A thought-provoking book on fasting
926756
This is a review of Scot McKnight's book on Fasting.  This book is part of the Thomas Nelson Publishing Company's Ancient Practices series and was provided to me free of charge by Booksneeze.  The topic of fasting was presented in a thought-provoking manner.  The author introduced the topic by defining fasting as a whole-body natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment.  This definition was really contrary to my understanding of the purpose or intent of fasting because it seemed that fasting simply occurred in response to some action of God that had the potential to negatively impact a person.  The definition of fasting presented evoked an extremely negative response in me and I almost put the book down without finishing it.  I am thankful that I continued to read the text because the author does a good job of supporting and explaining the basis of his chosen fasting definition.  Although I am not in total agreement with the author on the definition of fasting, I do agree that fasting can result from a person's desire and longing for the presence of God.  The book is well written and uses many scriptural references.  It is not a difficult read, but does promote thought.  I would recommend this book to people throughout their spiritual journey.
3535767
This is a must read for anyone devoting themselves to God.  Also when they are fasting. Kristen stesses the point, it is not about the person fasting but keeping  God in The Foremost Spot of Your Mind!!!  Devote yourself to God and believe in Kristen's Biblical principles on fasting. She quotes from the Bible when she needs to!!!  Great read and study for fasting.
  Sincerely,
  James Von Tersch
4092559
I enjoyed reading this book as well as watching Michael Mosley's one hour PBS special about the various fasting options and benefits.  I bought an extra copy for my family physician and later discussed the book with him.  He gave his "o.k." for me to go on the 5/2 diet.  I am starting the diet this week and looking forward to this new adventure that makes sense to me so far.
3762525
Written in the 1960's, this book discusses juice fasting as a way of maintaining health, detoxifying the body and losing weight.  Clearly, juice fasting has been around for a long while, so it is not a fad.  It is so much more than that!
This book provides numerous anecdotal examples from the mid-1900's of people who have recovered from various illnesses and obesity while fasting on juice.  It gives some guidelines or "to-dos" for juice fasting and different methods and settings for doing a fast.  It discusses the vital importance of exercise and rest.  It does not incorporate nutritional information, scientific breakthroughs or medical insights from the past three decades.  It does not give a lot of detail about potential risks of fasting for different people.  The reader will need to balance the directives of the book with current health information and her knowledge of her own body.
The book is rather short.  As the title indicates, it is a guide for fasting.  It is not a guide for healthy eating when not fasting.  There is some information in there about that, but if more nutritional detail is desired, the reader will have to look elsewhere.
The author's writing style is very enthusiastic and easy to read.  It is clear that he had a passion for the subject matter and believed in the power of juice fasting.
After reading this book, "how to keep SLIM with juice fasting" was extremely clear to me.  Not eating = weight loss.  "How to stay young" and "how to stay healthy" with juice fasting were not as clear to me, and I looked to other, more recently written and up to date books for further guidance.
242666
A good piece of wisdom is to "pray as you eat."  If you only ate as much as you prayed, how hungry would you be?  Shane Kapler's book offers ideas and reflections that serve as a menu to the meal of praying through, with and in Jesus to help fill our hunger for dialogue and communion God.  It is good "food for thought" for all those engaging in the battle of prayer.
769521
I thought this book did an excellent job of explaining intermittent fasting and the kinds of intermittent fasting.  It's a quick read and loaded with information.  I'm glad I read it.
399346
Surprise: this book is a gracious call to listen to God's word to God's people and world filled with creative ideas on how to do so.  I don't tend to like the idea of fasting.  Having been raised in a performance-oriented church and family, I steer clear of anything that feels like a `should' or a `must' related to my faith.  Grace is a theme I prefer and one I was pleased to find peppered throughout this book.  If you're looking for a book to make you feel lousy for not fasting, this is not that book.  Rather, Baab reflects upon stories from people around the globe who have chosen to make fasting a part of their lives and have had their faith strengthened by it.  The stories of fasting from jewelry, tv, meat or all foods; fasting in community or alone in times of trial all made me realize how much my faith would be strengthened by fasting.  The surprise was - this book made me want to fast. I want to connect deeply with the heart of God, with the people in this world God loves.  Baab writes about how her experience fasting from meat, dairy products and oil led her to both a place of gratitude and to pray more deeply for those who do not have the luxury of eating as richly as we Americans do.  I want to live like I know that I do not have to consume in constant abundance to stay alive.  In fact this book reminded me that perpetual abundance doesn't give me life, but takes it away - whether it be eating too much food or buying too many clothes.  Throughout history fasting has been a wonderful way of making space to listen to the heartbeat of God and becoming more closely aligned with God's kingdom.  I just might be fasting soon so that I too can listen and learn more about God's kingdom rather than the kingdom of do-what-I-want-when-I-want.
4456208
This book is great. I love the idea of fasting, eating according to my senses and only eating what's in season in my vicinity. But how realistic is THAT for most people? I tried it, but man, here in the high desert, that really limits what I'm eating. This woman teaches and writes beautifully. Her recipes are amazing. Oh, and her website is beautiful, go check it out.
4918556
I thought mr. DeYoungs's book was a quick and thorough discussion of busyness from biblical perspective.  He correctly addresses appropriate issues such as technology, pride, children, and God's design for work.  I found it thought provoking and was able to discuss ideas with my spouse about our own busyness.  He never loses sight of the overall goal which is a connection and deeper relationship with Jesus.  Great book.
3287392
In our community and the counties that are near us there is so much spoken about fasting and prayer, but possibly little understood relative to the depth of the Bible teachings.
This book by Pastor Brooks is one of a kind. The book is one that addresses the needs of each Christian as he or she thinks about this subject.
The book addresses the Old Testament teachings and does direct the Word to the care of the spirit, soul and body during fasting times.
It specifically addresses the 21 day fast, and , yes, along with listening to the Lord and the Word, the teaching includes Words from the Book of Revelation relative to fasting.
This is a great book for small group studies.
1745968
This book lays out the case for fasting as a complement to a low carb diet. It makes a lot of sense, and references a lot of peer reviewed studies. Highly recommended.
1583340
Very well written, informative book.  There are many options from fasting for several days, even weeks to much shorter fasts that last from 1-3 days.  Glad I bought it.
423958
This book is about fasting...which is pretty self explanatory by the title. :)  But, it is an extremely detailed, yet understandable look at fasting.  The book is broken down into two parts: Spirituality and Fasting (which is entirely focused on parts of the Body) and Wisdom and Fasting (which deals with problems and benefits).

This book was chosen as part of my fasting journey that I'm beginning in a week or so.  I have done fasts before, but wanted to learn something deeper and have a different point of view to start the year.  This book definitely and amazingly has offered me that!  The spiritual insights and biblical references are amazing and had me looking at things in a way that hadn't even occurred to me before.

The chapter "Fasting as Body Plea" was an especially interesting one to me as, lately, I have become focused on worship and the idea of worshiping with my whole body and using my corporeal body as a part of my prayer.  It never occurred to me that fasting is a form of worship.  But, this chapter is more than worship...it's about pleading with God with your entire being.  I could go on and include the entire chapter here, but, really...it is a part of the whole!

This book isn't meant to be read in big gulps.  My recommendation is a chapter at a time and spending some time in reflection.  And, in the back of the book, there is a study guide that offers questions for a deeper look.  It would have been nice if the questions were at the end of each chapter instead of clumped together at the end.  I have to admit that I forgot they were there a few times and had to go backwards to do them.

All in all, I give this book a 4 out of 5.  It's a good book that definitely held my attention but the study guide stops it from a 5.

Also, please note that the copy of the book that I received was a complimentary copy from the publisher through BookSneeze.com.
4654976
This is an ebook that introduces the concept o intermittent fasting and also includes many many delicious recipes. The book describes the two basic types of intermittent fasting. I found this a good introduction to the concept of intermittent fasting and a very good recipe book. Recipes included for breakfasts,  grains,  meat dishes, snacks, soups and more. I received this ebook for free in exchange for my review of the book.
35587
A good book does not have to be a lengthy book. Solid information, told concisely, and presented in a complete and orderly fashion works every time. That's what I found in this book. The material is solid and presented well. You don't need thousands of words and hundreds of pages to understand and learn this concept.

I've known about the powers of fasting for a long time and it would seem that it is finally entering the mainstream thought. Fasting is a powerful tool to add to your healthy lifestyle. The intermittent fasting options suggested here are a good way for many to implement this program into a modern lifestyle. Good book.
501627
40 Days, 40 Ways is Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio's latest book. You might remember his previous one, which I also reviewed, called When the Church was Young! In his latest book, he attempts to get us to look at Lent in a new way. Most people dread Lent, and just try and find something to give up to satisfy the requirement and have their "card punched." Dr. D'Ambrosio (aka Dr. Italy) instead provides us with devotions, prayers, or other tasks we can do. He tries to make Lent more about what we can do and not what we cannot do.

Each day is about two to three pages long, and starts with a suggestion on what to do, not just this day in Lent, but the whole season. Some of the tasks are "easy," like pledging to say the "Our Father" three times a day. Other tasks require more effort like going on a contemplative retreat during Lent. After the task, we are then given a long reflection on the specific task for the day. For example, on the day that tells us to pledge to say the "Our Father," Dr. Italy discusses the word father, its meaning, and how personal it is that we can call God our Father. In addition to covering the 40 days of Lent, there are reflections (but no task to complete) for each Sunday during Lent, as well as Easter Sunday. There is also a helpful section of resources at the end, which includes prayers, devotions, books to read, etc.

I found this book to be a refreshing change of perspective on Lent. Be sure to read the Preface, I didn't my first time through and thought the book was a bit overwhelming. However, reading the Preface he encourages you to read through the Table of Contents, and pick a few tasks you can accomplish this Lent. A lot of the tasks are easy enough to accomplish, but if you try and do too many, you might find yourself burnt out trying to change too much, too quickly. I think I will re-read this book during Lent and try and incorporate some of the ideas and maybe gradually over several Lents, I will have accomplished everything in this book. If you're looking for a book that makes you think and re-evaluate what Lent is about (growth and doing stuff, not just giving stuff up), then pick up a copy of Dr. Italy's latest book.
3879228
I have to admit, this book was a slow read when I started reading it. Fortunately, it became more interesting as it went along. Overall, I was pleased with Awakening. I have always wanted to learn more about fasting, and this book was just what I needed. Stovall is on fire for Christ and it comes through with every sentence. While I'm still skeptical that fasting is for me, I'm going to give it a go. Awakening gives lots of testimonials and helps to give us an idea of what to expect when we fast. We are shown the purpose of fasting is to draw us closer to God. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a new way to connect to God.
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in return for an honest review.