7 by Jen Hatmaker

New Year's Day is only a few days away and I shared yesterday about the Empty Shelf Challenge from Jon Acuff.  I added my first book today.  O.K.  I admit, I didn't read an entire book in one day but with a little head start and a day at home I was able to finish this amazing book and feel challenged for the New Year.

7 has a subtitle, "an experimental mutiny against excess"  The author takes us along with her as she identifies 7 areas of her life that she wants to focus on reducing the excess.  Some are as tangible as only wearing 7 items of clothing for an entire month ( I could do this if I didn't have to wear scrubs to work-I'm thinking about modifying it).  Some were a little more complex, like reducing stress.  In addition to these two areas, she also tackles, spending, waste, food, possessions, and media.  

The most refreshing part of the entire book is that she didn't get all legalistic on us.  She was authentic when she screwed up, and she also allowed others to bless her or take a challenge alongside her.   I've been in a minimalist mode for the past several months.  Slowly and methodically, clearing the clutter.  It is much easier said than done, when you have 6 people living in one house, we got a lot of STUFF!  What I'm finding though is exactly what Jen was able to identify in her experiment.  The less I have, the more I can focus on living the life God designed for me.  

My favorite quote of the entire book came near the end, when she said, "when did the church stop living the Bible and instead start studying it?"   I want to live the Bible and if cutting the excess stuff out of my life can help direct me down that path-I'm all for it.   Let's see how many passengers will come along with me.  Oh, By The Way, I'm not cutting down my reading or blogging to 7, so get ready to help me fill that Empty Shelf and I bet by the end of the year, we'll all have at least 7 ways reading has impacted our lives!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Empty Shelf Project

I follow Jon Acuff on several social media sites and he has a challenge that I want to extend to all of you...It's called the Empty Shelf project.   I'm attaching the link to his blog, you'll have scroll down to his 12/24/2013 entry to read it, but the 4-1-1 on the project is to find an shelf in your home and empty it!  As you read books through the year, add them to the shelf.   At the end of the year, you're shelf will have a whole new look and you will have a whole new reading list that you've developed.  Who knows, maybe it will spur you on to write your own reading blog!   So get going...empty that shelf, start reading and see what exciting things happen through the world of books in 2014!


http://acuff.me/

Amy