Radical Grace
Apr - May - Jun 2007

Simply Abundant (excerpt)

By Joni Thompson

Shortly after it was announced that the theme for the CAC’s 2007 summer conference would be "Simplicity," the following quote appeared on the homepage of Excite.com: "Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought."

It struck me as somewhat of a paraphrase of “action borne from contemplation.” Upon reflection, it also seems to me that many of us might have the wrong idea about simplicity. Perhaps simplicity, like so many spiritual virtues, is not the thing to be sought, but the natural outcome of living out our lives in God.

In many senses, the idea of simplicity resonates with the idea of poverty. A popular bumper sticker philosophy states: "Live Simply So Others May Simply Live." There is a deep, poignant truth in that turned phrase, but also a deep potential for missing the point. In That Man Is You, Louis Evely writes, "Material poverty's an economic condition, not a virtue. If it sanctified us automatically, we’d be duty-bound to spread it rather than try to relieve it." So simplicity has to be more than a fervent self-stripping of our material trappings.

Personally, I've always struggled with the Spirituality of Subtraction in a world where it seems so clear that our loving God lavishly gives good gifts. Intellectually I understand the ascetic way—the emptying of self to make room for the Other. Experientially, I have a much better understanding of the Spirituality of Abundance. Rather than constant attention to 'removal' or disengagement, I feel drawn to inviting the indwelling spirit to permeate and hallow the abundance. Evely sums it up in the same book: "The humiliation of being rich is a first step toward poverty (simplicity), whereas pride in one’s poverty is the most dangerous of luxuries. "I thank you that I’m not like this publican" can easily become, 'I thank you that I’m not like this Pharisee.'"

Joni Thompson, Chief Operating Officer for the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau in Albuquerque, NM, considers her self a true ecumenist – growing through faith traditions in various Christian and Non-Denominational communities.

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