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Jen Hatmaker visits CWAHM!
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Jen Hatmaker has authored 9 books including Interrupted, Ms. Understood: Rebuilding the Feminine Equation, and A Modern Girl’s Guide to Bible Study, and is a sought-after Women’s issues and Bible study speaker across the United States.
She and her husband, Brandon, planted Austin New Church in an economically and ethnically diverse, socially unique, urban area of Austin, Texas, in 2008, with the church mantra: “Love Your Neighbor, Serve Your City.” Recently the Hatmaker’s added to their family of five with two adopted children from Ethiopia. Jen’s blog can be found at www.jenhatmaker.com.
ABOUT 7:
“Dad! This white dude is RICH!” This was the catalyst for Jen Hatmaker to start her journey to rid her home and life of excess as her family was housing 12 evacuees, this 10-year-old Hurricane Ike evacuee entered her home with this exclamation. “For years I didn’t realize this because so many others had more,” Hatmaker says in 7. “We were surrounded by extreme affluence, which tricks you into thinking you’re in the middle of the pack…. The day I am unaware of my privileges and unmoved by my greed is the day something has to change.”
Food. Clothes. Spending. Media. Possessions. Waste. Stress. Jen spends 30 days on each topic, boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in seven places. Eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.” So, what’s the payoff from living a deeply reduced life? For Jen’s family it was the discovery of a greatly increased God-call toward simplicity and generosity that transcends social experiment to become a radically better existence.
In Jen’s words:
“I had 327 pieces of clothing in my closet. We spent money at 66 different places a month on average, not including repeat expenditures. We had four gaming systems, three computers, and five TV’s, most of them usually on. We threw away pounds and pounds of food each week we never got around to eating. We needed a second trashcan to contain our weekly waste. We were too busy to look each other in the eye. Something had to change.
“Enter: 7, a social and spiritual experiment my family embarked on which I chronicled. Drowning in tension over our own materialism and losing the battle against consuming, we decided to go radical for a year and see what God would do. Boiling seven areas of excess down to just seven choices in seven months, we put our greed and apathy on the table and said, ‘God, transform us.’ Somehow against all odds, the project was completed, the words were written, and 7 is now a book.”
If You Want Success: Stop Asking These Questions
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In my last post we looked at a few questions that you must ask yourself in order to succeed. This week let’s reverse it a bit and discover a couple of questions that a woman in business should never ask herself.
How can I make so and so do such and such?
“I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.”
~Lou Holtz
One of the most common misunderstandings we have as humans is in our belief that we have the ability to change other people. We somehow think that through punishment, force, reward, or just plain strength of will, we can change other people.
We see this all the time: Women attempt to change boyfriends and husbands, parents try to change their kids, and coworkers try to change each other. But somehow even if we realize short term success, it’s never long-lasting. Ask any parent who’s tried to force a baby to eat strained peas. Even if you get them into the mouth, they’re likely coming right back out again. Read More→
How Far Should Christian Teens Go to Be Accepted?
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There is such pressure on today’s teens to fit in. They see it in magazines and hear it from their peers about how to dress, what to say and how to act. But has your teen ever taken a good look at what communication this is sending to others?
When you ask a teen why they dress and act the way they do, you will often hear: “I am just expressing my individuality.” or “I just want to fit in.” The communication we send has consequences that teens often do not consider. Read More→
Recently I have come to terms with a lot of things about myself. One thing in particular is that I do not pay attention to detail. Because I don’t notice things until they are completely out of whack I can find myself overwhelmed trying to put them back together. This has been true specifically for my “Corporate Headquarters”. I also discovered something else that I am overjoyed to share with you. We have two options when it comes to our flaws:
- Accept them and do nothing to improve
- Pray for Strength in our areas of weakness (“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9)
“I Love You This Much”
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Valentine’s Day is fast-approaching. Were I not calendar-savvy, I would know of the impending holiday because the store’s aisles have exploded in every shade of red imaginable. Chocolate sales are escalating, rose revenues are blooming, and perfume profits are beginning their assent. In the mind of the majority, these things say, “I love you.” And perhaps in Mary’s mind, a sweet aroma says the same.
We know Mary and Martha well. By the time you get to John 12, you’ve already met them two other times. Once again, Martha is serving and preparing a dinner party for Jesus. Lazarus (in his resurrected body!) is enjoying the fellowship of his close friend. But where’s Mary? Oh…here she comes…with a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume (with a value equal to approximately a year’s worth of wages)…which she empties onto Jesus’ feet?!
Before we judge our sister, let’s bring this story into the 21st century. Do you know what the most expensive fragrance in the world is? (Google it if you want to…that’s what I did. J) It’s called Clive Christian Imperial Majesty, and a 16.9-ounce container can cost as much as $435,000. Imagine the extravagance. Imagine Mary pouring it out on Jesus’ feet. What would your response be? Read More→
The #1 Reason Most People Don’t Achieve Their Goals
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I am passionate about goals and goal-setting for the simple reason that if I didn’t set goals, I would have achieved little to nothing over the last 15 years.
Seriously.
People often ask me how I manage to get so much done, not just on a daily basis, but on a big project or bucket list basis.
The simple answer which is very short and sweet is that I set annual, monthly and weekly goals, and I work towards them. Read More→
10 Ways to Improve Your Google Ranking
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Google is the world’s most popular search engine. Shortly after its creation, Google’s popularity skyrocketed and it soon became the dominant search engine for finding information on the internet. This is why, if you own a website, you want it to be high in the Google ratings.
Google is constantly changing and evolving so you need to keep up with the changes. Their recent changes, called the Panda Update, caused many sites’ rankings to drop significantly. Google’s mission is to provide the highest quality information for each search done and in doing this, many sites get lost in the endless pages of search results.
To get your website increased ranking there are many things you can do and many things you should not do. I have tried to list some of the more effective things you should do and a couple things you should not do for better placement in Google.
1. Limit Your Advertising – If you have a hodgepodge or cluttering of advertising on your site, this can decrease your ranking. Google considers excess advertising to be a sign of a low-quality spam site. And remember, Google’s goal is to provide the highest quality sites at the top of the search results. Read More→
CWAHM.com is a dream that God has truly brought to life. I began CWAHM.com in 2000 while learning HTML. I thought it would be a fun hobby and a way to compile all the information I was seeking on working at home. I am a mom of 2 (1 boy, 1 girl), a wife and I do work from home. I accepted Christ as my savior at the age of seven as a Sparky in my church’s AWANA club. I have a Bachelor’s degree from Grace University in Human Development and Family Studies/Bible. I love working from home and I pray that CWAHM will be a blessing in your life as it has been in mine.