He eventually built the cabinets and built the doors when he saved the money. His vision was back then as it is now, what do we need, what can we afford? WE had a serious.. lacking of funds, he basically learned how to build our house from books from the library. My mother insisted on not allowing him to do the electrical wiring. But other than that….it was all his own doing, all the working of his own hands. (Our neighbor one farm over was an electrician by trade, so he came over and helped my father learn the basics and together on the weekends they did the job) And I would like to add that he did not have an electric nail gun. Every nail was driving in by an old fashioned hammer.

Ironically, people in our church in a round about way made fun of my father, because everything we owned was always small. But it was sustainable. The way my father built the house was not wasteful. In fact, even to this day, he is the least wasteful person I know.

People in the church have a huge issue with environmentalists. They are afraid to recycle, because their perception is that this might mean that they will have to eventually talk to dolphins and eventually live in tiny houses. But they do not realize that there is a huge chasm between what they believe and how they act towards the world that God created for their own sustainability.

People like to scoff at what they do not understand and fear what they are unwilling to do. The point is NOT that you SHOULD live in a 9sqft, tiny, little house. I think what you are saying is that in the exercise of imagining it, there is much to be learned about the difference between what we need and what we simply want.

My father’s motive has always been….What do I need? He wasn’t thinking about the environment. So this might be a good place to start. Some people are naturally bent towards this mentality and some people are coming around.
If anything, the Tiny House movement is starting a conversation….and I think it is very cool. This movement is questioning the last twenty years of the “McMansion” housing movement. It is asking people to question “wastefulness.”

I know it is propelling me to question my own participation in the ‘fill your homes with trinkets from Target mentality.’ In some odd and fortunate way, reading about this movement makes me question my own wastefulness. I think my father would be very proud.

I’ve become very interested in sustainable living, both out of concern for the poor (overconsumption on my part means fewer resources for others, no matter how you look at it) and a desire to live a simpler, more meaningful life–and one that’s more in line with my values as a Catholic. Thanks for your thoughtfulness in challenging us to take a hard look at the way we live, whether it’s in line with what Jesus calls us to–and whether it’s really making us happy.

I agree with you and not the commenter. I think they are using the word of God for their own purposes and not in light of what the scriptures truly meant. I find it very satisfying to live in a small space. In one case Jesus said he didn’t even have a place to live! He was more concerned about taking care of others also the scripture came to mind in Col. 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” God does provide us with all that we need (and more), but that doesn’t mean all that is necessary to lead a wholesome Christian life.

Does he seriously think that all the incredible Christian aesthetics were on the wrong track?