The 7 Experiment

I wonder if I should point out that my last blog posting was 5 months ago.  Bringing that fact to your attention is probably poor blogging strategy. But since I obviously am neither an experienced nor consistent blogger, I will start there because confession is good for the soul (if not the reputation).

The honest reason I am writing today is because I am spending this week on a media fast (no TV, Netflix, Facebook, Words with Friends or extraneous internet surfing). I have shut down the cyber world except for family and ministry related communication, and I have realized that I miss staring at a screen. Sad, I know.

I have decided to use the freed up free-time for some other more noble activities, like turning the pages of an actual book, memorizing Scripture, taking my mother to lunch, prayer walking through the neighborhood and playing a game or two with people who are physically present in the room with me.

Why the media fast? For the last few weeks, I have been engaging with some church members in The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker.  The tagline of her book reads, "staging your own mutiny against excess." She and her pastor husband identified 7 critical areas of life where we as over indulged Americans are tempted to, shall we say, over indulge.  Food. Clothing. Possessions. Media. Spending. Waste. Stress. Anybody see a personal pattern of excess in any of those areas? I see those hands!

We are only 4 weeks in, but each week of our study, we have participated in a fast of some kind.  The first week, I "fasted" from grocery shopping for 7 days and used up what we had in the fridge and cupboard.  It was amazing how creative I got in making do.  I also realized that I waste way too much food.  I tend to buy more and shove it in the front of said food spaces while the back row goes bad or expires.  (I pulled out a can of pumpkin to make a pie for our home Bible Study group and noticed that it had expired in 2011.  Oops.  Plan B was substituted.) I was able to give away the money I saved from not entering my usual stores and help some precious children in Uganda who live on one meal a day.

The second week involved taking a look at my clothes closet. I honestly don't buy a whole lot of clothes as a rule.  I gladly receive people's cast-offs when they are offered to me and I would rather buy other things when I have the money. However, I have still managed to fill up my closet. So, in week two, I chose just 7 items of clothing and I wore them all week (not including underwear...just because I knew you were wondering.) One t-shirt, 2 sweaters, 2 pairs of pants, a skirt and a pair of shoes. No accessories. And you know what? No one even noticed my repeating outfits.  And when I say no one, I mean even my fashion conscious daughter or my own husband.  I know because when I asked them if they were tired of seeing me dressed in the same clothes, they said. "Why? Are you wearing the same clothes?" What I learned was that I can get by on significantly less and it doesn't affect my ministry or "reputation" one bit.

That leads me to the week 3 challenge of taking stock of my possessions. I chose to give away 7 items a day. 49 things in a week.  I could have come up with so much more if I had had the time to deeply purge every closet and storage space. However, since I knew I had surplus in my own clothes closet, I chose 49 clothes items to give away.

Almost all of these clothes were things I didn't wear anyway, but while I was picking through the surplus, the Holy Spirit whispered that He wanted me to give away that new outfit that I had just bought to wear to church. (Remember when I said I rarely buy new clothes? Well, that's true.  So yeah.) A sweater, a skirt, a belt and even the matching necklace.  Really, Lord?  Sigh. I knew that our women's ministry was collecting clothes to give to a low-income apartment complex in town where we had served every Wednesday night this summer with cook-outs and games for kids and get-to-know-you conversations with adults. The Spirit informed me that there is someone there, size Cyndi, that needs it more than me.  So, I carefully hung it separately from the rest of the boxed items and delivered it the church for give away.  I did not die.

This brings me to the 4th week where we left off most recently, the media fast. I am on Day 3.  I'm not going crazy or even missing it all that much.  Last night I talked Janae and two of her friends into forgoing Friday movie night and playing Catch Phrase with me.  We actually had some hilarious fun! I might be itching for a peek at Facebook if we get an ice storm as predicted and I am stuck at home for the next couple of days. but I will survive.

I am learning that the premise of the book is accurate, "If we are willing to offer these blind spots--indulgence, extravagance, greed, excess--to Jesus, we can believe Him for freedom on the other side. There is a bigger story to live, and God is drawing us into it.  It is thrilling and good and radical; the gospel life has no equal."

3 weeks to go after this one.  But something is happening in my soul.  I am able to pray with more faith, speak truth with more boldness and hear God's voice more clearly.  There really is more with less!