Journalin' the Journey

Recently I wrote a post titled, "The Freedom Dance" for the "A Martha Heart" website. I am blessed to be one of many online contributors at the AMH site. My post was about my commitment with the Lord to be free from my food addiction. Currently I would not classify myself as free from my addiction to food, but I am making progress everyday toward that goal.

I decided that I would do a monthly post about my journey to become free from food addiction at the AMH website, but I also decided that I wanted to do something similar here at my personal blog. I plan to be more in depth here at my blog about how my journey to freedom is going. My blog is like my journal (well except the fact that anyone on the web can read it :), so I want to document the process of becoming spiritually free from my food addiction.

So for today's post I just want to journal about the "why" I decided it was time to break free from my lifelong addiction to food.

(In no particular order)

-I have not been overweight my whole life, but I feel like this food issue started with me when I was very young. I feel like I have been on some kind of diet since my early teens.

-I want to be a good example to my kids. I can see that at least one or two of my kids may fight this same battle as they age.

-My mom and dad have heart issues. My mother had quadruple bypass surgery about 2 years ago. She then suffered mini strokes and had to have surgery on her carotid arteries as they were both almost 100% blocked. It runs in my family :(

-Recently I had a blood test done for some insurance type issues and it came back that my cholesterol level was at a 255 which is very high. That scared me to death.

-I am overweight. I think by today's health standards I even classify in the obese range :(

-I don't have a lot of energy... I feel tired a lot of the time.

The things I mentioned above weigh heavy on my mind, but I think the reasons I will list below are the bigger reasons why I decided that I want to be free from my food obsession.

-I am in disobedience to God when I choose food over Him. I feel like He has been so gracious to me and has given me a lifetime to make changes, and I keep choosing food. To be honest I have not ever really wanted to truly surrender this issue to God...at least 100% surrender (isn't that the only kind of surrender there is??)

-The battle in my mind over food is so exhausting and relentless. It is an all out WAR!!! I have been dealing with this mental bondage for so long that I know I am not thinking correctly or truthfully when it comes to this addiction.

-Jesus paid the price for my freedom, and I want to be Free!!! I don't know what freedom will completely look or feel like, but I know currently I am not there.

There are probably more reasons that I could list, but for today's post I will stop here. Again, I am not sure how this whole journey will play out, but I know that it has begun (I started this journey around the first week of January).

On my next post, I will write about the "how" I began this journey, and the "what" I am doing to become free.

Blessings...

Tyndale Blogger Book Review- "Coming Back Stronger"

I received a complimentary copy of the book, "Coming Back Stronger" written by Drew Brees from Tyndale. In exchange for the book I am to write a review of it on my site and another consumer site. Being that this book was about football, I decided to give this book to my husband and let him read and review it. He is passionate about football, so I thought he would do a better job at writing this particular review. See review below...

“Coming Back Stronger” by Drew Brees

As a huge football fan and a man who considers himself to being a man in the pursuit of the “heart of God”, I found this book to be a good read from a spiritual standpoint, and an incredible read from a “football and life” perspective. It covers the life story of Drew Brees from childhood to where his life has taken him to this point, is well written and edited, and will appeal to the sports enthusiast.

First, from a spiritual standpoint, I found if uplifting to see the many references to God and the relationship that was forged through the many, many trials and tribulations that Drew has endured throughout his lifetime. While a couple of the statements can leave the reader questioning whether they are sound in terms of doctrine and meeting the test of truth against what the Bible states, these are few and far between, and an indication of a man who is clearly and openly learning on his journey with God (as any honest Christian would hopefully admit the same).

Second, from a football standpoint, this book cannot be beat! I remember nearly every game that was mentioned in this book (especially the ones against my beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and it was so neat to be immersed in those games once again from a first person perspective. At times the cliches can be a tad redundant, but for any person who has a passion for football, this book is a must read! One word of caution: Should you buy this book for someone, make sure they are pretty knowledgeable in the game of football. My wife tried to read the book and was lost after only three pages. This book goes full bore into football terminology such as offensive and defensive sets, play reads, formation coverages, call cadence, etc. If you don't have an intermediate to advanced knowledge of football, you could become lost in some of the verbiage quite quickly.


Finally, from a life perspective, Drew opens up a lot into what has made him the Super Bowl winning, Pro Bowl quarterback who he is today. He doesn't shy away from talking about the deepest days of his life, whether it be the shoulder separation and severe damage he suffered on his throwing arm, his dysfunctional childhood, or, most of all, the death of his mother from suicide. He mentions the light-hearted and funny pursuit of his wife, and the joy of being a father. Many other things are covered that are too numerous to mention in this short review, but it leaves the reader feeling that Drew is a person just like you and me, and would be someone who would have a genuine conversation with you should you run into him without looking down on you or conveying a sense of superiority.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to any sports minded fan who enjoys football. While it may not be for everyone, it is well written and a good read to be encouraged, motivated, and challenged by. I would rate it an 8 out of 10, and not shy away from telling others to invest the time in reading it!

Link to "The Freedom Dance"

I wrote an article for the A Martha Heart Website today. Click here to see my article titled, "The Freedom Dance".

Blessings...

The "Name"

Can you believe that a month has already gone by in 2o11? It is scary how time truly does fly (especially since I turned 40 this past November :) I surely was hoping to be a little more regular with my blog postings, but it seems that 2011 has been awfully busy so far, but today I have a moment and I wanted to get some thoughts organized into some kind of post.

Last month, I had the privilege of listening to several teachers/pastors via the web. The conference was the Passion 2011 in Atlanta. Now I don't live in Atlanta, but I was able to listen live during all the main sessions on the web. I listened to sessions from Francis Chan, John Piper and Louie Giglio. I was encouraged and challenged by all three of these sessions, but one session really stuck with me. It was Louie's message...

I will not be able to perfectly retell everything that Louie said, but the main point of his talk was to remind us that we (Christians) are representing the Name of Jesus. Louie mentioned that in today's society the word "Christian" doesn't really even stand out anymore. He is right, I see people today throw that word around very easily. Many people would call themselves a Christian just because they either go to church, or maybe they believe in God (without actually having a relationship with Him). Even in my own life when I tell people I am a Christian it really doesn't evoke a response from them.

On the other end of the spectrum when people hear the word "christian" they may think of people who have not represented Jesus they way Christians are called to do. They may think of Christians as "hypocrites" or they may have a vision of the many christian people that have "fallen from grace".

Louie also mentioned that today's society is OK when we talk about God, but it is a whole different story when we mention the name of Jesus. I find that statement to be true in my life as well. Mentioning the name of Jesus takes a conversation to the next level. I realize that I too do not always mention the name of Jesus when I am talking about spiritual things with others. I have to think that at times I may not specifically talk about Jesus because I know that mentioning the name of Jesus changes everything...

So after listening to Louie's message I was challenged with the question, "Am I representing Jesus the way I am called to-to a world that so desperately needs to know the One that can set them free???" I don't want to sink back and be afraid to talk about Jesus... He had given His all for me, and for me not to give my all to him is a sin.

Jesus, I need You... I love you, even though I know my love for you is still so little, but I know the more I seek to know You the more I will love You. The more I know you the less I will fear what people say and think of me. The world needs You!!! I need You... May I represent You the way you are to a world that so needs You Jesus ...

I leave you today with this question... How are you representing the name of Jesus????