"7" things I hate about you...

1.  YOU'RE challenging me.  2.  you're. challenging. me.  3.  You're KILLING a part of me, making me die.  4.  You're changing me.  5-7. you're challenging ME!

However, those are all the things I love so far about the book 7 by Jen Hatmaker.  It's a total vacillating kind of relationship - me and this book.  "I hate you, this is stupid, but I want more because this is so good for me."

Premise of the book:   Jen, an affluent pastor's wife in TX is rocked by the Holy Spirit when confronted with 7 areas of her life.  She is an all or nothing kind of gal, so to experience the feelings and somewhat lifestyle of the marginalized (whom they are now in community with) she takes 7 areas of her life, one per month, and totally lives radically.  For example on the clothes month, she only wore 7 items, for food month - only ate 7 foods, etc.  It's her journal of what God does with her and her family and the  journey they take to become poor in wealth.

I have a dear friend who is leading our bookclub through this book and to see woman who live in Orange County be challenged in radical ways is so powerful.  We take 1 chapter a week, we come and discuss, and we fast the following week.  My prayer for this book journey is that God gives FREEDOM and that we see clearly our idols and areas that have strongholds on us.  We are not quite 1/2 way through, but I'd love to share some thoughts with you on how this has affected our family.  I will just do one post per chapter, otherwise you'll be reading til next week! 

Food:  *disclaimer, we're processing still over here at the Gibbs house and love this journey and frankly - aren't asking for any input in this area yet.  Please let us struggle and love us where we're at.  This one is a biggie for my family.  I think we eat relatively healthy.  However, we have a ton of slip ups - and lets be honest, I'm 20lbs more now than I was on my wedding day.  For the food week's fast, we didn't do anything radical like some of my friends did, but what we did do was educate ourselves on what we are putting in our bodies.  As I was reading the chapter, questions began to pop in my head.  Ones that have before, but this time I wanted to give them space to sit and percolate and give validity to them - because after all, they are MY questions that obviously my subconscious wants to know about. ;)
     Did God create us to eat meat?  In Genesis He told Adam and Eve to eat from any tree except the "one." I don't think he said, see that lamb over there, kill it and eat it in the Garden of Eden.  And I know that after the fall, people ate meat bc it talks about how you shouldn't eat pork if it causes your brother to stumble, but were they only eating meat because they didn't have enough plant based food?  Is it evolution that has caused our bodies to be able to process meat like it does?  And why was it that when I had cancer I felt the best I'd ever felt when we switched to soley a plant based, whole grain diet? 

When I was diagnosed with cancer in December of 09'  Our doctor had told me to become vegan to slow down the rate of the cancer growth so we did and I felt amazing!  We were originally going to "live" with the cancer and try to slow down the growth naturally and even possibly reverse the tumor size, and this is the route that a few of my doctors suggested.  The vegan diet is what they put terminally ill patients on to give them more "time."  And right then and there should have been enough to make us stay that way forever... why in the world would we not eat a diet that was so good for you (as long as you do it right!!!).  BUT, then there was this beautiful little boy whom we got a call about on Dec 28, 2 weeks after I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma, and he needed a mama who was cancer free (or the courts would look favorably on NO cancer) so as fast as we could go, we used medical intervention and cut that sucker out and followed it up with radiation.  And then we went to a country where it is incredibly hard to eat a plant based diet and still get all the nutrients that one needed. (and at this time, I had little to no thyroid hormone in my body, so I needed lots of energy to power through).  And then I just never got back on the bandwagon.  But, during my 10 weeks on the diet, I had so much energy and remembering telling Jesse - I feel SO good, yet I'm sick, but I have never felt this "whole."  In fact, it was hard reversing and coming back to meat... there was a period that I just couldn't digest meat and dairy, I'd throw up, be in severe stomach pain (esp with red meat) but I kept working at it until I could have my tri-tip and milkshake. (hence the extra 20lbs!)

I brought up my "theological" questions to the hubby that's a pastor, and he didn't have the answers.  Little did I know, my lovely meat eating husband was having the same questions, but knowing how granola I am, he knew I would jump at the opportunity to become vegan once again and he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to give up his steak and cheese so he never brought it up.  Kinda don't blame him, a double double is pretty tasty esp with extra cheese.  So, we went to where all good researchers go to... NETFLIX.  And we began watching documentaries.  We totally understand that all documentaries are heavily one sided, however we found one that we thought was pretty fair.  Forks over Knives.  Watch it, tell me what you think.  We know that there are some things they didn't take into consideration... they focused on mass produced meat and dairy and not the cows my great-grandmother raised, milked, and then fed us growing up.  But, we're guilty of not buying free range meat/eggs/dairy, so I felt like they had a good argument for us.

Are we vegan today?  Well, not exactly.  But, we did go shopping and bought no meat.  Yogurt, yes.  We have planned an all vegetarian menu, properly balanced with plenty of protein, for the next week.  However, I am waiting on some results that I get on Thursday, and laughably, we both said - if my cancer is back - out goes all the dairy and meat products along with processed food and sugars.  HAHAHA!!!  Again, why wait for bad news to radically do what's good for one's body?  I guess good is relative. Now, don't think I'm a crazy mama who will never let her kids have cupcakes or hotdogs at a birthday party, but I may be that mom who makes gluten free/ healthier versions of desserts for her kids at home and give them carrot sticks instead of chips for a snack.

My challenge to you:  No, it's not to become vegan. :)  Although if you did, lets swap recipes!  But, to ask yourself, "What am I putting into my body, into my kids' bodies, into my husband's body?  Does it have an affect on our health?"  It never hurts to educate yourself and NO ignorance isn't bliss!  I told Jesse that if he were to die of a heart attack related to how he eats, I'd resuscitate him and kill him again. And friends, don't think I won't resuscitate you just to kill you again if your diet causes you to have a heart attack, or if you overdose on doughnuts.  I love you too much.  

x,b