Auntie's 2016 Bookworm Challenge 02

Book: The Dieter's Prayer Book.

Author: Heather Harpham Kopp

Info: Copyright 2000.  Colorado Springs:  Waterbrook Press

Where acquired: Gift from a friend

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 hashtags): # # # 1/2

What it's about:  Kopp uses scripture reflections and prayers to assist the reader in bringing his thinking about diet and exercise in the right direction.  She gets to the core of many common issues dieters deal with.

Favorite Quotes: 

"It helps to remember that your goal is bigger than inches or pounds can measure--ant it's more important than any special occasion.  Your goal is to become all that God created you to be." - p. 18

"Not only did God think up the whole idea of food, He actually intended that it be a good thing!  He wanted food not just to keep us alive, but also to 'gladden' us and to 'sustain' us.  God never intended for food to become your best friend or your path of fulfillment.  But He also never intended for food to become your enemy." - p. 58

"If your tummy seems never to be full, consider whether your life is full enough.  Invite God to 'mess' with your life.  And listen for any change of plans He might have in mind for how you spend your time." p. 128

"He [Jesus] will, again and again, choose you.  And not because He's obligated to or because you're automatically included in His Father's grand redemption plan for the whole human race.  You in particular have been chosen, loved, and pursued by Him." - p 172.

"Spiritual truths triumph over emotional woes." - p. 176

"When I am most unhappy with myself, I am most critical of others.  When I am most into self0condemnation, I am most judgmental of others."  Brennan Manning.  p. 198

What I Liked:

• The structure of the book didn't demand that you start on January first; only "Day 1."  Also, there were only 100 entries, rather than 365, so if I took longer than 100 days to read all the entries (which I did), I wouldn't feel behind or pressured.
• The prayers were on point with many of the issues I deal with.
• The book was very encouraging and covered the spiritual side of health.  There were no meal or exercise plans, but spiritual plans for action.

What I didn’t like: 

• The author is very good about telling the reader what needs to be done, but gives no indication that she is working through her own journey.  The book is very impersonal; Kopp is good about quoting others, but there's nothing of her in it--no examples from her own life and no indication that she's ever had a struggle with weight.  Reminds me of a Ted Talk I saw online of a Victoria's Secret model who thought she was giving women hope by saying the only reason she was a world class model was because she "won a genetic lottery."  That kind of impersonal bull is very insulting, not to mention ostentatious. 
• She assumes that everyone who will read this book is a married female.  Males and singles deal with these types of issues too.

To sum up: I would recommend this book to those who are on a health quest who want spiritual biblical encouragement.  This will definitely go on my "reread" shelf.