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Unstuff: Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters
PGod . . . and stuff. Everything in the universe falls into one of these two categories. Yet when you take a really close look at your life, is it overflowing with worship of the Creator or of creation? Do you fill your house, work, and free time with God or stuff? brIn Unstuff, popular authors Hayley and Michael DiMarco take an uncomfortably close look at the cost of their love affair with stuff. Their journey toward Unstuffing starts with getting rid of the clutter in their house and driving across the country for three months visiting homeless shelters with nothing more than they can fit in a motor home. Eventually they realize that stuff isnrsquo;t inherently bad, but worship of stuff is where we go wrong. Hayley and Michael share the spiritual lessons of how even good stuff, like church activities, hobbies, and sporting events, can turn into idols that we worship. brJoin the DiMarcos on a journey through your own wallet, heart, house, and mind to reveal the pleasures and perils of stuffmdash;and the joy, peace, and freedom that come from learning to love the Creator more than what hersquo;s created.
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First published January 1, 2010
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163 people want to read
About the author
Hayley DiMarco
81 books83 followersHayley DiMarco is the best-selling author of over 30 books, including God Girl, Mean Girls, and Die Young. She and her husband, Michael, run Hungry Planet, a company focused on producing books that combine hard-hitting biblical truth with cutting-edge design in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 8, 2011
The good:
I agree with a lot of the basic steps that are outlined in this book. I agree that the church is too focused on -things- and that we need to shift our focus from acquiring and hoarding to giving, being thankful, and trusting God. Simplifying is a passion of mine, and I am so excited to see books on the market that address it.
The bad:
This book really needs an editor. An entire paragraph is repeated, sentences have grammatical errors that cause them to make no sense and far too much of the text is in a bold font -- as if the reader is not intelligent enough to figure out which parts are important. I read an e-version of this book, and I'm wondering if maybe it has more issues than the print version(?)
The authors also give a fair amount of extra-Biblical advice and make it sound like a promise. One example of this is when talking about a "morning watch" (dedicated time in the morning for worship, prayer and Bible study) they say,
"The 'morning watch' that lasts at least thirty minutes leads to a richer and more satisfying life because it gets us in sync with God's Spirit within us."
Of course, I agree that spending time with God has more benefits than we can count, but I'd rather leave the timing open. Setting a minimum is too legalistic for my tastes.
Also, the authors' views on discipline and the ways that God helps us to grow are very different than mine. They say,
"While the study of truth is bound to open a few wounds and rip off a few scabs, we decided it was worth the pain to get to the bottom of the bondage of sin -- in this case, the sin of "stuffing." So like taking a cheese grater to our rear ends, we turned our lives upside down, changing from gluttons to gluttons for punishment."
Wow. I approach it very differently. Their idea of "taking a cheese grater to [their] rear ends" is living in a motor home for 3 months. I have friends and family who have done that for a vacation. I don't believe that we need to come at it from an angle of suffering. Why can't it be approached with joy?
Another example of where our views diverge is when they say (when talking about their 4-year-old daughter) that they take away her things for disobedience and,
"We smile about about a preschooler's stuff drama when she wails over having dropped half her ice cream on the ground..."
I don't believe that God teaches us (or that we are to teach others) through suffering, pain or callousness. Can he work in the midst of those things? Sure! I don't see him smiling about things that bring us to the point of "wails", though. I realize that this is a debate that would take far more space that we have here, so I'll just say that our paradigms are different. I support many of the things that they support, but their reasons for doing it are very different than my own.
In the end, I would've loved to hear more about their experience and less extra-Biblical preaching. Some of the little tidbits from their journals were really interesting, and it seems like they could've made great chapters.
If you are looking for a good book on breaking free from consumerism, consider checking out Shane Claiborne's books or _Living More with Less_ by Doris Janzen Longacre.
I agree with a lot of the basic steps that are outlined in this book. I agree that the church is too focused on -things- and that we need to shift our focus from acquiring and hoarding to giving, being thankful, and trusting God. Simplifying is a passion of mine, and I am so excited to see books on the market that address it.
The bad:
This book really needs an editor. An entire paragraph is repeated, sentences have grammatical errors that cause them to make no sense and far too much of the text is in a bold font -- as if the reader is not intelligent enough to figure out which parts are important. I read an e-version of this book, and I'm wondering if maybe it has more issues than the print version(?)
The authors also give a fair amount of extra-Biblical advice and make it sound like a promise. One example of this is when talking about a "morning watch" (dedicated time in the morning for worship, prayer and Bible study) they say,
"The 'morning watch' that lasts at least thirty minutes leads to a richer and more satisfying life because it gets us in sync with God's Spirit within us."
Of course, I agree that spending time with God has more benefits than we can count, but I'd rather leave the timing open. Setting a minimum is too legalistic for my tastes.
Also, the authors' views on discipline and the ways that God helps us to grow are very different than mine. They say,
"While the study of truth is bound to open a few wounds and rip off a few scabs, we decided it was worth the pain to get to the bottom of the bondage of sin -- in this case, the sin of "stuffing." So like taking a cheese grater to our rear ends, we turned our lives upside down, changing from gluttons to gluttons for punishment."
Wow. I approach it very differently. Their idea of "taking a cheese grater to [their] rear ends" is living in a motor home for 3 months. I have friends and family who have done that for a vacation. I don't believe that we need to come at it from an angle of suffering. Why can't it be approached with joy?
Another example of where our views diverge is when they say (when talking about their 4-year-old daughter) that they take away her things for disobedience and,
"We smile about about a preschooler's stuff drama when she wails over having dropped half her ice cream on the ground..."
I don't believe that God teaches us (or that we are to teach others) through suffering, pain or callousness. Can he work in the midst of those things? Sure! I don't see him smiling about things that bring us to the point of "wails", though. I realize that this is a debate that would take far more space that we have here, so I'll just say that our paradigms are different. I support many of the things that they support, but their reasons for doing it are very different than my own.
In the end, I would've loved to hear more about their experience and less extra-Biblical preaching. Some of the little tidbits from their journals were really interesting, and it seems like they could've made great chapters.
If you are looking for a good book on breaking free from consumerism, consider checking out Shane Claiborne's books or _Living More with Less_ by Doris Janzen Longacre.
January 25, 2023
I found this book unread on my shelves. I think I grabbed it bookshopping because I got it confused with the similiarly titled, Unstuffed:Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul by Ruth Soukup. It was part instruction manual, part workbook and part memoir. I wish there had been more memoir. While I enjoyed the shout outs to Rebecca Bloomwood, Leigh Anne Tuohy, and Corrie Ten Boom, I was annoyed by the "Tweets" - complete with a clip art bird - and the constant use of "stuff/unstuff" or worse, made up words begining with "stuff-." This book has already been donated.
February 6, 2018
As a professional organizer and a Christian, I found this book a good tie between clutter and what the bible says about clutter (both physical and mental.) If you are looking to declutter and focus more on God and be right with how you think, view, deal with clutter, I think this book would help.
September 26, 2025
Skimmed through most of it. Stuff is more than just objects, as it clutters our mental desktops.
January 14, 2011
"Unstuff" by Hayley and Michael DiMarco is about "making room in your life for what really matters." The premise of the book is that our world, your world, is full of stuff and God. We have a relationship with both stuff and God. Unfortunately, for so many, the latter often takes a back seat to our love affair with stuff.
Hayley and Michael started by Unstuffing their house - moving into an RV with their young daughter, going on a 3-month "tour" of the country, taking on the necessities. They wrote this book to share their findings - stuff too often gets in the way of the most important things in life - and our relationship with the most important "person*": God.
While this book did get my attention through fun fonts and writing styles, it didn't offer me really anything I hadn't heard or read before. I know that too often stuff gets in the way of my and other relationships with God. Stuff is a broad term and it can mean anything really! Stuff may be Monday Night Football (or any other time football), Bible Study, relationships, Facebook, hobbies, work, emotions, diseases and disorders. There is so much that can detract from our relationship with God. Prior to reading this book I have countless time taken the message of this book to heart. I know currently I struggle with wanting to own a home. Not that owning a home in itself is a bad thing but, if it goes un-accounted for in my head, I can let that desire (and a perfectly natural desire) trickle to my heart. I can let that be my idol. And really that's the heart of this book - not letting STUFF become IDOLS. Not worshipping stuff but praising God for His blessings.
You don't have to sell your household or change your lifestyle in order to learn these lessons - you might but that's between you and God. However, I do recommend reading this book and taking an inventory of the stuff in your life that may be taking you away from your relationship with God.
*I understand God is not a "person," I just can't think of a better fitting term.
Hayley and Michael started by Unstuffing their house - moving into an RV with their young daughter, going on a 3-month "tour" of the country, taking on the necessities. They wrote this book to share their findings - stuff too often gets in the way of the most important things in life - and our relationship with the most important "person*": God.
While this book did get my attention through fun fonts and writing styles, it didn't offer me really anything I hadn't heard or read before. I know that too often stuff gets in the way of my and other relationships with God. Stuff is a broad term and it can mean anything really! Stuff may be Monday Night Football (or any other time football), Bible Study, relationships, Facebook, hobbies, work, emotions, diseases and disorders. There is so much that can detract from our relationship with God. Prior to reading this book I have countless time taken the message of this book to heart. I know currently I struggle with wanting to own a home. Not that owning a home in itself is a bad thing but, if it goes un-accounted for in my head, I can let that desire (and a perfectly natural desire) trickle to my heart. I can let that be my idol. And really that's the heart of this book - not letting STUFF become IDOLS. Not worshipping stuff but praising God for His blessings.
You don't have to sell your household or change your lifestyle in order to learn these lessons - you might but that's between you and God. However, I do recommend reading this book and taking an inventory of the stuff in your life that may be taking you away from your relationship with God.
*I understand God is not a "person," I just can't think of a better fitting term.
December 18, 2010
I started reading this book feeling pretty smug because I shop at Goodwill, cut my own hair, drive a 15 year old car, and am not interested in jewelry or makeup. I thought I would be able to sit there and say "I don't do that or that" and "they aren't talking to me". Boy, was I wrong! There were so many times that I felt convicted and I began to realize that there are many areas in my life where I need to examine what I am doing, confess sin, and turn away from sin. Haley and Michael call these areas "acceptable sins" because they are acceptable to us. Often, we Christians ignore things like overeating, eating disorders, over or under exercising, and being addicted to the feeling of being in love. It would be difficult to read the entire book without being convicted in some area - even how we worship is under consideration.
The book wasn't written with a Pharisaical attitude. In fact, the authors often acknowledged that they have dealt with the same issues and continue to address them. They give scripture to support what they are saying and they also give suggestions regarding how to "unstuff" our lives. It was a good reminder that nothing should be on the throne or our heart except God and He is sovereign.
The book wasn't written with a Pharisaical attitude. In fact, the authors often acknowledged that they have dealt with the same issues and continue to address them. They give scripture to support what they are saying and they also give suggestions regarding how to "unstuff" our lives. It was a good reminder that nothing should be on the throne or our heart except God and He is sovereign.
January 7, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book. Unstuffing my life of unnecessary things, distractions, thoughts and even relationships is something that has been on my mind for quite awhile lately. And chunking it all to live in an RV with my family on the open road truly appeals to me and my sense of adventure and need for togetherness! Actually, that's something that I would have liked to have heard more about in this book - the suthors adventures on the road - because what they did log about it was very fascinating.
Also, while I did agree with the general idea of Unstuff, I think that the idea could definitely be taken too far. Let me put it like this: while I wholeheartedly agree that God, people and those relationships come first, I also believe that we are suppose to be good stewards of what we have and that part of respecting other people, is respecting their home and belongings. Maybe the Dimarcos feel that their cars and such are easily disposable, because of their (much written) about large bank account, but also "normal" folk don't quite have that luxury.
All in all, though, a great reminder of how cluttered our lives, homes, hearts and minds get in today's life - how are need to supersize everything we own has crept in without us even realizing it.
Also, while I did agree with the general idea of Unstuff, I think that the idea could definitely be taken too far. Let me put it like this: while I wholeheartedly agree that God, people and those relationships come first, I also believe that we are suppose to be good stewards of what we have and that part of respecting other people, is respecting their home and belongings. Maybe the Dimarcos feel that their cars and such are easily disposable, because of their (much written) about large bank account, but also "normal" folk don't quite have that luxury.
All in all, though, a great reminder of how cluttered our lives, homes, hearts and minds get in today's life - how are need to supersize everything we own has crept in without us even realizing it.
November 26, 2013
The authors make some good points, and definitely tackle a problem area that many Christians (myself included) have been blind to. I have been considering their point about using stuff (or other drugs) to medicate suffering. The absolute worst part of the book was trying to decipher the innumerable fonts, boxes and bars.
November 24, 2014
The content of this book was excellent! I powered through it in less than 24 hours and now I will go back through and take it more slowly. I feel so encouraged and emprowered to make positive changes in my life.
My only complaint is the layout of the book. It was awkward to read the different fonts and alternating margins. It sort of felt like I was being treated like a child.
My only complaint is the layout of the book. It was awkward to read the different fonts and alternating margins. It sort of felt like I was being treated like a child.
October 18, 2013
How to and why one needs to clear out one's material, mental and bodily ballasts so as to be closer to..... The Divine One (which one can't theoretically and theologically clear out as well).
September 25, 2011
Love the title and the concept . . . Hated the book!
January 27, 2012
I liked it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews