Day 1 of the 7 Challenge

It's day 1 of the 7 month challenge I am committing to, along with my accountability partner Molly and a few other ladies that I go to church with. This will be an intense journey to simplify and get rid of an ugly abundance of excess in 7 areas, in order to realize more deeply the heart of God for my life and my families life. Inspired by Jen Hatmaker the author of "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" you can read her blog here http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2011/12/26/an-experimental-mutiny-against-excess and hopefully order her book for yourself, if you desire to act upon what so many of us desire... real sacrifice and change for God's glory!

I wrote to Jen Hatmaker the following last night (almost word for word with some changes because I didn't save my final draft): "My wonderful friend told me about your book last week. I Wish I would have read your post long before today. After serving a mission in a 3rd world country last summer, my perspectives have drastically changed. This past Christmas was hard, I just wanted to skip it. The never ending shopping, the parties with over indulgent and over abundance of food, the meaningless gift exchange games, the last minute gifts bought out of feelings of obligation... For someone who has always loved Christmas, I felt like a scrooge, and the only ones who knew my true feelings, were my God and my husband. Even though I gave alot away to help those in need over Christmas, it just didn't feel enough and I would express to my husband that I just didn't want to buy anymore unnecessary stuff. And I would ask questions like "why aren't we Americans ever satisfied with what we already have?" Me included, I could list a number of things on my want list. Anyway so glad to not be the only one disgusted by excess in America and disgusted by the excess of stuff and other things in my life. I'm ready to take action and start 7 months of fasting in honor of and in prayer for those living in extreme poverty. May God do a work in me for His honor and glory, as I prepare to return to the same 3rd world country in a few months. Thank you Jen for being obedient to God and writing a book that so many of us need to read. I ordered it today and I can't wait to read it!"

So today I begin with prayer and fasting...I'm not even going to eat one thing today, just drink water to kick it off, besides the fact I decided so fast to join the other ladies on this journey, that I haven't been grocery shopping in awhile, so my cupboards are practically bare! I was going to go shopping Tuesday, but my daughter stayed home sick, and she stayed home sick again today. It's a good thing I have stuff in the freezer, so I'm making dinners work. Yesterday I made homemade maple syrup for the first time to go with their french toast because we were all out of the store bought kind. My kids love the homemade version better now, Yay! Well the 7 items I will be eating for the month of February will be, Chicken, Eggs, Cheese, Shakeology Meal replacement Shake, Avocados, Bananas, Grapes.

If you haven't read Jen Hatmaker's blog yet, this was taken from it, describing what the 7 months will entail :

"A seven-month experimental mutiny against excess, tackling seven areas of overconsumption in the spirit of a fast; a fast from greed, irresponsibility, apathy, and insatiability. Each area boiled down to just seven choices for a month:

Food.
Clothes.
Possessions.
Media.
Waste.
Spending.
Stress.

Only seven foods for a month. Only seven pieces of clothes for a month. Give away seven things we own a day for a month. Eliminate seven forms of media for a month. Adopt seven substantial habits for a greener life. Spend money in only seven places. Practice "seven sacred pauses" a day and observe the Sabbath...a deeply reduced life to find a greatly increased God." (Jen Hatmaker)

I'll be praying for each of the ladies starting this journey today, as well as myself, as we embarq on this extreme, yet rewarding challenge together. Excited to see what I will learn through it, what changes will take place in my heart, and how God will use it to further the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom! In my life Lord, be glorified!!!