Henri Nouwen - Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective

Any book is the result of the combined efforts and wisdom of many people. I think this is true even for books written by only one person, for individuals are expressions of all those who have influenced their lives. Their writing embodies the wisdom and inherited worldviews garnered from their community. This is even more the case, then, for an anthology such as this, combining the work of not only all the included authors and the communities which have influenced them, but the input and wisdom from many members of my community. This book is all the richer and fuller for it, and I am grateful. For many of us it is not all that common to be able to work on a project which so closely expresses what we value. This book has been such a project for me. I remember when I first began to write: all I could do for some time was sit silently in deep thanksgiving.

For making the work of Earth Ministry possible, thank you to all our donors whose gifts keep our work alive. Thank you to St. Marks Episcopal Cathedral (Seattle, WA) for your grant. Special thanks to two foundationsThe Greenville Foundation (Sonoma, CA) and The Dudley Foundation (Bellingham, WA)for their generous support of this project. Both foundations were able to see beyond the perceived boundary typically drawn between environmental and religious concerns.

In 1996, Earth Ministry published Simplicity As Compassion (SAC): Voluntary Simplicity from a Christian Perspective. SAC was an eight-week curriculum that included an anthology of 15 essays. It formed the core from which this book has been expanded.

I am especially grateful to James Creasey and Liz Riggleman of Living the Good News. Your enthusiasm for the project was very encouraging. Thank you, Liz, for your editorial advice, good humor, kindness and guidance. Thanks for your patience in answering all my many questions. James, I have appreciated your ability to help varied audiences understand the breadth of this books message. And your suggestions and advice were always insightful and to the point. Thank you to the rest of the staff at Living the Good News for your support.

My deepest thanks to Rev. Jim Mulligan, Earth Ministrys Executive Director, for the camaraderie we shared on this project and in all of our work together. Jim provided constant support, editing, and constructive feedback; he read everything here a number of times! We spent many hours discussing ideas back and forth. He also helped me to see my own blind spots, which have a way of creeping into my writing! Jim wrote Meeting Six. His wisdom, keen perception, and gentleness are felt throughout this book.

The rest of Earth Ministrys staff and volunteers also played important roles. Pete Dorman, Phebe Gustafson, and Sheryl Wiser were always available for various administrative and marketing support. They also provided comments on various drafts of the introductory essays. Rev. Carla Berkedal was supportive of this project throughout. Rene Dubay, Intern, researched articles and provided input on the topics covered in SAC. Jeanette Carlson, Earth Ministry volunteer extraordinaire, deserves many thanks: she typed, re-typed, and proofed the curriculum as it matured through various stages. In addition, Rene and Jeanette, as well as Intern Greg Peters and Earth Ministry staff, contributed ideas in various brainstorming sessions. Alison Galambos helped write author bio-sketches. Anne Quigg assisted in the process of electronically scanning articles.

A special acknowledgement goes to Dr. Bill Gibson, a leader in the field of Christian eco-justice for over 30 years. Though there are many demands on his time and his eyesight makes it difficult for him to read, Bill thoroughly read the original SAC. He provided many thoughtful suggestions that have been incorporated here.

Scott Warner and John Hoerster provided professional, friendly and pro-bono legal advice as we developed Simpler Living, Compassionate Life. Their expertise and thorough attention to detail was invaluable to us lay-folk!

The majority of the content of this book comes from the hard work, perceptive thinking, and deep care that all the included authors bring to their lives and work. They are leaders in their fields of expertise with many demands on their time. Each one with whom I had the opportunity and privilege to interact was very kind, helpful and supportive of the book. I have personally benefitted from their writings a great deal. I hope including them here helps many others. My thanks and indebtedness to: Cecile Andrews, Wendell Berry, Shantilal Bhagat, Frederick Buechner, John Cobb, Calvin DeWitt, Alan Durning, Duane Elgin, Richard Foster, William Gibson, Gerald May, Evy McDonald, Henri Nouwen, Juliet Schor, Jerome Segal, Philip Sherrard, David Shi, William Stringfellow, Timothy Weiskel and Terry Tempest Williams.

Two of these authors, both also from Seattle, offered not only their writings but friendship and support as well. First, Cecile Andrews, thank you for meeting with me way back when SAC was only an idea! Your good-natured, talented leadership in the voluntary simplicity movement brings a smile to my face! Second, while all other essays were first published elsewhere, Evy McDonald wrote her powerful, personal essay specifically for this book. Thank you, Evy, for sharing your wisdom. Thanks to Evys community members at the New Road Map Foundation for their kindness and support of our work at Earth Ministry.

Thanks to the many publishers for permission to reprint the works contained herein. To all those who used the original SAC curriculum and either sent in written evaluations or spoke with me in person, your comments and encouragement were always appreciated and helped in forming this second edition.

Monique Miller, David Perry, Paul Schafer and Wayne Schut read drafts of the introductory essay. Van Bobbitt, John Current, Joyce Kelly, Ruth Mulligan, Joyce Schut and Sharon Wilson read draft versions of the curriculum. Katrina Schut helped proof the essays. Thank you kindly.

MICHAEL SCHUT

September, 1998