I don’t consider myself a pack rat. I’m the “better half” of the marriage in that department.  Or so I thought.  After all, I love organizing and despise clutter.  So it was an eye opener this weekend going through an old file cabinet.  I had filed a receipt from the gas station. From 2003.  Really?  I even had a folder of “Jiffy Lube” receipts for a car I no longer own.   I also found statements galore from vendors we no longer use.  Along with other outdated or worthless papers.  In fact, I was able to empty out an entire file cabinet.  Which now I’m giving away or selling on Craigs List.

But this left me with lots of personal papers that I don’t wanna simply “toss in the trash.”  In the age of identity theft, this concern is real.  If you’re not aware, folk can use your discarded papers with sensitive info (name, address, phone, account number, or social, etc) and apply for credit in your name.  Or other malicious acts.  The cure?  Shred your stuff!  But this requires having a shredder.  Or access to one.  I had neither.

Then I vaguely recalled hearing about “public shredding events.”   So I Googled this. And guess what?  There’s one such “community shredding event” coming up this Saturday!  In Philly. So I thought I’d blog on it and spread the word.  In case anyone else wants to do some spring cleaning in their file cabinets.  And purge.

It’s a great feeling to purge.  Getting rid of unneeded papers.  These days most vendors allow you to receive receipts as a PDF sent by e-mail.  You can store them in your e-mail or “in the cloud.”  With services like Box or DropBox, etc.  Even the bank allows you to subscribe to “paperless statements.”  How convenient.  It’s neater and easier to find receipts.  And it helps save the environment to boot!   While I’m pruning out old papers, it’s also time to reflect on all the LORD has brought me through!  And to think of the things in my life that I can purge.  Other than paperwork.  Spiritually speaking.

It just so happens that last Sunday’s message at church was on “purging.”   Purging or pruning is an important process in our lives to bear fruit.  As the message so aptly reminded & challenged us, “we were made to bear fruit” (John 15:1-11).  Click here to check it out.  So I will publish this post now so that I can finish up some pruning.  And hopefully someone out there in cyberspace who needs this service will see this post.

Below is the info about a “Public Community Shredding” event this Saturday in Philly.  NOTE:  If you do not live in Philadelphia, visit the PROShed website to see when there will be a public shredding in your area, or do a Google search.

Public Community Shredding Event This Saturday!
Saturday, August 4, 2012, from 1-3 pm
at True Light Fellowship Church
6400 Ardleigh Street, Phila PA 19119 

To help combat identity theft and corporate espionage, PROSHRED® conducts regularly scheduled community shredding events for residents and home office workers to bring their confidential documents for secure on-site destruction. Your sensitive material is professionally shred right in front of you using PROSHRED®’s state-of-the-art mobile shredding trucks.

Any net proceeds from shredding events are donated to local charity and community groups; offering consumers a secure, environmentally conscious and economic community-based system for disposing their sensitive