Do you feel trapped in the machine of excess?

Yes.

Yes.

And Yes again!

That is the question on the back cover of the book 7 - an experimental mutiny against excess by Jen Hatmaker.

Recently I saw some women on Facebook discussing this book and I had to know more about it. I was told it was a must-read, so I moved it up on my list. High above the 200 books already on my pile.

My only regret.......I requested it from the library and I really wish I had my own copy. I finished it today and it was due back today. They won't let me renew it because someone else has requested it, so I am quickly writing a blog post before I bring it back tomorrow.

I'm not really even sure where to start with this book except to say that I LOVED IT!

If you want a book that is going to challenge you.....this book will do that!

Jen writes about 7 months that she took different areas in her life and fasted. Clothes, Shopping, Food, Waste, Possessions, Media, and Stress. She is very funny and I love her honesty. But she shares Bible passages along the way and shares her spiritual growth throughout this experiment.

I will just share a few things from the book, just so you get the idea. Each month involved the number 7 - hence the name of the book. Food month - she strictly at 7 different foods. Clothing month - she only had 7 articles of clothing she could wear. Media - her whole family fasted from 7 different types of media.

I really wish I had my own copy of this book because I would be underlining, highlighting and ready to share some of my favorite parts of the book......but "NOOOO...." I wanted to save my $10.

Even though Jen wrote the book, I would like to share a little bit of what her husband wrote at the end of media month:

One of Peter's early leadership lessons from Jesus was about letting go. He said the things we hold loosley are more likely to have eternal impact than the things we bind. When we hold too tightly to things, we lose perspective as well. While Jesus was talking about the kingdom in this passage, His words certainly give us insight to our created nature.

We like our stuff. We need our things. Usually the things we think we need become the very things we need a break from.......

.....Honestly, my biggest fear going into media month was that the world might stop turning until I was done, but I discovered others didn't need me to be as wired as I though. Most of my media involvement is simply about me (blah).

All told, media month offered some pretty good perspective. Someone once said, "Think about the things you'd most hate to lose (outside your family), and you'll identify your idols." These are not only the things we treasure too much but what we've likely lost perspective on. We place this stuff on a pedestal that wasn't built for it......

The dangerous part of our social media and technologically saturated world is not it's existence but what it distracts us from.....

So, what do I do next?

Do I just say, "Wow, that was a great book but doing all that is not for me. That is too radical."

I wish I could but I can't.

Tomorrow, before I bring this book back to the library, I will write down her 7 experiments. I will make notes. Next, I will try to get my family on board, so together we can determine areas in our life that we need to fast.

I will seek out my idols and find the things that I hold onto too tightly. I hope in the end, I not only find these things but I am able to let go of them and grow closer to God in letting them go.

I will keep you posted......

If you have read this book, I would love to hear from you and discuss with you what you think. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it and would love to hear your thoughts once you have.