Book Review: Made to Crave

“Food can fill our stomachs but not our souls.”—Lysa TerKeurst

Book Review: Made to Crave

Author: Lisa TerKeurst

Publisher: Zondervan

Price: $14.99

Pages: 224

ISBN-10: 031029326X

ISBN-13: 978-0310293262

Made to Crave chronicles Lysa’s struggles with weight, body image and identity. She depended on food for comfort more than God. Lysa expresses many of the feelings and rationalizations every women feels and thinks who fails at dieting. She ate too much of the wrong kinds of foods and felt trapped in a cycle of hunger. When the author craved food, she prayed instead. Some ways she lost weight included a weekly weigh-in to hold her accountable, a balanced protein-carbohydrate eating plan, correct portion sizes, and accountability with a friend. But this book is not just about how and when to eat.

Lisa shares her spiritual journey and the truths she learned about losing weight, obedience to God, and self-discipline. When our identity is in Christ, then the number on the scale only indicates how much we weigh, it’s not an indication of our worth. When the weight doesn’t drop as fast as we want, it’s important to define ourselves by our obedience and relationship to God, not the number on the scale. This statement sums up the purpose of this book: “I’m not on a diet. I’m on a journey with Jesus to learn self-discipline for the purpose of holiness.“

About the Book

Just because a woman finally fits into her skinny jeans doesn't mean she's won her battle with food. Too often, women overlook the spiritual component to their physical struggle with healthy eating. Made to Crave taps into the desires God gave you to consume food without letting food consume you!

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 more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. If you are struggling with unhealthy eating habits, you can break the "I'll start again Monday" cycle, and start feeling good about yourself today. Learn to stop beating yourself up over the numbers on the scale. Discover that your weight loss struggle isn't a curse but rather a blessing in the making, and replace justifications that lead to diet failure with empowering go-to scripts that lead to victory. You can reach your healthy weight goal - and grow 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 you to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan you choose. This is a book and Bible study to help you find the "want to" in making healthy lifestyle choices.

About the Author

Lysa TerKeurst is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the author of twelve books (including a Gold Medallion finalist and a People's Choice Award finalist) and numerous magazine articles. She has told her remarkable life story on national television and radio, including Oprah and Good Morning America. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and five children.

Lysa is also a speaker and presenter in over forty major events, banquets and retreats for women throughout North America, including the conference "Extraordinary Women"and "Renewing the Heart" Focus on the Family. The decision that she and her husband to adopt two children from an orphanage in Liberia, Africa, captured national media attention. Her decision started a chain reaction, being the inspiration for other families to adopt 45 children from the same orphanage. Her remarkable story led her to appear on Oprah and The 700. Lysa is an award-winning author of thirteen books, including her latest, How To Be More Than A Good Christian.

Visit Lysa’s website: www.lysaterkeurst.com

Springs Writers Cancelled Tonight

Woodmen Valley Chapel has canceled all events today. Springs Writers will not meet tonight. Stay warm and safe at home tonight. See you in February.

Upcoming Workshops

• February 14: 20 Questions Your Book Proposal Must Answer, Renee Gray-Wilburn
• March 14: Memoir Writing: Leaving a Written Legacy, Lana Rockwell
• April 11: The Difference Between a Published and Non-Published Writer, Denise Vezey

January FREE Writing Workshop: Your 2011 Writing Goals—Where To Begin?

When: Monday, January 10, 2011, 6:30 PM-8:00 PM

Where: Stone Chapel, 280 East Woodmen Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80919

Your 2011 Writing Goals—Where To Begin?

Don’t know where to start or confused about setting reachable writing goals? Scoti Domeij takes a fresh look at questions and stumbling blocks all writers—beginning, intermediate and professional writers—experience. Learn how to:

• Overcome insecurities and obstacles sabotaging your writing dreams
• Set realistic, achievable writing objectives
• Evaluate whether a critique group will help achieve your writing goals
• Toughen your resolve to write, produce, and submit
• Obtain writing credits this year

This interactive workshop will help you walk away your personal writing goals for 2011. Bring a pen, paper and your calendar, plus any questions for the Q & A.

Speaker: Scoti Domeij

Upcoming Workshops

February 14: 20 Questions Your Book Proposal Must Answer, Renee Gray-Wilburn

March 14: Memoir Writing: Leaving a Written Legacy, Lana Rockwell

April 11: The Difference Between a Published and Non-Published Writer, Denise Vezey

The Last Class on Show vs. Tell You'll Ever Need

November 8, 2010: The Last Class on Show vs. Tell You'll Ever Need

Description: If you write fiction, you've doubtless heard someone say, "Show, don't tell." But what does that mean? Telling is the act of stopping your story to spoon-feed backstory or explanations to the reader (who probably couldn't care less). Showing is the act of illustrating that information in a way that doesn't stop the story and does engage the reader. Telling is much easier. Anyone can do it--but "anyone's" story would be weak. Showing is harder but a hundred times more effective. Learning to spot telling, and to convert it to showing, can be confusing. Come hear the best way to learn how to see it--and some fantastic ideas for how to transform it.

Speaker: Jeff Gerke has been called the de facto gatekeeper of Christian speculative fiction. After writing his own speculative fiction and spearheading the launch of a fiction imprint dedicated to Christian speculative fiction at a major Christian publishing company, Jeff branched out on his own to launch Marcher Lord Press, an Indie publishing house billing itself as the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction. His fiction how-to book, The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction, is available through Amazon or Marcher Lord Press and his new craft book from Writer’s Digest Books is due out in late 2010. Jeff lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, teenage daughter, 9-year-old son, and 2-year-old adoptive daughter from China.

October: Tools to Avoid Clichés

October 11, 2010: Tools to Avoid Clichés

“I think my whole generation's mission is to kill the cliché.”—Beck Hansen

Description: Is your writing mission to kill those dreaded overused ideas and trite phrases. We all know we're not supposed to use clichés, but how can writers avoid them? Evangeline offers practical tools to transform clichés into memorable word pictures.

Speaker: Evangeline Denmark has storytelling on her heart and in her blood. The daughter of novelist, Donita K. Paul, Evangeline grew up living and breathing good stories. She has co-authored two children's books that are under contract with Waterbrook Press. Evangeline is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, serving as chapter secretary.

FREE September 13 Writing Workshop

How to Make Your Reader Care

When: Monday, September 13, 6:30 p.m.- 8.p.m.
Where: Stone Chapel, 280 East Woodmen Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Description: If you have a wonderful story to share but can’t engage your reader emotionally, your story has fallen short of its potential. This workshop will discuss techniques for drawing your reader in and keeping them involved, whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction.
Speaker: Renee Gray-Wilburn: After five years of writing for publication, Renee has accumulated over 125 published pieces, including numerous articles for Focus on the Family’s children’s and parenting magazines; several short stories and devotionals in anthologies such as the Cup of Comfort series, Life Savors, and Guideposts Incredible Prayers; and magazines such as Grand, KidZone, Christian Communicator, Quiet Hour, and Devotionals. In addition, she has co-authored eight children’s curriculum books for David C. Cook and Group Publishing, and writes regularly for several organizations. Her company, A Way With Words, has provided editorial services for publishers, independent authors, and businesses for over ten years. These services include basic proofreading to content editing for any industry or genre of writing. In addition to writing and editing, Renee endeavors to teach and inspire others in their writing journey through writing workshops, her blog, and  and her online picture book critique group--Picture This

June 14, 2010: Paulette Harris: Finding Your Voice: Make Your Writing Sound Like You

Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Place: Stone Chapel, 280 East Woodmen Road

Description: Would you mistake Brad Pitt’s voice for Bill O’Reilly’s? What about a gangsta rapper with Carrie Underwood? Why do you read certain authors? It’s called “voice,” often referred to as “tone” or “mood" or “style.” Your writing personality, original thoughts, personal feelings, worldview, and how you interpret life distinguishes your writing from other writers. Paulette Harris provides insights on allowing your voice to shine through your writing.

Speaker: Inspirational writer and speaker Paulette Harris founded “The Writer’s Gathering” at Woodmen Valley Chapel, which became Springs Writers. Her writing represents a new and distinct voice in the genre of inspirational literature. Crafting her stories in both fable and fantasy, she’s written four novels: Inca Gold, Vapors, Tentacles, and Mara's Challenge. Drawing the reader into other worlds as well as today's milieu, she underpins her novels with deep spiritual truths. Paulette contributed to Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. Visit Paulette’s website.