Girl Defined

Kristen Clark, Bethany Baird

Description

In a Culture of Distortions, Discover God-Defined Womanhood and Beauty In a culture where airbrushed models and career-driven women define beauty and success, it's no wonder we have a distorted view of femininity. Our impossible standards place an incredible burden of stress on the backs of women and girls of all ages, resulting in anxiety, eating disorders, and depression. One question we often forget to ask is this: What is God's design for womanhood?In Girl Defined, sisters and popular bloggers Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal offer women a countercultural view of beauty, femininity, and self-worth. Based firmly in God's design for their lives, this book helps women rethink what true success and beauty look like. It invites them on a liberating journey toward a radically better vision for femininity that ends with the discovery of the kind of hope, purpose, and fulfillment they've been yearning for.Girl Defined helps readers· discover God's design for femininity and his definition of a successful woman · uncover the secrets of lasting worth, purpose, and fulfillment· be equipped and empowered to live out a radically better vision for womanhood · gain personal insight through the chapter-by-chapter study guide

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 10 mai 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493404889
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2016 by Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2016
Ebook corrections 03.11.2021
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-0488-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011
Scripture quotations labeled HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
The names and details of some of the people and situations described in this book have been changed or presented in composite form in order to ensure the privacy of those with whom the authors have worked.
Endorsements
“Radical. Compelling. Timeless. Timely. Powerful. Beautiful. Kristen and Bethany’s vision for what it means to be a woman is all this and more!”
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth , bestselling author and Revive Our Hearts teacher and host
“Kristen and Bethany are great role models. And this message is one every girl needs. Who doesn’t wonder if they are ‘enough’? This book will redefine what it means to be a girl.”
Dannah Gresh , bestselling author of And the Bride Wore White
“In a day when women are confused about their value and identity, they desperately need to know that the only one who can define them is the One who created them! In Girl Defined , Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird point women to the true definition of their worth and to the ultimate freedom that comes from femininity defined by God. Girl Defined is on point! This book is a timely and needed read for women of all ages!”
Marian Jordan Ellis , founder of Redeemed Girl Ministries and author of Sex and the Single Christian Girl
“This book is for every girl who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, ‘Am I pretty?’ For every sports-lovin’, pink-shunning girl who has ever wondered how she could fit into God’s mold for womanhood. For every girl with a secret yearning to turn heads everywhere she goes. God’s girls everywhere, this book is for you!”
Erin Davis , author, blogger, and speaker
“Beauty, sexuality, gender identity, purpose, and value are being defined by the shallow standards of our culture. But two young writers are bravely challenging the status quo and calling women to embrace true beauty and womanhood—as defined by God. Kristen and Bethany are painfully transparent as they invite us into their life experiences and show us how to live out the glorious purpose God has for us as women! Girl Defined is a carefully researched book that leads women to think through their purpose on a grand and biblical scale.”
Kimberly Wagner , author of Fierce Women
“Women today are told that their value is sexual. They have worth because of their beauty, and they should use their looks to gain power over men. Rarely is a book so well positioned to counter these secular lies as this one. The testimony of two women who had every opportunity to pursue worldly womanhood but instead chose biblical womanhood is priceless. You look up from reading the cut-to-the-heart exhortations and inspiring stories, and you can almost see Ruth, Hannah, Mary, and many others calling to a generation of girls, summoning them to defy Satan and seek Christ.”
Owen Strachan , president of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and author of The Colson Way
“Every girl has to carve out her own identity in the midst of tempting messages and cultural pressures. Many falter and fail. Kristen and Bethany come to the rescue in Girl Defined not only with clear biblical teaching and solid guidance but also with the story of their own personal journeys to God’s good design for women.”
Margaret K ö stenberger , ThD, author of Jesus and the Feminists and coauthor of God’ s Design for Man and Woman
“ Girl Defined challenges girls to question ‘normal’ and think through what will ultimately bring them the most satisfaction in life. (Spoiler alert: it’s not necessarily what they’ve been led to believe!) I appreciate Kristen’s and Bethany’s courage, vulnerability, and compassion as they start a much-needed conversation about identity.”
Jessie Minassian , resident “big sis” at LifeLoveandGod.com and author of Crushed , Unashamed , and Backwards Beauty
“In a world in which womanhood is increasingly defined by body shape, brand names, boyfriends, bust size, beauty tips, and bawdy sexual mores, someone needs to champion a biblical vision of true beauty—and few do it as well as Kristen and Bethany.”
Luke Gilkerson , author of The Talk: 7 Lessons to Introduce Your Child to Biblical Sexuality
“In Girl Defined , Kristen and Bethany issue a clarion call to every young woman in this generation: cease with the never-ending, never-satisfying attempts to define yourself, and embrace and trust in God’s original, good design. Insightful, biblical, and written with passion and conviction, Girl Defined encourages girls to choose to be defined by God, resulting in the hope, freedom, purpose, and fulfillment we all long for.”
Theresa Wigington Bowen , wife, mother, founder at A Candle in the Window Hospitality Network, and contributor to Women in the Church
“Hey, Hollywood, Vogue , and MTV . . . what if you are wrong about strong women and sexuality? What if today’s girls are looking for beauty that doesn’t need a runway? Girls are longing for something deeper than fashion and hair flipping. Kristen and Bethany have answered that call with Girl Defined . As a mom and fierce defender of femininity, I am thrilled to get this book into the hands of the women and girls I mentor.”
Mona Corwin , author of Table for Two and The Unstoppable Generation
“Redefining gender is a hot-button issue that parents, church leaders, and counselors must address in our modern culture. Girl Defined is a helpful tool for girls and women who are struggling to understand their God-defined femininity . The authors share their personal struggles and offer solutions found in God’s Word. Clear analysis of the problem sets the stage for solution-oriented teaching from Scripture. The application section at the end of each chapter makes this a practical study tool for individual or group use. Biblical counselors will find this a helpful resource.”
Randy Patten , training director emeritus at the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and founder of TEAM Focus Ministries
“ Girl Defined is a book I would have devoured when I was embarking on my own journey of womanhood. I longed to read something written by young women who weren’t satisfied with Jesus being an add-on to their culturally comfortable lives. This is that book. Read and find the courage to be a woman who refuses to be defined by anything but God’s beautiful design.”
GraceAnna Castleberry , pastor’s wife and contributor to the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
“With pertinent illustrations and practic al application, Kristen and Bethany have written an excellent book that seeks to encourage women to find their identity, satisfaction, and purpose in Christ alone.”
Amanda Peacock , wife, mother, and occasional writer and speaker on biblical womanhood
Dedication
To our three younger sisters, Ellissa, Rebekah, and Suzanna. May you always be girls defined by God.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Endorsements 5
Dedication 7
Part 1: Femininity Gone Wrong 11
1. Bullied by the Big Bad Checklist 13
2. Blonde Bombshells Don’t Have What It Takes 25
3. Counterfeit Femininity, You’ve Done Me Wrong 35
Part 2: Getting Back to God’s Design 53
4. Good-Bye Modeling, Hello New Direction 55
5. Gender, You Are Oh So Magnificent 65
6. Modern Chic, Meet Biblical Womanhood 81
7. Okay, Girls, Show Us How It’s Done 97
Part 3: When It Comes to Beauty, True Love, and Hard Work 113
8. Beauty That Doesn’t Need a Runway 115
9. When True Love and Femininity Collide 129
10. Hardworking Women Doin’ It Right 145
Part 4: Choosing to Become a Girl Defined by God 165
11. Brave Enough to Change Your Look 167
12. Turning Heads in a New Direction 183
Part 5: Femininity Worth Fighting For 197
13. Imagine the Possibilities 199
14. Let’s Get the Sisterhood Started! 213
Acknowledgments 225
Notes 227
About the Authors 231
Back Ads 232
Back Cover 234
Part 1: Femininity Gone Wrong
1. Bullied by the Big Bad Checklist

My heart pounded inside my chest. I (Kristen) slowly turned the doorknob on the large glass door. Turning a metal doorknob with sweaty hands is never easy. As the modern office, with its bright white walls and black furniture, came into view, I saw a woman in her early forties with dark brown hair sitting behind a desk. That must be her , I thought. She turned in my direction at the s