Andrea O. Freeman

I am once again in a very familiar place in my life...a bit heavier than I'd like and than I should be so I am jumping back in to the weight loss mode. Today has not been good since we had a birthday in the office and everyone brought in something yummy to eat and you know you've got to try a little bit of everything....oh, mercy, I have got to show more will power than this. My goals are realistic and within reach so I don't have any grand plan to lose a ton of weight and suddenly become a vegetarian or something. I want to lose 25 pounds, fit back into my favorite jeans and gain my strength and energy back. I am getting in the exercise but now I've got to get my eating habits cleaned up. Why does it get harder as we get older? It is so easy to gain weight, and so much harder to lose it. I hear in the back of my mind and in the forefront of my heart that my body is the temple of the Lord---so I know I should care for it in a way that enables me to be the best I ...

How's your heart? You know, the condition of your inner being? Are you daily absorbing the Word of God, pouring your hurts and joys out to the Father and listening to Him speak to you? Or, have you become numb, uninterested, desensitized? Sin can do that, or what we would label "the current condition of our society". So many of us have excuses, and typically it is our schedules, our commitments to all these things and it is just what we feel we need to be doing whether out of obligation or because "nobody else will do it, so I might as well". This is another one of the lies being fed to us by that stinkin' guy down under. Satan has his ways, I'll give him that but----I will daily refuse to allow him to influence my life. I think most of us in our comfy Christian lives develop this mentality that we must do all these things to be in right standing with society and with God. With society, because we feel the need to keep up with everyone around us...

Romans 8:29 is a reminder from the writer, Paul, that we are known and chosen by our Maker. We are to be like Him, striving toward a life that is righteous. How do we get there? Well, we will be working toward it all of our lives. We will get there when we stand before Him one day. We will get there when we hear Him say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." It is going to be sweet to hear those words, although I don't believe I deserve it. It is a healthy humility that I carry knowing that I can never be as perfect or sinless as Christ was, but I can daily work toward being more like Him, drawing from the strength He gives me to be the best example of Him I can be to the world around me. I was challenged to day in my devotional to examine where my feet are planted. Am I splashing one foot in the pools of the world while attempting to plant the other foot on Christ's solid foundation? It is not possible and it is not what God desires for me. I need to ...

I love that song by Switchfoot. The words are piercing at times, because I realize I am not always living the righteous life God has intended for me. In my morning devotional today I was reminded of how important it is to daily put off my old self, and live as the new creation God has made me to be. But this is not something we can attain instantly, or over a short period of time. It is something I will strive toward for my entire life. I am not defined by what I've done, who I am, or who I'd like to be one day. I am defined by grace, by the precious gift of eternal life that has been given to me through the Son of God. I am daily in awe of the sacrifice for me, Jesus' life upon the cross for all my sin past, present and future. How could I ever earn that or deserve that? It can't be done. How do I live more perfectly, more righteously? Let go of the things that are not lasting, temporary, of material value only. I don't want to dwell on the things that...

The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind, but a whirlwind in which I have found my focus once again. Funny how seeing a portion of your life come full circle can bring a sweet peace to the heart and soul. We have entered this year on new ground, and it has begun by filing for bankruptcy. Our financial history has not been healthy one to this point, so we are turning over a new leaf. We are beginning new, a clean slate of sorts. It comes at a cost though, as we will have to rebuild our finances and our credit over a period of time. We realize what we have done and cannot undo it, but we have learned from it and we are moving forward with confidence. God is our Provider, and we have learned over the past few years that our complete confidence, trust and obedience is due to Him. I am so incredibly thankful for the God we know, love and serve, and everything He has blessed us with. We have loving and supportive families, and we are so blessed to have friends literally all over ...