Book review "7" by Jen Hatmaker

I thought I would indulge my readers by providing a deeper review of "seven, an experimental mutiny against excess." I already blogged a bit about it but since I just technically finished the book I thought I would share what I walked away with.... And perhaps it will peak your interest enough to read it for yourself.

Synopsis: Jen takes 7 months out of the year and each month is a different topic and she does a type of fast correlating with the number 7. So one month she only eats 7 foods, one month she only wears 7 pieces of clothing, one month she abstains from 7 forms of media, one month she gives away 7 things every day of the month, one month she only spends money in 7 places, one month she adopts 7 habits for a greener earth, and the last month she takes 7 pauses each day for prayer.

So, I loved this book bc #1 she is hilarious #2 the areas where she lived in excess were dead on with my life #3 freeing yourself from excess feels good.

I think the best way to summarize what I learned is to see what changes I have made in my life.

#1. Stop buying clothes. I do NOT need a single piece of clothing. I am full to the brim. Now,do my desires match my needs? Certainly not. Clothes are not bad and it's okay to have nice ones, but excess is excess and many many many a time I have bought just to buy. I made it a whole month buying nothing but I hit a garage sale last week and spent $6. I am sure ts sounds crazy to you that I made it a WHOLE month without buying clothes bc it is ridiculous, but the longer you have known me (except for a brief time in college where I wore the same thing over and over) the easier it is for you to see my love affair with fashion. I started probably in 4th grade when it was cool to wear panty hose under your shorts and dress like your best friend. It deepened in junior high. I remember these AWESOME velour leopard pants from none other than The Limited I owned in 8th grade, my first pair of copper Doc Martens. I even have very vivid memories of my dad buying me my first pair of Lucky jeans from Dillard's (the kind that you loved so much you were afraid to wear). And I remember always wearing some funky outfit to school on my birthday. That still happens though. Lol. Anyways, it's not about not looking nice and feminine, rather it's about the fact that while I am want more colored jeans that I promise you will only be worn once or twice, two thirds of the world is starving.

If you are still with me, I will quote her most cutting passage in reference to the families of the 2 Ethiopian children she adopted "As I gaze uopn their hopelessness, I imagine them calculating what I've spent on clothing alone, realizing that same amount would've kept their family fed and healthy for thirty years. What if my silly little individual purchases do matter? What if I joined a different movement, one that was less enticed by luxuries and more interested in justice? What if I believed every dollar spent is vital, a potential soldier in the war In iinequality." I am not even going to attempt to calculate the worth of my wardrobe! Or more specifically the unworn wasted pieces.

Change#2 for mothers day we have built a garden in the backyard. Again this is so far from my usual self. I used to not even eat any vegetable that was not green beans. Oh my, but now I have children and they need to eat healthy. baker is very excited to plant and harvest. I sure hope it works.

Change #3. The cable is gone, again. I hate tv. Most people know that. I mean, I don't hate the Kardashians, or Castle, or the bachelor but I do hate just sitting there staring at the box and letting it put in my brain whatever it chooses. Hence why I always mute commercials. Marketing works! Thats why they pay so much for a 30 second clip where we learn of a new need in our life that certainly cannot go un met. I cant tell you how nice it is to not have the Disney channel advertising toys to my children and constantly hearing "my want that my want that". And poor Brian is missing the NBA playoffs, oh well. They happen every year.

My friends (who are totally awesome) and I went on a media hiatus. Only 30 minutes of Internet a day after the kids are asleep and no tv for 2 weeks. It was great. The Internet can be a black hole and often is. As one of my friends put it "what purpose does media serve in my life?"

#4 living a life of non consumption. Saying " we're not buying that. We don't need that. Well make do with what we have. Well use the stuff we already own." easier said than done.

#5 last is basically rage against the machine. Again as she puts it " a torrent of believers are demanding more from the indulged American life, daring to imagine that discipleship is adventurous and risky and sacrificial and powerful. You won't believe how many of them there are." Basically she drinks from the same koolaid as David Platt, Francis Chan, and Katie Davis. And I think they are onto something.

The next book review will be on "Radical". I am anticipating this will be a guest post from my better half. Happy mothers day!

And insert pictures of all the things I have spent money on lately. Baby steps people baby steps!