The thoughts running through my head make me sick to my stomach. The kind of sick that causes me to want to shake it up and do whatever it takes to purge myself of the crap (yeah, I said it) that spoils everything else that’s in there.
And I’m blaming Jen Hatmaker.
I read something she wrote in 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess that rocked me pretty hard. And it doesn’t help that I read it just before leaving for a mission trip to Haiti.
“How can I be socially responsible if unaware that I reside in the top percentage of wealth in the world? (You probably do too: Make $35,000 a year? Top 4 percent. $50,000? Top 1 percent.)”
I’m definitely not trying to brag, but that puts my family in the top 1% wealthiest people in the world.
I don’t consider myself wealthy by any means. In fact, I feel very middle class. I don’t live in a mansion. But I also don’t have to worry about not having enough to eat (which is obvious by my ever-increasing waistline). This is where my trip to Haiti magnified all of this exponentially for me.
It becomes very obvious very quickly how wealthy I am when standing face-to-face with extreme poverty.
That’s why this year for Lent, I’m giving up excess. And this journey (or mutiny) will continue well beyond the end of the Lenten season.
For the next seven months, I’m going to take on the seven challenge areas that Hatmaker outlines in her book. And I’d like to invite you to join me.
Starting on the first weekday of each of the next seven months, we’ll start the discussion with a video interview with Jen Hatmaker. Then I’ll open up the post so that you can share links to your blog (or Facebook Note) posts about the experiences with that month’s challenge. My hope is that we can create a sort of virtual “council” that can support and encourage each other as we stumble through this collective mutiny.
The chapters are:
- Food
- Clothes
- Possessions
- Media
- Waste
- Spending
- Stress
Jump in or out when you can, but I urge you to try to immerse yourself into this experience as much as possible. I’ll also throw in some practical ways that we can turn our mutiny against excess into actions that can benefit others.
I’m expecting this to be a life-changing experience for everyone involved!
What about you? Have you felt stirred to make changes in your life that will allow you to have a greater impact in the world? Will you join us in the little project… er, mutiny? If so, what do you hope to get out of it?
“7 will be an exercise in simplicity with one goal: to create space for God’s kingdom to break through.”
– Jen Hatmaker
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I’m in! (Just ordered my Kindle copy two minutes ago, and I posted in on fb, so now it’s official . . . my whole world knows.
Grins,
Pamm
Great! I really look forward to hearing your thoughts as we work through this together!
Super excited, Dan!! And here’s some more good news for interested readers: The digital version of 7 is available for the next 6 days for only $7 (click the following link). Come on, yall. Join us. http://blog.bhpublishinggroup.com/ngilbert/b/weblog/archive/2012/02/21/7-for-7-for-7-days.aspx
thank YOU mrs. @JenHatmaker for being such a great inspiration (or instigator)! i’m really looking forward to this project, and all of the positive change/impact that it can have. this is gonna rock!
Praying about joining you, Dan. This topic has been on my heart without knowing about the book. Hmmmm…
I really hope that you decide to join us! It’s a topic that’s been on my heart for a while to, and I was really excited to come across a book like this that gives me the perfect reason to do something about that stirring…
It’s going to be awesome!
Looking forward to joining you! Myself and 6 other friends have 7 days left in month one. It has been intense, but soooo good!
I bet that it’s been intense! And even though you may be a month ahead on the schedule, I look forward to hearing your thoughts as we post the new topics at the beginning of each month!
I’m in! I’m also in another discussion group about “7” and I’m working on an IRL Book Club at church to try to drag my friends in with me. That’s how excited I am about this book. Maybe I will end up posting in 7 places about “7”.
Ha! I love it! I look forward to hearing your thoughts as we work through this together!
I am in, just started the book in my small group bookclub
Great! I’d love to hear what your group talks about as we work through the book here online too!
I’ve read the book, passed it on and put the Kindle version on my phone. My husband and I started with Food on Monday, February 20. Praying this spreads like wildfire, lives are changed and the world benefits…
That’s awesome! And it sounds like the timing of what you and your husband are doing is close enough so that you can share your experiences along with this project. I look forward to hearing more about how it goes for you!
I’m in too! I felt compelled to do this as soon as I started reading the book, but knew I would need some outside support. Looks like I’ve found it 🙂
Yes! Hopefully you find plenty of support here! I’m looking forward to walking through this with you!
I’m in! Looking forward to rereading the book and setting some goals!
Awesome! This is going to be really cool! I’m pumped about the excitement this seems to be generating!
I downloaded the book yesterday and finished reading it today. I have been praying all afternoon about what these challenges should look like in my life.
That’s awesome! There’s nothing like a book that you literally can’t put down… As you pray, I encourage you to jump into these discussions. I’d live to hear from you, and I’d bet that you find a great deal of direction in these conversations.
Dan. This is a jarring post… but one that needs to be said. You dont just advocate giving things up for a short season, like holding your breath. It’s a seven month journey. I’m exited for the change.
i’m excited to see what will come out of this… i already see the stirring in my life, and can’t wait to see what God does in the hearts and lives of others who go on this journey with us! but you’re right… it is kind of jarring… and necessary.
WOW
EXACTLY!
downloading the book into my Kindle App as I type this. I’m in!
i’m really excited to see so many people ready to jump into this project! it’s gonna be awesome!
You can accomplish these goals and live with a similar respect for the earth without bowing to the hateful god Yahweh.
i’m going to respectfully decline from engaging in a conversation about your reference to “the hateful god Yahweh”… that’s simply not my experience with Him, and this isn’t the place for that conversation. and i appreciate your feedback that these goals can be similarly accomplished, but this isn’t just about “respect for the earth”… it’s also about Spiritual growth.
thank you for your feedback, and i hope you (respectfully) follow along and see the kind of impact this project has on the lives of the participants and those around them.
I’m in the middle of this book right now and between it and Radical, my life is definitely changing. My kids and I went through our pantry this weekend and I cried when I realized the excess. I can’t wait to be part of the “council”.
“the council” for this online version of the #7project is literally going to be a global one! it should be pretty exciting! glad to have you on board with us!
I’m in! And I’m so lucky because I live in Austin and I’m going to ANC this weekend!! Woot! Been physically, mentally, and emotionally itching for more of Jesus. And now, after reading 7, I’m a single mom who a can’t stop thinking about foster care and adoption. Only God could bring that on. 🙂
awesome! glad to have you following along with this project, and i really look forward to hearing your thoughts as we work through the 7 months together!
and that’s really cool about ANC! i feel like i’m sort of adopted in there… i was just in haiti with a few folks who go there, and have been talking with jen hatmaker quite a bit about this project! give jen a big #fistbump from me when you see her!
I am in too along with my family!
awesome! i look forward to chatting more with you about your family’s experience with all of this! let me know if there is anything i can do to support you!
of courese, I’m excited about this…the book has been so good…i hate to have it put it down to actually do things like eat, work, and go to the bathroom! I guess I have less than 24 hours to decide on what I will do next month!!! AHHHH so tricky! I will definately require the support of a “council” during this time….if McDonald’s can be 2 of my 7 food…that would be great!
LOL! i asked @JenHatmaker:twitter the other day if it was okay to pick 7 food GROUPS… this is going to be tough, but SO worth it! i know some who are doing the literal 7 foods, and others who are doing something like a Daniel fast. i’ll be doing something similar to ‘the council’ in the book… specific meals to identify/remember places i’ve been (specifically Africa and Haiti).
i’m happy to be part of your council Hannah… in real-life and here in the online community… i’m expecting some really great discussions online as we do this thing!
OK…I want to see if this passes…
my 7 foods
1.Chicken
2.Lettuce
3.Bread- hey,the bible you can’t live on this alone, but a staple food in many place nonetheless.
4.Pasta- staple in many countries
5.Rice & Beans (counting as one..c’mon and give me a pass here) – staple of many 3rd world countries
6.Potato- staple in many eastern block countires
7.Apples
Drinking only WATER—-and this might be the hardest part
NO FRENCH FRIES- I will not count them as potoates ;(
well, what’s the consensus?
I think that it looks good. There will be more advice in the video that gets posted tomorrow, but I would say go with this… but don’t be afraid to make an adjustment if you need to. 30 days is a long time to eat like this…
when is the interview with Jen Hatmaker???? We have a group doing this as well and I stumbled across your blog and we are all in!
awesome! the @JenHatmaker:twitter interview for food month just went up thins morning. it’s a great chat to help us kick off this month! i look forward to hearing more from you and your group as you guys work through this!
here’s the link to the interview…http://bibledude.net/the-7-project-food/
Dan,
I’m joining you on this. Started reading Jen’s book last week before you set your schedule. My 7 foods: oatmeal, apple, sweet potato, spinach, legumes, brown rice, banana.
awesome scott! make sure that you jump over to check out the food month post with the interview with jen hatmaker…
http://bibledude.net/the-7-project-food/
i can’t wait to hear more about your experience with this!
Thanks Dan for posting Jan’s book and current video. I am day 4 of Food and it is hard but already amazing. God is revealing to me new things. I was sharing Sunday with my pastor about how excited I was to start this today. He said start tomorrow (Monday), then I will interview you at the weekend services and we will kick this off as a church event. It will be modified as we do 5 of the areas for 7 days each before Easter. He is starting with clothes week 1 and possessions week two because we have a big homeless outreach we will be going to in Portland Ore. the following week. It is going to be a great opportunity to introduce this to our church. So please pray for me as I do my month of food along with a week of each of the other areas preceeding Easter.
Dan, I am praying for you and love BibleDude page.
God Bless…..Sheryl
That’s great Sheryl! I’ll definitely be praying for you to as you take on multiple areas of excess at the same time. But it sounds like and exciting way to get the church involved, and the timing is perfect as we approach Easter. Please keep me posted on how that goes for you!
Dan — I was just hearing about Jen Hatmaker’s book last week and I am thrilled to see this series you are doing. I think there is always more we can do to cut out the excess in our lives and then turn that for good into time and resources we can commit to helping the least of these. Great series!
Thanks Charity! It’s definitely a practice that fits really well with what we try to focus on here at bibleudude.net! i’d love to hear more of your thoughts as we continue to work through the project.
Wow! So much energy here in the comments! I hadn’t heard of the book or the project until just now, but I am definitely intrigued. My husband and I are doing the Daniel Fast this year, and I will be praying along with you and the rest of the group. Blessings!
Thanks Deidra! I love the Daniel Fast… and I appreciate you following along in prayer! This has been an interesting experience so far… I can’t wait to get into some of the other areas of excess that we’ll be dealing with. CrAzY….
Cool stuff, Dan. I heard about it through Karyn at Delicate Fortress Creations. I’ll have to check out the book.