My journey of 7 begins: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess

The countdown is on. What once was a GREAT READ has now become a personal life challenge. Oh, I didn't read it thinking I would end up actually doing, I mean, who would do that? Someone who is crazy town - that's who. Maybe I need to catch you guys up...

In January I read this humorous and challenging book by Jen Hatmaker: 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess. As I was reading about the excessiveness of our culture paired with her challenge to living out reduction my feet just happened to be walking on African soil. I was on a vision trip to Kenya and Tanzania with a Pastor friend of mine (female) literally laughing out loud over and over again. The book is absolutely hilarious, yet it also brings you to your knees with a humble burden to reduce yourself, reduce your stuff, and increase God in your life.

Fast forward a couple months and I find myself telling my Big Sister (not officially related - but she really should be) about this book. She reads it and guess what? She wants to form a group and start the challenge. Yep - and we aren't talking the 7 week bible study version that is available but the FULL meal deal. (Pun intended)

Our first challenge for our first month is reducing down to 7 food items for a month. SEVEN (7) items of food for an entire month. This includes any beverage outside of water you may want. 7.

We are starting May 1st - so I have 1 day left of food freedom. Then it is down to this: (maybe)

1. Beef
2. Chicken
3. Eggs
4. Spinach
5. Green Beans
6. Apple
7. Almonds

What is totally cracking me up is how my list keeps changing. My family is doing this alongside me - so what I would have picked individually (tomato and avocado) have turned to beef and almonds. I am battling this inside - but feel there is a lesson in this itself. Probably something about teamwork, being submissive.... somehow I will be learning some valuable life lessons by giving up 2 of my 7 wants on my list. I imagine throughout the journey this give-up will rear it's ugly head on more then one occasion. Like when I am just dying for a big ole slice of gooey green avocado on my bowl of dry spinach.  Although now one of my dear daughters is wanting to eliminate a green veggie for tea. It is totally why you think too - the caffeine. (Hey - she is 19 year old, not 10 okay?)  So since we are switching it up for one maybe we each could have our own list? But then, that creates a NIGHTMARE for me in planning and cooking. I mean we have 5 of our immediate family living in the house multiply that by 7 food items - there is potential for me to have to juggle a total of 35 whopping ingredients / food items a day. ARE YOU KIDDING ME PEOPLE??? Who on earth could handle that kind of kitchen chaos? 

Oh yeah, me...On any given night when I am preparing one meal for our family. Typically you will find me tossing around fresh herbs, lots o'veggies, spices, our protein which typically has some kind of homemade seasoning on it. Yep, one meal easily has 35 ingredients. In fact our salads alone usually have a minimum of 5 plus dressing from scratch with another 5 for a total of 10. So I guess I could handle each of us having different allowances. Yet when I am crank-o-muster over food and I am dishing up something I cannot put in my taste tester there is the extreme likelihood I will explode.  Like, totally unleashed, back away from the table kind of fury. So back to the drawing board - the final, for sure selection will be decided by 11:59pm on the 30th of April and it will probably be something each member of our family is willing to ingest for 28 days.

So, check back in. It is bound to be a fun, humbling and exasperating ride. I am just waiting to have my ugly unveiled right before my eyes. I do believe God is going to peel back my eyelids so I see my yuck a little more realistically- of course the purpose of the reveal of it is to be FULLY  embraced and accepted by the ONE who adores me. As I humbly or boldly, standing upright or crawling, singing or crying come to Him he will gently work with me to refine me into something more pleasing to him. (and hopefully more pleasing to my family and friends too) 

I am SUPER excited to be treating this as a fast, expecting revelation and breakthrough. If you would like to jump in we would be happy to have you! You can comment along the way! 

-Simply Sublime!

How do you LOVE? Who deserves it?

This is my eldest girly-girl, Elissa. Well, she is my eldest child regardless of gender actually. She was the unexpected, life changing, help me grow up quick I am going to be a Momma surprise when I was at the ripe old age of 19. I should note here about how I matured incredibly to the age of 20 in the 9 months I was prego with her. 

The early years were not easy on either one of us. I got married after I found out I was pregnant because that is what you are supposed to do, right? Despite the well-intention of the people in my life this was a very BAD idea. The relationship I had with her Father was toxic, unhealthy and after a windy, spinning, explosive 6 months married Baby Elissa and I  were abandoned and alone. 

The dreaded moment I had always feared officially arrived... "What would PEOPLE think?" was on our doorstep and ringing the doorbell.  Do you know who I was  worried about? Who it was I was most concerned would have negative thoughts about me, look down on me? The people I grew up going to church with. Hmmm, interesting eh? (Nope - not Canadian, I just like saying it) 

Why is that? Why when we make mistakes or end up in hard times do we first fear those who claim to have Jesus Christ as their Savior? What Jesus stood on this earth for is the very thing we are needing extended to us in those moments and yet we fear the hearts of those who love Him. We fear they will reject us, judge us, distance themselves from us or simply just be done with us. We are afraid we are no longer GOOD ENOUGH. 

At that moment of abandonment, almost 25 years ago, was it my overactive imagination at that time that made me believe I would be judged? Was it insecurity?  Is it possible the enemy wanted to make me believe I did not have the Body of Christ that I was connected to?

Could it be that because I was raised in the church I felt there would be no grace for me not "knowing BETTER?" Honestly, I think that was it. I was a Christ follower. I had parents who were leaders in the church. I knew right from wrong....so why did I choose WRONG? It was on me - all me. I made the decision and therefore I deserved the disastrous outcome. I had it coming.

I had absolutely no doubt these same people I was concerned about would be spreading their arms wide open for those messing up who did not know Jesus yet. They would also have a ton of grace and love for those that were victims to someone else's sin. Somehow my situation seemed different. Again it came back to my choices led to my outcome. My belief was there is no grace for that, because I had asked for it. 

Here is what I believed their thoughts for me were: If only I had listened to those who had been speaking into my life. If only I had watched the example of others. If only I had been in the word more, prayed more. If only I had a better understanding of how much God valued me. If only I had waited until I was older. If only I had been ready.  IF ONLY....

IF ONLY I had ...

I would...

I have to say I had a person in my life who represented Jesus to me through it all. If I only had broken pieces to bring - she offered me her WHOLE love and the hope of Jesus. If I only had enough strength to barely walk in the door she offered her loving arms around me to help me make the journey. If I only had messed up ideas on how to proceed from that point on? Catch this... she did NOT always give me the answer that she thought was right for me... she would grab my hands and offer words up to Jesus to help me decide. She believed Jesus was BIG enough to speak to me and she believed in me enough (despite my messes) to believe I would listen and try to follow.  If what I had to bring was a mess - she loved me despite of it - possibly because of it. She was a safe place where I knew I was unconditionally loved. She reminded me that Jesus was the answer - no condemnation. Just come - COME to Jesus.

A part of me would like to say that her example of Jesus love in my life changed my sin pattern and my messed up decision making forever. But it didn't. What it did was show me that the act of love is far greater than words. She taught me to love people despite where they have been or where they are headed. To love people despite of their situation, even if it was their choice. I would go so far as to say ESPECIALLY because it was their choice. 

It is time we believe to the depth of our core that JESUS is enough. It is time we act it out. We are to LOVE WHOLEheartedly - we are to love EVERYONE. 

PSALM 103 

^1-2 O my soul, bless God.
    From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
    don’t forget a single blessing!

^3-5 He forgives your sins—every one.
    He heals your diseases—every one.
    He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
    He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.
    He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
    He renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

^6-18 God makes everything come out right;
    he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
    opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
    not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
    nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
    so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
    he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
    God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
    keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
    like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
    leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always,
    eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
    as they follow his Covenant ways
    and remember to do whatever he said.

^19-22 God has set his throne in heaven;
    he rules over us all. He’s the King!
So bless God, you angels,
    ready and able to fly at his bidding,
    quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
    alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
    everything and everyone made by God.

And you, O my soul, bless God!

-Simply Sublime

 

 

 

Free GF (Gluten Free) Cookbook. CHECK.IT.OUT!

Check out this free Coconut Flour cookbook on Amazon. Here!



Not sure how long it will last - so head on over and grab it while you can!

American Culture: Sometimes funny isn't funny.

Recently our small group started a new Bible Study series by Kelly Minter. It is part of her Living Room Series on Nehemiah. GREAT study so far. Only in as far as week 2 in the video (which means one week of homework) and I am already getting shaken up a bit. 

Last night as we watched the video Kelly began talking about feeling convicted on what she watched as far as movies and tv shows. Her thinking had been something like, "Yeah, it is inapporopriate, but it is FUNNY!" When all of a sudden it hit her... If Jesus had to die for it, it isn't funny. 

If Jesus had to die for it, it isn't funny AT ALL!

Typically I am pretty good with music choice. In fact my heart has changed SO MUCH on this that listening to secular music doesn't even do much for me at all anymore. Somehow my mind and heart are not satisfied listening to empty words.... I want to fill them to the fullest with great words that help me remember who God is and what God accomplishes. Now, please do not get me wrong. I am not saying there isn't great secular music out there - I am just saying I no longer enjoy very much of it. ( ...and that doesn't make me more religious or spiritual either.)

TV and Movies...well, I am a lot better than I used to be. (Gee, that sounds like me trying to excuse myself, doesn't it?) I am a FAR CRY from what I used to be - but I still have a long ways to go. In fact, being completely honest, I have been struggling recently with a show that I REALLY like - but it has these scenes in it that always involve two people... ya know what I am talking about here. It is a prime time show so nothing bare but the scenes are still quite involved. Nothing I need to be exposing my brain and heart to for sure. 

I am SHOCKED by how many people are promoting shows that are FULL of garbage though. It is like our minds have been so saturated by inapporopriate that unless it is "R" rated or  "Explicit" it's seen as if it is only mild. No harm really, just lightly off. I want to scream UNTRUTH!!!! UNTRUTH!!!!

Every little part we subject our minds and hearts to are stealing from us. They take us bit by bit into a state of complacency. We become numb to the effect this has on our thinking, all the way to our actions.

From the recent 50 Shades book targeted towards women (which isn't funny but many women sure seem to find it worth the read), to the High School / College Movies filled with GROSS-NESS - we need to say...

 ENOUGH is ENOUGH

Let's start wrapping our brain around what God revealed to Kelly. If Jesus had to die for it, it is not funny. There is absolutely NOTHING funny about Jesus on the cross. In fact when I pictured this I had two scenes flash in front of me... one watching a grossly shocking humor scene and laughing out loud... then pops up the Passion of the Christ graphic portrayal of Jesus being whipped and shredded by metal shards. Flesh ripping off of him... every whip and pull representing each person finding humor in a scene representing an act of sin. It sucks the laugh right out of me. Crude, inappropriate, whatever it is... if it represents something Jesus had to die on the cross for. IT IS NOT FUNNY.

There is A LOT to laugh about, there is a lot to find JOY in. There is GOOD. There is GREAT. Let's fix our minds and hearts on that! 

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes" -Deut. 11:18

-Simply Sublime