the 21st century may have entirely The context of drowned out the voices of our ancestors who modeled rampant poverty a radically simple form of shaped the theology Christian living. What drove Roberts and company to and practices of our advocate such an extremely church’s founders. simple lifestyle? Their original passion certainly did not begin as empty legalism, although later decades may have experienced it as such. For the holiness reformers of the 19th century, a love for “keeping it simple” was the natural outworking of the sacred law to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). The context of rampant poverty shaped the theology and practices of our church’s founders. They witnessed people without homes, without proper clothing, without necessary health care. Because the needs were so great and resources so few, these radicals for simplicity refused to waste precious money on frivolities. What if we recapture our passion for simplicity during this Christmas season? What if we make “love your neighbor” the guiding principle as we consider how to shop? Perhaps we might find ourselves living simply so that others may simply live. [LLM]

GROUP DISCUSSION: [1] What does simplicity have to do with the command for us to love our neighbor as ourselves?

[2] Does living simply mean making absolutely no purchases that are unnecessary, or could it mean buying less in order to give more to those who are in desperate need?

Did you know there are three more discipleship articles on our website? They’re perfect for use in your small group or as a weekly supplement to individual study.

LLM LIGHT & LIFE MAGAZINE

770 N. High School Road Indianapolis, IN 46214

periodicals postage paid at indianapolis, In, and at additional mailing offices Publications Agreement No. 40716549 Station A P.O. Box 54 Windsor, On N9A 6J5 Canada e-mail: cpcreturns@wdsmail.com

[Brought to you by Light & Life Communications.]

1 2 3 4

[resources]

“7” BY JEN HATMAKER Read this issue’s feature (Page 2) and then pre-order the full story of a family’s experimental mutiny against excess: bit.ly/hatmaker.

PLYWOOD PEOPLE Check out an “innovative community addressing social needs” at this website edited by Joanna DeWolf (Page 9): plywoodpeople.com.

Simplify your life and help others this Christmas season. See Page 13 for gift ideas.

GIFT CARD GIVER Give your partially unused gift cards to charity through this website founded by Jeff Shinabarger (Page 10): giftcardgiver.com.

PROJECT MISSIONS Recycle used postage stamps while supporting Free Methodist World Missions: bit.ly/fmstamps.

3 4