A Spiritual Formation Elective
Leader
Mark Scandrette, founding director of ReIMAGINE: A Center for Integral Christian Practice
Description
Most of the world’s religious traditions advocate for a path of simplicity, recognizing a tradeoff between material preoccupation and spiritual enlightenment. Jesus often spoke about the life-giving invitation to simplicity. In the deepest sense, simplicity is an invitation to align time, money and life energy with what matters most.
We were made to flourish and do good in a world full of abundance. Yet many of us feel crunched for time, stressed in our finances, or perplexed about what makes life meaningful. The journey of simplicity invites us to adopt soul practices like gratitude, trust, contentment, and generosity, and practical skills like time management, goal setting, living by a spending plan, and adopting a globally sustainable lifestyle. During this time, Mark will lead us in exploring practical formation steps we can take to become more free:
- Name what matters most to you
- Value and align your time
- Practice gratitude and trust
- Believe you have enough
- Create a spending plan
- Maximize your resources
- Live generously and spend wisely
Think of this as a hands-on simplicity “boot camp,” where participants will support each other to take new steps with solidarity and grace. What’s good for the soul is good for the pocket book and good for the planet.
Schedule/Location/Lodging
Sun., June 26, 7:00 p.m. – Wed., June 29, 2016, 1:00 p.m. A tentative schedule can be downloaded HERE. This class will be held at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (616 N. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 / Directions). On-campus housing is available via reservation by calling 412-924-1397 or e-mailing [email protected].
Registration
Registration Fee: $365 Registraiton fee Includes beverage/snack breaks throughout each day, Monday dinner, and Tuesday and Wednesday lunch; all other meals are the participant’s responsibility.
Required Reading
Additional reading selections will be listed soon. Please do your best to read these books before your arrival. If you wish to be in the Spiritual Formation Certificate program, you should prepare a one-page reflection paper for each selected book; these will be collected Wednesday evening. If you do not plan to seek the certificate but are taking the class for personal enrichment, the reflection papers are not required but we strongly encourage you to read the texts to get as much as possible from the class time.
Required:
- Scandrette, M. FREE: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most. InterVarsity Press, 2013.
- McKibben, B. Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. Henry Holt & Company, 2015.
Plus select one of the following that appeal to you:
- Foster, R. The Freedom of Simplicity. Finding Harmony in A Complex World. HarperOne, 2005.
- Robin, V. & Dominguez, J. Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence. Penguin Books, 2008.
- Luhrs, J. The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living. Broadway Books, 1997.
- Longacre, D. Living More with Less. Herald Press 2010.
Presenter
Mark Scandrette is the founding director of ReIMAGINE: A Center for Integral Christian Practice, based in San Francisco, where he leads an annual series of retreats, workshops, and projects designed to help participants apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life. His books include FREE: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most (InterVarsity Press, 2013), Practicing the Way of Jesus (InterVarsity Press, 2011), Soul Graffiti (Jossey-Bass, 2007), and the forthcoming BELONGING & BECOMING: Creating A Thriving Family Culture, co-written with Lisa Scandrette (InterVarsity press, fall 2016). Mark is featured in the the Animate: FAITH video series (Augsburg Fortress, 2012) and he is on the creative team for the 9 Beats Collective, an international project exploring the beatitudes as a 21st vocabulary for the living way of Jesus. A sought after voice for creative, radical, and embodied faith practices, he frequently speaks at universities, churches, and conferences nationally and internationally and also serves as adjunct faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary. Mark lives with his wife, Lisa, and their three young adult children in an old Victorian in San Francisco’s Mission District. He loves walking city streets and discovering beauty in unexpected places. He is passionately engaged in sustainability practices and efforts to create safe neighborhoods for all people through organizing to end police brutality.