Andrea O. Freeman

But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.” John 20:25 MSG Recently, I had to undergo a minor procedure and it was not something I expected to have to endure. A second time. It was bad enough the first time, but a second time? I have seen my doctor more in the past 10 days than I normally do in an entire year and I have learned a lot but the great mystery remains: the human body is quite amazing. I wish mine had managed this particular issue better than it did, but thanks to the excellent care of my doctor, I am on the mend. The things we experience from the sense of touch, can set us on a perspective in life to expect things to always go a certain way. We are either more certain or more uncertain by what the sense of touch provides to us from one experience to the next. We want something tangible to know something is true and real. In John 20, we read about the experience Tho...

“After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.” (John 10:4 NLT) Exploring the sense of hearing this week, and my focus is on this concept of the sheep knowing their shepherd’s voice. In John 20 we read about Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus at the empty tomb. She arrived and to her dismay discovered He was gone, and her grief shifted her state of mind into fear that Jesus’ body had perhaps been taken, stolen. She was desperate to find Him, to care for his body, this Savior who had changed her life in so many ways. I imagine for a moment how lonely this moment must have been for her, because she had not yet identified fully that Jesus although He was no longer present in human form was most certainly with her in Spirit. As He appeared to her, we read on and delight in experiencing with her the joy of hearing Him call her by name, and she instantly recognizes Him! Her ears did not deceive her, even though her e...

"...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in him..." (John 9:3 NIV) It is a new month, May is here! The countdown is on with just days remaining in this season of transition for our family. My son Bailey is closing out his senior year of high school and preparing to enter college next Fall. It is incredibly emotional and overwhelming, particularly for him right now. We are walking with him through these last days of his high school experience and praying for him to seek solace in the Father, and savor these last moments. It is too easy to want it to just be over and done, because he is carrying such a heavy load of work and expectation from so many sources around him. I think so many of us observing from the outside, too quickly cast our opinion as to how it should be handled, and often times giving our advice and intended wisdom without considering the recipient’s state of being. Bailey is a powerfully sensitive and creative soul, and we have wa...