Fashioned by God E-Book

Kathryn Graves

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 171

Beschreibung

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 NKJV True beauty lies within, but no one wants to look like a hot mess! Fashioned by God is a 30-day devotional that mixes fashion and faith to help you look and feel your best. Each day offers a Bible verse, spiritual lesson, prayer, questions for your heart, actions for your wardrobe, and an inspirational quote from a style icon. Learn to: • recognize the difference between fads and fashion, • honor God with your personal style, • declutter your closet and your heart, • outfit your wardrobe with flattering essentials • combine pieces you already own for new, chic outfits. You don't have to dread opening your closet every morning. Master the elements of style and be encouraged to deepen your walk with Christ.

Leseprobe

Fashioned by God is full of fashion tips and spiritual inspiration that will help you develop a beautiful, rewarding relationship with Jesus.

— Angie and John Thurman, senior leaders, Premier Designs

Being in the world while not of it is a challenge for today’s Christian woman. In Fashioned by God, author Kathryn Graves helps us not only learn more about wardrobe, accessories, and making the most of what we have, but she also helps us better understand and appreciate our beauty through the eyes of God, who loves what he sees.

—Anita Agers-Brooks, author of Exceedingly: Spiritual Strategies for Living on Purpose, with Purpose, and for an Abundant Purpose and Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over; speaker; common trauma expert; certified personality trainer; business-and-life coach

As a fashion consultant, pastor’s wife, and Bible study teacher, author Kathryn Graves understands the multifaceted needs of women. In this devotional book, Kathryn addresses women’s fashion concerns and encourages her readers to consider their emotional and spiritual needs.

—Karen Jordan, speaker and author of Words That Change Everything

You will love Fashioned by God. Drawing on her years of experience in the fashion industry, Kathryn Graves shares organizational ideas, eye-opening fashion tips, and spiritual applications to help us clear the junk from our hearts so we can become the beautiful women God has designed us to be.

—Michelle Cox, author of the When God Calls the Heart series; WhenGodCallstheHeart.com

Fashioned by God will challenge you, make you laugh, encourage your heart, and leave you and your closet more stylish than ever! Kathryn Graves is an incredible woman who shares her heartfelt advice in this one-of-a-kind book. I will definitely be sharing it with friends.

—Rosalinda Rivera, international speaker, author of Dare to Begin Again

Kathryn has taken her years of expertise in the fashion industry and created this simple-to-implement style guide that works for every woman. She has also discovered an incredible secret: the condition of our closets often reflects the struggles within our hearts. With a personable and practical style, Kathryn helps us organize, clean out, and bring beauty to both areas of our lives, resulting in the ability to step out of our closets and into life with confidence and joy. If you have to wake up in the morning and get dressed, then this book is for you.

—Erica Wiggenhorn, Bible teacher, author of An Unexplainable Life and The Unexplainable Church

What a joy to read Fashioned by God! Kathryn has a way of being transparent and entertaining at the same time. She has a passion for women and inspires her readers to understand that their beauty comes from the only true source within. This is a must read!

—Greta Bost, Premier Designs, Chic 139

Fashioned by God is a great devotional with good fashion advice and spiritual insights. I will recommend this devotional to all women—young and old alike.

—Doris Kelsey, wife of former Kansas State Senator Dick Kelsey

Fashioned by God is a staple for every woman’s bookshelf. Kathryn is open and honest about her feelings and guides us to the lessons she has learned through years of study. The scriptural truth that’s woven throughout this uplifting book gives it a foundation and timelessness that will speak for years to come. This is definitely a book that I’ll purchase to share with others.

—Edie Melson, director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, social media director at Southern Writers Magazine, author of Soul Care When You’re Weary, Maiden of Iron, Alone, While My Child is Away, While My Soldier Serves, and Connections: Social Media and Blogging Techniques for Writers

This devotional is delightful, life-changing, and full of practical wisdom. I found not only spiritual strength but also a way to organize my out-of-control closet. Kathryn Graves has done a masterful job of applying spiritual principles to wardrobe issues. This book is not merely about fashion; it challenges women to live with grace and the unchanging characteristics of God. Is there anything more timeless than that?

—Carol McLeod, Just Joy Ministries, author of Rooms of a Woman’s Heart, Defiant Joy, No More Ordinary, Refined, Pass the Joy, and Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue

Once in a while, we all need a style makeover. It’s hard to be objective when you are the only visitor to your closet. Reading Fashioned by God is like having a personal wardrobe consultant for thirty days. Kathryn is an experienced voice to help clear the clutter and make your wardrobe work for you. She also encourages you to tend the most essential closet you have—your heart. With gentle persuasion, she invites you to look beyond what you wear to fashioning your heart through an intimate relationship with God. This book makes an excellent devotional gift for women of all ages, and will remain on my bookshelf because it is a book that will never go out of style!

—Cynthia Cavanaugh, speaker, life coach, author of Anchored: Leading through the Storms and Live Bold: A Devotional Journal to Strengthen Your Soul

I love Kathryn’s simple approach to our feminine heart through fashion. So often our confidence can be made or broken by our appearance. Kathryn addresses this in a practical manner and takes us beyond the surface to the deepest longing in our heart—the desire for our Creator. She has effectively aligned the practical with the spiritual in a way that will ultimately simplify your wardrobe and life. You will love her thirty-day journey through your closet and into your heart!

—Pauline Meier, executive director, Premier Designs

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Fashioned by God: A 30-Day Devotional

Copyright © 2019 Kathryn Graves

978-1-4245-5787-5 (faux leather)

978-1-4245-5788-2 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Literary representation: Keely Boeving with WordServe Literary

Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Typesetting by Kjell Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Printed in China

19 20 21 22 23 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Day 1Open Your Closet Doors

Day 2Foundation Repair

Day 3Pants Parade

Day 4Topsy Turvy

Day 5Dress-querade

Day 6What to Do with All This Stuff?

Day 7Shoe Market

Day 8Shoe Market— Part Two

Day 9Purse Palooza

Day 10Purse-stravaganza

Day 11Scarf It Down

Day 12Do Your Research

Day 13Color Code

Day 14The Long and Short of It

Day 15Now That You Know

Day 16Combo Punch

Day 17Combo Punch— Part Two

Day 18The New You

Day 19A Whole Other Closet?

Day 20Hang-Ups

Day 21The Beauty of Drawers

Day 22The Beauty of Drawers—Part 2

Day 23Lefty or Righty

Day 24Rainbows

Day 25Twins and Triplets

Day 26Re-evaluate: What Do You Have?

Day 27Re-evaluate, Part 2: What Do You Need?

Day 28What Does It Cost?

Day 29Two Heads Are Better Than One

Day 30Your Stunning Style

Appendix Basic Wardrobe Essentials

About the Author

Foreword

by Shari Braendel

It thrills me to see Kathryn Graves’ Fashioned by God on the market to encourage Christian women in their outer appearance. I’m especially excited to see Kathryn take on closet organization and how, at the same time, she relates it to the heart and having a spiritual makeover.

I became an image consultant in the 1990s when the trend of making an impact with the right clothes to advance careers was new on the scene. Enter “finding your right colors” through color analysis from Color Me Beautiful. Along with image consulting on the rise, the career gained wide acceptance and received major news coverage.

After being trained as a professional color consultant by CMB, my career as an image consultant took off. I was living in Miami, Florida, and began working with female attorneys planning their wardrobes to help them move up in the ranks at their firms. I wrote dress codes for the banking industry and assisted female professionals, along with male clients, to have smart wardrobes.

I became a Christian in my late twenties, and, though successful in my career, God began rearranging my thinking as it pertained to my chosen profession. Though I had a degree in fashion merchandising and was thoroughly enjoying working with clients, my heart was changing.

I remember sitting in my favorite chair, praying, when I was prompted by the Lord to take my skills in image consulting into churches to help Christian women have more confidence in how they look. Women battle with their outer appearance, and Christian women are no different. Many times we have issues with comparison and feelings of low self-esteem. Instead of being grateful for how we are made, we berate ourselves. Struggling with the way one looks in clothes is an ever-present reality for most women. After wrestling with God over the idea of taking this message to the church, I finally did.

Over the years I’ve had many conversations with church leadership, explaining the benefits of confident women and how it’s critical that women feel good about themselves and represent on the outside who they are on the inside. I have been privileged to walk alongside thousands of Christian women, speak at national conferences, and educate and train Christian image consultants to take the message of fashion, style, and beauty to the church to build up girls of all ages.

Kathryn Graves’ Fashioned by God is filled with nuggets for the everyday woman. I believe that any woman who reads this and follows along with each lesson will have a heart makeover and find that she loves herself more each day. This is a serious issue for today’s Christian woman, and I’m excited to recommend this book to others who may be struggling with their outer appearance and body-esteem. I’m grateful for women like Kathryn who realize that how we feel about our outer appearance is critical to our relationship with God.

Shari

Founder of Fashion Meets Faith

Author of Help Me, Jesus, I Have Nothing to Wear!

Introduction

When you open your closet to get dressed, do you feel overwhelmed or excited? Insecure or confident? Or do you think, I just need to clean this thing out?

Let me assure you, you’re not alone.

Did you know your heart is like a closet? Just like an outfit you want to wear can get lost in your closet, the contents you want in your heart can be buried under other stuff.

This book is a devotional, a journal guide, and a practical wardrobe manual.

I spent many years in the fashion industry, helping women find currently fashionable outfits in their own closets. I discovered that this helped them feel better about themselves when they walked out the door in the morning. Knowing they looked good gave them a confidence boost. These same years, I also taught a weekly Bible study. Along the way, I discovered I love to write devotionals.

One day, while driving home from a writers and speakers conference, I began to consider the idea of writing something that would offer a combination of fashion tips and spiritual inspiration for the everyday woman. I stopped for a long lunch so I could write everything down. I wasn’t sure about it, having never seen a book like this one before. But the Lord pressed me to write down my thoughts. My literary agent loved the idea, and you are holding the result in your hands.

My prayer for you as you read and work through Fashioned by God is that you will learn how to find current fashion in your closet, express your personality with your wardrobe, and clear out your closet so your choices can be easily seen. I pray you will also develop a beautiful, rewarding relationship with Jesus Christ.

Let me encourage you to make this book your jumping-off point to begin a journal with lots of space for your notes and drawings. You may find that you need more than thirty days to complete this material. Feel free to take all the time you need. There is nothing sacred about thirty days. Fashioned by God is really all about you. So make it yours.

DAY 1

Open Your Closet Doors

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.

Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves,

that Jesus Christ is in you?

—unless indeed you are disqualified.

2 CORINTHIANS 13:5

How do you feel when you open your closet doors in the mornings? Are you afraid of what might jump out at you because of the mess? Or are you bored by items you’ve owned for years? Often we just don’t know what to do with what we see. Our closets are filled with clothing we no longer wear because it’s either too small or too big. Some items we’ve owned for so long, they’ve gone out of style. We want clothes that fit us, express our personal style, and make us look good. And we also want to honor God. But doing all of that can be challenging. When we purchase new items, there is no space in our closets for them, and we often don’t know how to pair new things with what we already own.

Where do we even start? Well, the first thing we have to do to solve the problem is open the doors and look in. We’ve got to examine what we see hanging there.

Do you own pants in both your big size and your small size? Many of us hang on to the clothes we used to wear because we’re either afraid we’ll gain the weight back, or we already have and long to lose it again. Is your closet crammed with dresses that were in style ten years ago, but now they’re so old, not even consignment stores want them anymore? Do you have many pairs of leggings but not much else in the pants department? Are the tops in your closet the colors you love, or ones you’re not sure about? Do you own more pairs of shoes than you can count? And do you have a purse for every possible color outfit and occasion?

Before we can begin filling our closets with current high style, we need to take an honest look at what already fills them. We need to know what has to go away and what can stay. As we work through this book, we’ll answer that question in detail. But for today, let’s just see what we have.

Open your closet doors and take a good look inside. If items fall out on top of you, see what they are. Go all the way to the back. Consider how many of your clothes, shoes, purses, and scarves you actually wear. Is some serious clearing out in order? How do you feel about what you see in your closet? Are you willing to begin cleaning it out?

* * *

Our hearts are like closets. We sometimes don’t want to look too closely at what’s in them because we’re afraid of what we might find. All sorts of things get stuffed in there, with each item on top of what’s already there. We rarely take time to pull anything out. And even if we do, before long, it gets crammed back in. It just seems easier that way. We don’t want to deal with it.

The truth is, there is really only one thing you need in your heart—one person, actually. If Jesus Christ is in there, then the other problems can be solved. Can you begin to sort through some of the mess inside your heart, making space for the one thing you really need? Consider today what might be worth pulling out, sorting through, and maybe even letting go.

Lord Jesus, I confess that I have neglected to clean out my cluttered mind and heart. What I see in there scares me sometimes. I need you to help me re-organize my life and priorities. I’m asking you to show me what needs to go and what can stay. Thank you for loving me enough to provide this help.

Heart Action

•Examine your mind. What’s stored in there? Go all the way to the back. Is Jesus Christ inside? Is he covered over with clutter? How do you feel about what you see in your heart? In the space below, list a few things God said to you after you prayed.

•List the obvious things you need to take out.

•If you’re not sure Jesus is in your heart, read these verses: Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 3:3; John 14:6; Romans 10:9–11; 2 Corinthians 5:15; and Revelation 3:20.

Wardrobe Action

The beauty of a woman must be seen from her eyes, because

that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

—Audrey Hepburn

•Consider your pairs of pants. Do you own multiple sizes?

•Sort through the dresses and skirts. Assess each for current style potential. Make a list of the sizes and how many you are absolutely certain you will never wear again.

•Pull out your tops and blouses. Don’t feel bad if there are lots of them. Think about the colors in each one. Do you love them? Check out the fit. Is this a top you love to wear? If not, ask yourself why.

•Count your pairs of shoes and purses. This may seem painful, as it requires facing up to the real number. Also count scarves.

•Open your lingerie drawer. Does what you see scare you? Is it a disaster of disorganization, filled with one too many tattered and torn items? Consider if it may be time to clean out this space.

•For today, you can put most items back in your closet. There may be a few things that you instinctively know you need to leave out, and that’s great. Now is a good time to find a spot where you can store them while you complete your closet clean-out.

•If you’re stressed about all the things that need to go, don’t worry. We’ll talk on Day 6 about what to do with old clothes after you clear them out. Some may simply be headed for the trash can, but for most items, you’ll have a variety of options.

DAY 2

Foundation Repair

For no other foundation can anyone lay

than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:11

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the

foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream

beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it,

for it was founded on the rock.

LUKE 6:48

We need to begin with first things first. Without the proper foundations, no clothing will look good on us or even fit well. And that means starting with the basics—lingerie.

When you opened your lingerie drawer yesterday, did you find a tangled mess? Did you need to press down with one hand and shove the drawer closed with the other just to make it all fit? If you own a lingerie chest with smaller-size drawers, each category of items will go in a separate drawer. If you own a dresser or chest of drawers, your larger drawers can house multiple types. Let’s see what sorts of things belong in these drawers and how to make them beautiful spaces.