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!
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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:
Happy Holidays! We're almost done with this year, so I decided to look back at some of my favorite things during 2017. Here is my "Best of 2017!" Favorite Bible Verse: This one isn't a surprise: Galatians 6:9! This verse helped me push forward, and it encouraged me to never give up. No matter where you are in life, you will always need encouragement to carry on, so this is a great verse that can be applied to any season of life. Favorite Music: This year I surprised myself and started listening to rap. Last year I went to Camp Electric, a Christian music camp, and saw NF (a Christian rapper) in concert. I didn't pay much attention to him, but this year he released a new album that peaked at the number one spot on the Billboard 200, and that got my attention. I decided to jump out of my comfort zone, and I'm so glad I did. My favorite album this year was NF's Perception. It was really eye-opening and the lyrics were so meaningful. He talks about burying his fear, and defying society's expectations. If you're looking for something new and thought-provoking, I would definitely suggest you check him out. (FYI- There's a whole backstory that you may want to read up on before you listen to him, otherwise you might not understand what he's talking about in his songs.) Favorite Book: Wonder by R.J. Palacio was not necessarily a Christian book, but it was so moving. When I finished it, I got up to put it back on the shelf, but I just stood there in awe of what I had just read, and said out loud, "That was a really good book!" I have yet to see the movie, but I have high expectations, and we all know the movie will never live up to those expectations. Favorite Movie: I actually only saw this movie yesterday: Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I love Star Wars, so naturally this movie is at the top of my list. And of course, I have to mention Wonder Woman, which was such a beautiful film. So there you have it! What were your favorite things about 2017? Let me know in the comments below! Have a happy 2018 as well :) 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! Music is a huge part of my life. I can't go without it. Once, instead of being grounded, my parents took away my music for two weeks, and believe me, it was torture. I love all music. However, in this day and age, it's difficult to find good, clean music that still sounds fun too. Here are some of my favorite Christian artists from different genres.
Pop: --Hollyn-- I saw Hollyn in concert last year when I attended Camp Electric. She has this great attitude in her lyrics that would fit perfectly into a worship song, and she somehow makes it blend perfectly into the pop vibe. --Tori Kelly-- If you like Alessia Cara, then you'll want to check Tori Kelly out. She works in the secular industry, but she's Christian and has an amazing voice. She was the voice of the elephant Meena in the movie "Sing," so if you've seen that movie, you know how incredible her voice is. Rock: --Switchfoot-- Switchfoot is literally my favorite band of all time. I've got almost all of their albums and I've seen them in concert twice. Their songs are featured in both the Christian and secular industries. --Skillet-- Another great band is Skillet. They mainly cater to the Christian industry, but they're a little more hardcore than Switchfoot. If you're into some punk rock, you'll definitely want to check Skillet out. Folk: --The Vespers-- Now, folk music may not be for everyone, but my dad loves it, and introduced me to some folk bands, such as the Vespers. They have some great harmonies and the banjo player is awesome. --The Wailin' Jennys-- The Wailin' Jennys are an all-girls band. They are great musicians and, once again, they have awesome harmonies. Rap: --Lecrae-- Lecrae is one of the main rappers in the Christian industry. He was featured on KB's song "Church Clap," which was pretty popular, and I suggest you check out the line dance to that song because it is super fun. --NF-- I saw NF in concert last year when I went to Camp Electric, and he was definitely the crowd favorite. He has this amazing way of telling stories. He writes about real life, and he doesn't hold back. His lyrics are really meaningful. He's just an amazing rapper and he weaves beautiful stories. I've really been enjoying his new album Perception, which recently reached number 1 on the Billboard 200. These are some of my favorite artists, but what about yours? Let me know who your favorite Christian alternatives are in the comments! 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! Award Rules: - Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award. - Answer eleven questions that the blogger gives you. - List eleven random facts about yourself. - Nominated up to 11 other bloggers that you think are deserving of this award (with less than 200 subscribers). - Let the bloggers know you nominated them. - Give them eleven questions to answer. Questions: 1. What is your favorite board game? My siblings like to collect different editions of Monopoly, so we play that game pretty often. My favorite edition is Star Wars Monopoly! 2. What was the last movie you watched? The Princess Bride, which is my favorite movie of all time. Unfortunately, nobody likes watching it with me because I literally know every single line and I've been known to quote entire scenes before. If challenged, I could probably quote the entire movie. I'm not joking. 3. What is your favorite ice cream? It changes every few months, but right now I like chocolate and cherry. 4. What is your goal for writing? I really love ministry, and in this day and age, the easiest way to reach people is online. I just want to reach as many people as possible, and show them how amazing God is. 5. Do you have any pets? I have two dogs, Dozer (3) and Rosie (11). Honestly, if my parents weren't around, I'd probably have 10 dogs by now, I love dogs so much. I live on a farm, so we do have livestock (pigs, chickens, cows) but I wouldn't count them as pets. 6. What does your name mean? "Abigail" means source of joy, and I think that really defines me. I'm just really happy and smiley, and I'm very optimistic. 7. What is your favorite book of the Bible (and why)? I like Galatians, because it just gives us a great understanding of how to live our lives for Christ. 8. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate all the way. 9. Cold weather or hot weather? I've lived in Florida all my life, which means I've never really known true cold. I can take extreme heat. 10. What time of year is your birthday? My birthday is smack dab in the middle of the summer: the month of July. 11. What is one of your favorite memories? On my mission trip to Brazil, we were in a village with about 100 kids attending our one-day VBS. I would chat a little with the kids as I painted their faces, and they were really fun! At the end of the day, when we were about to leave, a group of kids attacked me with a huge group hug. I fondly refer to them as "minha criancas," which means "my children" in Portuguese. 11 Random Facts: - For those of you who read Harry Potter, I am a proud Hufflepuff. - My favorite color is sunflower yellow. Any other yellow is not acceptable :D - I love NFL football, and I'm the reigning champion in my fantasy football league. - Speaking of football, I was raised a Miami Dolphins fan, but I am now a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. - My other favorite sport is soccer. My family likes to follow the British Premiere League. - When it comes to soccer, my family cheers for Manchester City, and I like Manchester United. - My great grandfather helped to invent night vision. - My favorite movie quote is from (duh) The Princess Bride: "You're that smart?" "Let me put it this way: ever heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates?" "Yes." "Morons." - I like pineapple on pizza. - I bite my string cheese. - My family is a registered foster family. I'm nominating Savannah at The Adventurous Christian Girl Blog. Here are the questions: - What inspired you to start blogging? - If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? - What's your favorite season? - What's your favorite sport? - What's your favorite color? - When ordering pizza, what toppings do you get? - At a Mexican restaurant, what do you order? - Tea or coffee? - When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? - How old is "too old" to be taking selfies? - What is your favorite thing about Fall? Well, that's about it! I certainly had fun with this, and I hope you guys enjoyed it too! 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! Hello there! Sara over at R5:3-5 tagged me for the Back to School Tag, so we'll hop right into it! Here's the rules:
Here we go, then! Questions: 1. What grade are you in, and are you homeschooled, go to private school, or public school? I'm in 10th grade (sophomore) and I've been homeschooled my entire life. 2. What is the best thing about school for you? In our homeschool co-op, we're doing an English/History hybrid class that's based on the musical "Hamilton." My two favorite subjects, and musical theatre? Yes please! 3. What is the worst thing about school for you? I work three mornings a week, and when I come home after an early morning and hard work, I have to go straight to the computer and start doing my schoolwork. 4. In what ways does your faith affect your school? When you're homeschooled, you have a lot more free time than sitting in school 7 hours a day. This leaves me some spare time to study the Bible, and talk to God. The Bible also talks a lot about laziness, and I have a few great verses when I feel like procrastinating. 5. What is your favorite day of the school week and why? Tuesdays are my favorite, because our homeschool co-op is every Tuesday and I get to see all my friends! It's kind of like real school, with the different classes and classmates and everything, but it's only one day a week. 6. Describe your favorite teacher you've had. I have three teachers who are my favorites: - Mrs. Padgett, my FLVS U.S. History teacher last year, was super fun and nerdy, and she really challenged me. - Mrs. Hanks, my math teacher in co-op, is such a great character and does a really good job explaining why we need to learn the concepts she's teaching. - Mrs. Brookins teaches the "Hamilton" class I mentioned in the second question and she's really funny. 7. What do you want to do when you finish school? When I'm done with high school, I want to go to a bible college in Brazil so I can study theology in Portuguese. Then I'd want to be a missionary on the Amazon River. 8. What has been your best school year and why? 8th grade was fun because I knew all the ins-and-outs of middle school. 6th and 7th grade were weird because I looked like a dork, but in 8th grade I got my act together lol! 9. What's the craziest thing you've done for school? As homeschoolers, anywhere you go can count as a field trip. Some memorable field trips would be: - A tour of a dairy farm - A tour of Winn-Dixie - The IMAX theater Phew, I made it, and I didn't die! Now here's the blogs I'm tagging: - Savannah @ The Adventurous Christian Girl - Belle @ Seeing Everything Else This was super fun for me, and I hope you enjoyed too :) Our culture is obsessed with looks. Everybody wants to look the same, and look pretty. We stand in front of the mirror, scrutinizing our face, and everything about us, and either think we’re better than someone else or we’re worse. We either like what we see in the mirror or we can't stand it.
It’s so easy to compare ourselves with others! I struggle with that, and you probably do too. Everyone does, in a way. Comparison is a huge thing that tears us down. And it’s mostly just about looks and outward appearances that seem to matter when you're comparing yourself to someone else. Because anybody can create a fake identity based on the person they look up to and want to be. But the Bible clearly says it’s our inward heart that matters! 1 Peter 3:3-4 Says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Instead of looking in the mirror and thinking, ‘I wish I had prettier eyes,’ Search your heart and pray, that God would show you what you need to learn. Ask God how you can become more like Him. More kind, loving, gentle, and confident. About the Author: Hello! My name is Nina, and I'm 12. I've been writing for about 3 years, and I also love all kinds of art, photography, music, and going on adventures :) My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11, and I live in Arizona with my two older siblings, parents, and dog. |
AuthorHi, I'm Abigail! Welcome to my blog. Hope you enjoy! Archives
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