My name is Bryce Raley and I’m a married Christian guy with a family of 5, soon to be 6. I have had a deep desire to live a simpler life for many years. It’s not a popular philosophy amongst today’s society. It doesn’t stem from some zen, eastern religion. It’s not some existentialist philosophy. To me it simply comes down to prioritizing what’s important, then doing those things.

As a Christian, meaning a follower of our risen savior Jesus Christ, I feel that my stuff, my selfish desires and my sin nature lead me away from a better relationship with Jesus. I believe it also zaps most of my time that could be used to do the things we Christians are called to do. We’re called to “go” and “make” disciples of all nations. How often am I “going”, even across the street much less around the world? How often am I “making” disciples in my church and my community? How well am I doing in terms of stewardship with my time, talent, temple and treasures? Not very well on my grading scale, and I would imagine not too well on God’s.

This is what leads me to a minimalistic lifestyle. Not some desire for aesthetics, although I do enjoy the general aesthetics of minimalism. Not some mystical philosophy. Not some desire for standardization. Not my OCD or perfectionism, although this helps those. I simply want to throw off all that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles to run the race …