M1:D4

Month 1, Day 4.  This is tough.  On September 22nd when this month is over, you will find me at a Mexican joint eating chips and salsa and queso and the most saucy enchilada you've ever seen.  And while I'm dreaming I'd like to add a fish bowl 'rita to the mix, but I know that's not going to happen.  I am already so tired of chicken, eggs, beans, fruits and veggies.  Well, not really the eggs, because I already ate them every morning before this month.  But I'm more than sick of the rest.

As I was reading my Bible yesterday I came across Matthew 10:9-10 where Jesus is sending out his disciples "Don't take any money in your belts-no gold, silver or even copper coins  Don't carry a traveler's bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick."  The study notes on this passage states that the principle was that they were to go out ready for duty and travel, unencumbered by excess material goods. 

Then today, I was ready Billy Graham's Decision publication for September and there is interview with Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, one of the world's foremost organizations for reaching out to the persecuted.  In it, he was asked:

Q:  How can we be more like them (persecuted Christians)?
A:  With the persecuted, there's no fear left.  The world has lost its grip on them.  Here in the West, we're too in love with this world.  We live in a moral cesspool and need to hate it rather than embrace it.  We make do with just a little bit of God.  We love position, standing, wealth, and things like our home and our 401k.  The effect of persecution is it cuts all these bonds.  When you're persecuted, you don't have position, you're a loser, you're one of the outcasts, your wealth is usually destroyed and your children can be taken from you.  You either fold and walk away from Christianity or you fold on the world and go all-in with Christ. God has an upside-down economy.  He's not interested in the size of your house or the size of your bank account.  He's interested in the size of your heart for Him.  Once we give up on the world and have Christ as our true treasure, then the Holy Spirit can do an amazing work with us.  Then we're crucified with Christ and we can truly live for Him.

This is what 7 is about.  Letting go of this world and becoming more like Christ.

Month 1 begins...

Month 1 began yesterday.  In Jen Hatmaker's book her 7 foods were :
~Chicken
~Eggs
~Whole wheat bread
~Avocado
~Sweet potato
~Spinach
~Apples.

I had a prenatal appointment with my midwife around lunchtime and I discussed with her this book and what I was wanting to do.  Together we decided that my food for month 1 would be:
~Chicken
~Eggs
~Beans
~Fruits
~Vegetables

So sugar, no bread, no sauces or dressings, no spices, no sodas, no processed foods, no eating out.  We decided that we didn't want to limit fruits and veggies at all since I'm pregnant so it gives me more variety then Jen Hatmaker did, but at the same time, it is totally turning my eating upside down (in a good way!). 

So, here's how day 1 went...
We left our prenatal appointment and went to Kroger to stock up on fruits and veggies so I would have something to eat for lunch.  Gary bought sushi for lunch.  I love sushi...  Then we went to my parents house to hang out until we went to the Smokies game last night.  We walked in the door and my mom had chicken and dumplings on the stove and a pumpkin pie on the table.  Then we went to the Smokies game last night on dollar hot dog night so the smell of hot dogs was in the air and everyone was eating them.  But, for lunch I had spinach topped with black beans, avocado and lemon juice.  For dinner I had a sweet potato, a carrot and a celery stalk.  And since I'm writing this blog post after breakfast on day 2, I just ate eggs with tomatoes, green peppers, and onions.

So far so good!  We're heading out this afternoon to go camping for a few days so I know I'll be tempted by s'mores.  I think this would be so much easier if Gary was participating too.  But,  I already feel great and I'm excited to be doing this.

Intro to 7

I've been wanting to read Jen Hatmaker's book 7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess for several months now and just haven't gotten around to doing it.  Last week when I got the Lifeway ad in the mail it had her book as one of their $5 books.  Um, yes!  So I drove to Lifeway a day later and they were sold out.  Seriously, a day later.  I finally got them to transfer me a copy in and started it.  I was hooked right away!  If you have no idea what this book is about see the book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Fv_w5183g&feature=player_embedded. 

I like what she writes in the dedication of the book, "For Jesus, who lived so lightly on this earth, He didn't even have a place to lay His head.  I want so deeply to be like You."  Jen identifies 7 areas of excess in her life and tackles one area of excess each month.  The seven areas of excess are in order: food, clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress.  So, tomorrow I will start Month 1: Food.  This is the one month I will be altering slightly due to my pregnancy.  So here goes an exciting and somewhat terrifying 7 months!