7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

Bibliography
Hatmaker, Jen. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. B and H Publishing, 2012.

image from: jenhatmaker.com

My Thoughts
I'd heard some friends talking about this book, so I put it on my pile. It's funny to me when I have books on a pile for over a year, but when I finally get to it, it is EXACTLY the time I'm supposed to read it.

Jen Hatmaker is real. She doesn't seem to censor the reality of her life and how this experiment really played out. She talks about the success as well as the struggles. There were some very funny moments in this experiment. I laughed out loud when she wrote about the backyard garden (both times). I chuckled at her commentary.  I connected to many of the things that she strives for as a mom.

The experiment is 7 months, 7 areas, 7 simple choices to eliminate waste and "create space for God's kingdom to break through" (Hatmaker 4). She compares this experiment to a fast. She must "repent of greed, ungratefulness, ruined opportunities, and irresponsibility" (Hatmaker 5). She enlists the help of six friends (The Council). These ladies help keep Hatmaker accountable. Hatmaker writes in a journal/diary/confessional format to show the reader her experiences while trying to fulfill the experiment. She is so funny!

The areas that Hatmaker focuses on: foods, clothing, excess stuff, media, waste, spending, stress.
Month one is food. She decides to eat only 7 things for an entire month. There obviously are many challenges with this. I'm not sure I could have done it.

She writes about her kids and members of her church going to feed the homeless in Austin every week. That honestly frightened me. I want to think of myself as a helper, but I don't think I could do that.

When she got to the money month, she writes about three shifts that we could all do:  1. non consumption 2. redirect all that money saved 3. become wiser consumers (Hatmaker 168). "We can simply stop spending so much, use what we have, borrow what we need, repurpose possessions instead of replacing them, and live with less" (Hatmaker 169). PREACH! As much as I try to live by this, there are times when I don't.

In month seven, she is working on stress. To do this, she decides to pause and pray seven times a day and actually observe the Sabbath. Again, I'm not sure I could do this. I applaud Hatmaker. I think some of the stress of my world is due to me not pausing.

In the last chapter, Hatmaker writes that this was HER experiment and results might vary for others. However, she does remind the reader of the "baseline as a faith community:

Love God most. Love your neighbor as yourself. This is everything.
If we say we love God, then we will care about the poor.
This earth is God's and everything in it. We should live like we believe this.
What we treasure reveals what we love.
Money and stuff have the power to ruin us.
Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God. This is what is required." (Hatmaker 218)

I thought about this book at various times. I thought about what I might create for my own 7 experiment.  I paused. I needed to read this book at this time. Thanks God for inspiring Jen to write this book so I could read it.