2017: Less Me, More Mercy

In Costa Rica, I spent a lot of time discussing justice and mercy with my peers. One of the questions we kept coming back to was whether or not the two could coexist. I know that God does justice and mercy perfectly, in tandem, without flaws. But I wonder if humans can do the same. One of the things I realized is that I simply cannot hope to tackle both at the same time.

So this year? I choose Mercy. I will champion it; I will advocate for it; I will strive for it. And God knows I'll fall short of it. But I am going to spend this year loving Mercy, just as Micah 6:8 calls me to. And maybe in 2018--if I spend this year pursuing Mercy relentlessly--I'll know a little bit more about how to seek Justice.

Mercy (n.) compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.
[[Thanks Google]]
How do I find that?

Friends, I wholeheartedly believe that if I cleanse my life of bells and whistles, I will enter into the pure mercy of Christ's heart. The understanding of my unworthiness and His holiness. And when I do that, I'll be able to extend His mercy to the souls of people around me. Because humans are so toxic, and we spend a lot of time harming and not a lot of time showing compassion. And I know I am the least worthy of following the Jesus the Bible tells us about. This Jesus who turned water to wine, who raised the dead, who turned the other cheek, who loved so well. I am not that. But oh, how I want to be. His mercy is at the center of everything. It makes me ache with wonder. I want desperately to know how I can seek it, how I can reflect it.

Enter: Seven.

This book by Jen Hatmaker changed my life. It's all about how one woman took on seven months of detoxing her life of stuff. From her possessions to her stress--she stepped away from it all. With her outline as a starting point, Jesus as a guide, and a Council of women who are stepping into the ring with me, I'm going to try this seven-month journey toward Mercy.

[[For more info on Seven itself, please check out this post by my friend Kelly, from when she read it this summer. Also, to figure out why this picture is important, read all the way to the end of my post.]]

This first month, I am giving up seven types of media, as follows:
1) Car Radio
2) Facebook [[except to post links to my blog]]
3) Twitter [[ditto]]
4) Instagram
5) Snapchat
6) Netflix/TV/streaming
7) Games/Apps [[read: Candy Crush]] [[this is harder for me than I can admit and still maintain any shred of dignity]]
I have chosen these specifically because I think they (1) prevent me from investing in the people around me or (2) prevent me from investing in Jesus like I should.

By the way, yes, I have already failed January. Breaking habits is the actual hardest. But I'm keeping at it anyway. Because the pursuit of mercy is messy, just like everything in life. I know I'm going to fail almost every day--but luckily, my aforementioned Council is here to keep me in check.

Meet the lovely women [[and the occasional husband]] who are joining me on this crazy journey. I have asked them to provide photos and bios, but I also may have added a few things here and there, depending on the lady. Okay, here they are:

• Kelly McAvoy - one of my dearest friends, and the girl who initiated this whole idea:



Hi my name is Kelly and I am a proud new dog mom. (I have wiped his butt and pulled non-toy objects from the back of his mouth. You can't take this title from me). I read Seven last year at the suggestions of my friends and it was a solid 10/10. You don't have to subscribe to Jen Hatmaker theology to appreciate how Jen Hatmaker tries to get closer to God. I asked if some friends would like to actually do Seven for realsies and, bless their adventurous little hearts, several said yes. As you follow our journey please understand it less as "These humans are weird and attention-seekers" and more "They're making less of themselves to create more room for God. Let's see what happens."

• Sara Kernan - friend of Kelly's turned friend of mine:
  

  

  My name is Sara Kernan and I'm an Alaskan that currently lives in the desert. My husband and I live in California where he is stationed for the Marine Corps. I am a current online student finishing my studies with Moody Bible Institute and my passion is working to combat sexual trafficking. I'm a proud plant mom and I dog sit for my friends to curb puppy fever. I generally can be found speaking in a volume most call yelling, making new friends with people I don't know, or talking about "in Alaska..." stories. This "mutiny against excess" as Jen Hatmaker calls her project, met me at a perfect time. My husband and I got married in May and are figuring out how we want to run our home financially. We keep asking ourselves questions like: how radically generous can we be without driving ourselves into the ground? How can we be good stewards but also generous, where is the line? Hatmaker's writing explores these themes and my little family has been challenged to radically focus on generous living (minus the plants, they don't do much of the finances). As I take on this challenge personally I'm excited to find my "enough" not in materials or bank accounts but in Christ. And I'm thrilled to see where this journey takes Matt and I.

• Jess Sweigert - a college friend of mine who was roommates with my roommate while I was studying abroad and honestly is just an all-around gem. She's also recently engaged to one of the guys I studied abroad with so Jess and I are kind of default-friends--all our friends are friends. She's grand:

Hi I'm Jess and I like to knit, read, Goodwill shop, and travel new places. I just finished reading Seven after feeling conviction for how much excess clutter and "stuff" I have in my life. I debated for some time whether or not to do the challenge but I'm being resistant to something that will result in a life that is more focused on Jesus not "stuff." The conviction is real and the Lord nudged me to realize that I genuinely need to make more room for Him in the deepest crevasses of my life. Here we go. (P.S. dreading the food month. I love food. Especially Mexican food.)

• Deborah Anders - one of my favorite human beings on the whole planet Earth:

  

  Hi, my name is Deborah and I am Bailey's roommate. I am in my 3rd year at Grace College getting my bachelors in counseling and masters in ministry studies. I love spending time with friends, family and my cats. I am super stoked about this experiment and to see how God is going to work in me and in all the ladies involved. I am excited to start this rebellion against our materialistic culture and letting the Lord take over my life in so many areas that I haven't let him have before. So here's to the challenges and victories that these next 7 months will bring!

• Lindsay Roseberry - church friend of Kelly's who didn't give me a bio so here goes:

  

  Lindsay is legitimately one of the most adorable human beings I know. She rocks DIY projects, homeschools her six kids, and looks like a fashionista while she does all of it. She is making some modifications to the Seven challenge as she does it with us, but the core of this is still about keeping each other accountable and learning to look more like Jesus, which is something she already does well--and something I really admire about her. Her husband John Thomas (a very witty and hilarious youth pastor at a church in our area) is going to do some of this craziness with her. I stole this photo of her and her family from Facebook.

• Kelsey Grover - another close friend of mine whose bio I'm going to make up:

  

  Kelsey has been one of my best friends since 2010, a nurse since about January, and a wife since June. She is a passionate seeker of Jesus and a wonderful accountability partner, and even though she hasn't quite finished reading Seven, she's jumping into the madness with us. Hope you enjoy this photo of us in her wedding garb.

• Courtney Dotson - friend of Sara's who decided to join the madness:

  

  I'm Courtney! I'm 21 and have been in Twentynine Palms, CA for about a year! I'm finishing up my bachelors in business sustainability this May! Woo! I work at Pacific Marine Credit Union as a teller.

So this is my Council. We are eight women--and a couple husbands--who want Jesus more than we want stuff. Or at least, we want to want Jesus more than our stuff. It's going to be hard, but we're doing it anyway. Because seeking Jesus in the hard stuff is all we're called to do. And I am so thankful for the fact that we have each other to lean on and keep accountable when life gets hard in the next seven months.
If you want to see how some of the other girls handle the challenge, here are a few blogs besides mine:

Kelly's Blog

Sara's Blog

Jess's Blog

So here's to 2017. To less of me, to more of Mercy. Let's get started.

OH. Almost forgot.
As a reward for those of you who read this whole thing [[and who follow along on this crazy adventure]], I am going to GIVE AWAY A COPY OF SEVEN AT THE END OF JANUARY. All you have to do to get the photographed copy featured above is comment on this post [[or send me an email]] that you're interested. I'll draw a name and ship anywhere. So this is basically an opportunity for a free book.
If no one is interested this month, I'll do the giveaway at the end of February instead.

Okay. Thanks again for joining me, folks. All the love.
B