A few weeks ago I did a book review of "He's Making Diamonds" by S. G. Willoughby. Today, I have a wonderful announcement! Our guest author is none other than Sara Willoughby herself! AND if you head on over to her blog R5:3-5, you'll find that she's completely revamped her site! In honor of the new website, she's also holding a giveaway, so if you're interested in that, check out her new site at www.sgwilloughby.com and you can enter to win a copy of "Fierce Hearted" by Holley Gerth! Now, without further ado, here are three truths about storms in life.
3 Truths About Storms In Life I used to live in the lighting capital of the world. I loved thunderstorms. Still do, actually. The way the lighting lights up the sky, forever unpredictable. The thunder rolling across the sky from far away, or booming right above you so it shakes the house. There’s just something about thunderstorms that make you feel small. That make you realize how awesome and powerful and majestic the One who created them is. But the thing is thunderstorms can be beautiful, but they can also be scary, and rightly so, because not only are they majestic, they are dangerous.The gusting winds can tear things apart, the pounding rain can cause floods, and the lighting can kill you. I still love thunderstorms, but I’ve learned that storms in life can be a lot harder than real storms. The tend to last longer than the typical afternoon thunderstorm. They also affect us where it hurts most: not only physically, but mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Today I want to share three things about thunderstorms that also apply to life-storms.
I don’t know what storm you are going through in life right now. Perhaps you are even between storms. But hang on to these truths. The storm will end. The storm is not without a purpose. And the storm glorifies God if we choose to let it. Storms can hurt. But good can come from them too. About the Author: S. G. Willoughby is a seventeen-year-old girl with Lyme disease, toxic mold poisoning, and MCS. Currently, she resides in Arizona with her parents and two siblings. In her spare time she loves to write, read, and have adventures. You can find her at her website, she writes at FoundWhoIAm, and Th!nk Magazine.
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HE'S MAKING DIAMONDS: A TEEN'S THOUGHTS ON FAITH THROUGH CHRONIC ILLNESS
By: S.G. Willoughby "He's Making Diamonds" is Sara Willoughby's own heart poured out onto paper. Three years ago, she got sick. Really sick. And no one knew why. It turned out that her home was contaminated with eleven different toxic molds. She now knows that she has toxic black mold poisoning, multiple chemical sensitivity, and Lyme disease. She was just 14 when she got sick. Through her struggles with chronic illness, Sara has learned many things. In many ways, she is wise beyond her years, but she is the first to say that she is still learning, and that she doesn't have all the answers. Her sickness has forced her to grow up much faster than most teenagers, but she has still taken initiative to share what she has learned through her illness. She started a blog, R535, to share with others her experiences, and to let those facing chronic illness themselves that they are not alone. But she wanted to do more, so she wrote a book. In her book, Sara reviews the questions she's asked through her battle with chronic illness. "Why is there sickness?" "Where is God in the middle of this storm?" "Am I a burden?" Her illness has taken her to many places in her relationship with Christ. She's experienced the highs and lows of life. But through it all, her relationship with Him has been strengthened. She could have given up. But instead, she chose to learn from her struggles, and to share what she has learned with others. Sara is one of my dearest friends. I have seen her work so hard on this book, and now it is finally published! I am so proud of her, and I'm so happy to see all her hard work in print. Please check this book out! You can find "He's Making Diamonds: A Teen's Thoughts on Faith Through Chronic Illness" here. Well, we're almost done now! Man, this has been exhausting – and fun!
In the last chapter, we talked about a "BRAVE woman" and a "wimpy woman." In this chapter, "Femininity Worth Fighting For," Kristen and Bethany start off with the stories of two women: Mrs. Meyers and Mrs. Harris. Mrs. Meyers had been a champion swing dancer. She had traveled all over the country to compete, and she proudly displayed her trophies around her home. However, she had put her family on hold while she was competing. Now, as she was in her old age, her family was not there to take care of her. Mrs. Harris was just your average, everyday wife, and yet she impacted so many lives. She mentored hundreds of younger women. We often think that we have to do something big in order to leave an impact, but Mrs. Harris was just an average person, who, by living out their faith, left behind a legacy that will last for generations to come. The point is, you don't have to do huge things to make an impact. Just being there for a friend in a dark time or mentoring a younger woman can leave a lasting legacy. Just living out your life for God can change someone's life. It’s amazing how when one woman surrenders to God and accepts her part in His big plan, how much change can happen. And you can start your legacy today! In any season of life, at any age, whether you're single, married, a mother, a grandmother, ANYONE! Now, when times get tough, you may feel tempted to give into counterfeit femininity. That's why we need a sisterhood! When things get messy, we need to have each other's backs as Christian girls and women. We need to bond together! It's a beautiful thing to see women empowering each other. Well, this has been so much fun! Hope you guys enjoyed this book review series! And if you haven't done so already, PLEASE READ THE BOOK! It's such a great book, and it's empowered and inspired me. If you have any book recommendations, comment below! Wow, this 5-part book review is taking longer than I thought! Don't worry, we're almost there. Here we go: Girl Defined Book Review - Part 4 – Choosing to Become a Girl Defined by God.
We've learned all about God's design for femininity, but it's nothing without action. Kristen and Bethany write that "Biblical knowledge without application is useless." With all this new information about God's design for womanhood, we should be super empowered, right? Well, this is also a lot to take in. It's great information and all, but it all looks super hard! It's true, applying God's truth to your life isn't easy. Kristen and Bethany talk about the characteristics of a wimpy woman:
Welcome back to my five-part book review of Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird! In my previous book review post, part two, we discussed what biblical womanhood is. Now we'll be going over how to apply God's purpose for women to three aspects of our lives. This is the Girl Defined Book Review – Part Three – When it Comes to Beauty, True Love, and Hard Work.
Kristen and Bethany start the "Beauty" chapter off with the example of Kylie Bisutti. In 2009, she won the Victoria's Secret Model Search and became a Victoria's Secret Angel practically overnight. She went from an average nobody to a superstar model. Then, after one year of modeling, she quit. She then published a book, I'm NO Angel: From Victoria's Secret Model to Role Model. She quit the modeling industry to pursue something much more fulfilling: Jesus. After being in a world where women were only defined by their outward appearance, she learned something very valuable. "A woman will only be content with her physical appearance when she stops basing her worth and value on what others think of her and, instead, starts living to please Christ." One of the biggest reasons we feel insecure is because we try to please the world's expectations and fall away from God's love. We take our eyes off of Him and look at ourselves instead. We become self-focused instead of Christ-focused, and that becomes the root of our insecurities. Kristen and Bethany write about how you can tackle those insecurities: "You must remind yourself that no amount of beauty, compliments, or popularity can replace the fulfillment you find in your relationship with Christ. As Kylie learned, being drop-dead gorgeous on the outside can't bring a woman lasting fulfillment and security on the inside. Those things are found only when a woman chooses to base her value in what Christ thinks of her and not in what the world thinks." Now, that is not to say that physical beauty is a beast. It is a wonderful gift from God, and when viewed from a biblical perspective, it can be really fun! It's not a bad thing to enjoy wearing makeup and dressing up. As long as your appearance is not an idol, and your security is found in Christ, it is a fabulous way to enjoy the femininity God has blessed you with. Moving on to "True Love," let's take a look at what the culture around us defines "love." Our culture sees love as someone who makes you happy. However, that's not what God's definition of love is. If we just look at 1 Corinthians 13, we get a perfect idea of what God's definition of love is. It's not just someone who makes you happy. It's a mutual effort to sacrifice your own selfishness for another person. The Greek word most commonly used in the Bible for "love" is agape, and it literally translates to "self-sacrifice." Kristen mentions this quote in the book: "Love is best shown as devotion and action, not an emotion. Love is not exclusively based on how we feel. Certainly our emotions are involved, but they cannot be our only criteria for love. True devotion will always lead to action – True love." We must let Christ define our view of love, and guess what? Jesus was the ultimate example of sacrifice for love. God calls us to love others the same way that he does in Ephesians 5:1-2. Now, if you are a single girl (like me) you may not have to worry about a romantic relationship and "true love," but it's important to know what God's idea of love is. Finally, we reach the "Hard Work" portion. If we take a look at what people consider "success," it's all focused on a person's career. The pressure to become successful is pushed on us the moment we are old enough to get a job. In my personal life, this is actually a very prominent topic. I work in a real estate office. I've traveled across the country for real estate conferences and met people from all over America who have been super successful in the real estate industry. I really enjoy my job, and many people look at me and say that I'm "going places" because I've started out so young in real estate. However, when these successful people ask me what my plans for the future are, I rarely tell them about my plans to become a missionary. I'm scared that they will look down on me for choosing a humble occupation instead of the "successful" way. Our world only sees success in dollar signs. Kristen and Bethany describe it perfectly: "In the twenty-first century society a woman's job is the standard for measuring her success. We're told to 'get out there and work' so we can build our independence, become self-sufficient, embrace our liberation, and further our personal careers. As popular as this definition may be, it poses two major problems for us Christian women because (1) it leaves God completely out of the picture, and (2) it is always changing." This culture has told us to make our careers an idol. However, hard work is not a bad thing. It's actually mentioned as a good and godly thing in the Bible, but we are supposed to be working for certain reasons: (1) to glorify God, and (2) to bless and serve our families. A great example of a hard-working, godly woman is – you guessed it – the Proverbs 31 woman. She's working hard to serve her family and support her husband, and she puts God at the center of her life. Now, how do we figure out how to serve God in our careers? In their book, Kristen and Bethany go over the "What, Why, and When Filter." They say that it has helped them to determine whether their specific plans and goals are biblical and honor God. What is your goal? Is it possible that you can honor God through this goal? Why are you focused on this goal? Is it to honor God, or for your own glory? Finally, when in life do you plan on working towards this goal? Will you be single, married, or will you have kids? It all depends on what you're focused on in your season of life. Overall, does [insert thing here] honor God? If so, hooray! In this chapter, Kristen and Bethany gave guidance on keeping God a priority when it comes to beauty, relationships, and careers. Hope you guys learned something from this super long post! Next chapter, we'll go over how to choose God's plan over your own. Thanks for reading! Welcome back to my five-part book review of Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird. In part one, we talked about how we've strayed from God's purpose for womanhood. Now, in part two, we'll be talking about what biblical womanhood is. This is the Girl Defined Book Review – Part Two – Getting Back to God's Design.
We ended part one by saying that God has more in store than the world's idea of femininity. Well then, what is God's idea of biblical womanhood? Kristen and Bethany list the three pillars of biblical womanhood:
We then come to the second pillar, which is exclusive to women. We produce life, both physically and spiritually. God may give us different callings, but he has given us a special gift. No matter your season of life, you can live out this aspect of your design. You may not physically give live, but you can mentor and nurture those around you, and pour God's love into their lives. And even if it is not your calling to physically produce life, we are called to be like God, and God values marriage and motherhood. And finally, we have the last pillar. Women are highly relational beings. We desire to connect in a deep and meaningful way. It's part of who we are. It's why we never go to the bathroom alone :D We just like being together no matter where we are. God wants us first to fill ourselves with him so that we then go out and share God's love with others. You can nurture relationships no matter where you are in life. God created women with a unique ability to connect with each other. God gave us special gifts in order to fit in to his perfect design. No matter where you are in life, God's design is relevant. Like we mentioned in the first part, his design provides lasting fufillment. In the next part, we'll talk about how we apply God's design to our lives. Thanks for reading! After getting hooked to their blog, I decided to read the book Girl Defined by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird. The blog talks about biblical womanhood and how to live life according to God's standards for femininity. This book is an all-around study of what it means to be a Christian woman. The book was absolutely fabulous, and it was full of so many important points, so I'll be splitting this book review into different segments. PART 1: FEMININITY GONE WRONG At what age did you start worrying about how you looked? Maybe you started using makeup, or caring about your wardrobe a little more. Every girl at some point or another wonders if they measure up. The world's standards have become almost impossible to live up to, and yet we try harder and harder to fit into today's culture. The world tells us to wear this, look like that, listen to this music, read these books, and watch these shows to fit in and be happy. But what the world says will make you happy will leave you empty and dissatisfied. Kristen and Bethany give the example of Marilyn Monroe. She had it all: fame, fortune, success. And yet she committed suicide at the age of 36. She had everything the world said would make her happy, and yet she was still empty. If the world's standards do not give us lasting satisfaction though, then what does? The only way to be truly satisfied is through God. Apart from God, lasting peace and happiness doesn't exist. "We have never found long-term satisfaction by embracing counterfeit femininity," say Clark and Baird. But what is "counterfeit femininity?" The sisters write about the three pillars of counterfeit femininity:
Throughout the book, Kristen and Bethany talk about how to follow God's design for femininity in beauty, relationships, and careers. They explain how life changing his plan is, and how much happier you will be when you ditch counterfeit femininity. I'll be doing a review of each part of the book, and the book has 5 parts, so bear with me while I write like crazy for the next few weeks 😀. Better yet, get the book yourself, and follow along while I post! After I returned from my first international mission trip, I was inspired. I came back to the States upset, because I wanted to stay in Brazil forever! There was just so much more I could do, and 10 days was not enough. I came home, wanting to do more, but not knowing how. My mom came to me and suggested I read this book, Kisses from Katie.
Kisses from Katie is a true story about a young woman who decided to go on a mission trip before she graduated high school. When Katie Davis, only 18 years old at the time, traveled to Uganda and helped at an orphanage for Christmas break her senior year, she fell in love with the children, the culture, the country… everything! When she returned to the States, she couldn’t stand being away from Uganda. She went back to Africa to teach at a school and was only going to stay for a year and then return to go to college, but after 6 years of being in Uganda, Katie has adopted 13 Ugandan orphans. To care for all of the children in her community, she founded Amazima Ministries International. Her story of faith and family is absolutely touching and inspiring. She is now 27 years old and got married only 2 years ago. Along with Kisses from Katie, she has also written Daring to Hope: Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful, which is set to publish in October. Amazima Ministries www.amazima.org |
AuthorHi, I'm Abigail! Welcome to my blog. Hope you enjoy! Archives
August 2018
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