Ep. 19: “Christian Minimalism” with Becca Ehrlich,
author of Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living
“ We got rid of 60% of our stuff in 6 months.”
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Interview Highlights
Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich, Lutheran Minister and author of Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living, joins Serenity and Health to speak about Christian Minimalism.
1:56 What is Christian Minimalism? Minimalism means focusing on aspects of life that matter most and intentionally removing everything else. Christian Minimalism means putting God first…and paring down from there
4:30 Distinction between decluttering and minimalism.
Decluttering is just getting rid of stuff whereas minimalism means paring down everything you accumulate—stuff, scheduled commitments, media use, money—and trying to understand why you accumulate too much and then working to change in the future. You gain peace, clarity, and time—which allows you to better love yourself and others and care for your health.
5:50 What is self-care and how does it fit in? End up with more time and clarity about priorities which allows you to better care for yourself, mind, body, and spirit.
7:10 Is minimalism and trying to do whole-istic self-care stressful? Is it hard to change? Becca admits it is hard to confront our tendencies to accumulate—but the rewards are very worth it.
8:08 Start small. One drawer.
11:06 “We got rid of 60% of our stuff in 6 months.”
12:30 We can all learn from “The Rich Fool” (Luke 12:13-21), the farmer who kept building more and more barns to save all his grain—only to die in the night.
15:43 Health habits. How she learned to accept her finite energy and chronic illness and be more careful how she allocated her time so as to preserve her energy for what was most important. Talked about walking, eating habits, cooking, use of freezers.
19:45 Obstacles? “I would get in my own way.”
22:55 Study about reduced phone use as a result of keeping the phone out of sight.
24:36 Can you go overboard with this minimalism stuff?
27.36 Marie Kondo—emphasis on decluttering; Kondo’s Shinto beliefs. Touching and finding joy in possessions may encourage unhealthy emotional attachment.
31:16 3 Tips for Success when it comes to Christian Minimalism: 1) Find your own“Why?” to do this. 2) Don’t be afraid to confront yourself and your habits, 3) Start Small.
32:43 Remember… Jesus is a minimalist!
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About Becca Ehrlich
Becca is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) living in New York City and serving as Associate Dean for Community Life at General Theological Seminary. She blogs about minimalism from a Christian perspective at www.christianminimalism.com and shares inspiration and encouragement to live a more minimal life on the Christian Minimalism Facebook page, Christian Minimalism Twitter @jesusminimalism, and the Christian Minimalism Instagram @jesusminimalism. Her book, Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living, was released May 2021.
About Donna
Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, and programs at her church. She is the author of the award-winning book and Amazon best-seller Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021).
Donna previously practiced medicine for forty years, first as a radiation oncologist and later, after re-training, as a family medicine doctor. What she learned taking care of immigrants and the homeless in Washington, D.C., continues to influence her programs. A central theme is that health of body, mind, and spirit is interrelated and connected to God, all as a package deal. Donna is a wife, mother, and grandmother and lives in University Park, Maryland.
Questions? Reach out to Donna Chacko.
To change the world, you must first change yourself. Read on to help you embrace and live this counterintuitive message.