The 100 Thing Challenge

This week's TIME Magazine pointed me to a blog by Dave Bruno in which he has challenged himself to reduce the number of his personal possessions to 100. Here's what he says;

"I’m calling it the 100 Thing Challenge. And I’m taking it. Here is how it goes. I’m going to only keep 100 things. All the rest gets purged. Sold. Given away. Traded ;-) Some how, all the other things will no longer remain in my possession."

His blog is attracting a lot of interest from people like me, who realize we're tottering under an enormous burden of possessions. Having boxed up all our family possessions and carried them in and out of a U-Haul van (actually TWO U-Haul vans) in the last month has made it depressingly clear that we have TOO MUCH STUFF!

In the Gospel lesson for this Sunday, Jesus sends the disciples out saying, "Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff."

Clearly, Jesus intended the disciples to travel lightly. I think this is because he knew that having lots of possessions would just slow the disciples down, cause problems, and insulate them from the people they were sent to meet.

I wonder how many possessions I have, and how they prevent me from doing what Jesus wants me to do? What do I need to get rid of?
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