*GIVE-AWAY!* Made to Crave...

I can NOT believe that it is already March! It's like I told Landen this morning, the year is a third of the way over!

(then i back-tracked...realized my huge mathematical error....and re-phrased)

A fourth of the way over!

dur

Yesterday was Blubber Butt Monday and I will be blogging about that tomorrow but first things first.

A GIVEAWAY!

I am really excited about this giveaway, not only because I get to share something with my wonderful blogging friends, but mostly because I get to share something with my wonderful blogging friends that means a huge deal to me!

Remember that verse that I told you about in the not so distant past?

Do not destroy the work of the Lord for the sake of food?

*yeah, that one*

Well, the day that I first heard that verse I was driving down the road, listening to Klove and this wonderful woman who calls herself Lysa Terkeurst was sharing her amazing testimony of how God led her to adopt two boys while sitting at a music concert the boys were participating in. Phenomenal!

That verse changed my life.

But it gets sooo much better!

I didn't know that she also had a book! (squeal!) a couple of books actually! (hysteria!) and that her latest one "Made to Crave" was not only the top book on the NY Times Bestseller list, but ALSO about her own personal weight loss journey (doing the happy dance people!).

I got the book, devoured it, and re-read it.

It's. that. good!

I have never been so awe inspired by anyone in my life. The tips she shared, the constant battles in her mind that she faced on a daily basis between her heart and food, it was all so...familiar!

And the way she words things. She calls me friend. She calls me her sister! HALLELUJAH!

So, I got to thinking...and praying...

God, how can I use this book to help others the way that it has helped me?

And then it hit me! Give it away!!!

And that's just what I'm going to do, give it away.

Now don't be confused, you are going to have to work at this one. Every part of me just wants to stick it on my shelf and hoard it, but I'm willing to pass it on in hopes that it will give others confidence and strength in the same way that it did me.

So what do you have to do?

Every Tuesday and Thursday I am going to post a question straight from Lysa's book.

I am going to answer that question myself.

And then I am going to eagerly check my blog every 15 seconds to read the wonderful answers that you have left in the comments section.

(okay, maybe not every 15 seconds, but I will be checking!)

I hope that you will be checking back and commenting and also encouraging friends to participate as well. At the end of the month, March 31st to be exact, I will pick a lucky winner and send out the book.

So to get things started: Question #1

"How do you respond to the idea that God made us to crave? Have you ever pursued a craving-- a longing, passion, or desire-- that made a positive contribution to your life? What do you think distinguishes that kind of craving from the craving that leads you to eat in unhealthy ways?"

The fact that God created us to crave absolutely blows my mind! And even more so that He created us to crave Him! In other words: it is OKAY to crave, as long as we are craving the right things! One of the cravings that I have pursued in my life that made a positive contribution was my craving for love. As a girl we all want that Prince Charming to come and sweep us off our feet. And more often than not we begin craving those feelings, those emotions, and we begin pursuing them in all kinds of ways. These can be both healthy and none healthy. However, when I decided to give God the relationship portion of my life and started craving and desiring Him, Landen coming into my life was no surprise. I knew God had sent him for me.

I think the biggest way to distinguish good, positive cravings from unhealthy ones is the feelings of guilt afterwards. How to I feel after craving a God-like love or eating a nice salad for lunch instead of pizza (cause they are totally the same ya know!)? I feel great, I feel like I made a good choice! Now how would I feel if I had did the exact opposite? HORRIBLE! FAT! NO CONTROL! STICK MY HEAD IN THE DANG TOILET! Okay, maybe not that bad, but the feelings are totally different. When we crave good things, we feel good. When we crave bad things, we feel crappy. That's how we are wired, and that's how God created us. We are made to crave Him.

Lysa has a WONDERFUL blog that I am loving and can be found here. She also has an incredible website dedicated just to her book here that offers printables like fridge signs, free mailings, and lots of encouragement! And today is Tell A Friend Tuesday on the website where a live webcast will be available until tomorrow! She's also giving away a free conference call to one lucky winner! Make sure to check it out and let me know what you think...

I also love, Love, LOVE, sweet comments and new friends. If you or someone you know likes me blog, please follow it. I'm loving the people I am getting to know through this crazy thing called the internet and I can't wait to "meet" you too!

so, without further ado...let the eagerly anticipated-15 second comment section checking, begin!