Showing posts with label Made to Crave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Made to Crave. Show all posts
Hi y'all! I am so delighted that several of you are joining Stephanie, Crystal & I on this adventure of reading through the "Made to Crave" book. {If you haven't already purchased the book but would still like to - please feel free to join us for the last 1/2 of this study!}
This week we are discussing chapters nine and ten of the book. Chapter nine (But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry) and chapter ten (This Isn’t Fair) both had some points to talk about and think through. At the same time though I am curious to hear what everyone learned from these two chapters!
One quote that stood out to me from chapter nine was from page 9, “I can either be loyal to honoring the Lord with my body or loyal to my cravings, desires, and many excuses for not exercising.” (Made to Crave, page 91) Now, as a young woman who used to love walking for exercise and ballroom dancing several times a week exercise didn't make me cry. I am not like my sister (who is AWESOMELY training for a 1/2 marathon) who likes to run, or like a former co-worker of mine who is doing Cross fit. I am not even going to pretend that was before I got sick let alone would it be now. So here is the thing that I took away from this. Exercise doesn't make me cry, but there are other things that I don't like to do which is incredibly good for my health (i.e.- drinking drinking Cod Liver Oil) and I have the choice everyday on how I choose to treat my body- in the big and little things.
A beautiful verse that gives us encouragement to face whatever our circumstances is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
I said this a couple of weeks ago, but these points are so important to be reminded of once again here: If you are defining yourself by your work, illness, career, blog, profession, marriage, children, your contribution to society, weight, the dress size you are, the marathon that you just ran, etc. I highly encourage you this week to think through the following definitions of who you truly are. I love these following truths and hope that you do to!
*I am a forgiven child of God. (Romans 3:24)
I am a set-free child of God. (Romans 8:1-2)
I am accepted child of God.(I Corinthians 1:2)
I am a holy child of God. (I Corinthians 1:30)
I am a made-new child of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am a loved child of God. (Ephesians 1:4)
I am a close child of God. (Ephesians 2:13)
I am a confident child of God. (Ephesians 3:12)
I am a victorious child of God. (Romans 8:37)*
Have a blessed week y'all - celebrating the small victories as much as the large ones, knowing that we are truly loved by God.
P.S.- Can y'all believe that we are on week six?!? It is hard to believe that we are at this point in this study! Keep up the awesome work y'all! So delighted to be on this journey with you!
* Wording and info taken from Scripture & "Made to Crave Participant's Guide: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God" By Lysa TerKeurst
* Wording and info taken from Scripture & "Made to Crave Participant's Guide: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God" By Lysa TerKeurst
Here is the reading schedule for the rest of the study for those of you that would like to join us :
August 19- Week 7
Chapter 11- Stinkin’, Rotten, Horrible, No Good Day & Chapter 12- The Curse of the Skinny Jeans
August 26- Week 8
Chapter 13- Overindulgence & Chapter 14- Emotional Emptiness
September 2- Week 9
Chapter 15- The Demon in the Chips Poster & Chapter 16- Why Diets Don’t Work
September 9- Week 10
Chapter 17- The Very Next Choice We Make& Chapter 18- Things Lost, Better Things Gained
September 16- Week 11
Chapter 19- Live as an Overcomer & Summary/Conclusion
Hi y'all! I am so delighted that several of you are joining Stephanie, Crystal & I on this adventure of reading through the "Made to Crave" book. {If you haven't already purchased the book but would still like to - please feel free to join us at any point - even if it is just for a week or two!}
This week we are discussing chapters seven and eight of the book. BUT to be frank I felt that I learned so much from chapters five and six from last week that I did not read the chapters for this week and instead prayerfully meditated on what the Lord was teaching me! SO I look forward to catching up with y'all next week and can't wait to hear what the Lord taught you through the reading this week! {If you would like to read last weeks post please click HERE.}
Here is the reading schedule for the rest of the study for those of you that would like to join us :
August 12- Week 6
Chapter 9- But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry& Chapter 10- This Isn’t Fair!
August 19- Week 7
Chapter 11- Stinkin’, Rotten, Horrible, No Good Day & Chapter 12- The Curse of the Skinny Jeans
August 26- Week 8
Chapter 13- Overindulgence & Chapter 14- Emotional Emptiness
September 2- Week 9
Chapter 15- The Demon in the Chips Poster & Chapter 16- Why Diets Don’t Work
September 9- Week 10
Chapter 17- The Very Next Choice We Make& Chapter 18- Things Lost, Better Things Gained
September 16- Week 11
Chapter 19- Live as an Overcomer & Summary/Conclusion
Hi y'all! I am so delighted that several of you are joining Stephanie, Crystal & I on this adventure of reading through the "Made to Crave" book. {If you haven't already purchased the book but would still like to - please feel free to join us at any point - even if it is just for a week or two!}
This week we are discussing chapters five and six of the book. Chapter five (Made for More) and chapter six (Growing closer to God) both had lots of great points and thoughts in them.
After spending time with chapter five I looked at some of the reflection questions that I have found online. One of the questions truly leaped off the page at me. It asked: "When I introduce myself to someone, how do I define myself?". Pause. Sigh. Frown. For so many years I have introduced myself as "Rebecca" and quickly followed up the answer to "what do you do?" with lots of answers of teaching, graduate school, etc. In these past 12 months I have learned the painful truth that many people do not have an answer that can be given in five seconds flat. Many people strive to define themselves by their career, their marriage, or their children but in reality our ultimate definition can not come from any of these things. How would one define themselves by their career in five seconds flat? How would a teacher, a social worker, a doctor, a lawyer, etc. be able to adequately share the experiences and the things that have happened in an eight-hour workday? What about a wife who stays at home and has spent all day baking, cleaning, shopping, and helping her husband? And the mother who has changed diaper after diaper with no one watching? Or what about those (like me) whose life is filled with doctors appointments and difficult moments due to illness?
A month ago, when I was at Kristen's wedding I ran into a former student a few minutes before the service was supposed to start. (You may remember that I was asked to be in the service by reading scripture.) To be honest I was extremely tired and shaky and was desperately praying to the Lord that I wouldn't faint as I read scripture as I walked to take my place. As I left the throngs of people in the sanctuary to walk around the hallway that would lead me via a back entrance to the podium up front I truthfully was near tears of frustration. I could feel my body starting to shut down because it had been such a busy (FUN filled) couple of days. I knew I had pushed myself to hard and was extremely frustrated with the illness issues that I was struggling with. In the middle of all of this I didn't realize that a former student (whom I hadn't talked to in years) was walking beside me. He said "hello" and then proceeded to walk with me. He kindly asked how I was doing and how life was. After a few minutes of giving general answers to his questions he asked if I was still teaching to which I replied, "I am not sure if you heard but I have cancer". He was taken back at my abruptness and to be honest so was I. As he stuttered to ask if I was OK, I quickly assured him that I was going to be OK, gave a quick spiel about the Lymes, Cancer, and M.E. and followed up with saying something to the affect of, "anyways... that is why I am not teaching". He told me he was so sorry and would be praying for me and we parted ways, me walking more slowly to my destination. As I walked I heard strands of the special music, "Great is Thy Faithfulness" drifting out from the sanctuary and I had tears for a far different reason than I had had a few minutes ago. I had tried to justify my existence through something other than finding my delight in my creator. Other than who I am in Christ. Other than who I am through His work on the cross.
We can not be defined by the titles that we have accepted as "normal" in are world. We can not be the titles that define who we are. OR where we are going. OR what we hope to someday have in the future (a spouse, a lovely career, a healing from an illness, a child, a house, or a (fill in the blank)) As the title of the chapter says we are "made for more".
You are made for more.
If you are defining yourself by your work, illness, career, blog, profession, marriage, children, your contribution to society, weight, the dress size you are, the marathon that you just ran, etc. I highly encourage you this week to think through the following definitions of who you truly are. I love these following truths and hope that you do to!
*I am a forgiven child of God. (Romans 3:24)
I am a set-free child of God. (Romans 8:1-2)
I am accepted child of God.(I Corinthians 1:2)
I am a holy child of God. (I Corinthians 1:30)
I am a made-new child of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am a loved child of God. (Ephesians 1:4)
I am a close child of God. (Ephesians 2:13)
I am a confident child of God. (Ephesians 3:12)
I am a victorious child of God. (Romans 8:37)*
For this coming week I am planning on working on memorizing these truths and hope that you will join me. What about y'all? What are things that you have learned through these two chapters? If you are a blogger please feel free to link with us below and share your thoughts and if you don't have a blog please leave a comment in the comment section. I am so confident that we can all grow and learn together in this process!
P.S.- If you haven't already clicked around the "freebies" page of the Made to Crave website I highly encourage you to spend a few minutes there!
* Wording and info taken from Scripture & "Made to Crave Participant's Guide: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God" By Lysa TerKeurst
Here is the reading schedule for the rest of the study for those of you that would like to join us :
August 5- Week 5
Chapter 7- I’m Not Defined by the Numbers & Chapter 8- Making Peace with the Realities of my Body
August 12- Week 6
Chapter 9- But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry& Chapter 10- This Isn’t Fair!
August 19- Week 7
Chapter 11- Stinkin’, Rotten, Horrible, No Good Day & Chapter 12- The Curse of the Skinny Jeans
August 26- Week 8
Chapter 13- Overindulgence & Chapter 14- Emotional Emptiness
September 2- Week 9
Chapter 15- The Demon in the Chips Poster & Chapter 16- Why Diets Don’t Work
September 9- Week 10
Chapter 17- The Very Next Choice We Make& Chapter 18- Things Lost, Better Things Gained
September 16- Week 11
Chapter 19- Live as an Overcomer & Summary/Conclusion
Hi y'all! I am so delighted that several of you are joining Stephanie, Crystal & I on this adventure of reading through the "Made to Crave" book. {If you haven't already purchased the book but would still like to - please feel free to join us at any point - even if it is just for a week or two!}
{I want to say a word of discretion before I continue. I am so excited to meet with y'all and discuss these chapters. NOT because of anything that we are doing but because of the habits, mindsets, and life changes that we are making to get to know our precious Lord more and more each day. I know I am not alone in the fact that our deepest desire is to know the Lord more and to crave Him and His presence each day. I do want to point out that the reason for doing this study is to grow closer to the Lord and fall more in love with Him. That is the prayer that I have for myself and for all of us in this Bible Study. I do think that there is a fine line that we are walking in this study that can be construed that we are equating weight loss with ones spiritual journey. As I mentioned from the very first week this journey for some might be about surrendering that area to the Lord and for others like myself it may help us examine other areas that need surrender. The goal of this study for me is to fall more in love with the Lord and I hope that will be your main goal too! While I might not agree with everything that is in the book each week I am just pointing out the parts that really spoke to me.}
This week we are discussing chapters three &four of the book. One of the things that stood out to me from chapter four was the idea of having an accountability partner. I am glad that this was mentioned because I do think that there are times where we think that we can do something "alone" and yet the body of Christ is so essential. I love how Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book, Life Together, that there is a "day of being alone" and a "day of being together". We truly need both to bring balance to our lives. Another one of the quotes that has always stood out to me from his book speaks perfectly to this:
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1944)
This concept of being together is so important and I am so thankful that I have dear friends who I can turn to and confide my struggles, hopes, dreams, and fears and that they are faithful to take it to the Lord in prayer. {Thank you so much Jen, Kaara, and Michelle for being such wonderful, Godly, and amazing ladies in my life!} I know for me and many other women sometimes reaching out and sharing our hearts can be such a hard thing. Maybe it is because you have been hurt in the past or wounded by a friend that you thought you trusted. Maybe it is because you feel that you have searched and searched for friendships and still are waiting to find them. I urge you not to live in fear but instead want to encourage you to keep praying (and I will pray with you!) for these friendships to come. I myself continue to ask the Lord for close women and He is always faithful to provide what we need!
So just like last week I am left with lots to continue to pray and think through! What about y'all? If you are a blogger please feel free to link with us below and share your thoughts and if you don't have a blog please leave a comment in the comment section. I am so confident that we can all grow and learn together in this process!
This week we are discussing chapters three &four of the book. One of the things that stood out to me from chapter four was the idea of having an accountability partner. I am glad that this was mentioned because I do think that there are times where we think that we can do something "alone" and yet the body of Christ is so essential. I love how Dietrich Bonhoeffer says in his book, Life Together, that there is a "day of being alone" and a "day of being together". We truly need both to bring balance to our lives. Another one of the quotes that has always stood out to me from his book speaks perfectly to this:
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community... Let him who is not in community beware of being alone... Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1944)
This concept of being together is so important and I am so thankful that I have dear friends who I can turn to and confide my struggles, hopes, dreams, and fears and that they are faithful to take it to the Lord in prayer. {Thank you so much Jen, Kaara, and Michelle for being such wonderful, Godly, and amazing ladies in my life!} I know for me and many other women sometimes reaching out and sharing our hearts can be such a hard thing. Maybe it is because you have been hurt in the past or wounded by a friend that you thought you trusted. Maybe it is because you feel that you have searched and searched for friendships and still are waiting to find them. I urge you not to live in fear but instead want to encourage you to keep praying (and I will pray with you!) for these friendships to come. I myself continue to ask the Lord for close women and He is always faithful to provide what we need!
So just like last week I am left with lots to continue to pray and think through! What about y'all? If you are a blogger please feel free to link with us below and share your thoughts and if you don't have a blog please leave a comment in the comment section. I am so confident that we can all grow and learn together in this process!
P.S.- If you haven't already clicked around the "freebies" page of the Made to Crave website I highly encourage you to spend a few minutes there!
Here is the reading schedule for the rest of the study for those of you that would like to join us :
July 29- Week 4
Chapter 5- Made for More & Chapter 6- Growing Closer to God
August 5- Week 5
Chapter 7- I’m Not Defined by the Numbers & Chapter 8- Making Peace with the Realities of my Body
August 12- Week 6
Chapter 9- But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry& Chapter 10- This Isn’t Fair!
August 19- Week 7
Chapter 11- Stinkin’, Rotten, Horrible, No Good Day & Chapter 12- The Curse of the Skinny Jeans
August 26- Week 8
Chapter 13- Overindulgence & Chapter 14- Emotional Emptiness
September 2- Week 9
Chapter 15- The Demon in the Chips Poster & Chapter 16- Why Diets Don’t Work
September 9- Week 10
Chapter 17- The Very Next Choice We Make& Chapter 18- Things Lost, Better Things Gained
September 16- Week 11
Chapter 19- Live as an Overcomer & Summary/Conclusion
Hi y'all! I am so delighted that several of you are joining Stephanie, Crystal & I on this adventure of reading through the "Made to Crave" book. {If you haven't already purchased the book but would still like to - please feel free to join us at any point - even if it is just for a week or two!}
This week we are discussing chapters 1 & 2 of the book. To me the main thing that stood out to me was really the title of the book: that we are "made to crave". But just like I mentioned last week I really am challenged to examine the questions of: what do I crave? What does my mind crave? What does my heart crave? What does my soul crave?
Like me, you might not crave food, but like me maybe you crave other things that you know are placed before my relationship with the Lord or in some cases above it. This is hard to face and even harder sometimes to admit... especially in the summer during our "free time". But honestly... doesn't how we use our "free time" show us what we crave? It does for me. And honestly this week I am seeing that I spend a lot of time wasting some of the precious time that I have by just "vegging out". Filling the silence and loneliness that comes with chronic illness with spending hours on the Internet that I don't need to spend. Those hours could be used to serve others or just resting in my precious relationship with my Lord. Instead of looking to fill the loneliness and quietness that comes with Chronic Illness with "noise" I could fill it with more of my Heavenly Father. So I have started to evaluate that and some other areas of my life. I am taking those before the Lord to pray through!
So just like last week I am left with many of the same questions that challenge my heart. I am left with lots to continue to pray and think through! What about y'all? If you are a blogger please feel free to link with us below and share your thoughts and if you don't have a blog please leave a comment in the comment section. I am so confident that we can all grow and learn together in this process!
Like me, you might not crave food, but like me maybe you crave other things that you know are placed before my relationship with the Lord or in some cases above it. This is hard to face and even harder sometimes to admit... especially in the summer during our "free time". But honestly... doesn't how we use our "free time" show us what we crave? It does for me. And honestly this week I am seeing that I spend a lot of time wasting some of the precious time that I have by just "vegging out". Filling the silence and loneliness that comes with chronic illness with spending hours on the Internet that I don't need to spend. Those hours could be used to serve others or just resting in my precious relationship with my Lord. Instead of looking to fill the loneliness and quietness that comes with Chronic Illness with "noise" I could fill it with more of my Heavenly Father. So I have started to evaluate that and some other areas of my life. I am taking those before the Lord to pray through!
So just like last week I am left with many of the same questions that challenge my heart. I am left with lots to continue to pray and think through! What about y'all? If you are a blogger please feel free to link with us below and share your thoughts and if you don't have a blog please leave a comment in the comment section. I am so confident that we can all grow and learn together in this process!
P.S.- If you haven't already clicked around the "freebies" page of the Made to Crave website I highly encourage you to spend a few minutes there!
Here is the reading schedule for the rest of the study for those of you that would like to join us :
July 15-Week 2-
Chapter 1-What’s Really Going on Here? & Chapter 2- Replacing my Cravings
July 22- Week 3-
Chapter 3- Getting a Plan & Chapter 4- Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat before Thinking
July 29- Week 4
Chapter 5- Made for More & Chapter 6- Growing Closer to God
August 5- Week 5
Chapter 7- I’m Not Defined by the Numbers & Chapter 8- Making Peace with the Realities of my Body
August 12- Week 6
Chapter 9- But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry& Chapter 10- This Isn’t Fair!
August 19- Week 7
Chapter 11- Stinkin’, Rotten, Horrible, No Good Day & Chapter 12- The Curse of the Skinny Jeans
August 26- Week 8
Chapter 13- Overindulgence & Chapter 14- Emotional Emptiness
September 2- Week 9
Chapter 15- The Demon in the Chips Poster & Chapter 16- Why Diets Don’t Work
September 9- Week 10
Chapter 17- The Very Next Choice We Make& Chapter 18- Things Lost, Better Things Gained
September 16- Week 11
Chapter 19- Live as an Overcomer & Summary/Conclusion
Hi y'all! I am so delighted that so many of you are joining Stephanie, Crystal & I on this adventure of reading through the "Made to Crave" book. {If you haven't already purchased the book but would still like to - please feel free to join us at any point - even if it is just for a week or two. Also if you have a Kindle, Crystal has shared with us that the Kindle Edition is on sale for only $2.99 this week!}
This week we are discussing the introduction which if I am honest I am not the best "introduction reader". Often times I find myself reading through an entire book and then going back to really read through the introduction. {Yes, I know. As a person aspiring to be a published author I should know better.}Discussing this book though forced me to read the introduction and to be challenged in several areas. While I don't have a "cycle" to break with food, I do find myself in a cycle that is not victorious with other things- specifically my worry thought patterns. Lysa in her introduction states that we are meant to live in victory and with worry that is not how I always live. A quote that I found to be very challenging and that stuck with me was from page 18 where she states: "I am made to rise up, do battle with my issues, and, using the Lord's strength in me, defeat them- spiritually, physically, and mentally to the Glory of God." What I love about this quote is that she is not saying that we do this in our own strength alone but through the Lord's strength. Being sick and weak right now I LOVE that reminder.
Another thing that really stood out to me in the introduction chapter was how Lysa shared there are several people in the Bible that were "brought down" by food. This to me was almost unbelievable because I thought- food- really? But then I think about Eve and then I also think about Esau (Hebrews 12) and it is not laughable. And neither is my propensity to not deal with my issues that are bringing me down and have me in a cycle (aka. worry, etc.) And also this introduction really made me think: what do I crave? What does my mind crave? What does my heart crave? What does my soul crave?
SO honestly- I am so thankful that I did not skip the introduction this week because these are just a few of the thoughts that are in my mind to pray through in the next few days! What about y'all? If you are a blogger please feel free to link with us below and share your thoughts and if you don't have a blog please leave a comment in the comment section. I am so confident that we can all grow and learn together in this process!
Here is the reading schedule for those of you that would like to join us for the whole study or for part of it:
July 8-
Introduction
July
15-
Chapter 1-What’s Really Going on Here? & Chapter 2-
Replacing my Cravings
July 22- Week 3-
Chapter
3- Getting a Plan & Chapter 4- Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat before
Thinking
July 29- Week 4
Chapter
5- Made for More & Chapter 6- Growing Closer to God
August 5- Week 5
Chapter 7- I’m Not Defined by the Numbers & Chapter 8-
Making Peace with the Realities of my Body
August 12- Week 6
Chapter 9- But Exercise Makes Me Want to Cry& Chapter 10-
This Isn’t Fair!
August 19- Week 7
Chapter 11- Stinkin’, Rotten, Horrible, No Good Day &
Chapter 12- The Curse of the Skinny Jeans
August 26- Week 8
Chapter 13- Overindulgence & Chapter 14- Emotional Emptiness
September 2- Week 9
Chapter 15- The Demon in the Chips Poster & Chapter 16- Why
Diets Don’t Work
September 9- Week 10
Chapter 17- The Very Next Choice We Make& Chapter 18-
Things Lost, Better Things Gained
September 16- Week 11
Chapter 19- Live as an
Overcomer & Summary/Conclusion
Also, Crystal has found some lovely resources that I can't wait to check out!
21 Day Challenge (a new challenge emailed to you each day)
Healthy Eating Go-To Scripts (Printable verses to help you on your journey)
Freebies (lots more freebies on the Made to Crave website)
Beat the Craving (a post I wrote last year with my own tips for beating cravings)
My Get Healthy Pinterest Board (lots of great inspiration here)
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