thanks friend! thanks a lot!
insert sarcasm here
just when you think
your going to kick it in over drive
and cruise a mile or two on cruise control
a friend comes along and says
“hey, I’ve got a book you need to read! you could blog about it!”
you’ve heard “curiosity killed the cat”
well, in my case (killed my closet!)
actually
curiosity lead me to buy the book 7
and 7 has turned my little world
UPSIDE down
INSIDE out
and I’m only on Chapter 3!!!!
author, Jen Hatmaker posed the question:
“Do you feel trapped in the machine of excess?”
why yes, Jen, I do thank you for asking
now what?
7 is about how Jen” took seven areas of excess and made seven simple choices
to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism and overindulgence.”
She chose food, clothing, spending, media, possessions, waste & stress.
She and her family took 30 days on each topic boiling it down to the number seven.
Now, here’s where I’m at
#1 I am completely and totally OVERINDULGED in every. one. of these areas
#2 I am not in denial
so what am I going to do about it???
#1 keep reading this book
#2 praying my way through
realizing
I am not Jen Hatmaker
I am Karmen Smith
I love Jesus with ALL of my heart and soul
and want to please Him and honor Him with every area of my life
I am going to seek His wisdom in how I can apply what I have read from this woman’s experiment
why?
because STUFF and the means of accumulating STUFF distracts me from my purpose of
becoming more like my Maker
Jen wrote: “Jesus didn’t redeem the world on the throne but through the cross”
let that sink in a minute…..
the KING of the world
perfect LAMB of GOD
died on a cross
for me
filthy, overindulged, spoiled rotten, distracted
me
and you.
consider:
“He wasn’t rich or notorious, well dressed or handsome…He was approachable in every way.”
am I approachable?
am I willing to approach the unlovely, the poor, the lowly?
He did.
this next sentence got me
” We are drawn in by His simplicity, then transformed by His magnificence.”
Jesus was simple
His message is simple
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I hunger for simplicity.
do you?
one more question:
can we REALLY, SINCERELY “carry the gospel to the poor and lowly while emulating the practices of the rich and powerful.”???
just some food for thought
I’m still chewing on the answers too
“this life is a breath” really.
lastly,
Jesus was and IS magnificent
on that day
I want Him to say “well done”
don’t you?
PS..have you read this book? leave a comment and let me know what impact 7 has had on you!
I have read the book. It turned my world upside down and every time I even think about buying something now, I have to ask myself if i really need it or just plain want it, only to accumulate more! I am in the process of taking out, taking out, taking out and finding people who can really use the things that I have. I would love, love, love to have someone accountable to do at least some of the “7” areas–the wearing 7 items of clothing, the eating 7 things, etc. to get me even more in tune with how my life can be even more simple to magnify him fully!