Lysa TerKeurst

Lysa TerKeurst (born July 21, 1969) is an American speaker and author of Christian non-fiction. She has written more than a dozen books, including the number 1 New York Times bestsellers Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely and Forgiving What You Can't Forget. She is president of Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Career TerKeurst is president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, which started as a small newsletter published in 1994 by Jennifer McHugh but expanded in 1995 when TerKeurst and Marybeth Whalen got involved. After growing the organization, TerKeurst led the way for the newsletter to be transformed into Proverbs 31 Ministries reaching millions of women daily with Biblical truth and wisdom.

TerKeurst published her first book, Living Life on Purpose: Discovering God's Best for Your Life, in 2000.

Several of her books have been New York Times bestsellers, including It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, Forgiving What You Can't Forget, It's Not Supposed to Be This Way was on the New York Times bestseller list for 13 weeks. Uninvited was on the New York Times bestseller list for 31 weeks. The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands was on the New York Times bestseller list for six weeks.

Critical reception Her books Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely, Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace with Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again, and It's Not Supposed to Be This Way received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly.

A review for her 2014 book The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands reads, "TerKeurst's often self-deprecating humor and ability to be vulnerable, combined with insightful Bible references, make this a book women can relate to in a hundred little ways each day". Kirkus Reviews similarly received the book as, "Didactic? To be sure, but it’s a much-needed lesson that goes down easily".

Publishers Weekly praised the conversational tone of TerKeurst's 2016 book Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely.

In 2008, TerKeurst published an essay about an abortion she had before her marriage. She has five children. In December 2018, TerKeurst and her husband renewed their vows near their home in Waxhaw, North Carolina.

In January 2022, Lysa TerKeurst announced on social media that she had decided to end her marriage, saying that he her husband had broken those vows again. In January 2024 she announced on social media that she had married Chaz Adams.

Selected works

Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions. Thomas Nelson, 2012.

As contributor

Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Everyday Living. Zondervan, 2013. With Renee Swope and Samantha Evilsizer.