Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Uninvited
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 7/21/1969
WEBSITE: http://lysaterkeurst.com/
CITY:
STATE: NC
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born July 21, 1969; married, husband’s name Art; children: five.
EDUCATION:Attended university.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Ministry director, speaker, and writer. Proverbs 31 Ministries, founder and president, 1992–. Has appeared on numerous television programs and as a public speaker with an inspirational message.
AVOCATIONS:Family dinners, conversation with offspring, family vacations, serving at church.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Lysa TerKeurst is an award-winning Christian author of numerous inspirational and how-to books, on subjects ranging from building faith in one’s life to weight loss and dealing with rejection. She speaks to nearly 100,000 women each year at national conferences and is president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, which offers daily online devotionals, radio programs, online Bible studies, and speaker/writer training.
What Happens When Women Walk in Faith and Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl
What Happens When Women Walk in Faith: Trusting God Takes You to Amazing Places is a “straightforward guide to the godly life for women,” according to Library Journal reviewer Graham Christian. Among other advice the author provides is that a woman should love, honor, and respect her husband as the leader of the household. A contributor to the Missy Baroff Ministries Web site noted of the work: “I definitely think this is a must read for all Christian women. I just can’t say enough good things. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. … The whole premise of the book is that God gives us dreams tailored for our own talents and His purposes.”
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl is a work that attempts to “move Bible study from our to-do list and just acquiring knowledge, to living out what God is teaching us, to enjoy a deeper connection with God,” as a Stray Thoughts Web site reviewer noted. To that end, TerKeurst offers advice on how to create a life with Jesus not only on Sunday but seven days a week. Among her tips are to lead a thoughtful life, avoid the negative, and avoid absorption in oneself. The Stray Thoughts reviewer went on to comment: “I appreciated Lysa’s personal experiences, transparency, and sense of humor throughout the book, but most of all I appreciated her high view of Scripture that was not an end in itself but a means of knowing and experiencing God.” Writing in the How to Love Your Neighbor Web site, Sara Edwards also had praise, observing, “This is a great study for Women’s Ministry, neighborhood bible study, Christians and the curious.”
Made to Crave and Unglued
Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food is a diet book with a different emphasis. TerKeurst examines overeating from the perspective of craving, arguing that what is conceived to be a craving for food is actually a misplaced craving for spiritual fulfillment. The idea, as the author further contends, is to realize that God actually created craving in order for human beings to desire more spirituality in their lives. TerKeurst, who herself reduced her weight from almost two hundred pounds to a healthier figure, provides numerous pieces of advice to get readers to begin feeling better about themselves immediately and feeling good about eating more healthily. “Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen,” noted Faith and Fitness Web site reviewer Kimberly Bloom, who added: “The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave Him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. … This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for women to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan they choose. This is a book to help women find the ‘want to’ in making healthy lifestyle choices.”
A California Bookwatch contributor commented, “Christian collections will consider this a winning survey.” A Lean Girls Club Web site writer also had praise, observing: “The main idea of TerKeurst’s book is that we are made to crave God—not food. We are made for more than to be stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat when it comes to what we eat. … Using our cravings to turn our thoughts, rightly, to God is the thousands-year-old idea behind fasting. I was reminded of this again during the Ash Wednesday service last week at my church.” An online Stray Thoughts reviewer noted that this book’s focus is the notion that “losing weight is not just a physical issue, but also a spiritual and mental one.”
TerKeurst discusses how to process emotions and resolve conflicts in Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions. Instead of stuffing emotions in and ultimately exploding, the author offers methods for people to channel their feelings and make emotions work for rather than against them. TerKeurst employs personal experience as well as biblical teachings in this book of “advice with a distinctly Christian inflection,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, who went on to note that the author offers advice in a “distinctive voice and with Bible in hand.” An online Unveiled Wife writer also had praise, commenting: “The great thing about this book is that it is an easy read. It only took me a few days to finish! I know that many women have a full schedule and cannot always commit to reading–however, this book is a fabulous resource and I truly believe it is a necessity.”
Win or Lose, I Love You! and Uninvited
TerKeurst turned to the picture-book format for young readers with her 2015 title Win or Lose, I Love You!, a work that teaches children how to deal with competition. Lulu and Max are two children who run a competition between six animals to see who will be the ruler of the forest. The costume contest, races, and pie-eating contest seem to bring out the worst in many competitors, but through it all Bear-Bear tries to help the others, and because of this he ultimately becomes the leader. Writing in Booklist, Carolyn Phelan had a mixed assessment of this picture book, commenting that the author’s “earnest, religious-minded introduction may be appealing to some parents but off-putting to others.” Similarly, a Publishers Weekly contributor remarked: “As a teaching tool, it’s sure to have its uses, though the story itself never rises beyond its instructive goals.” A Kirkus Reviews critic had a higher assessment, noting: “Didactic? To be sure, but it’s a much-needed lesson that goes down easily.”
With Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, TerKeurst looks at the negative emotions brought on by feeling rejected or left out. She shares her personal stories of rejection, blending them with biblical teachings to provide techniques for dealing with such situations. Among these is accepting the idea that when you feel left out by others, you are actually being chosen by God. The author also advises purposeful praying and refusing to allow rejection to define you. “Blending personal stories, a wry sense of humor, and biblical teachings, TerKeurst writes as though she’s chatting with a close friend,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Online Patheos contributor Monique Ocampo also had a positive evaluation, commenting: “I recommend this book to women who are seeking emotional reassurance in their lives. … This book doesn’t go deep, but it provides a sense of comfort to those who are seeking it.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2015, Carolyn Phelan, review of Win or Lose, I Love You!, p. 101.
California Bookwatch, June, 2011, review of Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food.
Faith & Fitness, December 2010-January 2011, Kimberly Bloom, “Why You Are Made to Crave.”
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2015, review of Win or Lose, I Love You!
Library Journal, July 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of What Happens When Women Walk in Faith: Trusting God Takes You to Amazing Places, p. 92.
Publishers Weekly, May 21, 2012, review of Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions, p. S15; May 9, 2016, review of Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, p. 62.
ONLINE
Bless Their Hearts Mom, http://blesstheirheartsmom.blogspot.com/ (October 2, 2014), review of It Will Be Okay: Trusting God through Fear and Change.
Books at a Glance, http://www.booksataglance.com/ (February 4, 2015), Aimee Byrd, review of The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands.
Books by Corine, http://www.booksbycorine.com/ (November 13, 2015), review of Win or Lose, I Love You!
Cotton Ridge Home School Web site, http://cottonridgehomeschool.com/ (October 6, 2014), review of It Will Be Okay.
Create With Joy, http://www.create-with-joy.com/ (September 7, 2016), review of Uninvited.
Fierce Marriage, https://fiercemarriage.com/ (January 17, 2017), Selena Frederick, review of The Best Yes.
Gospel Coalition Web site, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ (October 8, 2012), Nicole Whitacre, review of Unglued.
Home School Christian, http://www.homeschoolchristian.com/ (January 17, 2017), Martha Robinson and Mary Leggewie, review of The Sweetest Story Ever Told: A New Christmas Tradition for Families.
Hope for Women, http://hopeforwomenmag.com/ (April 3, 2012), Hannah Towler, review of Made to Crave for Young Women: Satisfying Your Deepest Desires with God.
How to Love Your Neighbor, http://www.howtoloveyourneighbor.com/ (January 17, 2017), Sara Edwards , review of Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl.
Lean Girls Club, http://leangirlsclub.com/ (March 17, 2011), review of Made to Crave.
Living Unabridged, http://livingunabridged.com/ (September 8, 2016), review of Uninvited.
Lysa TerKeurst Home Page, http://lysaterkeurst.com (January 17, 2017).
Meghan Tucker Web site, http://www.meghantucker.com/ (October 10, 2014), review of It Will Be Okay.
Missy Baroff Ministries Web site, https://missybaroff.wordpress.com/ (January 14, 2014), review of What Happens When Women Walk in Faith.
Patheos, http://www.patheos.com/ (September 8, 2016), Monique Ocampo, review of Uninvited.
Polilla Writes, https://lynnadavidson.com/ (April 23, 2013), review of Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress.
Proverbs 31 Ministries Web site, http://proverbs31.org/ (June 18, 2014), Stephanie Raquel, review of Am I Messing up My Kids?
Publishers Weekly Online, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (July 21, 2014), review of The Best Yes; (August 17, 2015), review of Win or Lose, I Love You!
Readers’ Favorite, https://readersfavorite.com/ (January 17, 2017), Joy Hannabass, review of What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God.
Simple Life Really, http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/ (May 18, 2013), review of What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God.
Some of the Best Things in Life Are Mistakes, http://bestlifemistake.blogspot.com/ (February 18, 2013), review of Unglued Devotional.
Stray Thoughts, https://barbarah.wordpress.com/ (March 3, 2014), review of Made to Crave; (February 2, 2015), review of Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl.
Under God’s Mighty Hand, http://www.undergodsmightyhand.com/ (March 7, 2011), review of Am I Messing Up My Kids?
Unveiled Wife, https://unveiledwife.com/ (October 30, 2012), review of Unglued.
Women’s Bible Cafe, http://www.womensbiblecafe.com/ (February 14, 2013), Heather C. King, review of Unglued Devotional.
BIO
Lysa TerKeurst is president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the New York Times best-selling author of The Best Yes, Unglued, Made to Crave, and 16 other books.
As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa and her team have led thousands to make their walk with God an invigorating journey through daily online devotionals, radio programs, online Bible studies, speaker/writing training, and more.
Lysa was recently awarded the Champions of Faith Author Award and has been published in multiple publications such as Focus on the Family and CNN online. Additionally, she has appeared on the Today Show as one of the leading voices in the Christian community.
Each year, Lysa is a featured keynote presenter at more than 40 events across North America, including the Women of Joy Conferences and the Catalyst Leadership Conference. She has a passion for equipping women to share their stories for God’s glory through Proverbs 31 Ministries’ annual She Speaks Conference and writer training program, COMPEL: Words That Move People.
Lysa’s personal adventure of following God captured national media attention when she and her husband adopted two teenage boys from a war-torn orphanage in Liberia, Africa. They never imagined their decision would start a chain reaction within their community, which inspired other families to adopt over 45 children from the same orphanage! Lysa’s amazing story led to appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, USA Today newspaper, Woman’s Day magazine, and Focus on the Family radio.
THE EVERYDAY ME
Okay here’s the deal… there is a right way that a bio is supposed to be done. So, I’ve pasted my standard bio above. It gives my credits and credentials but to be honest it makes me sound way more polished than I really am. Now, I want to show you who the everyday me is.
My Everyday Life
I feel like a success in my everyday life if I get through the day having spent time with the Lord, exercised in some way, had a laugh with one of my kids, had clean underwear in my husband’s drawer when he needed them and made a friend smile.
My Husband
My Team
My husband, Art, owns a Chick-fil-A restaurant and is the most patient man I know! Three weeks out of the month he loves me and loves to do whatever he can to help me do ministry. One week out of the month he simply puts up with me and my bout with the Princess Must Scream syndrome. But hey, three out of four ain’t bad! One of the greatest things about Art is that he lets me stick my cold feet under him at night and never complains. He is a great leader who teaches me something about leadership every day by simply watching him live his life.
My Story
I’m not sure when I first felt I wasn’t good enough, but my earliest stinging memory of it happened while tumbling about a skating rink full of elementary school kids. I was a fifth grader wrapped in a less than-desirable package. My mind’s eye could see gorgeous possibilities for my frizzy brown hair and buck teeth. If only my mother would let me dye my hair blonde and get it professionally straightened, if only I could convince my dentist to replace my crooked teeth with gleaming false ones perfectly sized and aligned, my world would be wonderful.
But my mother had neither the money nor the vision for my plan. So, there I sat watching the cute boys couple skating with the cute girls while Rick Springfield’s smooth but edgy voice belted out “Jessie’s Girl.” (And for those of you who are wondering who in the world Rick Springfield is, I am so sad you missed out on the delight called ’80s music.)
I fidgeted with the laces on my skates hoping to send a very clear message: the only reason I wasn’t couple skating was that I had a slight equipment malfunction. But in my heart, a false perception was cutting deeper and deeper into my soul with every beat of the Rick Springfield song.
The false perception was rooted in this one flawed thought: You, Lysa, are not acceptable the way you are.
So, trying to become more acceptable, more worthy, more loveable became my pattern, and worrying about what others thought of me a consuming, often condemning way of doing life. Their opinions were my measuring stick by which to answer the question, “Who am I?”
Eventually the frizzy-haired, buck-toothed girl grew into a young woman. But on top of my adolescent issues, I also was haunted by hurts from my childhood. When I was eight years old, a man who was like a grandfather sexually abused me over a period of three years. Then, when I was eleven, my father walked out on my mother, my sister, and me. I felt totally abandoned. My parents wound up divorcing, and my mom was forced to work two jobs to try to make ends meet. These events left me completely lost.
Desperate to help my sister and me, one Sunday my mom announced we’d be adding a little churchgoing to our life’s equation. So, with a dress and a Bible we headed off to the large, white-steepled building. I liked the idea of having a religion and having the rules of the Christian game so clearly laid out before me. It was like God was a vending machine. I put in what was required, and then He was supposed to give me what rule-following people deserved. As long as I kept up my end of the deal, God would bless me. I became “Lysa, the good girl.”
Life settled a bit. My mom eventually got remarried to a wonderful man who loved me and my sister as his own. They decided to have more children.
My sister and I welcomed a sister a few days after my fifteenth birthday. Then another sister was born. I’ll never forget seeing Haley for the first time. She had beautiful, big, blue eyes and black hair curling in every direction. I loved each of my sisters, but the minute I saw Haley my heart melted as never before.
Soon it was time to pack up and head for college. I said my goodbyes, lingering a little longer over Haley.
I saw college as the chance to completely reinvent who I was. No one there knew of my nerdy past, my absent father, the horrendous abuse, or my lack of a skating partner in the fifth grade. So I became what I thought would bring me great fulfillment and happiness: “Lysa, the popular sorority girl dating the popular football player.”
At last I had it all. I had love and beauty, popularity and success, freedom and a plan for my future. Oh yes, and I had my religion.
Then one night I got a call from my mom that changed everything. Her urgent tone made my pulse race and my hands shake. Haley was sick. Very sick.
I drove through the night, and by the time I got to the hospital, Haley was in the intensive care unit. My parents had been told that her liver was failing and she would not survive without a transplant.
I kicked into high gear making deals with God. I’ll be better. I’ll follow the rules more closely. I’ll be kinder. I’ll give more to the church. I’ll attend more regularly. I’ll sacrifice whatever You require, God . . . just save my sister.
Haley was transferred to a children’s hospital in another state, where shortly thereafter she received a new liver. She made it through the first scary, post-surgery days and soon seemed to be completely on the mend. God was answering my prayers!
Since summer had arrived again, I was able to spend quite a bit of time with Haley as she recuperated. Weeks passed, Haley grew stronger every day, and the time came for me to head back to college for my sophomore year.
Back at school, I called my mom every morning to ask how Haley was doing. Her progress continued. I was keeping up my end of the bargain with God, and He was keeping His. Religion was indeed a fine addition to my life.
But my view of religion and rule-following and making deals with God shattered two weeks afterward. I’d called my mom as usual that morning to ask about Haley. My mom was silent. Not understanding, I asked the question again . . . and again. Finally, in a voice so slight I could barely hear her, she whispered, “Haley is finally all better, Lysa. She went to be with Jesus this morning.”
Anger I never knew existed erupted from some deep place within me. Life’s unfairness strained against my religious perceptions and the dam of my soul burst wide open. I snapped. With my fist raised toward heaven, I vowed I would never love God, serve God, or believe in God again. I had tried to be good enough to earn His love but just as my earthly daddy had done, I felt as though my heavenly Father just turned away. “Lysa, the good girl” would no longer be my identity.
At Haley’s funeral, I remember mentally closing my heart off to God, letting my hurt and disillusionment take over. The thought that I wasn’t good enough was more than just a feeling. It had become the filter through which I processed life.
My daddy couldn’t love me. God couldn’t love me. I was desperate to be loved. So, I found men who told me they loved me.
Until then, I’d saved myself for marriage. It was a religious rule I’d carefully followed. But my bitterness toward God numbed my conscience and helped pave the way for rejecting many of my religious convictions. Life became a wild party full of temporary moments of happiness. The deeper I sank into this lifestyle, the more desperate I felt. It wasn’t long before I found myself sitting in an abortion clinic realizing I’d made a terrible mess of my life. Now I was “Lysa, the girl who walked away from God and had an abortion.” I went home that day horrified at who I’d become.
Ironically, at this time when I was so very far from God, I had a close friend who loved the Lord with every fiber of her being. I not so affectionately referred to her as my “Bible friend,” because she got on my nerves with her constant Scripture quoting.
But something about her made me want to remain friends with her. Though her Scripture quoting could be annoying, something about it was endearing, the purest form of honesty. In addition, she modeled what it meant to live the Word and not just quote it. There was a stark difference between religion as I understood it and what she called her relationship with God.
Though she had no idea of the junk I was dealing with, she was tenderly responsive to God’s promptings. One especially dark and tearful day, I received a card from her. It would have been my due date. The day I would have been welcoming a new life into the world was filled with feelings of death, darkness, and hopelessness. I knew as soon as I saw the handwriting what would be in store for me if I opened the envelope . . . another Bible verse.
Sure enough, Jeremiah 29:11 was beautifully scripted across the front of the card: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”
I wanted to toss the card aside, but something kept me focused on that verse. I read it over and over again. It was as if my name had been inserted there. “Lysa, for I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, Lysa. Plans to give you, Lysa, a hope and a future.”
This statement stood in such stark contrast to my flawed perception of being identified by my circumstances. This verse painted a possibility that the God of the universe loved me not for what I did right but simply because I was His. A child for whom He had great things planned. I didn’t have to be the child of a broken parent; I could be a child of God.
In that moment I didn’t know how to properly accept Jesus. I didn’t know the right Scriptures to turn to. Even if I did have a list of verses to pray through, I wouldn’t have been able to find them in the Bible. I didn’t have all the answers, and I knew for certain I had not been “good enough.” But something deep in my soul was stirring with assurance that this message was from God Himself and His words in this verse were truth.
Even an atheistic heart like mine couldn’t run from this truth. When God made me, He left His mark deep inside. His fingerprints covered my soul no wonder His truth resonated within me. I simply couldn’t deny it. There was just one word I knew must be uttered in response to the God of the universe, pausing in this moment just for me. “Yes.”
Wrapped in that yes was the acknowledgment that God did exist, that He loved me, and that I wanted Him — not a religion — in my life in a way I’d never had before. I wanted so much more with God. It would take me many years to completely define and understand everything that yes meant. But the initial yes was a step toward God. A step out of the darkness that blinded me. A step toward the light of truth. A step toward my true identity that wouldn’t shift or fall apart under life’s strains. A step toward becoming “Lysa, a fulfilled child of the one true God.”
My Kids
My Team
I have 5 kids. Me! The woman who struggled to keep goldfish and hamsters alive when I was a kid and now God has entrusted me with 5 children. I call them my 5 priority blessings. I do feel incredibly blessed and I love them to pieces. They are the most fun part of my life! But they also challenge me in the deepest ways.
The best parenting tip I’ve discovered is to pray, pray, and pray some more. Prayer is the only possibility with real possibility. To help us do just that, I’ve put together two printable PDFs with Scriptural prayers you can pray for your daughter(s) or for your son(s). These prayers help me daily to turn every worry over to God and come to terms with the fact that my name is Mom, not God. There is an art to navigating the delicate balance of learning how to be fully engaged as a mom but also fully trusting of God in the process.
My Team
My Team
Lindsay Stafford is your ‘go-to-gal’ for absolutely everything pertaining to my schedule. It’s no secret that I tend to shy away from the latest and greatest in technology, and relish in the idea of going back to my stone-age paper calendar… (my team cringes every time I mention this.) Fortunately, there’s no need because I have this ray of sunshine on my team who is a living, breathing, time management/calendar app. And there's no complicated user guide to figure out. Lindsay meticulously juggles and fine-tunes every last ever-changing detail of my schedule, from short, in-office meetings to booking international travel and nationwide events. If Lindsay is not at her desk, she’ll likely be found nestled between stacked crates and a Hoover vacuum in our opulent office 'phone booth.’ It’s not a requirement for our treasured Proverbs 31 Ministries staff to work in the closet, but this growing ministry is busting at the seams and a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
Now, there’s much more than practicality and efficiency to this bundle of awesomeness from Ohio. Lindsay is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. Her heart is always full and she genuinely cares for people to the core of her being. This natural bohemian beauty thinks one of the best things about being a woman is wearing dresses in the summertime. I just love that. Lindsay enjoys life to the fullest, and cherishes time spent with her newlywed husband and puppy Olie. She still blushes when she talks about Adam, and it just might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. A great day for Lindsay is one filled with stomach-wrenching laughter. Her worst day is one without caffeine, so we try to keep her well supplied!
Leah Kimenhour is my Content and Social Media Manager, but I affectionately call her “Miss Responsibility” as she takes her StrengthsFinder strength of Responsibility to another level. She has spreadsheets and Word documents galore tracking all sorts of editorial deadlines, content use, social media posts, and more. You might say Leah acts as quality control for the content you see on a daily basis. If you've read one of my books, blogs, devotions or social media posts, Leah has probably scanned, spellchecked, and scheduled it. Underneath all that responsibility, there’s a fun side to her too! When we’re not hard at work in our weekly social media/blog meeting that Leah runs called “Happy Hour,” she’s planning exciting things for our summer interns or bopping around to the Disney Pandora station.
Geographically, Leah is from the north. But she would tell you that she was born to live in the south. Her welcoming spirit, beautiful smile, and love of fashion brightens up the office like no one else can. She’s a big fan of anything Disney-related, and openly admits to her Starbucks addiction. Her archenemy is the misuse of the words "their", "there", and "they're" and rumor has it Leah has never actually misspelled a word since she could hold a crayon. Since coming on board in October of 2012, Leah has become such a vital piece of this ministry and I couldn't imagine doing what I do without her help!
Laurie Gattis is my Communications Manager, and the most recent addition to Team TerKeurst. She is often called a 'jack of all trades,' but let me tell you, this girl is mastering some! One minute she’s climbing the ladder with a drill in hand, the next she’s pitching ideas for a book release to reach people for Jesus. And this is where her passion lies, in everything she does, expanding God’s Kingdom.
If you’ve ever reached out to me via email, or attended an event within our office, chances are you have had the pleasure of interacting with Laurie. Her desk is a wonderful display of projects on their way to becoming something great. You can’t help but stop by and admire all the creative brilliance going on in that space! She has a knack for out-of-the-ordinary and loves to make things beautiful.
Laurie loves to create unforgettable experiences for others. She has discovered a newfound freedom from embracing imperfection and strives to always see who she is in God’s eyes. Laurie brings her best to everything she touches, and gives Him all of the glory, never losing sight of the end goal. She’s obsessed with DIY projects, good music, good food, and soaking in God’s Word. Her heart breaks for the lost and abandoned, specifically children and canines, as evidenced in the eclectic mix of rescue dogs that share her home. She does life with her husband of 15 years, and two children, Sophie and Baxter. In the pursuit to choose joy on most days, she embraces her quirky sense of humor and tries not to take herself too seriously. Laurie has an aversion to idle time unless it’s spent on the beach soaking in God’s glorious creation with the people she loves.
My Ministry
I work with the most incredible team of women at Proverbs 31 Ministries. But before you get that sinking feeling of not quite measuring up at the mention of the Proverbs 31 woman in the Bible, I think I should quickly admit, me too. Trust me when I say we are simply a group of women sold out to saying yes to God and He truly does the rest.
When I helped start Proverbs 31 Ministries over twenty years ago, I had never read Proverbs chapter 31. Someone else thought of the name and I thought it sounded good. A few months into this ministry adventure it dawned on me that maybe I should actually read these Scriptures. And when I did, I felt I should resign.
I remember thinking this Proverbs 31 woman was perfect. She was someone who had it all together. She actually enjoyed cooking and cleaning. She raised flawless children who never had outbursts. She never had issues with her friends. She stayed balanced with her finances. And she never had hormonal responses with her husband.
I honestly didn’t feel like I could measure up.
But I quickly came to realize it wasn’t her activity but rather the Proverbs 31 woman’s identity that mattered the most.
A Proverbs 31 woman is, at her core, someone who seeks the Lord in everything she does and trusts Him wholeheartedly with her life. The mission behind our ministry is to meet women right where they are in the real, hard places we all experience and to intersect God’s Word right there.
I think the two most important things you need to know about our ministry are what we offer and how you can get involved...
What we offer: Proverbs 31 Ministries provides the Biblical perspective for the gut honest issues women face.
How you can get involved: Get involved through our free online daily devotions, online Bible studies, daily radio programs, resources, and more! Click here to visit our website.
My Favorite Things
I thought it would be fun to add a little “favorites” section into the mix. I feel like I just might break out in a song from that lovely musical, “The Sound of Music” … but, these really are a few of my favorite things:
Fun Times:
Monday night family dinners (these are a big deal at our house ☺)
Deep conversations with my kids
Date nights and getaways with Art
Family vacations in the mountains and at the beach
Meeting new friends at speaking engagements
Serving at my church
Learning more about leadership
Snacks/Drinks: (my friends laugh and say my list depresses them ☺)
Cheddar cheese Nut Thin crackers
Almonds
Melba toast
Chips and salsa/guacamole
Ezekiel Bread toasted with guacamole on top
Trident Layers gum
Diet Coke
Smart Water
Clothing Stores:
Target
Marshalls
Francesca's
Nordstrom
Anthropologie
QUOTE:
Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave Him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction.
This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for women to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan they choose. This is a book to help women find the "want to" in making healthy lifestyle choices.
WHY YOU ARE MADE TO CRAVE
Women's Interest
December2010/January2011
Kimberly Bloom
A book review by Kimberly Bloom
Excerpts below are from Made To Crave, Copyright 2010 by Lysa TerKeurst. Used by permission.
Have you ever wondered, “Why?” You ask, “Why do I crave food so much?” That very question challenged me to confront some truths. The truth is I have a self-control and obedience problem. Lysa Terkeurst words hit right at the core of my problem like no other author has had the ability to do.
I am the wife to this magazine’s publisher, Brad Bloom. I am a mother, grandmother, educational manager and graduate student. And --- I struggle with my weight. I dislike how my weight gets in my way of truly living the way God intends for me too fully and freely accomplish all that He has before me. With such a fitness minded companion living under my roof for almost twenty-five years, all the healthy food cookbooks at my fingertips, exercise routines laid out for me and volumes of fitness advice from many experts you would think I could easily resolve my weight challenges. I have had moments of success, but the Bible did not ground it. Ultimately with life stressors I failed. With each failure more weight was gained than before.
Recently my husband handed me Lysa Terkeurst book Made To Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food to read. I will be honest, my first thought was, “Oh no, not another diet book”. However, I did not ignore God’s urging for me to pick it up and read it. I am so thankful that I was obedient because now I know why we are made to crave.
With each temptation, Jesus, without hesitation, quoted Scripture that refuted Satan’s temptation. Truth is powerful. The more saturated we are with truth; the more powerful we’ll naturally direct our cravings where they should be directed to the author of all truth.
For me the truth is I want to pursue greater self-control. I state this fact so that I can be accountable and free myself from all those things, which hinder and hold me back. Lysa Terkeurst does more than write about how to get to the core of our weight issues. Every day she lives and testifies to the power of God and works it out on a daily basis. She offers insights into how we too can work it out daily:
If we make the choice to be Jesus girls who offer our willingness to exercise self-control and perseverance to the glory of God, we can lose weight, get healthy, and walk in confidence that it is possible to escape the cycle of losing and gaining back again. We can be victorious. We can step on the scale and accept the numbers for what they are ---an indication of how much our body weighs and not an indication of our worth.
Yes, eating healthy and exercising gets our bodies into better shape, but we are never supposed to get the satisfaction our soul’s desire from our looks. Our looks are temporary; if we hitch our souls to this fleeting pursuit, we’ll quickly become disillusioned. The only true satisfaction we can seek is the satisfaction of being obedient to the Lord.
I have made excuses for a very long time. I’m not going to hide the truth; I love bread, pizza and all the naughty foods. Unfortunately it sticks to me like glue. Most of all I hate being told what I should and should not eat on a daily bases. I don’t like being controlled. Instead, I want to be in control. The reality is, it is time for me to let go and let God finally be in control. Terkeurst targets this point so well:
Eventually, I stood in front of the mirror trying to determine whether or not I should just resign myself to being out of shape. I wondered, Have I reached an age and stage of life where losing weight and getting fit are impossible? The many extra pounds that had crept onto my body could easily be justified. After all, I’ve birthed three children. I even seemed to gain weight with the two we adopted. I am very busy with them. This is my season of raising kids, not lifting weights. I’m too busy running carpools to run for exercise. But, in the quiet of my heart, I wasn’t settled. The reality was I didn’t feel good physically or emotionally. I cringed at the thought of having to undress in front of my husband. Not because He would judge me, but rather I’d be judging myself. Nothing can kill a romantic mood quicker than a woman’s negative thoughts about herself. I would catch myself standing in front of the bathroom mirror in tears many mornings, lamenting over which pants could best hide my bulge. I cried out to God and admitted it was crazy to get emotional about my pants, for heaven’s sake. I wanted to rise above this vain issue and be comfortable with who I was no matter what size. The tide of justifications would roll back in, only this time with a spiritual twist: The world has sold us women a bill of goods that to be good we have to be skinny. I am too concerned with my spiritual growth to be distracted by petty issues such as weight and exercise. God loves me just the way I am.
While the spiritual justification also sounded good, in my heart I still wasn’t settled. I knew my weight issue didn’t have anything to do with me being spiritual or worldly. If I was honest with myself, my issue was plain and simple---a lack of self-control. I could sugarcoat it and justify it all day long, but the truth was I didn’t have a weight problem. I had a spiritual problem. I depended on food for comfort more than I depended on God. And I was simply too lazy to make time to exercise.
Ouch. That truth hurt.
If you know someone that has a spiritual/weight issue then Made To Crave is the book that will help her or him to move in the right direction. Lysa gives excellent biblical references that give deep understanding and power to her words. Lysa’s insights have helped me to begin a new spiritual journey. I have optimism about losing weight that I have never really had before. After reading Lysa’s book I know that I am more equipped to succeed and fully allow God to satisfy my deepest desires rather than food.
Made To Crave is ideal as a group study book. Each chapter ends with reflection questions to guide group discussion. Why are we made to crave? It is the means by which God wants us to be truly satisfied in Him:
Whether we are talking about food, wine, sex, shopping, or anything else with which we try to fill ourselves, nothing in this world can ever fill us like God’s portion. Nothing else can truly satisfy. Nothing else is unfailing and absolute. And I don’t say all this with a quirky little smile hoping it works. I shout it from the depths of my soul because I know it works, “for He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (Psalm 107:9).
Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave Him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. “God made us capable of craving so we’d have an unquenchable desire for Him, and Him alone,” says Lysa.
Readers will discover that weight-loss struggle isn’t a curse but rather a blessing in the making, and will learn how justifications that lead to diet failure can be replaced with empowering go-to scripts that lead to victory. Made to Crave plus a healthy diet plan will lead to a healthy weight goal—and growing closer to God in the process.
This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for women to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan they choose. This is a book to help women find the "want to" in making healthy lifestyle choices.
Lysa TerKeurst and her organization Proverbs 31 Ministries help over 300,000 daily email subscribers live an adventure of faith through following Jesus Christ. She is the award-winning author of 12 books, including Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl and What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. She speaks to nearly 100,000 women a year at national conferences, drawing each listener into a unique adventure with Jesus.
QUOTE:
Blending personal stories, a wry sense of humor, and biblical teachings, TerKeurst writes as though she's
chatting with a close friend.
Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less
Than, Left Out, and Lonely
Publishers Weekly.
263.19 (May 9, 2016): p62.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely
Lysa TerKeurst. Thomas Nelson, $16.99 trade paper (240p) ISBN 9781400205875
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
TerKeurst (Unglued), president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, addresses the darkly emotional issues of rejection and
loneliness. Blending personal stories, a wry sense of humor, and biblical teachings, TerKeurst writes as though she's
chatting with a close friend. Many women will relate to her fears that the woman on the next elliptical hates her, or to
her total panic when she walks into a room filled with people she doesn't know. TerKeurst doesn't just share empathetic
anecdotes for readers in a rut; she focuses on digging down to the roots of anxiety and providing tools for overcoming
selfdoubt and handling the pain of rejection. TerKeurst is candid about how women allow rejection to define their
worth and how too often they approach the world from a place of scarcity and emptiness. She encourages her readers to
"live loved"to abide, delight, and dwell in God and practice an abundance mentality. Accompanying Bible verses,
takeaway lessons, and practical applications help the reader put TerKeurst's words of advice into action. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely." Publishers Weekly, 9 May 2016, p. 62.
General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA452883374&it=r&asid=8cc8288d4ea6023886d1b4f938a242bf.
Accessed 5 Feb. 2017.
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QUOTE:
earnest, religiousminded introduction may be appealing to some parents but offputting to others
Win or Lose, I Love You
Carolyn Phelan
Booklist.
112.1 (Sept. 1, 2015): p101.
COPYRIGHT 2015 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Win or Lose, I Love You. By Lysa TerKeurst. Illus. by Jana Christy. Sept. 2015. 32p. Tommy Nelson, $15.99
(9780529104007). KGr. 2.
Two children, Lulu and Max, run the field day competition among six animals to choose the leader of the forest. The
costume contest leaves Goosey wailing because she lost, but BearBear manages to cheer her up. After winning the stick
toss, Raccoon whines when Lulu asks him to pick up the sticks. Next, Coyote reacts to losing the obstacle course with a
tantrum that wrecks the pietastingcontest table. In the end, amiable BearBear is chosen as leader because he worked
hard to make things better. More like a mother figure than a child, Lulu offers advice to the animals along the way,
ending with the catchall, "Win or lose, one thing that's true/ No matter what, I love you!" While many truisms related
to winning, losing, leadership, forgiveness, and love appear in the story, none are developed beyond a superficial level.
The author's earnest, religiousminded introduction may be appealing to some parents but offputting to others. Christy's
illustrations, meanwhile, full of softly diffused colors, are as sweet as the text.Carolyn Phelan
Phelan, Carolyn
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Phelan, Carolyn. "Win or Lose, I Love You." Booklist, 1 Sept. 2015, p. 101. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA430716941&it=r&asid=7ddd6609029188f88e0198e341c38be3.
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QUOTE:
Didactic? To be sure, but it's a much needed
lesson that goes down easily.
Terkeurst, Lysa: WIN OR LOSE, I LOVE YOU!
Kirkus Reviews.
(July 15, 2015):
COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Terkeurst, Lysa WIN OR LOSE, I LOVE YOU! Tommy Nelson (Children's Picture Books) $15.99 9, 29 ISBN: 9780
529104007
Lulu and Max hold a fieldday competition for the animals to determine the leader of the forest, but is being a good
sport more important than winning? On the way, Lulu explains to Max that they may have to help the animals who lose,
as they may be sad or mad, and this turns out to be prophetic. Coyote wins the costume contest with his wings, but this
causes Goose to cryher wings are real, after all. Lulu says what's important is trying your best and remembering that,
no matter what, you are loved. But it's BearBear who really proves his skills throughout the day, saying just the right
thing, helping to clean up, pointing out what needs to get done and doing it, and forgiving Coyote when he forgets to be
a good sport and a good friend. Clearly, BearBear is the best choice for leader of the forest. Christy's softly colored
illustrations feature adorable animals in a woodland setting. There's a fuzzy quality to the artwork that lends it some
texture and whimsy. In a letter to parents, Terkeurst explains that "one of the greatest lessons a parent can teach...is how
to navigate life's wins and losses." She points out that God has a plan in mind for each of us, and a list of Scripture
memory verses on the endpapers (unseen) will help kids remember this. Didactic? To be sure, but it's a muchneeded
lesson that goes down easily. (Picture book. 38)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Terkeurst, Lysa: WIN OR LOSE, I LOVE YOU!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2015. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA421459747&it=r&asid=0396f7cdc635bb44cb99640d11603662.
Accessed 5 Feb. 2017.
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QUOTE:
distinctive voice and with Bible in hand
advice with a distinctly
Christian inflection.
Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of
Raw Emotions
Publishers Weekly.
259.21 (May 21, 2012): pS15.
COPYRIGHT 2012 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions
Lysa TerKeurst. Zondervan, $14.99 trade paper (198p) ISBN 9780310332794
If auditions were held for a replacement for Oprah Winfrey. 1the early Oprah, who was vulnerable, open, girlfriendly,
and not a billionaireTerKeurst would make a short list. This mom of five had a breakout hit with Made to Crave, and
her newest should also resonate. TerKeurst is open about her moments of losing itespecially at home, saying nasty
things in the heat of the moment to her bestloved ones. But after those confessions come tips and tricks for being less
emotionally reactive. There's a bit of scientific and psychological discussion of these states, but mostly she presents
psychologically acute insights that will be familiar to those with some selfawareness through therapy, 12 steps,
journaling, or other selfhelp methods. She does it in a distinctive voice and with Bible in hand. While there's no
groundbreaking psychology, her voice is fresh and friendly. It will be most welcome to Oprah's large audience of
suburban mothers who are currently in need of a guiding light, as long as they're open to advice with a distinctly
Christian inflection. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions." Publishers Weekly, 21 May 2012, p. S15. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA290734676&it=r&asid=95b69f71acc852c7ba2fe73f41962a7b.
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QUOTE:
Christian collections will consider this a winning survey
Made to Crave
California Bookwatch.
(June 2011):
COPYRIGHT 2011 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Full Text:
Made to Crave
Lysa Terkeurst
Zondervan Publishing House
5300 Patterson Avenue, S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49530
97803106652786, $31.99, www.zondervan.com
MADE TO CRAVE: SATISFYING YOUR DEEPEST DESIRE WITH GOD, NOT FOOD pairs a sixsession DVD
with a study book directed to any who have unhealthy eating habits and who want to use a new relationship with God to
break bad cycles. From discovering the blessing in weight loss struggles to adopting empowering scripts that lead to
victory over unhealthy habits, this offers discussions of triggers, guilt, and how to blend spirituality with dietary goals.
Christian collections will consider this a winning survey!
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Made to Crave." California Bookwatch, June 2011. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA259156659&it=r&asid=6b636bc6b9950535279936008b757b8b.
Accessed 5 Feb. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A259156659
2/5/2017 General OneFile Saved Articles
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QUOTE:
straightforward guide to the godly life for women
TerKeurst, Lysa. What Happens When Women
Walk in Faith: Trusting God Takes You to
Amazing Places
Graham Christian
Library Journal.
130.12 (July 1, 2005): p92.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
TerKeurst, Lysa. What Happens When Women Walk in Faith: Trusting God Takes You to Amazing Places. Harvest
House. Jul. 2005. c.160p. ISBN 0736915710, pap. $9.99. REL
TerKeurst (Radically Obedient, Radically Blessed), the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, has written a
straightforward guide to the godly life for women, weaving into her guidance narratives from her life and the lives of
others. According to Proverbs 31 Ministries' web site, a "Proverbs 31 woman loves, honors, and respects her husband as
the leader of the home," but TerKeurst also encourages women to lead with strength, to "surrender false props and
depend on God alone to empower you." For most collections, especially where an Evangelical readership is strong.
Christian, Graham
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Christian, Graham. "TerKeurst, Lysa. What Happens When Women Walk in Faith: Trusting God Takes You to Amazing
Places." Library Journal, 1 July 2005, p. 92. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA134314594&it=r&asid=9922d1420b2b2a980614e3dfd6c8fb04.
Accessed 5 Feb. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A134314594
QUOTE:
I recommend this book to women who are seeking emotional reassurance in their lives. Again, this book doesn’t go deep, but it provides a sense of comfort to those who are seeking it.
Uninvited’s Pros and Cons: A Book Review
September 8, 2016 by Monique Ocampo 0 Comments
uninvited book
I was definitely intrigued when I heard about Lysa TerKeurst’s latest book Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely. As someone who’s experienced rejection more times than I can count, I felt drawn to this book like a bee to honey. After reading through the book, I have to say that as a whole, there are a great many blessings that can be gained from reading it.
Pros
I related to most of the stories shared here. There’s an overall sense of reassurance throughout the book that would definitely comfort the reader like chocolate after a breakup. The fist chapter invites the reader to be honest with themselves, which is always a great first step when dealing with rejection. I loved the chapters that ended with prayers. The prayers are sincere petition prayers that anyone can relate to and pray when they are dealing with the burdens of rejection and heartbreak.
Lysa also delves into what makes rejection hurt so much: So many people have trust issues, emotional insecurity, and rejection shakes us out of the safety net that we make for ourselves. The overall theme of this book is to root our trust in God and find that emotional security with him. I really need to introduce her to Saint Faustina because Faustina is one of the best examples of trusting in Jesus in spite of everything else.
The best thing about this book is that it teaches the reader that we can all learn from rejection. Each experience we have from rejection can teach us something for the future for whenever we deal with rejection again or point us towards something that leads us to acceptance. The book embraces the virtue of humility really well. Not only does this book help give the reader assurance when it comes to dealing with rejection, but it also provides an opportunity for the reader to improve on themselves with sections on self-assessment.
Cons
One major con was something I found in the 2nd chapter. There’s a section that quotes a few verses and brings attention to the promises within those verses, tying them around a common theme:
When we abide, delight, and dwell in Him, he then places within us desires that line up with His best desire for us.
Yes, that I can agree with. When we spend time with God, our hearts are made more like His. However, I did not agree with the sentence that followed afterwards:
Therefore, He can give us whatever we ask, because we will only want what’s consistent with His best.
Um. No. That’s not how it works. God can’t just give us whatever we ask because we think it will be consistent with His best. His best is not always what we want. With every Our Father, we pray “Thy will be done.”
I also didn’t relate to the story about the lady in the gym that Lysa was convinced hated her. Granted, I’m usually someone who always thinks the best of most people. I loved the testimonies shared in the book, but I seriously wanted this book to go deeper than just the everyday rejections we deal with.
It’s so sad that Protestants often forego to look into the lives of the saints because I can list five saints right off the bat who suffered through rejection and still found their true purpose in Christ:
Saint Gemma Galgani: rejected from the Passionists because of her spinal health issues, yet received stigmata and fought many battles against Satan.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino: seen as stupid and dumb because he was in constant awe at anything relating to Jesus and the church. Later was given the gift of flight and is the patron saint of test-takers.
Saint Thomas Aquinas: Chose a religious order that wasn’t trendy and his family didn’t support him going into religious life. He’s now regarded as a Doctor of the Church and his writings are worth their weight in gold.
Saint Faustina: Social outcast, even amongst her fellow sisters, and yet her devotion to Divine Mercy is now one of the most popular and wonderful devotions in the Catholic Church.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal: Had to deal with a marriage that she didn’t exactly want and made the most of it. Later went on to be the foundress of the Visitation Sisters
Of course, we can’t forget saints who also tended to the outcasts of society such as Saint Francis, St. Damian of Molokai and St. Marianne Cope, St. Mother Teresa, etc. I understand that the target audience for this book is the everywoman who feels like she’s never doing enough or never feels like she is enough, but I would’ve loved to have seen some things about actual social outcasts: people who deal with all sorts of identity issues.
Overall, I recommend this book to women who are seeking emotional reassurance in their lives. Again, this book doesn’t go deep, but it provides a sense of comfort to those who are seeking it.
Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst
September 8, 2016 By Karen 2 Comments
Maybe it’s my personality or maybe it’s just the season of life that I’m in now (probably a combination of both) but titles like Lysa TerKeurst’s Uninvited really jump out at me these days.
uninvited reviewI thought this book might be a good companion to Better Together by Jill Savage and Anne McClane. That book was a great inspiration for pursuing the kind of godly relationships that Christian women truly need.
I wasn’t wrong that the books would complement each other, but Uninvited is actually about so much more than friendships or relationships.
In Uninvited TerKeurst really digs into the reality that everyone is operating from some brokenness, whether that’s less than ideal family backgrounds, friendships that have turned sour, dating relationships that came to messy ends, or whatever.
The subtitle “Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely,” well, I hope it’s not too personal to say that I’ve felt all three of those things, sometimes all on the same day. One thing I loved about this book: Lysa TerKeurst knows these feelings. And she also knows that there is not another human being on the planet that can solve all these feelings in us, no matter how much they may want to. It isn’t right to expect another person to “fix” this for us.
TerKeurst writes:
We must respect ourselves enough to break the pattern of placing unrealistic expectations on others.
abundant livingUninvited is Soaked in Scripture
One of my main criticisms of Christian Living books for women these days is how light they are on actual scripture. The writers cherry pick their favorite verses or passages and twist them to apply any which way. I have seen TerKeurst fall prey to this tendency in the past. (Based on a misuse of Exodus 14. This is my personal pet peeve passage for scripture mis-application.)
Uninvited is different. She uses long passages of scripture as well as applicable verses to demonstrate truth.
I can tell how much a book is resonating with me based on how many notes I take. My copy of Uninvited is stuffed with pieces of paper where I just had to take note of her words.
Truth from Uninvited I really appreciated:
Spiritual maturity doesn’t shield me from rejection.
I mean, can I get an “amen” here? I have struggled with this. When I’m feeling lonely or left out (or abandoned or…) it’s so easy to lecture myself that I should be rising above these emotions. That I should be spiritually mature.
Which is true. But spiritual maturity does not mean you never have to deal with feelings or reactions to others’ actions.
Here’s a line from page 43 that got a big agreement from me:
Proximity and activity don’t always equal connectivity.
It’s obvious, right? It’s why you can be in a room crowded with people and still feel lonely.
On page 122-3 she really started preaching at me. She quoted Stephen Covey on “Scarcity Thinking” versus what she called “Abundance Mentality”
The abundance mentality…flow out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody.
Direct, palpable hit.
living lovedBecause I struggle with this. I struggle with being generous, with thinking abundantly. I am far too often jealous of others’ successes. Social media allows me to be in contact with friends from my childhood and teen years, but it also displays closer relationships than I have or get togethers that I wasn’t invited to. It can be hard as a wannabe writer not to feel like every other writer in the world has already said anything I could say, and probably better than I can.
That’s scarcity thinking. And it’s antithetical to the life I want to live.
Just a few pages later Lysa points out (I hope it’s OK that I’m calling her Lysa):
The enemy loves to take our rejection and twist it into a raw, irrational fear that God really doesn’t have a good plan for us.
And there it is. That’s where Uninvited points out that how we deal with rejection can easily turn into the great sin: idolatry. We put relationships, or feelings, or emotions, in a place where they ought not to be and it causes us to doubt God’s plan, God’s goodness, to us.
Uninvited is an Invitation to Live Loved
Most of us would like to avoid pain. After all, pain isn’t fun. No one ever says pain is easy.
Pain isn’t the enemy. TerKeurst writes on page 173:
Pain isn’t the enemy. Pain is the indication that brokenness exists…Pain is the gift that motivates us to fight with brave tenacity and fierce determination knowing there’s healing on the other side.
With God’s help, I can do brave tenacity and fierce determination. Those sound like good synonyms for “stubborn”.
If you are feeling the pain of rejection; if you’ve felt that maybe, just maybe, God forgot to make a plan for your life; if you are surrounded by people and activity but still feeling an inexplicable loneliness, or if your life is actually pretty good but you’d like to live more abundantly and in closer community with others, then I recommend Uninvited to you.
Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst – Book Review
Published by Create With Joy on September 7, 2016 · 10 Comments
Uninvited
Uninvited – Book Review
Have you ever picked up a book and felt like the author was writing it just for you?
That’s how I felt as I began to read Uninvited – Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, And Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst – and based on the fact that this book just debuted and is already a #1 bestseller, I think a lot of other women feel the same way!
Uninvited is both a deeply personal yet universally relatable book about how the enemy of our souls wants us to believe that we are unworthy of love – particularly God’s love – and how he will do anything to make us feel abandoned, unaccepted and unacceptable to others, and rejected by those around us – but how these are lies that we need to heal from.
In Uninvited, Lysa helps us to identify the damaging beliefs we are currently embracing and the ineffective ways we are currently dealing with our pain and – in their place – offers us transformative truths and powerful promises from God’s Word. She includes useful self-assessment tools and takeaways at the end of the book.
There are some books that I like to read and finish as soon as possible and other books that I like to read a little bit at a time, sitting and savoring over, letting the wisdom of the author sink into my spirit. Uninvited is one of the latter kind of books. I think Lysa planned it that way as she pauses often on the pages, offering thoughts such as the following for us to ponder over:
The mind feasts on what it focuses on.
What consumes my thinking will be the
Making or the breaking of my identity.
Uninvited is a powerful book that resonates truth from cover to cover. I highly recommend it to you!
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
QUOTE:
As a teaching tool, it's sure to have its uses, though the story itself never rises beyond its instructive goals
Win or Lose, I Love You!
Lysa TerKeurst, illus. by Jana Christy. Tommy Nelson, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-529-10400-7
MORE BY AND ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Win or Lose
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Lulu and Max—it's unclear if they are siblings or friends—preside over a Field Day competition among forest animals, while trying to ensure that the competitors win and lose gracefully. An introductory note aimed at parents signals this picture book's didactic intentions from the outset, and indeed TerKeurst's (It Will Be Okay: Trusting God Through Fear and Change) messages about kindness, generosity, and forgiveness dominate. After Coyote wins the costume contest, and Goosey responds with a tantrum, Lulu jumps in with a rhyme that becomes the story's takeaway: "You may not win, but you must try./ Sometimes you'll lose, but there's no need to cry./ Win or lose, one thing that's true.../ no matter what, I love you!" Christy (When the Wind Blows) creates an appealingly soft, gauzy forest landscape and an amiable cast of human and animal characters, which helps offset the stiffness of their conversations. As a teaching tool, it's sure to have its uses, though the story itself never rises beyond its instructive goals. Ages 4–8. Author's agent: Esther Fedorkevich, Fedd Agency. Illustrator's agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (Sept.)
A Christian Book Review - Win or Lose I Love You
11/13/2015 0 Comments
Picture
http://amzn.to/1Q74UCR
Greeting Supporters,
Today I will be reviewing a new book by Lysa Terkeurst, Win or Lose, I Love You! This book promises to help equip parents to help children:
Replace the selfish characteristics of competition with an understanding of how to treat others fairly
Overcome the tendency to display poor sportsmanship by using Biblical truths to develop a Christ-like attitude
Reject the labels of winning and losing and embrace that they are loved no matter how they perform.
In addition, Win or Lose, I Love You promises to show your child that, no matter what, their value is tied to who they are, not how they play!
First let me start off by saying that I had high expectations for Lysa TerKeurst book Win or Lose. I read her first book It Will be Okay: Trusting God Through Fear and Change and thought it was great in so many ways. So i was expecting the same great story telling in Win or Lose. Win or Lose was designed to teach children how to handling winning and losing with grace and dignity. However, this book fell short of my expectations. I found the text a little long and drawn out which made it hard to pay attention to the whole book. I also did not like the statement in the book “sometimes you’ll lose, but there’s is no need to cry.” Crying is a godly expression of sadness. Telling people/kids there’s no need to cry invalidates their God given right to express sadness. There are a few things I do like about the book (i.e., the note to parents in the beginning and the 10 Bible verses in the back about Words of Wisdom whether you win or lose).
So my search for a book to teach children how to deal with competition in a godly way continues. If you know of a book, please leave it in the comment section.
That is all for now, please continue to pray for me and know I am praying for you,
Corine
Disclaimer: I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for free in exchange for an honest review; all thoughts and opinions herein are that of my own.
It Will Be Ok ~ Children’s Book Review, Plus Free Printables
October 6, 2014 | Filed under: Bible, Expired Giveaways, Reading & Writing, Reviews and tagged with: First Grade, Kindergarten, Preschool
It Will Be Ok Book CoverThree more wonderful resources from Tommy Nelson Publishers have arrived for review and giveaway! We are always excited when this package arrives each month! My little preschooler LOVES books, and she was extra excited about this month’s selections.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but was given a free book to review. I am an affiliate of Amazon, and will receive a small commission if a link on this page is used to make a purchase.
She was drawn to the Brave Girls Bible Stories book immediately, and loved the sparkly cover of the God’s Little Princess Bible (“it has jewels on it, Mom!”). Look for the reviews of these books, coming within the next several days!
It Will Be Ok Children’s Book Review
We snuggled on the couch and read It Will be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst soon after it arrived, and M immediately wanted to read it again. I obliged. It is a sweet, allegorical story about a little seed and a little fox, both of whom must face their fears and learn to live with change. The Farmer in the story represents God, and the little seed and little fox learn to trust Him. I love how the book gently encourages readers to trust our heavenly Father even in the dark and dirty places.
But the Farmer was good, and the Farmer was kind, and the Farmer was always watching over them. Even when they didn’t know it.
It Will Be Ok Book Inside
This book fits right in with our current science studies – we are studying seeds! It’s great when things work out like that, even when we aren’t planning it. The little seed in the story grows into a big, strong tree after being planted in the dark, messy dirt by the good Farmer. Not only does this complement a science lesson on how seeds grow, but it is a wonderful visual picture to help a child understand that he or she can grow as they abide in God’s loving hands. Times of change, fear, or discomfort can be times when we grow roots deep in the Lord and His grace. I’m not sure a preschool or kindergarten-aged child can fully understand this (I’m not sure I do), but I do believe that a some level, they can. This book may help plant a different kind of seed – a seed of belief – that will grow in her mind and heart over the years.
It Will Be Okay by Lysa TerKeurst {review & giveaway}
October 10, 2014
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It Will Be Ok book
One of my favorite author’s is Lysa TerKeurst. When I heard she had a children’s book out, I was so excited. “It Will be Okay” is a book that’s perfect for little ones between the ages of 4-8 years old. Are your kids dealing with fear and change? Then, this book is for them! Children will learn that God has a plan for them and will be there for them through every step.
I often find my 5 year old curled up in the chair just looking at the pictures since he can’t read it just yet.
It Will Be Ok book
Whether we like it or not, growing up brings change. For many children, this conjures fears that are sometimes real and sometimes imagined. How can kids learn that even when they face new and unfamiliar situations, they don’t have to be afraid?
Little Seed and Little Fox are facing changes and brand new circumstances—and they don’t like it one bit! Through this unlikely friendship, children will discover that no matter how new or fearful their circumstances, God is always with them. The whimsical art by Natalia Moore will put a smile on kids’ faces and put their minds at ease. Just as Little Seed and Little Fox learn to trust that the Farmer is good and kind, children will also learn to trust God.
Check out the Flipbook for “It Will be Okay” and then enter this giveaway below for a chance to win a copy! Giveaway ends Tuesday, October 14th at 12:01am CST.
We received this product at no cost in exchange for our honest review. All opinions expressed are solely mine.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Children's Book Review and Giveaway: It Will be Ok by Lysa TerKeurst, Illus. by Natalia Moore
Tommy Nelson brings us another wonderful children's book,
that helps parents to deal with our children's emotions!
it will be ok cover
Synopsis:
In the end, it will be okay because God is always with us.
Whether we like it or not, growing up brings change. For many children, this conjures fears that are sometimes real and sometimes imagined. How can kids learn that even when they face new and unfamiliar situations, they don’t have to be afraid?
Little Seed and Little Fox are facing changes and brand new circumstances—and they don’t like it one bit! Through this unlikely friendship, children will discover that no matter how new or fearful their circumstances, God is always with them. The whimsical art by Natalia Moore will put a smile on kids’ faces and put their minds at ease. Just as Little Seed and Little Fox learn to trust that the Farmer is good and kind, children will also learn to trust God.
it will be ok sample
Review:
This book is aimed at kids ages 4-8, and is great for early readers. The book really helps kids know that God will be with them through every stop as they grow, no matter what happens, or how scared they area. It is an adorable story- very similar to a fable, and one that will entrance young children. I was thrilled to see how Fox and Seed stayed friends, even after seed changed into a tree- that is a VERY valuable lesson for kids to learn before tweenhood and peer pressure kicks in- to remember the person inside is still the same, though their outside may change. The book is very nuanced, and will definitely spur quite a few parent/child conversations while teaching the one constant- God is ALWAYS with us! Miss Grace and I highly recommend this book!
About the Author:
Lysa TerKeurst is the New York Times bestselling author of Made to Crave and Unglued. She isn't shy about admitting what a mess she can be. But she's been learning God's lessons and sharing them on her blog (www.LysaTerKeurst.com) and in her books. Lysa is president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and writes from her sticky farm table in North Carolina where she lives with her husband, Art, five kids, three dogs, and mouse that refuses to leave her kitchen.
The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands
Lysa TerKeurst. Thomas Nelson, $15.99 trade paper (240p) ISBN 978-1-4002-0585-1
MORE BY AND ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands
BUY THIS BOOK
Bestselling author and popular blogger TerKeurst (Made to Crave) tackles a topic that's top of mind for practically every woman: making wise decisions. Regardless of whether a woman spends most of her day in a cubicle or a minivan or both, the list of people and projects vying for her time is endless. TerKeurst's gentle approach reads like a friend commiserating and counseling over lattés. She says that overwhelmed schedules lead to "underwhelmed souls," and then describes the path to developing the discernment to make good choices. She acknowledges that some things about learning to decide wisely are difficult, such as letting go of self-imposed obligations—using what TerKeurst calls a "small no" to provide a "Best Yes" to opportunities that require attention and honor God. The only way to recognize those wise opportunities is to stay in "unbroken companionship" with God, the author says. TerKeurst's often self-deprecating humor and ability to be vulnerable, combined with insightful Bible references, make this a book women can relate to in a hundred little ways each day. Agency: Fedd & Company. (Aug.)
THE BEST YES: MAKING WISE DECISIONS IN THE MIDST OF ENDLESS DEMANDS, by Lysa Terkeurst
Published on February 4, 2015 by Aimee Byrd
2014 | 272 pages
AMAZON ( Paperback )
AMAZON ( Kindle )
Reviewed by Aimee Byrd
Maybe saying I would read this book for review wasn’t my “best yes.” It puts me in an undesirable position. New York Times bestselling author Lysa Terkeurst has written her seventeenth book, The Best Yes. It is an Amazon #1 bestseller in Christian Women’s Issues, and boasts 249 five-star reviews. Women love Lysa Terkeurst. She writes in a playful, self-deprecating, girlfriend-to-girlfriend kind of way. She is very likeable. When a book is this popular in the Christian market, I know I will be approached by well-meaning women who want to recommend it to me or ask if I have read it. Some of these women will be studying it in their churches.
So I read it. And I watched a “Best Yes” session Terkeurst gave at her home church, Elevation.
The Appeal
Let me start with what is refreshing about Lysa Terkeurst, and I would hope is a big reason why so many women are attracted to her books and speaking. Terkeurst is a charismatic author who emphasizes personal responsibility in decision-making. She wants to give practical help and advice on weighing, evaluating, and making decisions that honor God.
I was happy to see that the author promotes wisdom and teaches that this virtue involves regular Scripture reading and prayer, obedience to God, and seeking godly counsel. Terkeurst doesn’t excuse a woman’s responsibility and accountability with a passive “ask your husband” theology. She wants to equip women to be thinkers.
The Appeal?
When I received this book in the mail, I was expecting the usual kind of writing that makes a bestseller’s list: humorous illustrations, emotional stories that draw the reader in, followed by Bible verses with a moral lesson. And I was expecting it to be written at a reading level that would be accessible to most readers. But I have to say that my eyes have now been opened to what must be a turning point in our reading culture.
Yesterday’s “7th grade reading level” has evolved with our technology. I felt like I was reading a new genre, something like stream of conscience meets Twitter. The sentences are short. Many of them are not sentences. I get what she’s doing there, and even throw in a few sentence fragments myself for effect on occasion. But when they are generously peppered into the text as a major component of the writing style, you don’t feel like you are reading a book anymore. I don’t think Terkeurst writes in this fashion because she is unskilled. Rather, I believe she has capitalized on our culture’s conditioned reading habits from social networking. Apparently this is appealing. I have to say that I found it a bit insulting as a reader.
Missing the Forrest for the Trees
The purpose of this book stated in the subtitle is “making wise decisions in the midst of endless demands.” Throughout the book, the author explains that some yeses are better than others, and she gives tips to teach women how to “chase down” their decisions before they make them so that they can see the consequences they will lead to. She gives good practical, albeit somewhat common sense advice to guide the reader in this.
Terkeurst emphasizes that women can easily overwhelm their schedules with obligations because they have a proclivity to please and be liked. Our “overwhelmed schedules” will often lead to “underwhelmed souls” that miss out on God’s personal assignments for our lives. In other words, we fill up our days with obligations from all the yeses we give, and we don’t leave room for the best yes that God has in store for us.
Are you confused yet? Well, Terkeurst gives many personal examples that help the reader see how she learned that it’s okay to say no to people and that she is a better mother, wife, and child of God for it. And she does have a point. We need to be good stewards of the time God gives us. But even though she gives some good decision-making advice, I wasn’t left convinced that there is a best yes that I need to pin down every time someone could use my help. There are many good yeses I could chase down, and much of this is because, like Lysa Terkeurst, I live a very privileged life enriched with many opportunities to serve and contribute. And so instead of teaching about wisdom, the forest, this book is filled with many, many trees, yeses and nos.
Who’s Yes is Best?
In a Christian book that wants to teach about wisdom, I would expect some theological teaching on this important fruit. And the primary way to do that would be to teach about Jesus Christ, the embodiment of wisdom. However, Christ was hardly even mentioned in the entire book. He is mentioned so scarcely, that I marked the two or three pages I found him. Even her gospel presentation reads in a very man-centered fashion:
It is difficult to embrace an intimate relationship with someone we never see. God understood this, so He physically came to earth and took on another name: Jesus. The absolute Best Yes we’ll ever give is asking Jesus Christ to be “the Lord God” over our lives. When we receive Him, we receive life everlasting. But this is just the starting place. We must walk with Him daily, using His gift of wisdom with each and every decision. (112)
First of all, this language leads me to ask some questions about Terkeurst’s view of the Trinity. Does she teach that God just took on another name and came to earth, or that the eternal Son took on flesh? And did the Son come because he understood that we just needed to see God to embrace an intimate relationship with him? Where is the mention of God’s sovereignty, holiness, justice, and man’s wretched sin that separates us from him? Only then can we begin to understand his great love in sending his Son. And is Jesus waiting on our Best Yes so that he can be “the Lord God” over our lives? No! He is the Lord God no matter how powerful we make our yeses and nos!
Her next big mention of Jesus is on the last page of the main body of the book. Terkeurst rightfully concludes that we should want people to “see Jesus when they see us. Hear Jesus when they hear us. And know Jesus when they know us” (231). But she did not use the 230 previous pages to teach us about Jesus. So while I read all about best yeses and “the power of the small no,” I did not read about the person and the work of Jesus Christ, the One who embodies wisdom and gives it to us. God’s yes to us in Jesus Christ is the fountain for every yes that we may be privileged to utter.
The Scripture She Did Use
While the book is lacking in a theology of wisdom and even a clear gospel message, Terkeurst does use many Scriptures to affirm our need for wisdom and to give us biblical examples of wisdom. Unfortunately, much of her biblical exposition is poor. She seems to force her Bible excerpts into her teaching points and illustrations rather than being guided by the text. I was left scratching my head throughout the book. For example, Isaiah 30:21 just can’t be simplified as a lesson about God whispering his best yes to us in our daily stress (14).
And Moses wasn’t merely “refusing to release his fear that just speaking to the rock as God commanded wouldn’t actually bring forth water” when he struck it twice (6).
Hebrews 10:24-25 isn’t to be reduced to “connecting with those we love” (182). It is referring to gathering with the covenant community of God’s people in worship.
And Exodus 18:7-12 isn’t a story about Moses’ father-in-law stepping in to help Moses “unrush a season of his life” (183).
The book is full of these sorts of reductionist, man-centered expositions. I was also disturbed to see many references to The Amplified Bible and The Message, which I just don’t think are responsible sources to be quoted as Bible translations.
A Well-Oiled Tweetable Machine
Charismatic teachers employ catchy phrases as teaching tools. Terkeurst is the master of these. These slogans are then repeated in large, calligraphic lettering, interrupting the text throughout the book. But just in case you didn’t want to interrupt your reading to grab that phone and quote her in a tweet, there is a section at the end of the book that contains all these “Things I Don’t Want You to Forget.” No, she does not actually suggest that you tweet these lines, but they are lying there beautifully on pages, practically begging like a puppy in the window. Not all of them will fit on Twitter. Several of the 73 lines to remember may need their own Facebook post. Here are a few:
Never is a woman so fulfilled as when she chooses to underwhelm her schedule so she can let God overwhelm her soul.
Refusing to release often means refusing to have peace. I trade my peace for a weight of regret. And it’s a bad trade.
What if a small no can be given in such a way that it becomes a gift rather than a curse?
Saying yes all the time won’t make me Wonder Woman. It will make me worn out woman.
Appointment and disappointment walk hand in hand. To accept one invitation is to decline another.
Those who constantly try to impress others will quickly depress themselves.
The book closes with a “Chase Down That Decision” Tool that summarizes her practical teachings on making a decision, accompanied by a printable diagram to fill out for guidance. The Best Yes is marketed well. But I am going to have to give it a “small no” as a recommendation.
Aimee Byrd is a wife and mother of three and the author of Housewife Theologian. She is also the “Residing Housewife Theologian” here at Books At a Glance.
Book Review: The Best Yes (by Lysa Terkeurst)
by SELENA FREDERICK
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In a recent post I shared my latest struggle in our current situation and I have to say that God has been providing me with more encouragement, hope and contentment than I have had in a long time. I know that part of that is because of the precious prayers from our FM community – how do I even begin to thank you? What a special blessing each of you are to us and to each other.
Another way that God has been directing me is through another book that I’ve had the privilege to dive into, Lysa Terkeurst’s latest The Best Yes. Talk about timing.
The Best Yes is not a marriage book, but everything about it deals with how we, as women, can “make wise decisions in the midst of endless demands,” (front cover) and I think it’s safe to say that our marriage falls under “endless demands” – in a good way.
coverSave
Click to purchase.
Trust me, you won’t be able to put it down.
A bit about The Best Yes
Reading this book feels like you’re sitting down to have coffee with one of the most Godly, anointed and just plain amazing friends. Lysa’s transparency is admirable and her honesty is unforgettably enduring.
The book is practical and deep all at the same time.
As women, wives, mothers – whatever stage we find ourselves in, we often struggle with this need to please people. Even if it costs us time we don’t have, energy and focus that should go to our spouse/kids and finances we shouldn’t be spending.
We have to slow the rhythm of rush in our lives so the best of who we are can emerge.Save
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I believe the enemy is strategic in his attacks on us and if he can get us “caught in the rush of endless demands,” (p. 10) then we will inevitably miss out on what God is really asking us to do, simply put: rebellion. Strong language, but a truth that should not be overlooked because as followers of Christ, we have a role in furthering His kingdom.
“In God’s plan, you’ve got a part to play. If you know it and believe it, you’ll live it. You’ll live your life making decisions with the Best Yes as your best filter. You’ll be a grand display of God’s Word lived out. Your undistracted love will make your faith ring true. Your wisdom will help you make decisions that will still be good tomorrow. And you’ll be alive and present for it.” (p. 6)
How The Best Yes has impacted me
Personally, right now, this book has convicted and instructed me in where I’m struggling most: trying to figure out God’s will for my life – more specifically defined (by me) as where are we going to live? What are we going to do? Oh, and by the way, do you know I have a very busy 8 month old?
You know you’re caught in the rip current of people pleasing when you dread saying yes, but feel powerless to say no.Save
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“The one who obey’s God’s instruction for today will develop a keen awareness of His direction for tomorrow.” (p. 11) — thump! Just me falling and picking myself up off the floor because I got hit across the head by the weight of these words.
Obedience before direction.
Lysa unpacks this in a beautiful way and I’m not going to share too much more because I really want to encourage you to read it for yourself (and buy an extra copy for a friend! I always love giving books away, so I always buy more than one).
Lastly, Lysa explains why and how to deal with the idea of trying to please everyone. How we often do whatever we can to make people happy because “we dread saying yes, but feel powerless to say no.” (p. 154)
I see the ramifications of this in dealing with friends and relationships outside of marriage. We run ourselves ragged trying to keep the peace and be off-the-chart friends with everyone instead of realizing that a) it’s impossible to please everyone, b) the only One we really need to be concerned with pleasing is Jesus, and c) who often bares the brunt of our craziness? Our spouse (and then kids).
Unbroken Companionship
My favorite part about this book is how Lysa ultimately is pointing us back to our Savior.
Reminding us to go to Him and begin (or restart) that bond of “unbroken companionship” (p. 18) that is so in sync with the Lord that no matter His request; talk to that stranger about Him or those thousands of strangers, we can give the best yes when we are tuned into our Father.
“Unbroken companionship helps us hear His instruction so then we can see His direction. We must not seek direction before obeying His instruction.” (p.18)
Can I get an Amen?
Why you should read it (if you haven’t figured it out yet)
The quotes above are a few of the gems that have taken resident in my heart. I could share much more, but would rather you read it for yourself.
When a woman lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule, she’ll ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.Save
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I would strongly encourage you to pick up this book as soon as you can and start incorporating it into your day. Even if it means reading one paragraph a day (which is seemingly impossible).
It’s a great read, full to the brim with God’s wisdom, and instructions on how to truly, and simply live for Him.
If you’re struggling in any way (marriage, self-image, parenting) again, I would encourage you to add The Best Yes to your daily time with the Lord and dive deeper in your faith and knowledge of how to biblically deal with feelings of being overwhelmed and or the fears of disappointing others.
I’ll leave you with one final quote and then – go buy the book!
“The decisions you make determine the schedule you keep. The schedule you keep determines the life you live. And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul.”
Let’s spend our souls on the things of God and not the things of this world.
Book Review
Reviewed by Joy Hannabass for Readers' Favorite
In "What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God" mother and daughter and authors Lysa and Hope Terkeurst tell everything you need to know about how God shapes our hearts and our individual paths of purpose. When reading this book, you will find unique tools to help you remember valuable truths in a neat way. There is the YES factor that highlights throughout this book special treasures from scripture you learn along the journey. At the end of each chapter there in a 'You’re Invited' section to help you respond to God about what you have read. You will have God’s Word for You and Living Your Extraordinary Story (Y.E.S.) with questions in each section for you to answer. And also included is Lysa and Hope’s journey notes, as well as pages for your own notes.
This is a neat little book with powerful messages within its covers. And the entire book is all about what our lives can be when we say Yes to God. I used this as a devotional, and was amazed at how this book is very detailed and easy to follow. Learning how to say yes in letting go, serving others, reaching out to others, and looking forward, has helped me better see what God wants me to do. This beautiful book would be great for both tween and teenage young ladies. And I think it is awesome for ladies of any age. You will enjoy this book by Lysa and Hope Terkeurst immensely.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Review:What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God by:L. Terkeurst& H. Terkeurst
What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God
About the Book:
President of Proverbs 31 Ministries and New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst and her teen daughter Hope invite young women to begin the great adventure of living the life God has created for them.
With a welcoming style, Lysa and Hope share the amazing changes and joys that await readers when they partner with God in decisions, pursuits, and dreams. Inspiring sections include:
"Living Y.E.S." (Your Extraordinary Story)--how to follow God in all areas of life
"YES in Action" stories from Hope about living and sharing faith
"God's Word for You" Bible study for each chapter
Young women will discover how to:
listen for God's voice
watch for God's leading daily
let God use them to encourage others
This is an invitation to boldly expect more from the faith experience. Young women will discover a journey of great hope and purpose that will have lasting impact.
About the Author:
Lysa TerKeurst is a New York Times bestselling author and a national speaker who helps women live an adventure of faith. She is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and an author of 15 books, including Unglued, Made to Crave, and What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. Her daily online devotional encourages more than 600,000 women, and her remarkable life story has captivated national audiences on Oprah and Good Morning America. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and five children.
Hope TerKeurst finds fulfillment in serving through missions trips to places like Ethiopia and Nicaragua. During a trip to Nicaragua, Hope led a team that provided shoes for children to enable them to go to school. When she is at home, Hope spends time with her family and friends. She has a passion for building relationships with others and loves to travel. She is currently a college student in North Carolina.
My Review:
If you are a young woman of faith you feel like the whole world is opened up to you. But if God has set you apart for an even more important stand out of the faith it can sometimes feel like a 2 ton boulder on your back. That is why it is imperative for you to be mentored by some really strong women of faith to help you through these times especially the trying ones. They are there to show you the way and to hopefully show you what they have learned whether it be through trial or triumph.
This book entitled What Happens When Young Women Say Yes to God is an excellent example of that mentoring by two women that have been there. One; Lysa Terkeurst, a woman that has bridged the gap between glorifying God and showing other women that it truly takes a strong faith to withstand everyday challenges. And two; Hope Terkeurst, a young woman that has begun her journey deep in the throws of mission work to show us all to never fear as long as God has your back you can take on the world if you have to.
This mother and daughter team have joined together to put into action a devotional for those ladies that need some uplifting and encouraging. Because many times those woman that have been called to do extraordinary things for God are in a very lonely, discouraged place. This devotional is based on the Y.E.S. Factor, Y-Your, E-Extraordinary, S-Story. A somewhat unique way to pattern your life, your ministry, and your calling to be exactly what God wanted you to be.
**Disclosure** This book was provided to me at no charge for my honest review by Harvest House Publishers.
Reviews, Christian Living / Nicole Whitacre
Unglued
October 8, 2012
0 Comments
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Lysa TerKeurst, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012. 208 pp. $9.99.
Few topics are more relevant to women than dealing with our emotions. In her latest book, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions, Lysa TerKeurst seeks to help women respond with self-control to those unexpected moments of stress or conflict in which we feel overwhelmed and respond in ways we later regret. Ranked #9 in Christian Living and #1 in Theology on Amazon.com at time of review, this book strikes a powerful chord with women.
National speaker and New York Times bestselling author of 14 books, Lysa aims to help women make what she calls “imperfect progress”—to take simple steps toward change (11). She encourages us to follow her in rejecting “labels from the past” that define us and keep us from moving forward. We begin by identifying and understanding our reactions—according to her we are “exploders” or “stuffers” or both, depending on the situation—and then developing a plan to handle more skillfully our emotions when situations threaten to overwhelm us (59, 81).
As I read Unglued, I could see why Lysa is such a popular author for women—she writes in a chatty, “girls night out” style that makes you feel like she is your best friend. Personal stories appear with refreshing regularity throughout the book. And every woman alive can relate to Lysa’s everyday struggles and stresses. She is genuinely humble and seems to have a sincere desire to grow in godliness and to help other women do the same. Her suggestions for change are practical without becoming prescriptive. It’s possible to come away from this book seeing your need to make changes in your life and being motivated to do so.
Notable Absence
However, I have significant concerns about this book—chief among them, the absence of the gospel.
First, there is an inadequate understanding of God’s character, in particular his holiness. God is not clearly presented as the holy judge of the universe who demands perfection (not “imperfect progress”) and who justly pours out his wrath on sinners. While Scripture is employed, its exegesis is frequently inadequate or flawed, and God feels more like a minor character in the drama of human relationships and feelings, and his Word like a self-help manual. So when Lysa gets angry at an airline employee, responds harshly to a friend, or is impatient with her children, she is primarily distressed over damaged relationships or her own feelings of failure and regret rather than her sin against a holy God. Thus, Unglued is more self-referential than God-centered, making its counsel inevitably flawed.
The book’s deficient view of sin flows from an inadequate understanding of God’s character. “Unglued” is the first of many euphemisms for what the Bible calls sin. While biblical language is employed at times, its definitions are inadequate, and the repeated use of cute and sometimes clever descriptions of our negative emotions enhance their vividness but obscure their seriousness. Judgmental and self-pitying thoughts are relabeled “negative inside chatter,” while the jealous woman is recast as “the empty woman” (131, 141). Lysa’s categories of “exploders” and “stuffers” help me think about how I tend to react, but not about the seriousness of the anger, bitterness, or pride that fuels these reactions. And again, the accent is often on how these emotions are difficult for the one who is emotional—not first and foremost on their sin against God and others.
While Lysa sees our inability to handle our emotions as a big problem for women, she actually misses the magnitude of it all. Our negative emotions (such as anger, anxiety, bitterness, resentment) arise from our evil desires (Jas. 1:13-15) and, when indulged, result in acts of rebellion against the holy and righteous judge who must unleash his wrath on sin. Here is the truth about my emotions according to Scripture: I am more than unglued. I am unable. And I am sinful. I don’t simply need a preemptive plan or a few carefully crafted questions—I need someone to rescue me; I need someone to save me; I need someone to cleanse me; I need someone to forgive me. I need a Savior.
Source of True Help
Sadly, because Lysa does not “deliver as of first importance” our need for a Savior (1 Cor. 15:3), she does not lead us to the only place where we can find true help for our unruly emotions: the cross of Jesus Christ. At the cross we see our greatest problem—our sin deserving of God’s holy punishment—but there we also see our greatest problem solved. Because and only because of Christ’s substitutionary death and subsequent resurrection we can come before a righteous God and receive forgiveness for our sin and the power of the Holy Spirit to change—all for the praise of his glory. Only a right understanding of the gospel will enable us to deal with “raw emotions.” At the cross we find grace to repent, not simply rethink. At the cross we experience God’s power to put to death selfishness and pride, envy, and malice. At the cross we receive a new heart with new desires to please and glorify God. At the cross we find a “way of escape” when we are tempted (1 Cor. 10:13). We can make progress in sanctification, to be sure, but only by way of the cross.
I also fear that Unglued may unintentionally reinforce a false assurance in non-Christian readers, leading them to think that because they can quote Scripture and take steps to manage their emotions they have experienced authentic gospel transformation. But self-generated self-control doesn’t make sinners right with God. Neither, I fear, is Unglued a reliable guide for Christians seeking to grow in maturity. Christians need, first and foremost, to know our Savior, and true change flows out of a relationship with him. Without the cross as the reference point, we have no hope for lasting, genuine change.
QUOTE:
The great thing about this book is that it is an easy read. It only took me a few days to finish! I know that many women have a full schedule and cannot always commit to reading- however, this book is a fabulous resource and I truly believe it is a necessity.
Unglued By Lysa TerKeurst – Book Review
OCTOBER 30, 2012
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unglued-book-reviewHave you ever come unglued?
You know… that moment when life just seems to be out of control… raw emotions flood your entire being… overwhelmed, frustrated, uneasy, agitated … and you either stuff it all inside… or explode!?!
In Lysa TerKeurst’s new book Unglued – Making Wise Choices In The Midst Of Raw Emotions she candidly shares stories of when she has become unglued, stories that any wife or mother can easily relate to!
She explains four different reaction types people can have when they become unglued.
Exploder that Blames Others
Exploder that Shames Herself
Stuffer that Build Barriers
Stuffer that Collects Retaliation Rocks
Lysa describes each of these types in detail, helping the reader to understand how each is defined. She also admits that a person can be more than one of these, sharing that she happens to react all four ways depending on the situation!
As I read the book, I began to recognize in my life which way I tend to react. I am mostly the “Stuffer that Builds Barriers” however towards my husband I am often an “Exploder that Blames Others” (him) and a “Stuffer that Collects Retaliation Rocks.”
Also as I read the book, there were moments throughout the day that I became unglued, and when it happened, I immediately reflected back to Lysa’s words. I was now aware of my raw emotions and my reactions… more than ever before!
For example, my husband and I were in the far left lane of traffic when our car began to overheat. I felt a rush of frustration and disdain towards our car as we merged over into the shoulder. I knew in that moment I could have reacted out of my raw emotions, taking it out on my husband, but instead Lysa’s words resounded in my head..
“If this is the worst thing that happens today, it’s still a pretty good day.”
UngluedThose words have already been memorized! Written on my heart, waiting to encourage me for when those certain days try to steal the best of me.
Lysa has so many other great quotes of encouragement throughout Unglued, including:
“Feelings should be indicators, not dictators.”
and
“Do not check in with the screaming demands of the world before you exchange whispers with God.”
The great thing about this book is that it is an easy read. It only took me a few days to finish! I know that many women have a full schedule and cannot always commit to reading- however, this book is a fabulous resource and I truly believe it is a necessity.
Lysa not only addresses how we become unglued and how we respond, but she also gives guidance in how to have more control in those unglued moments of life.
I highly recommend this book!
Made to Crave for Young Women: Satisfying Your Deepest Desires With God By Hannah Towler | April 3, 2012 1 Comment
In Lysa TerKeurst’s 2010 bestseller, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food, she approached the topic of healthy eating by exploring the spiritual depths of women’s food cravings. In this year’s release, Made to Crave for Young Women: Satisfying Your Deepest Desires With God, she partners with social researcher Shaunti Feldhahn to write this exemplary sequel for young women.
The book is targeted at a high school audience, but its sound spiritual truths can resonate with women in their twenties as well. Made to Crave gives young women practical ways to battle the cravings that they are faced with on a daily basis, while examining unrealistic standards set before us in modern-day society.
Whether the craving is for that sprinkled donut, or for the opposite — craving to be thin and not allowing yourself to eat breakfast — the authors pinpoint a variety of struggles teens go through. The end of each chapter gives a reflection point as well as an action plan for girls to start practicing practical solutions to their cravings.
Emotional, physical, and material desires are addressed throughout the book with real life examples. Lysa gets vulnerable with her readers and explains specific times when she was broken spiritually. She tells of many accounts where she struggled with looking to friends, boys, and food in order to feel fulfilled.
Many Christian teen reads only scratch the surface on the “what the world tells you is beautiful is a lie” statement. But Lysa and Shaunti take girls back to the basics of making simple decisions that will avoid the lie all together.
One example that pertains to many young girls today is the desire to wake up in the morning and check on how many people commented on their Facebook status — rather than spending time with God. The authors examine how the craving to be “noticed” by friends — or boys — stems from not seeking validation from God first. Shaunti’s extensive research explains to girls that they are not alone, and even the girls who seem to have it all together struggle through the same cravings to be noticed.
Made to Crave For Young Women offers teens a Christian perspective on finding answers for overwhelming situations, while offering girls real-time advice on practical ways to overcome all of life’s temptations and tough obstacles. You can find out more about it and purchase a copy here.
Book Review: Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress – by Lysa TerKeurst
Posted on April 23, 2013 | Leave a comment
Unglued Devotional by Lysa TerKeurst
Book: UNGLUED Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress
Author: Lysa TerKeurst
Publisher: Zondervan
Date: December 18, 2012
Genre: Christian devotional
Pages: 208; paperback
Price: $12.99
My rating: An excellent, inspirational book of encouragement and comfort for women
I received this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.
Lysa TerKeurst is a bestselling author of fifteen books and a national speaker. She is also the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries (www.proverbs31.org), helping women learn to live lives centered on God in the midst of whatever life brings.
This devotional was written for the purpose of being a companion book to her bestselling book Unglued, which I have not read. As someone who knows what it is to become unglued, I thoroughly enjoyed each daily devotional. Lysa TerKeurst writes from a woman’s heart to a woman’s heart in such an understanding way. In doing so, she draws attention to God while He uses her words to minister to the reader.
Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress. If we are honest about it we all can testify to making imperfect progress. Lysa TerKeurst speaks from that place in easy conversational writing. She has put together a wonderful 60-day devotional that I wished could have been longer. It takes less than five minutes to read one day’s devotional, which begins with a scripture reading, followed by a Thought for the Day, and then a short reading usually consisting of a very suitable anecdote from her experience. Some are funny, some are painful to read because they are so familiar, all are encouraging and insightful. Each devotion ends in a very brief prayer that is an easy lead-in for the reader to continue on her own.
I like finding good devotionals. This is one of the best I have found. The author does not preach or talk above the reader, or talk down to the reader. She is honest, sincere, and transparent in her writing and addressed common issues in a way that made THIS reader stop and think.
If you are wanting to find a devotional that is real to your own life, easy to read, and suitable for those days when you have maybe five minutes to spare … try this one. Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress by Lysa TerKeurst is likely to stir your heart and encourage you in your walk with God and in your relationships with the people in your life.
You can find Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress listed on my BUY THE BOOK! page.
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!
You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Unglued Devotional, Book Review
February 14, 2013 By HEATHER C KING
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Unglued Devotional, Book Review
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Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress
by Lysa TerKeurst
The subtitle of this book says it all: Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress. Most of our progress goes that way, after all, making changes over time, making mistakes, picking ourselves up and trying again thanks unglueddevotionalto God’s amazing mercies new every morning. It’s progress, but imperfect progress.
And that’s okay. Sometimes we don’t even feel like trying to overcome things like emotional pitfalls and our out-of-control tongue or our broken relationships because we’re afraid of failing. This book encourages us to just start moving forward.
If you’ve read Lysa TerKeurst’s book, Unglued, this 60-day devotional simply breaks down the basic themes of the book into small daily bites. It’s “review” in a good way, in a way that slows you down and makes you think and apply what you’re reading instead of rushing through chapter after chapter and never really putting it all into practice.
This devotional can also stand alone for those totally unfamiliar with the original book. It covers how we react and respond to others and to stress, how to boss our emotions around instead of letting them control us, and how to improve our relationships within our homes and outside of them.
Ever-practical and always downright open, vulnerable and real, Lysa TerKeurst is the perfect guide through this journey to emotional control not because she’s got it all figured out and is perfect, but because she’s willing to tell about her own struggles to learn these lessons. And we need that. We need someone to be honest enough to say, “Hey, I’ve been there, sometimes I’m still there, and I can tell you there is victory with Christ.”
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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2013
book review: unglued devotional
Title: Unglued Devotional
Subtitle: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress
Author: Lysa Terkeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries
Genre: Christian Devotional
Unglued Devotional is a 60 day companion devotional to the bestselling book Unglued by the same author. I did not read the original book so I am reviewing this book from the viewpoint of one who has not read the original bestselling book.
There are 60 devotionals in the book so it is designed to last you two months. Each day's reading is short but full of information and inspiration. The author starts each day with a thought provoking title, scripture verse, thought for the day, devotional prose and a closing prayer. She writes each devotional from the perspective of someone who does not have it all together. I was able to relate to her which made each devotional more meaningful.
I recommend reading this devotional and using it to improve your life and your walk with the Lord. No matter how busy you are, you have 5 minutes each day to devote to this book. I encourage you to dedicate yourself to reading this book for the next 60 days. I think that after completing this devotional that I would like to read her original book Unglued.
To learn more about the author Lysa TerKeurst
You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/OfficialLysa?fref=ts
Check out her website at http://lysaterkeurst.com/
Disclaimer: I was given this book by Thomas Nelson Publishers through their BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review.
Book Review – Am I Messing Up My Kids? by Lysa TerKeurst
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Mommas – new or veteran – here’s a book that will bring encouragement, laughs, and a few seriously good points your way. Lysa TerKeurst wrote Am I Messing Up My Kids? …and Other Questions Every Mom Asks for any believer momma. While the title brings a chuckle, Lysa does her regular fantastic job of covering real questions many moms ask of themselves and God.
This non-fiction book is divided in six main sections: “Being a Mom is Tough,” “This is All I Have to Give,” “I Trust You to Fill in the Gaps,” “This Child is Yours First,” “Thank You for the Privilege Being a Mom,” and “Help Me to Walk My Child Toward Maturity.” Each chapter within these sections begins with a poignant quote, a personal illustration from Lysa on motherhood, and a welcoming discussion relating her story to faithfully serving as a Christ-following mom. Each chapter ends with Scripture passages to read and reflection questions to spur deeper thought. These chapters are also very brief, which is helpful to the busy momma who only has ten minutes at a time to sit down and read.
Lysa’s tone carries Southern humor, compassionate “I’ve-been-there-too” manner, and a conversational attitude. If you’ve ever gotten the chance to hear Lysa speak, she’s a great storyteller, and, most importantly, regularly refers to God’s Word for her guidance. As I first began reading through this last summer, I found myself regularly writing verses and quotes down for future reference. This book also lends itself well to a small group study with other moms.
Question for you: What are some of your favorite verses, quotes, or books for momma believers?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
What’s new … next … in Online Bible Studies … I think? Right?
June 18, 2014 by Stephanie RaquelJoin the Conversation | 50 Responses
Anybody love a good summer read?
A page-turning novel? Maybe some must-have-closure, hope-nobody-sees-me-crying-while-I’m-sitting-near-the-pool captivating chick lit?
Then there’s the summer book club. Maybe try a little non-fiction? Something light, helpful and jam-packed with insights to help us gain some perspective on life? Uhmmm, YES, PLEASE!
Am_I_Messing_Up_My_Kids_1024x1024
P31 OBS, launches July 13.
Maybe you’ve heard by now, but just in case you haven’t … We wanted you to know a little bit about our next summer Online Bible Study: Am I Messing Up My Kids? … and Other Questions Every Mom Asks by Lysa TerKeurst. We launch this 6-week study Sun., July 13 and would be thrilled to have you join us.
We know not everyone here is a mom, but many of us have the ability to impact the next generation, be it through mentoring relationships, the wise words of an aunt or trusted wisdom of a dear friend. And few among us haven’t wondered at some point, Am I doing this right? What if I’m not? Does God have anything to say about raising children? And what if I do all of this work and am exhausted all day — will it ever pay dividends??
With her trademark gut-level honesty, Lysa TerKeurst is bringing tremendously practical insights, humor and Bible study. Plus, we’ve got moms with kids of all ages in our all-star OBS teaching team: Melissa Taylor, Kristy Aiken & Nicki Koziarz, who will be sure to keep it REAL! (No pretending, and no June Cleaver!)
Here’s a little video to share more — enjoy!
- See more at: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/past-studies/am-i-messing-up-my-kids/#sthash.AFj9liMD.dpuf
QUOTE:
The main idea of TerKeurst’s book is that we are made to crave God — not food. We are made for more than to be stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat when it comes to what we eat. This also isn’t new. Using our cravings to turn our thoughts, rightly, to God is the thousands-year-old idea behind fasting. I was reminded of this again during the Ash Wednesday service last week at my church.
Book Review: “Made to Crave” by Lysa TerKeurst
March 17, 2011 0 Comments
There is nothing new under the sun, according to the Bible (see Ecclesiates 1:9). And Lysa TerKeurst‘s new book “Made to Crave” may be no exception.
“Made to Crave” is a New York Times and USA Today best-seller. But it isn’t the first “faith-based weight loss” book. Gwen Shamblin calls herself the “pioneer” of that genre with her 1997 book “The Weigh Down Diet.” And many others have grabbed attention over the years, perhaps most notably “The Maker’s Diet” (2004) by Jordan S. Rubin and “What Would Jesus Eat?” (2002) by Dr. Don Colbert.
But the difference is “The Weigh Down Diet” espouses the intuitive eating philosophy: Eat only when you’re really hungry, and then eat what it is your body is telling you it really wants. Then stop eating when you’re full. Also, pray, Shamblin adds. And both Rubin and Colbert push eating all-natural foods. Of course, both also have their own lines of natural products to help you do this.
Meantime, “Made to Crave” suggests only you find a healthy eating plan… because we have an eating problem, and it’s a spiritual problem.
TerKeurst writes:
Think of Eve and one of the first interactions recorded in the Bible between a woman and food. Obviously, the core of Eve’s temptation was she wanted to be like God, knowing good and evil. But we can’t ignore the fact that the serpent used food as a tool in the process. (Note: The emphasis is the author’s own.) If the very downfall of humanity was caused when Eve surrendered to a temptation to eat something she wasn’t supposed to eat, I do think our struggles with food are important to God.
I thought that was brilliant. (It also made me a little angry, mostly because of the special point this was one of the first interactions between a woman and food.)
But she has a point: Eve? Eating the fruit of the Tree of Life? Causing the fall of man? That episode comes right at the start — in the very first book of the Bible (Genesis 3), soon after the very creation of the world. TerKeurst also notes that another promise regarding food comes at the end of the Bible in Revelation, which is the very last book and gives a vision of heaven: “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). Clearly, Satan does use food as a temptation, as he used the fruit of the Tree of Life. And those who are victorious over temptations, including food, are given the right to eat, even from the tree that at one time caused the fall of man. Other translations use “overcometh” or “conquers,” and the context makes pretty clear that means those who have persevered and have not grown weary of doing what is good and given in to temptations, as Eve did (see also Galations 6:9).
The main idea of TerKeurst’s book is that we are made to crave God — not food. We are made for more than to be stuck in a vicious cycle of defeat when it comes to what we eat. This also isn’t new. Using our cravings to turn our thoughts, rightly, to God is the thousands-year-old idea behind fasting. I was reminded of this again during the Ash Wednesday service last week at my church.
TerKeurst is very careful to speak this truth in love. I’ve read criticisms that she is too legalistic, and it’s true, there were points in the book when I wanted to scream, “Just eat the cake, Lysa. EAT THE CAKE.” But it helps if you realize from the start she was on an actual sugar fast while writing the book. And while she said she was targeting a certain weight as a measure of her progress, one of her mantras is the not-so-legalistic “I am a Jesus girl who can step on the scale and see the numbers as indication of how much my body weighs — not indication of my worth.” I’ve also read criticisms along the lines of, oh, great, according to this book, I’m not just a fat girl; I’m a fat girl with an idol. Well… yes. You are.
My criticisms are more along the lines of “I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie” comes from Sir Mix-A-Lot, not “the animated movie ‘Shark Tale,'” and the reason your husband categorized the song “Fat-Bottomed Girls” under “Queen” on his iPod is because that is a song by a band called Queen, not a playlist of songs about his queen, and SOMEHOW I THINK YOU KNOW THIS, LYSA. Engage the culture or don’t. Don’t get cute because you feel like you have to be so holy you’ve never listened to music produced by Not Michael W. Smith.
But I still valued the pep talk, listening to the audiobook of “Made to Crave” in my car on the way to work in the morning. And I think that’s the real strength of this book. TerKeurst writes:
While you’ll have to find a friend to either do a healthy eating plan with you or one who will pray you through it, let me be the friend that has journeyed ahead of you. Let me be that voice that reaches across your doubts to say, “If you follow the healthy eating plan you’ve chosen, it will work and it most certainly will be worth it.”
The book has launched a small group DVD study series. It’s launched a six-week weekly webcast, now replaying on demand Tuesdays on madetocrave.org. And, more than 21 days ago now, it launched the 21-day challenge, a series of daily devotionals delivered to your inbox. TerKeurst is that friend who has journeyed ahead of you. She shares her story. She invites friends at different points on that weight-loss journey to share their stories. And she invites you to share your story and your journey with other women.
“This is bringing a community together to learn and teach. Lysa brought that piece in,” said Katherine Lee, a guest on the first “Made to Crave” webcast.
“What’s been most powerful for me was the realization I was not alone.”
Lee’s story, as TerKeurst told it, was my story:
The first time she went through the weight loss journey, she did it so that she would be loved. The second time she went through the weight loss journey, this time, using the amazing truth of God’s word, reading ‘Made to Crave,’ she didn’t go through this journey to be healthy so that she would be loved. She did it because she was loved.
Somebody’s story will be your story. And that story will reach across your doubts and your minor annoyances with possibly feigned pop culture ignorance and tell you you’re not alone. If you stick with your healthy eating plan, it will work. And it will be worth it.
After all, there’s nothing new under the sun.
Disclaimer: Nobody sent us a free copy of this book to review (sadly). Emily bought the audiobook on our own because she loves books, and she loves investigating the latest craze because, well, she’s an investigative reporter and that’s what she does. If you would like Grace or Emily to consider reviewing your health- and wellness-related book, DVD, equipment, clothing, etc., contact Grace at leangirlsclub (at) gmail (dot) com.
QUOTE:
She discovered along the way that losing weight is not just a physical issue, but also a spiritual and mental one
Book Review: Made to Crave
Posted on March 3, 2014
Made to CraveMade to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst caught my eye a couple of years ago when a numbers of bloggers spoke highly of it. I was interested, but I thought from the title that it probably focused more on the emotional side of eating, like another book I read. I knew that was one factor in my problem with weight, but it wasn’t the only factor. I forgot about it until the e-reader version showed up either free or just a couple of dollars for the Kindle app last year. I got it then, but still didn’t crack it open. Then I saw on one of my friend Kim‘s posts that the Proverbs 31 Ministries, was hosting a six-week Bible study using Made to Crave, so I thought this would be an ideal time to read the book. The study just concluded last week. I’ve been jotting chapter notes here.
The book chronicles Lysa’s journey from being almost 200 lbs. down to a healthier weight. She discovered along the way that losing weight is not just a physical issue, but also a spiritual and mental one. The subtitle of the book is Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food. She explains that the Greek word translated “seek” in Matthew 6:33 is the word for “crave.” She says of the rich young ruler, who wanted to follow Jesus until Jesus asked him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. “Jesus didn’t mean this as a sweeping command for everyone who has a lot of money. Jesus meant this for any of us who wallow in whatever abundance we have. I imagine Jesus looked straight into this young man’s soul and said, ‘I want you to give up the one thing you crave more than me. Then come, follow me.'”
“When Jesus says, ‘Follow me,’ it’s not an invitation to drag our divided heart alongside us as we attempt to follow hard after God. When Jesus wants us to follow Him – really follow Him – it’s serious business. Here’s how Jesus describes it: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’ (Mark 8:34).”
“God never intended us to want anything more than we want Him. Just the slightest glimpse into His Word proves that, Look at what the Bible says about God’s chosen people, the Israelites, when they wanted food more than they wanted God: ‘They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved’ (Psalm 78:18). Yikes” (p. 28K). Those who did so never made it to the Promised Land, but wandered in the wilderness the rest of their lives.
There are multitudes of spiritual principles discussed throughout the book, but there are physical ones as well, such as the fact (proven through research) that junk foods are addicting and do make one feel less full. Some people seem to be able to eat them with no problems – some people seem to be able to eat an abundance of foods with no problem – and we struggle with that feeling unfair, but we can’t compare ourselves to others and think, “If they can eat it, I should be able to as well.” If “they” don’t have issues with food, they have issues with something.
She gives mental tips, too (which overlap somewhat with the spiritual), such as have go-to scripts for certain situations to change the mental processes we’re used to and concentrating on what we’re gaining while going through this process rather than what we’re giving up.
Something that really stood out to me from the first chapter was the observation that Eve fell while surrounded by plenty: Jesus stood strong while in a deprived state of having fasted 40 days and nights. When I feel “deprived,” that’s no excuse to give way to temptation. “He quoted God’s Word. And so can we. When we feel deprived and frustrated and consumed with wanting unhealthy choices, we too can rely on God’s Word to help us.”
Another standout (among many) was the application of I Corinthians 10:12-13: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The “way out” the Lord provided for Lysa, she says, was deciding in advance what she will and won’t have that day. I have to admit, when I think of the “way out,” I think more of God coming to my rescue with supernatural strength and reminders of His truth rather than this kind of thing, but He does also say “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (I Corinthians 10:5), and planning is part of doing that. In Israel’s battles, sometimes God supernaturally intervened, and sometimes they had to take up their swords and fight in reliance on Him. When God gives me that “sword” with His promise of help and grace, I’m to use it while relying on His grace and strength, not wait for Him to do the battle for me.
I didn’t quite agree with every little application or illustration (the most serious disagreement was when she was asked how to grow close to God and she replied, “By making the choice to deny ourselves something that is permissible but not beneficial. And making this intentional sacrifice for the sole purpose of growing closer to God. After all, Jesus Himself said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me’ (Luke 9:23).” I don’t think that’s what I would answer if someone asked me how to draw close to God. I think I would have encouraged being in the Word and praying as well as dealing with any sin in the life and yielding our wills to His. I can see people taking this premise of denying something permissible and running with it beyond anything God intended). But overall I benefited greatly from the book and would highly recommend it to anyone.
QUOTE:
the overall purpose of the book is to move Bible study from our to-do list and just acquiring knowledge, to living out what God is teaching us, to enjoy a deeper connection with God.
I appreciated Lysa’s personal experiences, transparency, and sense of humor throughout the book, but most of all I appreciated her high view of Scripture that was not an end in itself but a means of knowing and experiencing God.
Book Review: Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl
Posted on February 2, 2015
LysaA few years ago I served a very brief stint as a book reviewer for a particular publisher. I love to read and love to talk about books, so what could be better than being given books for FREE to review, right? But the publisher sent me six books at a time every month. They didn’t expect me to read and review all six every month, but still – I didn’t want reviewing for a publisher to take over my reading time, so I dropped out. One of the books I received for review during that time was Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst. I don’t think I had heard of Lysa before that time (since then I have read two of her other books), but this title caught my eye. I determined to read it “sometime,” and it got put in a box of unread books all awaiting the opportunity to see the light of day. I did get it out at one point and put it on a bookshelf – but still didn’t get to it. That’s one reason the TBR Challenge is good for me. At any rate, the copy I have is an advanced reader copy from 2009 (ahem…blush!), and on the back it says it is an “uncorrected proof,” so it may be a bit different in places from the version you can buy today. But the bulk of it should be the same.
When I first saw this book, I thought it was going to be about getting more from one’s Bible study. Though Lysa does discuss that in a couple of chapters, the overall purpose of the book is to move Bible study from our to-do list and just acquiring knowledge, to living out what God is teaching us, to enjoy a deeper connection with God.
Lysa says in the first chapter:
I want my life with Jesus to be fulfilling. I want my beliefs to work no matter what life throws at me. I want to be so certain of God’s presence that I never feel like I have to face anything in my own strength or rely on my own perspectives. My strength will weaken during hard times. My perspectives get skewed by my emotions.
I want total security no matter what happens. In other words, I want my relationship with Jesus to be enough to keep me sane and together and still fully devoted. Is this possible? True fulfillment no matter what?
Fulfillment means to be completely satisfied. How might our lives look if we were so filled with God’s truths we could let go of the pain of our past, not get tripped up by the troubles of today, or consumed by worries about tomorrow?…Just going through the motions [of prayer, Bible study, etc.] will not in and of themselves fill our souls. They must be done with the great expectation and heart cry for God to lead us into a deeper and more life-changing connection with Him (p. 25).
The rest of the book fleshes out that purpose, discussing being “good enough” (and how we aren’t except through Christ), not feeling like we measure up, our relationships, our thoughts, our ministries, when our “ugly comes out,” when we’re hurt or offended by God.
A few more quotes I noted:
“Why doesn’t Jesus work for me?” is never the right question. Instead, when circumstances shift and we feel like we fall short, we should ask, “How can I see Jesus even in this?” (p. 41).
Don’t we get into God’s Word so it can get into us? So that it can interrupt us, change us, satisfy us? How sad to simply settle for learning facts about the Bible when it was meant for so much more (p. 74).
Just because you…achieve what you always thought would make you feel special does not fix that deep-down internal insecurity. External achievement never equals internal acceptance (pp. 86-87).
Too many of us live with an uncontrolled thought life. It is possible to learn to identify destructive thoughts and make wiser choices. Instead of letting those thoughts rumble freely about in my mind, I make the choice to harness them and direct them toward truth (pp. 99-100).
Grace doesn’t give me a free pass to act out how I feel, with no regard to His commands. Rather, His grace gives me consolation in the moment, with a challenge to learn from this situation and become more mature in the future (p. 123).
Satan would love for us to pick ourselves apart, to obsess on the negative. When we do, we become hyper self-focused and take our eyes off of Jesus and the mission set before us. Many of us spend years trying to hide or fix what we perceive as personal flaws. Jesus would love for us to see ourselves as a package deal of unique qualities that He – the author and perfecter of our faith – saw as necessary for the life He’s calling us to live (p. 164). (She’s not talking here about not confessing sin: she discusses that in other places, but here she is referring to accepting how God made us).
Ask Jesus to help you fully understand the joys of obedience. Also, ask Him how you can be a woman fully committed to obedience without slipping into a legalistic approach to life. We must always remember our goal is pursuing revelations of Him. Our focus can’t be just following rules but following Jesus Himself (pp. 174-175).
I realized that most times it’s not the big things along my spiritual journey that tempt me to get off track. It’s a culmination of small daily aggravations I know God could fix but doesn’t. But what if instead of seeing these aggravations as inconveniences, I saw them as reminders to draw near to God? (p. 197).
How I long never to diminish God by loving lesser things. Rather, I want to make much of God by diminishing lesser things. May I make less of me, less of this world, less of the temporary…so that I may be a vessel more full of God, more full of eternal perspectives, more full of His everlasting! (p. 200).
Having a set of goals is a good thing for many people. But when a goal takes your focus off God and His daily intentions for you, it can cause trouble. Being driven by my plans can shift the focus of my heart from following God and being open to His unfolding invitations, to following only that which leads me closer to my desires. For me, I started falling into a trap of making plans each day around what I wanted to see happen. Anything that wasn’t part of my plan became a distraction and an unwelcome interruption (p. 211).
I have many more marked but should probably stop there. I particularly liked the chapters “Beyond Sunday Morning,” where she talks about looking at a verse phrase by phrase to discern its meaning, and “Unlikely Lessons From a Pineapple,” a great chapter talking about drawing lessons from the lives of people in the Bible, even familiar ones that we might feel we’ve known all there is to know since we were children.
I was especially blessed by a chapter where she talks about waiting for God’s timing in our calling and serving Him in the mundane, everyday tasks He has placed before us until then, realizing that they are our ministry unto Him, not a hindrance or interruption of our ministry. I came to that chapter the day after posting The Back Burner, which is along a similar vein, and was touched at God’s timing and confirmation of the truths He had been teaching me.
I appreciated Lysa’s personal experiences, transparency, and sense of humor throughout the book, but most of all I appreciated her high view of Scripture that was not an end in itself but a means of knowing and experiencing God.
There were just 2-3 minor places where I disagreed with her interpretation or application just a smidgen, but they’re not big enough to go into. I would just mention one place where, in communion with God, things were flooding her mind that she felt were from the Lord, she says, “Bits and pieces of Scripture were woven throughout, and it made me smile. It confirmed that this was, in fact, God speaking” (p. 197-198). Satan uses Scripture, too (Matthew 4), and just because thoughts come to our minds that contain Scripture doesn’t mean they are automatically from the Lord. A lot of cults have been founded on bits of Scripture wrongly interpreted and taken out of context. I’m not trying to diminish the experience she was telling about, and I feel sure she’d agree with what I am saying, but just the way it was phrased could, I thought, be confusing to some readers who might think that if a thought contained Scripture, that meant it was confirmation from the Lord.
Overall I thought this was a wonderful book that fulfilled its purpose to encourage women to go beyond checking the boxes in their Christian lives to deepening their relationship with God.
QUOTE:
This is a great study for Women’s Ministry, neighborhood bible study, Christians and the curious.
Book Review: “Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl” by Lysa TerKeurst
by Sara Edwards | Book Reviews & Recommendations | 0 comments
One of the things Amy and I are passionate about is studying the Word of God. Combine that with this ministry’s obvious love of community and what do you get? Communities of people studying the Word of God.
It has been my experience, though, that finding good studies for groups is very difficult. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t find anything to suit the needs of my friends…often because they are all in a different stage of their spiritual walk. Other times, however, I get overwhelmed with the choices and unsure how I will have the time to review them all.
We never want you to feel alone. Ever. We want you to feel like How To Love Your Neighbor always has your back.
So let me start by reviewing a book that really changed the course of my neighborhood Bible Study, Lysa TerKeurst’s Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl.
Review & Recommendation
book review_bible study girlThis review is very personal, because this book revolutionized the bible study I was leading. I had a comfortable group of six to eight women who attended for a couple years. We saw growth spiritually, but it had been a while since we stretched our boundaries. The title of this book says it all. We wanted to quit being the women who were satisfied in going to bible study, going home, and never really doing anything with our knowledge.
Lysa TerKeurst, in her notably winsome way, meets women where they are and graciously leads them toward a place of daring to be different. The scripture and the insights in this study were easy to tailor to “church ladies”, “newbies”, and the “I’m just here for the free cake” people in the group.
It was during this study that I felt challenged to ask the women to each invite three new people to the next study. The book pointed us straight to God’s Truth and His Character, which gave us the courage we needed. The next study included many new faces, many of who had never set foot in church in their lives, who not only came to accept Christ but now lead our neighborhood study after I’ve moved. It really all started with this book.
From Amy: I had the privilege of joining my sister-in-law and her girlfriends last week as they studied this book. I’ve been jealously watching this group of friends from afar for the past 15 years; they call themselves LYLAS (Love Ya’ Like A Sister), and they study, worship, pray, play and serve together. Since I was in town, they graciously invited me to grab my copy of this classic and discuss Part 3 about Relationships with them. Lysa’s writing (they also had the video) was funny yet also piercing: everyone related to her stories, and to the Scripture she shared. It sparked deep discussion, some honest confession, affirmation and accountability, and actionable steps each woman could take in the days ahead.
This is a great study for Women’s Ministry, neighborhood bible study, Christians and the curious.
Description
Is something missing in your life?
Lysa TerKeurst knows what it’s like to consider God just another thing on her to-do list. For years she went through the motions of a Christian life: Go to church. Pray. Be nice. She longed for a deeper connection between what she knew in her head and her everyday reality, and she wanted to personally experience God’s presence.
Drawing from her own remarkable story of step-by-step faith, Lysa invites you to uncover the spiritually exciting life for which we all yearn.
The adventure God has in store for your life just might blow you away.
Details
Paperback: 224 pages, Kindle, Audible, CD, DVD, Study Guide also available.
Publisher: Zondervan (2009)
QUOTE:
The whole premise of the book is that God gives us dreams tailored for our own talents and His purposes.
I definitely think this is a must read for all Christian women. I just can’t say enough good things. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could.
Book Review: What Happens When Women Walk in Faith by Lysa TerKeurst
what-happens-when-women-walk-in-faith
***** (5 Stars)
Has God given you a dream or desire to be more for Him or be used by Him in ministry, yet, it just doesn’t seem to be happening? I know I’ve been there. Actually, I spent a lot of years there, and it has only been recently that God started moving on my desire. Oh, how I wish I would have read this book sooner.
Lysa TerKeurst’s What Happens When Women Walk in Faith is a book about following your God-given dreams, yet it is about so much more. In her book, Lysa equips us with the encouragement and knowledge to “keep on keeping on” when life’s disappointments and distractions try to come between us and God’s plan for our lives. The whole premise of the book is that God gives us dreams tailored for our own talents and His purposes. But just like the Israelites, we must grow and overcome giants to get to our promised lands. The bad news is that there is no short cut (just grow quickly) to the grand prize; however, the good news is the best part of the whole process is the process. The process is where we dig down deep and not only grow, but develop strong relationships with God. God is our grand prize, not the fulfillment of our dreams.
Well, if only it were that easy. Lysa knows the real task is enduring the process and not letting Satan steal us from our calling, thus the “5 Phases of Faith”. Lysa’s 5 Phases of Faith came out of common phases she found in Bible stories of people who stepped out in faith, such as the stories of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua. It consists of the following phases:
“Leaving-In order to go to a new level with God, you’ve got to leave the old behind;
Famine-In this new place, you’ll realize your comfort zone is gone, and you’ll learn to depend on God like never before;
Believing-You’ve always wanted to really believe God, but now your experience of Him becomes too real to deny;
Death: Coming to the end of your ability to make things happen seems like death to you, but to God, this is the only way to new life with Him.
Resurrection: In a way only he could, God makes your dream come true. Only then do you understand that real joy isn’t in the dream itself but rather in the richer faith you acquired along the way.” (pg. 10)
Lysa’s own ministry began with a dream, but it didn’t just go from dream to reality. No, she also had to go through the 5 phases in order to become the woman, writer, speaker, teacher, business woman she is today. This is what I like best about Lysa; she is not shy about sharing her experiences, even her dirty laundry, in order to lead others into a stronger relationship with Christ. I also like how she gets us to look at the same Bible stories we have read time and time again with new eyes. I will never look at the stories of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua the same again, and I bet you won’t either after reading this book.
I definitely think this is a must read for all Christian women. I just can’t say enough good things. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. I would like to leave you with my favorite lines in the whole book,
“God is good. He is way more interested in developing our characters to match our calling than manipulating our circumstances to make us happy.” (pg.149)
Until next time, stay safe and God bless,
Missy
The Sweetest Story Ever Told Cookie Kit
by Lysa Terkeurst
Review by Martha Robinson and Mary Leggewie
The Sweetest Story Ever Told Cookie Kit $14.99. Published by Moody Publishers. The book is available without the kit from HomeschoolChristian's Amazon link.
Promising a "new Christmas cookie tradition for family, friends, and neighbors" this kit includes the book, The Sweetest Story Ever Told, by Lysa Terkeurst, a recipe card, ten gift cards, and five cookie cutters. The hardcover book tells the story of Peter, a Christian postman, who shares his tradition of making brightly decorated sugar cookies at Christmas time to help others see God's promise in Christ. The five cookie shapes, an angel, a star, a tree, a heart, and a bell, allow little ones to tell the Christmas story in a simple way. Peter's recipe and the tale of how he helps a family in need of encouragement are included in this picture book suitable for children of many ages.
The other items in the kit make implementation of the Sweetest Story easy. The five plastic cookie butters are about four inches in size. The gift cards, printed on heavy white paper with green ink, tell the story of Christ using the cookie shapes as points in the story. The recipe card printed on the same paper is a 3"x5" size.
Martha's Recommendation: This kit offers families the opportunity to evangelize in a gentle way during the Christmas season. Even the youngest family members will be able to tell the story using the cookie shapes as prompts. This story is sure to touch all family members with its sweet theme. The book The Sweetest Story Ever Told is also available separately. If you already have cookie cutters in the shapes mentioned above, the book is all you will need!
Mary's Recommendation: This is an adorable way for those who are a bit shy of witnessing to spread the Good News to their friends and neighbors. So many of us are used to baking cookies and sharing them with neighbors, but this wonderful idea might just plant the seed to give your neighbors an eternal gift.