TAMMY'S BOOK PARLOR

Saturday

The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel FAST by Kristen Feola

Book Description: The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast offers practical encouragement for doing the Daniel Fast, a 21-day fast from foods like sugar and meat, so you can spend less time thinking about what to eat and more time focusing on the Lord. You will discover that “to fast” means “to feast” on the only thing that truly nourishes?the powerful Word of God.

My Review: Each year as the new year begins my husband and I have talked about "doing" the Daniel fast. Because we never had a guide the year would keep winding down and we never began the fast. This year, however, I found this wonderful book, The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel FAST by Kristen Feola.

Kristen makes it "easy" to follow the Daniel Fast. There are great recipes included that make it easy to follow this fast. This isn't a fast where you starve or just drink juices. It is, I believe, a partial fast where one partakes of foods that are healthy and contain natural foods. As Kristen quotes this Bible verse on the title page, "So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting." Daniel 9:3--- is also the verse that my my husband and I chose to use in fasting at the beginning of this fresh, new year. Fasting to learn from God and to follow His ways. The DAniel Fast is aptly named because it is taken from the time that Daniel in the Bible spend three weeks fasting and praying for the people

I must say that, as in any fast, daily reading of the Bible and praying are an absolute must. Yes, eating or not eating the fats and sweets of this world are what separates us and brings in closer fellowship with the Father. Letting go of worldly pleasures such as overeating can bring us in closer fellowship with God. Why? Because we take time to concentrate on Him lessing our urge to overeat.

A wonderful side effect of following this Daniel Fast is that one feels better and one's energy level is slightly elevated. I do believe that following this strict but healthy guideline helps one to focus on the important aspects of life . . . prayer, Bible reading and even family worship time.

This is a 21 day plan with 21 days of devotionals to along with the fast. This is not a weight loss diet plan but a plan to draw closer to God just as Daniel did for three weeks as he sought God's will for the people.

Some of the recipes you will see in The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fast include:

*Fruit pizza
*Pineapple citrus muffins
*Tropical fruit salad
*Black bean chili bake
*Caribbean wild rice
*Chipotle chili
*Taco soup
*Tuscan soup
*Baked potato chips
*Green and gold zucchini
*Sweet potato pie
*Veggie tray

A wonderful 5 star book/guide to begin your new year or to just draw closer to God.

*I reviewed this book for Zodervan*

About the Author:

Kristen Feola is the writer of the blog www.ultimatedanielfast.com, an encouraging resource for individuals and groups who are participating in the Daniel Fast. She has worked as a personal trainer, nutritional consultant, First Place 4 Health leader, and fitness instructor. She is also an active member of Moms in Touch International. Kristen lives with her husband and two daughters in Springfield, Missouri.

CLICK HERE to visit Kristen's site and learn more

about the Daniel Fast!

The Ultimate Guide to the Daniel Fas...

Kristen Feola

Best Price $11.35
or Buy New $11.55

{Litfuse Blog Tour} Made to Crave- Satsfying Your Deepest Desire With God and Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst

Book Description: 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!

My Review: I'll admit that I opened this book with some trepidation. No. I'm not a skinny teenager anymore. I'm a mature mom. But what drew me into this book was simply the title, "Made To Crave-Satsfying Your Deepest Desire With God and Not Food." Sounds simple enough so I began reading.

And I found out that Lysa, too, has been through this yo-yo weight watchers regime. But more than that we ARE made to crave. No, not chocolate. A relationship with our Heavenly Father. And when we weigh in at the food counter instead of the Word counter we come up short and began plying ourselves with food.....sometimes those comfort calories add to more than their weight in gold. Thus, we become dissatisfied with ourselves and life when we could have simply prayed and delved into His Word instead of plying ourselves with unwanted and unnecessary calories.

Yes, there has to be a workable plan and Lisa gives us one. Yes, it requires time, energy and a life change on my part. And it also requires that, sometimes, I make a conscious effort to not put another bite into my mouth. But most of all my daily regime must include time with HIM. And when I make time I truly feel less hungry and discouraged because God does satisfy my deepest desires like no food can!

This is more than a diet....it's change in my lifestyle to include daily time communing with my Father. I believe that all women need to read this encouraging and life changing 5 star read! You'll also enjoy learning more about communing with God as you lose weight and Lysa's humor makes for a great read!

Don't be intimidated there's nothing to fear except a life change like no other! And best of all God doesn't require skinny jeans!

*I reviewed this book for Litfuse Publicity Group*

Made To Crave is in stores everywhere! To celebrate Lysa is giving away a BRAND NEW KINDLE (1/12-1/31) and hosting a fun Made To CraveFacebook Party where one lucky winner will win an Author Chat with Lysa for their small group (2/8)! All the details below.

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.

Giveaway Details:

Win a brand new KINDLE from Lysa Terkeurst during the Made To Crave KINDLE Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of Made to Crave and the MTC Small Group DVD Study Set, Lysa is giving away a KINDLE prize package worth over $175.00! To enter just click on one of the icons below! One winner will receive:

A brand new Kindle with Wi-Fi & the New E Ink Pearl Screen

KINDLE editions of Lysa’s Made to Crave and Becoming More Than A Good Girl

But, wait there is more!

Lysa will be announcing the winner of the Made to Crave KINDLE Giveaway on February 8th during theMade To Crave Party on Facebook!

During the party Lysa will chat with guests, host a trivia contest or two, and give away lots of other fun prizes (copies of Lysa’s other books and Amazon.com, iTunes &
Starbucks gift certificates) – including a live Author Chat with Lysa for your small group!

Don’t miss the fun! Lysa is looking forward to learning more about you – so be sure to stop by Lysa's Facebook Author Page on February 8th at 5:00 PM PST (6 PM MST, 7 PM CST, & 8 PM EST).

Thursday

The Bridge of Peace (Second book in the Ada House Series) by Cindy Woodsmall

Book Description: Love alone isn’t enough to overcome some obstacles............

Lena Kauffman is a young Old Order Amish schoolteacher who has dealt all her life with attention raised by a noticeable birthmark on her cheek. Having learned to move past the stares and whispers, Lena channels her zest for living into her love of teaching. But tensions mount as she is challenged to work with a rebellious young man and deal with several crises at the schoolhouse that threaten her other students. Her lack of submission and the use of ideas that don’t line up with the Old Ways strengthen the school board’s case as they begin to believe that Lena is behind all the trouble. One member of the school board, Grey Graber, feels trapped by his own stifling circumstances. His wife Elsie has shut him out of her life, and he doesn’t know how long he can continue to live as if nothing is wrong. As the two finally come to a place of working toward a better marriage, tragedy befalls their family. Lena and Grey have been life-long friends but their relationship begins to crumble amidst unsettling deceptions, propelling each of them to finally face their own secrets. Can they both find a way past their losses and discover the strength to build a new bridge?

My Review: This is the second novel of Woodsmall's Ada House series and centers around Lena a young school teacher looking for love and finding a way past her insecurity. Lena has dealt with insecurity most of her life, living with a large birthmark on her cheek. Low self-esteem has made her pretty tough. Although Lena's future holds some problems that include her parents, the school board and a bully, Dwayne.

Grey Graber has been living his life in a loveless and sadly ruined marriage with Elsie. Divorce for the Amish is not an option! Grey seeks help to mend his marriage. Enter Lena. Grey and Elsie want Lena to evaluate their son. Grey feels that he is fine but Elsie feels that he may have a handicap.

Lena agrees to test their son and then informs them, “We all have a handicap and every one of us had to figure out how to get work done.” The son is fine. Lena represents a good, creative teacher.

But then as only life would have it . . . tragedy rears its ugly head! Grey deals with disappointment and disillusions and

Lena seems to deal with a root of bitterness. Can life long friends support and encourage each other without bitterness taking root?

Oh! and then there's Deborah! Prank-playing Deborah! Deborah's pranks were laugh-out-loud! Just imagining an Amish woman pulling silly stunts on her women friends is Oh.So.Funny. The Amish seem so tight laced! Deborah's character brought out the "human side" of the Amish.

This fantastic 5 star read shows that life brings rain to the Amish and the English. There are some unexpected twists and turns in this heart warming read! The conclusion of this series comes out in the fall of 2011.

*I reviewed this book for Waterbrook Multnomah*

Book may also be bought at ChristianBook.com!

About the Author:

Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times best-selling author whose connection with the Amish community has been featured on ABC Nightline and on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She was also a homeschool mom. As her children progressed in age, her desire to write grew stronger. After working through reservations whether this desire was something she should pursue, she began her writing journey. Her husband was her staunchest supporter.Her first novel released in 2006 to much acclaim and became a best seller. Cindy was a 2007 ECPA award finalist, along with Karen Kingsbury, Angela Hunt, and Charles Martin. Her second book, When the Morning Comes, hit numerous best-sellers lists across the US, including edging into the extended list of the New York Times, coming in at number thirty-four. Her third book, When the Soul Mends, hit the New York Times best-sellers list, coming in at number thirteen, as well as making the USA Today’s best-sellers list.Cindy continues to write and release best-selling works of fiction, and she’s also written a nonfiction work with an Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud. The book is titled Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. It will release March 11, 2011. Her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity.As an adult, Cindy became friends with a wonderful Old Order Amish family who opened their home to her. Although the two women, Miriam and Cindy, live seven hundred miles apart geographically, and a century apart by customs, when they come together they never lack for commonality, laughter, and dreams of what only God can accomplish through His children. Cindy, her husband, their three sons and two daughters-in-law reside in Georgia.