Guest Blogger Marie Notcheva (Part 2 of 3)

Beyond Freedom from Food Addiction – Living for the Glory of God (Part 2 of 3)

This is Part 2 in a series by guest blogger Marie Notcheva. To read Part 1 click here.

What Hinders You?
 
If you struggle with over-eating, preoccupation with your weight and/or food, or a tendency to use food for emotional reasons, you probably realize very well that this is outside of God’s will for your life. You may even recognize that you are engaged in a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:12). You’ve read passages warning believers not to be “mastered by anything” but rather to “be self-controlled and alert” (1 Cor. 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8). And yet, as common as “food abuse” is, in the day-to-day we tend to think of it as a “common vice.”

Guest Blogger Marie Notcheva

I met Marie through a blogging community and was instantly drawn to her writing because of her tell-it-like-it-is approach. She uses her personal story and the Word to edify and encourage others struggling with food issues. There is a wealth of information packed into these next three blog posts. Thank you, Marie!

Beyond Freedom from Food Addiction – Living for the Glory of God (Part 1 of 3)
In December 2003, God impressed the words “Live up to what you’ve already attained!” (Philippians 3:16) very strongly on my heart. At the time, He was granting me repentance from a long-standing eating disorder, and, as any Christian stuck in life-dominating sin would be, I was thoroughly miserable. That misery began to change to hope as I pondered the implication of that verse: what have I already attained? In context, Paul is talking about the believer’s secure position by knowing Christ. Since we are free from the Law, he reasons, we have now only to “press on to take hold of” what Christ has already attained for us: the “righteousness that comes from God” (v. 9). Although I had been a Christian for 13 years, I now began pondering what my position in Christ actually meant, practically speaking. Although I was not acting “righteous”, slowly I began to see that because of my union with Him, I was not, in reality, a slave to sin. My salvation already secured, God had declared me a member of His family and a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17). Now, He was encouraging me to act like it. Live up to what you already are, I told myself, because of Christ. He made it possible.

10 Worst Ways to Lose Weight

There are times when life circumstances are so off kilter our physical bodies react involuntarily (hopefully briefly). These are the moments we wish we had a fast forward button.

While some of these can be dark times, I’ve tried to lighten the list with a bit of humor.

10 Worst Ways to Lose Weight

10 – Hectic Schedule – Did I eat lunch?

9 – Snowbound – We didn’t stock up!

Guest Blogger Julia Denton: Fellowship without food? Really?

I would like to introduce my great friend, Julia. We met at a writing conference last summer. Since then, she has been a terrific friend and mentor. She lovingly took me under her wing--editing my work, encouraging me to persevere, and praying for me. Her writing sings, and her ability to make people laugh is incredible!

OK, cards on the table first: Despite coming from an earlier generation, I am not a really great wifey-poo to begin with. I don’t cook all that well, am not especially enamored of housekeeping, and haven’t the slightest interest in any sport but baseball, which I follow about once a decade. But one thing I’ve always been adamant about is preserving the family dinner time, where we all sit and eat our main meal of the day together at approximately the same time every day.

This worked well for about the first 20 years of our marriage. Then it got a bit dicey when the kids became teenagers who began every meal with “Are we having THIS again?” But we weathered that era with a healthy dose of tolerance and a lot of take-home fast food.

100 Calorie-Sized Debate and "Reshaping It All" Review

In a world that hammers the message “Go Green” into our heads, why must food be packaged in 100 calorie-sized sacks? This question crossed my mind last night as I saw yet another commercial for a snack pre-packaged to fit our caloric intake. It’s ironic that we go through the drive-thru and “super-size” our meals only to open our cupboards and find chips, cookies, etc. in smaller containers than they were years ago. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of “going green?”