The Splendor of “7”

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Dear Fellow Human Beings,

I have had the pleasure of reading Jen Hatmaker‘s  new book, “7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess.” If I could sum it all up in just one word I would loudly proclaim, “BuyItReadItYou’llAbsolutelyLoveItIPromise!!!!”

7 chronicles the seven month social and spiritual experiment that Jen Hatmaker convinced her dear family to participate in. Here’s the jest of the experiment:  reduce “seven areas of excess down to just seven choices in seven months.” The Hatmaker clan committed to the following for thirty consecutive days per category:  eating only seven foods, wearing only seven items of clothes, giving away seven possessions (yes, daily!), cutting out seven forms of media, spending money at only seven places, engaging seven habits for a greener life, and taking seven sacred pauses (aka, praying).

Extreme? Perhaps. But when you think about how much stuff you consume, engage in, waste, and stress out about in the course of a day, it’s really just a welcome break from foolishness. At least that’s how I see it.

I consider myself a pretty frugal, level-headed, practical Christian chick. I don’t like spending money, I hate shopping for clothes (shoes are another story), I tithe regularly, I’m the wife of a church planting Pastor (aka, I’m the Minister of Making Ends Meet), I facilitate monthly women’s workshops, and I manage millions of dollars for a living. Well, woopty-freakin-doo (pardon my French dressing :-D)! 7 has thrown a necessary monkey wrench in my practical little world. When I merely think of all the stuff just hanging in my closet… wait, let me count it… *4 minutes and 24 seconds later*… I have 363 items just hanging in my closet! That doesn’t include any folded items, shoes, handbags, belts, anything in need of dry-cleaning/alterations, or the bag of stuff waiting to be given away to goodwill (mind you, I just gave away like 5 bags of stuff a few months ago).  That’s a lot of stuff! Why do I need all of that? Truth is, I don’t. I can’t possibly wear all my clothes at the same time (and look sane, that is). 7 causes me to confront why I’ve been holding on to this stuff in the first place and it challenges me to become a consumer of godliness versus gluttony. Clearly, I am guilty of storing up treasures on earth. Surely, I can lighten my load while blessing someone else who really needs my stuff. Huge epiphany from just one chapter!

A few more personal revelations:

  • Just because I can have it (whatever “it” is) doesn’t mean I should have it.
  • Not buying things I don’t need does more good for God’s green earth than recycling. Better to be proactive than reactive!
  • 25,000 people die every day of starvation while most of us Americans enjoy “extravagantly wasteful” lifestyles. I’ve been a part of this problem.
  • A church that feasts on consumerism with no regard for fasting is leading its parishioners to spiritual death, and ultimately, the death of the Church. “The Gospel calls for a complete surrender” of ourselves, not a complete indulgence in more stuff. We got it twisted.

7, in all it’s splendor, is a wonderfully written and HAAA-lariously honest account of Jen’s a-ha moments and minor meltdowns during her seven month “mutiny against excess.” It is in no way self-righteous, demeaning, or a call to live like paupers wearing Jesus sandals on dirty, ash-infested feet. It’s not a how-to book for holiness or a recipe for world domination. What it is, however, is an in-depth look into the life of an everyday, thirty-something year old Christian wife, mother, and friend who provides non-stop comedic relief as she endeavors to be a better steward of her resources and ultimately become more Christlike. Regardless of your age, gender, political or religious affiliation, I promise you will want to be a better human being after indulging in 7‘s 220 pages of awesomeness. You need this book in your life. It’ll rock your world and you’ll be glad about it. It’s a powerful testimony of discovering what it really means to be a child of God. . I’m in the process of figuring out exactly where to begin my own marvelous mutiny against excess so that I can look less like me and more like Christ.

WARNING: do NOT read this book before going to bed. You won’t be able to put it down, you’ll oversleep in the morning, and then you’ll kick yourself for not taking the day off to bask in its glory. Seriously. It’s just that good. Don’t believe me? Read it for yourself. Thank me later. You’re welcome.

Would you like your own FREE copy of 7 to have, hold, love, and cherish? Well, I’m giving a copy away to one lucky subscriber of Practically Yours! How do you enter the give-away? Just 2 steps to enter: 1) Subscribe to this blog (if you’re not already subscribed), and 2) drop me a few lines in the comment section (below) to indicate your interest in the book. That’s it!

Practically Yours,

~ The Practical Chick

The Power of Pet Peeves

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Dear Passionately Peeved,

I’m  a simple girl. Don’t need a whole lot. Don’t ask for a whole lot. All I want for Christmas is peace on earth, pound cake, and a root beer float. Oh, and I would love for the world to be filled with more manner-minded individuals. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Poor manners are one of my biggest pet peeves! For example, if  I go out of my way to hold the door open for someone and they don’t say “thank you”, I’ll be rather annoyed. It’s the principle of the matter.

Pet peeves are those irritating, sickening, and occasionally disgusting things done by others that just get on our last nerves and reserve nerves. Like when someone doesn’t replace the empty roll of toilet tissue (and you don’t notice until after you’ve already “wet the porcelain” or dropped the “kids” off in the “pool” :-D), or when a co-worker doesn’t clean up the mess they made in the microwave. I mean, could there be anything more agitating than a pet peeve? The word “peeve” is even annoying, don’t you think? Pet peeves are the worst of others happening to the best of us. Ever been having yourself a great day, minding your own business when suddenly- out of the clear blue- someone does something so annoying it just gives you an instant attitude? One tiny behavior can turn the biggest smile upside down. Pet peeves sure are powerful, aren’t they?

What’s interesting about a pet peeve is that it can be completely annoying to you but completely acceptable to someone else.  I might not give a hoot about the things that irk others and some could care less about what frustrates me. Pet peeves are things we take personally. They get under our skin and crawl around there for a while. Some things irritate me so much that I have to ask myself, “WHY?”

And that’s the question I pose to you: Why are you so bothered by the things that bother you? Why do those peevish behaviors seem to annoy you more than others? I have heard it said that the very quirks we dislike in others are usually- in some way, shape, or form- the same things we dislike about ourselves. But I’d like to offer another perspective: what if our pet peeves are simply God’s way of arresting our attention regarding our spiritual offenses towards Him? The more I think about it, the more it kind of makes sense… at least where I’m concerned. Perhaps God is saying, “Do unto Me as you would have others do unto you.”

Are you deeply vexed when folks don’t take responsibility for their mess and clean up after themselves? Maybe you have your own mess to confess that needs to be cleaned up with God… Hate being interrupted when you’re trying to get your point across? Perhaps you need to stop interrupting God when He’s trying to point you in the right direction… Does it drive you nuts when others fail to thank you for holding the door open for them? Maybe you, like me, need to recognize how often God opens doors for you- and how often He keeps them open even when you take your sweet time walking towards the entrance! Maybe- just maybe- we need to stop taking advantage of God’s grace and favor. And maybe we need to verbally and publicly thank Him more often. After all, doesn’t every open door deserve a heartfelt “thank you”?

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking at my pet peeves a lot differently now. Yes, pet peeves are terribly annoying and can absolutely arouse our deepest disdain. But they are far more powerful than that! What are your pet peeves? How can you use them to bring you closer to God, instead of farther away from their culprits? The next time someone does something to drive you up a wall (which is very likely to happen as you’re spending more QT with family over the holidays), ask yourself if you are guilty of spiritually committing a similar offense against God. Use your pet peeves as a powerful catalyst for making positive changes! Rather than praying for others to stop getting on your nerves, try this prayer instead,

“Lord, please give me the strength to be more gracious when others irritate me, and pah-lease be gracious unto me as I endeavor to be less offensive to you. Pretty please?! In Jesus’ name, Amen.” 🙂 

Practically Yours,

~The Practical Chick