Tag: Stuff

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood

That’s a lot of stuff

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Most garage doors are closed when I walk through the neighborhood. Those that are open are typically full, and this one was no exception. It’s hard to see them all, but I count at least thirty yellow-lidded black storage totes balanced along the wall. The opposite wall is just as impressive.

I’m impressed with the labeling, too. But I’m more impressed with all the stuff. Tote after tote of stuff. (Those totes aren’t cheap! Nine or ten bucks a pop.) Holiday decorations? Seasonal clothing? Books? Souvenirs from trips? Picture albums? Collections?

To tell you the truth, I can’t imagine enough content to fill all those boxes. But that accumulation is the rule not the exception. Three-car-garages are standard in new builds in my neighborhood. Few folks park cars in those garages. Cars live in the driveway, while box after box after box occupies the row of garages.

Well, that’s not entirely true. I have a neighbor whose three-car-garage contains a universal gym, multiple tool cabinets, and a grill he wheels out to cook supper. He’s got no clutter in his garage(s). He also has no cars or trucks in there.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Gleaning and redeeming

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Mihály Köles on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Ruth.

Twice a week, pickup trucks slowly crawl through my neighborhood at dawn. They pull over and pick up things my neighbors have put out in the trash. They stop to take lamps and chairs, vacuum cleaners and computer monitors, plastic totes and old appliances. I assume that they repair and sell the small appliances, refinish the furniture, and sell the scrap metal.

That’s the closest contemporary comparison I have for Ruth as she gleans Boaz’s fields. God’s law stipulates that you leave a few grapes, a couple of olives, and a little wheat in the field as you are harvesting. Those in need can then come and collect what is left over. It is a way of providing for others. It is their way of surviving with dignity.

If anything, most of us have lots of “extra.” Extra stuff that fills up closets, shelves, garages, and storage units. We have extra stuff because we think we need it, it looks fun, and other people have it. So we buy it, too.

Or maybe we have extra stuff to supply what others need. God can redeem my greed, covetousness, and materialism. I can use it to help someone else.

To be hones, I don’t miss any of the stuff I’ve given away. I don’t miss the books, clothes, toys, dishes, tools, or furniture I’ve donated or left on the curb. That says a whole lot right there. I didn’t need it to begin with.

Boaz didn’t lose anything by leaving grain behind in his fields for others to glean. But he gained a wife (Ruth), a place in Jesus’s ancestry, and a mention in the bible. Just for being obedient, generous, and gracious.

Leave something out on the curb. Donate the things you aren’t using. Leave a little of your money unbudgeted. Empty all that stuff you don’t need out of your shopping cart. Let God redeem your “extra.”

Posted in Stuff

Getting rid of stuff

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I think it started with the remodel. It intensified with the reading of Marie Kondo’s book on “tidying up.” It hit the fan with Josh Becker’s Minimalist Home. We are getting rid of stuff. Here’s a short list:

  • Forty-year old high school and college year books (they’re all online anyway)
  • Plastic storage containers (with lids)
  • The spoon my mom fed me with when I was a baby.
  • Mugs of many shapes and sizes (we use the same two or three every morning)
  • Clothes we don’t wear (some with price tags still attached!)

Kitchen gadgets: apple slicer (we have knives, you know), herb scissors (never used them), angel food cake pan (don’t make angel food cake here), knick-knacks (that have been stored in the attic for years), a portfolio of kids’s art (I took pics of everything), and a whole bunch of picture frames.

This process reminds me of my move from a rented duplex in Austin, TX to the seminary thirty-seven years ago. I didn’t have much, but I left plenty on the curb before I headed off to the seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN. I left behind all my math books (that was my major in college), cheap sofas and chairs, and who knows what else. I sold my bike and trombone. I fit everything I owned into a Volkswagon Rabbit diesel car (remember those?) along with Gabriel, my Labrador Retriever) and headed off to study to be a pastor.

I know. What if I need those books I never read? What if I need that shirt I’ve never worn? What if…

Four years ago we cleaned out my dad’s house. We kept virtually nothing. We got rid of everything. Guess what? You can get rid of a lot of stuff right now!