Mark Scandrette and the Spiritual practice of Simplicity

I've spent the last three days sitting under the teaching of Mark Scandrette, who is in Hamilton sharing material from his latest book, "Free - Spending Time and Money on What Matters Most." I first stumbled across Scandrette's teachings a couple of years ago when I read his previous book, "Practicing the Way of Jesus" and took a small group of leaders through his innovative approach to discipleship. His philosophy of spiritual formation shaped quite a bit of GOHOP's internship.I was excited when I heard about Mark's new book because I have found that the spiritual practice of simplicity has been an essential and enlivening part of our journey with GOHOP. When our car died, we didn't replace it. We share a community house with four other adults. Dates are often rented movies from the library, and $5 chips from the chip truck down the street (yum!). We shop in thrift stores, and this year, am going to make many of my Christmas presents. Setting aside patterns of mindless consumption have freed us to invest our lives in something that matters deeply to us and is a force for good in our community. Life is rich and deeply good.So if anyone feels a disconnect between their dreams for their lives, and the actual out working of those dreams, if you feel stuck on the hamster wheel of financial obligations, if you are "caught up in the thick of thin things" (to quote Stephen Covey), I highly recommend Mark's book. www.markscandrette.com