This will be my final review of Alisa Keeton’s book, The Wellness Revelation.

The final five chapters of the book are titled as follows:

• Rest in His Strength
• Renew Your Mind
• Attend to Matters of the Heart
• Be Transformed
• Press On

These chapters address key topics related to changing unhealthy behaviors – Living by the power of the Holy Spirt, transforming the mind by reading the Bible and applying its truths, and addressing deep heart-related issues. Each of these topics are similarly addressed in our PathWay 2 Wholeness Bible Study. Keeton knows full well that lasting lifestyle transformation must start deep on the inside… in the mind and in the heart. If these areas are not attended to, then it’s likely that any behavior changes that occur in a wellness program will only be short-lived. Alisa writes….

“We will never achieve the wellness and wholeness God wants for us until we rest in our identity as His children – and that starts in our hearts and minds.”

Keeton also writes:

“If you are looking for complete transformation and lasting change, you must address the whole person.  This is why “holistic medicine” has made such a name for itself in the past twenty years. People tire of treating symptoms while ignoring the causes of problems.  The Wellness Revelation is about moving you closer to the authentic person you were created to be. Let me assure you that while it does not come easily and brings some discomfort, what God wants to give you in exchange will not disappoint. He wants to give you a new heart as you learn to love him completely.”

The Wellness Revelation addresses not only key areas of physical health and related habits, it addresses key issues of one’s spiritual health. It’s also unique in that readers of the book have access to online workout videos and short teachings on the topics that are addressed in the book. Alisa and her team deliver these videos in an uplifting and encouraging manner.  It’s nearly impossible to watch the videos and not be inspired and motivated to care for your health.

Well done Alisa!

I highly recommend this book.

Related Resources

Read my review of previous book chapters here – The Wellness Revelation Book Review.

Read other book reviews of books related to the Christian faith and health.

In short, this chapter of the book reinforces that our life purpose as a Christian to glorify God by our life – in our play, at work, in our relationships and even in how we care for our bodies. It also provides guidelines for eating well to fuel our body.

Excerpts from the Week 3 Chapter

As a church, we have an obligation and a great opportunity to be the change. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).  We are called to live for a higher purpose, which calls us to higher accountability and self-discipline. If others see us living in poor health and disease while filling ourselves with things that don’t help but hurt our health, what are we really saying about our God of power and love?

In response to His love, we desire to follow Him. Our obedience is a natural overflow of our love for God. …… The more you love Him, the more naturally obedience will come. So the root to obedience – doing whatever God asks in order to live in agreement with His purposes – is love.

While many fad diets promote ever-changing direction on how to eat, The Wellness Revelation is not about restricting you by telling you specifically what or how much to eat. The key is this: I will ask you to stay conscious of what food does for you and how it makes you feel. The types of food we eat definitely affect how we feel and, in turn, how we do our work.  They give us either sustaining fuel (high octane) or draining fuel ( low octane).

When we choose wisely, the food we consume will reflect our call to live into Christ’s higher purposes for us.

This week we will be focusing on retraining our taste buds.  I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider taking a rest not from all food but from certain kinds of foods – white sugar, enriched flour, high-fructose corn syrup, and/or alcohol. You do not have to remove all of these at once. Try to chose the one(s) that God is calling to your attention now. God never despises small steps.

My Comments

This is not a diet book. In this chapter Alisa informs her readers about food choices that are unhealthy and about those that are healthy. She provides a helpful ‘food suggestion list’ to select from during this ‘detox’ phase of her eating plan. She also provides a short list of foods to fast from.

What makes her approach different than most others is that she encourages the reader to include God in their choices. And she invites the readers to make their choices from a position of their love for God, not from a ‘rules’ perspective. There is a big difference!

And Alisa reminds us that we do not have to make these healthy eating choices in our own strength.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7

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Week two is about addressing the deep issues of the heart on the inside – the broken places – that might keep a person from being free. Two Christian terms for these issues are bondage and slavery.

The activities for this week include reading and meditating on Bible verses, spending time with God, keeping food and hunger logs, and reflecting on the following topics by answering several questions: bondage and slavery, idolatry, and gluttony.

Excerpts from the Week 2 Chapter – Be Free.

Somewhere between Creation and now, our approach to food has gone seriously wrong. We have taken food and placed it in it’s on shrine.

When food – or anything, for that matter – is given the highest value in your life, it no longer serves you. You serve that which you give highest value. Looking back, I can see the emptiness my family was trying to fill with food and other material things that will never have the power to satisfy.

Any good thing, like food, pain medication, wine, or money, has the ability to be used incorrectly. The enemy of our souls is placing bets that we will take something good and use it for selfish game or pleasure. When we use something inappropriately, it gives birth to sin. The sin that starts out as “a little here, a little there” eventually grows into something that masters us – even as it seems to promise some payoff or reward. This is bondage. Bondage is involuntary servitude, or as it is more commonly known, addiction. Common examples of addictions or dependencies are caffeine, sugar, fat, and salt. You don’t enjoy the payoff, but you keep returning to the addictive behavior because you feel trapped. You feel is if you have no will or choice, so you keep doing the very thing you don’t want to do.

Remember, it is never about the food. The food is not the enemy. It is something deeper. A relationship with food is broken because something deep within us is broken. God wants to heal us in those deep places!

You and I were made to worship. If we don’t worship God, we will worship a false god: an idol (see Romans 1:20–23).

So what are you worshiping?

Allow me to suggest some idols: food, drink, sex, entertainment, shopping, drugs, acquisition, competition, body beauty, nature, sports, family, children, pets, or a significant other. It is anything and everything that keeps us from wanting and loving God, dedicating in sacrificing ourselves to Him.

There is only one God. There is no substitute (see Exodus 20:4–5).

When gluttony and addiction take root in our lives, we spiral from numbness toward death and away from true life.

The Wellness Revelation is a battle cry for a vigilance against greed and excess.

Fasting is a great way to free ourselves from being preoccupied with what we want. Fasting allows us to concentrate on our relationship with God and what He wants.

There is no lasting benefit to a fast unless it is accompanied by a spiritual hunger.

My Comments

In the initial part of this chapter, Alisa shares in a transparent way how she learned to use food to cope with her life circumstances… to feel better about herself. She also  includes short stories about others who did the same thing.

Alisa wants her readers to get to the bottom of their eating, drinking and other unhealthy/addictive habits. She knows, through personal experience, that there is little lasting or eternal value in having a chiseled body on the outside when you are hurting badly on the inside.

This chapter is about gaining awareness of the chains that keep a person from being free from addictive-type behaviors.

And it’s about being in a relationship with the One who heals the wounds and fears on the inside.

The Wellness Revelation is available where books are sold on August 8, 2017.

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If you’re not sure where you’ll be when you die or if you struggle with your eternal security, I’d be happy to speak with you about this. Simply reply to the email that brought you this blog post or use the Contact Page on the website.

God loves you!

Read about how to receive God’s love.

Each of the weeks or chapters of the book include the following sections:

Reading the material related to the week’s topic.

Responding to what you’ve read, by answering questions in the book, making an entry in a journal, and watching and participating in the videos. (Daily videos are accessed via an online calendar.)

Renewing your soul by reading scripture and reflecting on it’s application to your life.

Appreciate how the week’s materials Relate to you by answering questions and sharing your responses with others, if you’re working through this book with a group.

Be challenged to Reciprocate. You’ll read an inspiring story of how people have ministered to others in the context of wellness and fitness and be challenged to reflect on how you might make a difference in the lives of others.

Week 1 is about understanding what God’s will is for your life, in the context of being healthy and well. 

Excerpts from the Week 1 Chapter – Embrace God’s Purpose, Desire and Design

“God desires to show us His power and ability. We are to do all things in His power His way, not in our own. This includes weight loss and health gains.”

“For The Wellness Revelation to really transform our lives, we must soften our hearts. We need to remember our stories: where we come from and what God has already done for us. He has guided us every step of the way, planting and growing in us His purpose, His power, and His strength. God wants to remove the burden that we carry when we think that everything hinges on our might and that they “win, lose, or tie” is all within our control. It is just not true. God desires to be our strength in all things.”

“God’s power is made perfect in our weakness.  (See 2 Corinthians 12:9). For His strength to change us as we work through this program, we must surrender all of ourselves to Him. We must lay it all down with a humble heart.”

“For the next eight weeks, we will be learning about and coming back to God’s desire for us to be holy and whole. They exist together. The more we commit to God’s way (holiness), the more whole we will become. This program is an opportunity to be put back together again by the One who made us and who knows where all the pieces go. He is the best psychologist, friend, personal trainer, life coach, and nutritionist we could ever have. God desires to come intimately near to us so He can reconstruct us to look more like Him. After all, this was his original plan: “Then God said,”Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.’ ” (Genesis 12:6,  NLT).”

“Currently we face a growing epidemic in the United States. As of 2014, 70% of Americans were overweight, and this number keeps growing. At the other end of the spectrum, some people engage in extreme bodybuilding (As I did) or have been trapped by eating disorders. Either way, too many of us are putting a lot of stress and strain on His design. We are no longer true reflections of his creation. We are not free to live and love as God originally designed us to.”

“Let’s get back to who we were created to be. You are His one of a kind masterpiece. No other you has ever existed or will ever exist again. It’s time to care for His creation – His design.”

“In the next three weeks, through the use of your workout calendar, we will be intentional about getting you ready for healthy movement.”

A Must See Video

In the first video on the calendar for Week 1 Alisa introduces herself and sets the stage for what this book, and the experience you’ll have reading it, is all about.

If you desire to understand Alisa’s heart and purpose for this book, I encourage you to view it – Meet Your Trainer – Day 1.

My Comments

This week is all about seeing yourself as God sees you. It’s about appreciating all the various ways that we have veered from His design for our lives.

God desires that you be holy, set apart from the ways of the world, and to be as whole as possible this side of heaven. I’m sure that Alisa will be guiding her readers down a path toward greater wholeness as they make their way through the book and engage in the materials and videos!

To read my understanding of the term wholeness, from a biblical perspective, visit this page –  Wholeness, A Christian and Biblical Perspective.

The Wellness Revelation is available where books are sold on August 8, 2017.

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Alisa is the Founder of Revelation Wellness, a non-profit ministry that use fitness and wellness to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This book incorporates the core teachings of her ministry outlined as an 8-week journey for whole person health. It’s unique in that it’s not only a book, but the purchase of the book gives you access to a set of 56 videos and podcasts that include a unique blend of fitness workouts and inspirational teachings.

As part of my review, I’ll be sharing many excerpts of the book and then make additional comments.

Excerpts from the Introduction Chapter

“If you desire to improve your quality of life through better health and well-being, this book is designed to put you on that path, while helping you avoid the dead end that comes from missing this truth; your Creator loves and values you as you seek to improve your physical fitness, He wants to free you from whatever is weighing you down.”

“The Wellness Revelation is going to change the way you perceive yourself and lay out strategies to improve your health. This time the change will occur from the inside out.”

“By 1998 I was the model of fitness within an award-winning physique. I had a successful personal training career and was newly married to a man who was going to take on the world. The money was rolling in, and on the outside, the package looked close to perfect. But on the inside, I was a sad, afraid, and miserable woman – desperate to be loved. I felt empty inside as I watched my marriage – not even a year-old – nearly crumble under all the expectations I’d placed on it. Ironically, that void rested like a heavy weight inside me. Enter Jesus: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11: 28) ”

“For the first time, I realized that as good as physical fitness felt and looked, it would not give me the joy, purpose, and rest I was looking for. Only Jesus could do that, and I found a new joy and meaning as I began to follow Him.”

“Once I opened myself up to God, I begin to see that my clients were longing for the very same things I had craved.”

“Revelation Wellness is now an international nonprofit ministry that uses fitness as a tool to spread the Gospel message.”

“Through this book, we are inviting you to be a part of this fitness revolution. For the next eight weeks, you will move, step-by-step to the pace of grace, toward something greater then the number on the scale or the size of your jeans. You will learn the living and practical truth of what it takes to be healthy and whole (heart, soul, strength, and mind) while loving others as yourself.”

“The Wellness Revolution is designed to help you renew the whole person, from the inside out.”

“This is a God first book. Though it is packed with relevant information on diet and fitness, it wasn’t created to tell you exactly what to eat and how to move. Instead, it was designed to enable you to develop fitness and nutrition plans that work for your life as you draw closer to the One who made you. As you seek God first, all the food and and fitness-related details will fall into place.”

“Be real. You have to show up, do the work, and be completely you. Don’t try to fake it for anyone else’s sake. Don’t live as if you have to audition for others’ approval. Don’t try to cover up your imperfections by donning another pair of spiritual Spanx. Our good God sees it all, and he is not offended by our messes. Achieving wholeness is possible only when we bring all of our insecurities and mistakes to the table. And we cannot heal what we are not willing to reveal, so please do yourself a favor and just be real. You are safe in His presence.”

“When we successfully reach our goals, we are tempted to take all the glory; When we fail to get what we want, we assume all that shame. This is one reason The Wellness Revolution contains one component that is missing from many fitness programs. As you “Cast your cares on the Lord” (Psalm 55:22) and transform into a new being in Christ, your heart will be freed up to help others in need. At Revelation Wellness, this is what we call “calories in” and “calories out” – receiving the fulfilling love of God (calories in) so you can give away His love to someone else (calories out). this is how the Gospel message spreads!”

“Please pause and consider that this eight-week process is going to take a commitment and a conviction to settle for nothing less than living the full and rich life that God intends for you. After all, you were created by God and for God because he loves you. He has a plan for your life, anyone’s to free you up to live that life! I can promise you it will be better than anything you have ever imagined or dreamed, but it will come at a price.”

“In eight weeks, you will be gaining distance from your old self as you move closer to your true self– a person who embodies gods love. Though the obstacles you and I face may differ, we are all on the same quest – to exchange old lies for truth and be set free. As you make this journey, you will be transformed and renewed, becoming more of the person you were truly meant to be.”

_____

What jumps out to me first is that this book is most about the transformation of the inside – the soul and spirit – as opposed to becoming physically fit on the outside. Alisa understands that true outer transformation can come about only after inner transformation occurs.

And because God designed us as a spiritual being – along with a mind, will and emotions – who lives in a body, we must first attend to matters of the heart before we can address matters of physical fitness.

Stay tuned for my blog post on Week 1.

The Wellness Revelation is available where books are sold on August 8, 2017.

To receive my posts related only to my review of this book via email, CLICK HERE. (You may subscribe to all posts in the sidebar to the right.)

For RSS feed options for my review, CLICK HERE.