Research by a scientist from the Netherlands suggests one of the major problems in our consumer society is poor design of the products we use.

Elke den Ouden, a researcher at a University in the Southern Netherlands estimates half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores by consumers actually work fine. The problem is the customer does not know how to operate the product. The study found the abundance of new electronic gadgets on the market continues to baffle most consumers. The average customer in the United States struggles for 20 minutes to get a device working. Often they give up, and take it back in frustration, assuming the product is faulty.

Den Ouden brought product developers in to witness the struggles of the average consumer. Most were amazed by the havoc their devices caused. Another part of the study asked a group of managers from one consumer Products Company to use their own products over a weekend. Most managers returned frustrated because they could not get the devices to work. According to Den Ouden, most of the flaws began in the first phase of the design process with improper product definition, but the companies dismiss complaints as "nuisance calls."

—http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1691901. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Philippians 3:8-9 (CEV) "Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ [9] and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ."

The BIC Corporation recently announced it has sold 100 billion ballpoint pens since first marketing the writing tool after World War II. On average, the company sells 57 disposable ballpoint pens every second, providing the company with an annual income over 1.4 billion euros. The inspiration for the disposable ballpoint came from an unusually simple source.

American soldiers introduced Ballpoint pens to Europe during the Second World War. However, the pens they carried were expensive and had a nasty tendency to leak. Baron Marcel Bich and a partner originally planned to manufacture common fountain pens when they purchased a factory outside Paris in the 1940s. A chance encounter with a wheelbarrow changed their plans. Bich was pushing a wheelbarrow one day when it dawned on him that the ball was a multifaceted wheel and this was the best way to convey ink. Bich put all his investments into the ballpoint. He purchased several patents including the design for the non-disposable ballpoint. Then, using precise production techniques, and shortening the name to BIC, Bich made his mass-produced product accessible to people around the world at an affordable price.

Stephane Dieutre, who teaches marketing and innovation at a Paris University said "Bich was in many ways the inventor of 'low-cost'. Offering cheap and effective solutions to consumers rather than bowing to a market dictated by sophistication." Dieutre said Bich's idea was "a triumph for the concept of keeping it simple."

—http://news.yahoo.com, Inspired by wheelbarrow, BIC sells 100 billionth pen, September 8, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Matthew 11:25 (NASB) [25] At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.

Genesio Morlacci was an Italian immigrant who spent his life operating a dry-cleaning shop and then, working as a part-time janitor after he retired. Many of the city resident's were surprised at the wealth amassed by a simple man who avoided anything that could be construed as putting on airs.

The University of Great Falls, a small college with about 800 students, says Morlacci left them $2.3 million, which will generate roughly $100,000 a year for scholarships. His friends say Morlacci believed the government and too many people spend beyond their means, and was critical of people who sought instant gratification. Morlacci would not buy anything if he didn't need it. They remember him removing worn collars from his shirts, then sewing them back on with the frayed side down to get more use out of his clothing.

Morlacci did not have any children and loved to spend time tending roses and tomatoes in the yard of the simple house he bought after he sold his cleaning business. After his wife died, Morlacci lived in a retirement home that charged about $500 dollars a month for meals, a room, and housekeeping instead of choosing an upscale retirement complex. He gave the college nearly everything he had saved through his work and investments.

University president Eugene McAllister said, "He worked very hard for this, 18 and 20 hour days, and during each of those working hours, he was doing something good for a student he will never meet."

—www.cbsnews.com, Janitor's Will is $2.3M Surprise, November 22, 2004. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

1 Thes. 4:11-12 (NIV) "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, [12] so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

When we are in the money-making-mode, we sometimes forget to stop and smell the roses. Robert Wicks, Psychology professor at Loyola University Maryland in Columbia says, “Simplicity is a silver lining to the current downturn. “In the Up economy, people were successful, but in many cases, they were missing their lives.”

In Bounce: living the Resilient Life, Wicks posits that the things that are really important are not reflected in the economy. People were missing their lives because “they weren’t spending time really enjoying themselves and weren’t spending time with family and friends.”

Professor Wicks encourages eliminating stress, reconnecting with friends and family, and beginning to experience a simpler life.

--USA Today, August 6, 2009, p. 2D Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Psalm 62:10 (NIV) Do not trust in extortion or take pride in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

In The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity, Skye Jethani writes, “Silence allows us the space to contemplate the vastness of the heavens and the God beyond them. Silence can shatter the trivialized deity that has occupied our imaginations and provide God the canvas to begin a new work in our souls.”

- The Divine Commodity, p. 46 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Psalm 46:10 (CEV) Our God says, "Calm down, and learn that I am God! All nations on earth will honor me."

In Peter Jackson’s rendition of Tolkien’s, The Hobbit, one of the early scenes gives a homey picture of life. Bilbo Baggins, a middle-aged bachelor hobbit, sits down alone one evening at his table in his comfortable home of Bag End. Bilbo loves all trappings of his agrarian civilization. His well-appointed house glows in the warm firelight of his hearth and many candles. You can catch a glimmer of satisfaction and contentment in his eyes as, preparing to eat, he squeezes a citrus over his roasted fish and fixings.

Bilbo, of course, does not remain alone that evening. Many dwarves and a wizard find their way to his home. They feast, tell stories, make plans, sing songs, and create an incredible mess. The next morning Bilbo is swept up into an inconvenient adventure. It is his love for the peace and quiet of his simple life, however, that sustains his sanity throughout the drama and suffering of all that unfolds in his story in this film and its sequels.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” Directed by Peter Jackson, based on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Released 14 December 2012.

People often go about searching for drama and adventure in their lives. They will even at times create relational anxiety to feel more alive. Focusing too much on the lives of others is quite common in a social media culture, and the oft resulting laziness is not difficult to predict.

Drama for drama’s sake is not useful. The suffering that we go through in life should be to advance Jesus’ cause, not rooted in our own selfishness or boredom. Christians are to aspire to achieve a wholesome simplicity of life. This includes working hard, often in the tasks of manual labor, to provide for one’s own needs. This also means avoiding meddling in other people’s lives, and instead valuing the peace that is available by focusing on resolving our own issues. Indeed, moments of simple satisfaction and rest which are to be found in this lifestyle are a glimpse of Jesus’ future Kingdom, and a powerful testimony to a watching world. —Jim L. Wilson and Jon R. Pennington

In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,