Published by Harvest House Publishers on February 18, 2020
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Theology
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
"If you’re tired of surface-level teaching and shallow faith, this book will ignite a fire in your soul for a deeper walk with Jesus and draw you into the depths of the Word.” ——Gretchen Saffles, founder of Well-Watered Women
Why We Need Jesus More Than Compliments
"You're a beautiful daughter of the Most High King." And it's true. But it's not the whole truth. The beauty of being God's daughter has backstory.
If you're tired of hearing the watered-down Christian teaching and hungry for a deeper spiritual life—one that gives real answers to your hardest questions—Stop Calling Me Beautiful teaches you how. You will learnhow to pursue the truths of who God is and who you are in relationship to Himhow to study Scripture, and how your view of God determines how you face life's challengeshow legalism, shallow theology, and false teaching keep you from living boldly as a woman of the Wordhow to experience God's presence in painful circumstancesJesus doesn't offer a powerless salvation. He makes your brokenness part of His whole redemption story—if you allow Him to. Don't settle for a feel-good faith. If you want victory over insecurity, fear, shame, and the circumstances you are facing, it's time to embrace Jesus. All of Him.
In Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul-Deep Strength in a Skin-Deep World, popular Christian blogger Phylicia Masonheimer encourages women to dig deep into Scripture and move past “pink fluff” in their relationships with God. She addresses several common pitfalls for modern women’s ministry, illustrating how frustrated many women are with the disconnect between their spiritual highs at conferences and the ordinary, difficult details of their lives. Masonheimer argues that this is ultimately a fault of poor teaching, not Christianity itself, and encourages women to experience transformation through a deeper understanding of God, sin, and the redemptive story.
In the following chapters, she writes about a variety of different practical topics, such as how to study the Bible, overcome legalism, and deal with issues like grief, anxiety, sexual addiction, and struggles in community. She shares a freeing, biblical perspective on each of these topics, and shares her personal testimony of overcoming bondage to sin. She is incredibly honest and vulnerable, and shares an example of how important it is to tell the truth about ourselves and receive God’s grace instead of covering ourselves with the fig leaves of Christian platitudes.
However, there is one thing that I wish Masonheimer had done differently. People who struggle with anxiety as a mental health condition are likely to find her chapter on anxiety insensitive and unhelpful, because even though she shares great advice for handling situational and emotional worries, she never clearly differentiates ordinary worry from anxiety disorders. I wish that she had clarified that issue, but as long as someone can read this with that in mind, I still recommend this. Stop Calling Me Beautiful is clear, practical, and encouraging, and will help women who are tired of shallow teaching and eager for ways to grow in their theological understanding and Christian walk.