Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

Good morning,
To continue from my last post, 

In September 2013, we started a Mom's Group at church where we have done a few studies and read through a book and had discussions regarding it. This group of friends have been such an amazing support group for me. We also have a Facebook messaging thread where we keep in touch during the week. Well a few of us met to discuss what study or book we should do next and we decided on a study titled, "7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" by Jen Hatmaker which is based on her book titled the same (http://jenhatmaker.com/books.htm). So once we decided on that I thought I would read the book before we did the study. Boy, was I in for a shock and a whole lot of conviction! In the book, Jen picks 7 areas where there was excess and took one area a month and made 7 choices to fight against the overindulgence and excess. The 7 areas she chose were:
Month 1- Food: her family only ate 7 foods
Month 2- Clothes: she only wore 7 articles of clothing 
Month 3- Spending: they only spent money in 7 places
Month 4- Media: her family eliminated 7 types of media
Month 5- Possessions: her family gave away 7 items each day for the entire month
Month 6- Waste: discovered 7 green habits and made them apart of their daily lives
Month 7- Stress: observed 7 sacred pauses
All of this to reduce excess and allow God to use the empty spaces the reductions created. So that we would decrease and God could increase. To be more Christ-like in simplicity and generosity. 

This book was where my thoughts, desires, and actions started to change. God started working in me through this book. I had no idea where it would take me but I knew I could not continue on the path of consumerism I was on. There is such great need in the world that I have been blinded to, such needs that could be met if I would stop trying to keep up with American consumers, needs that could be eliminated if all Christians stopped spending on things of this world and started spending on things that could impact others for God's glory and further His Kingdom.