We are called to lay up treasures in heaven, not possessions on earth.

Not too long ago, small was "in." The trendy catch phrase touted "small is beautiful." Advocates of a conscientious style of eating called for a "diet for a small planet." We read bumper stickers that urged us to "think globally" but to "act locally."

There is now a new housing trend that flies in the face of all attempts to cultivate the validity of those "small" notions. As we face a shrinking economy, dwindling natural resources, smaller and more widely scattered families and a tremendous increase in the number of people in their "third age" (ages 55-75), we are also seeing a new love affair with huge, multi-story, mega-houses (or "McMansions," as they are sometimes called). As family size is shrinking, the size of…