Author

Steve Willis

Simple Gifts: It Takes Some Skill to Raise a Village

Steve Willis · Mar 29, 2019

The work of creating connection and belonging must occur at the face-to-face, human level. Rural people understand this common-sense principle and may have more opportunities to live by it.

Simple Gifts: When the Ordinary Reveals the Extraordinary

Steve Willis · Jan 18, 2019

The everyday moments of living in a small community may be telling us something monumental.

Religion and Faith

Simple Gifts: Business Metrics Can’t Measure Everything

Steve Willis · Dec 24, 2018

When churches and other non-commercial community institutions start looking for “return on investment” and “transformational leadership,” it’s time to rethink the yardstick. Business isn’t bad. But it isn’t everything, either.

Simple Gifts: Developing a Satisfied Mind

Steve Willis · Nov 22, 2018

"Contentment is not having so much money that a person doesn’t have to do anything. Quite the opposite, contentment is the fruit of long family commitments, meaningful and productive work, and deep and abiding attachments to community."

People to Know

Simple Gifts | Sarah Smarsh Addresses the ‘Taboo Subject’ of Class

Steve Willis · Oct 19, 2018

With equal quantities of truth and empathy, the book Heartland reveals the stories of the rural working class. But Sarah Smarsh isn't fighting for her tribe, she's building bridges across America’s cultural and politics divides.

Religion and Faith

Simple Gifts | Small-Church Values: Place, Belonging and Heart

Steve Willis · Sep 28, 2018

Small congregations frequently embody uniquely rural community values of continuity, belonging, and practicality. An urban transplant with an open mind may find it’s just what they are looking for.

Connection

Simple Gifts: The Death of the ‘Standard Funeral’

Steve Willis · Sep 1, 2018

Funeral customs are changing dramatically, leaving families with more decisions to make at just the moment they may be least prepared to make them. Making decisions ahead of time honors “ancient wisdom.”

Connection

Simple Gifts: The Parable of the Summer Vacation

Steve Willis · Jul 29, 2018

On his annual summer beach vacation, Larry enjoys the fruits of his success: sunburned kids, sand in the floor mats, and a quiet sense of belonging. This is a special fictional installment of "Simple Gifts."

Religion and Faith