There are some books that I wish I could give to every girl I know! I love to read, but there are some books that have really spoken to me. Since the goal of Shining Stars is to encourage ladies in femininity and biblical womanhood, I would like to begin hosting giveaways of books that do just that. My hope is to do one giveaway a month, but that will depend on the available finances.
When I saw this book advertised, I read a few reviews on it and thought that it sounded interesting. It seemed like the type of book that I would want to feature on this site, so I decided to order it and see what it had to say. I began to read … and wow! I was not disappointed!
The Beauty of Modesty was authored by a pastor and his wife – David and Diane Vaughan. The subtitle expresses the purpose of this book: Cultivating Virtue In The Face Of A Vulgar Culture. As a young women who has grown up in a family where modesty has always been a focal point, this book was not a shocker. I did not come away with earth-shattering revelations! What I did gain, was a new appreciation for modesty and how it affects me and those around me. Let me try to review the aspects of this book that I really appreciated:
The authors of this book do not come across as judgmental or condemning. They are straight-forward with the facts … not beating around the bush, but speaking the truth in love.
This book is very informative on the history of the immodesty in our society, how it has affected our lifestyles and infiltrated the body of Messiah. In many ways, we have become desensitized to the immodesty that surrounds us, to the point that so many people who are considered born-again believers dress in a manner that is no different from the rest of the world.
While much of the focus is on the heart and attitude, the authors explain the importance of the outward appearance as well. It is common for people to say, “Modesty is all about the heart” or “It doesn’t really matter how I dress, as long as my heart is right”. This mindset is rooted in Gnosticism and is not scriptural. The Heavenly Father created our bodies … they were purchased by the blood of the Messiah … His Spirit resides in them … and the way that we cover them matters to Him – as can be seen in Genesis 3:21. The garments that Adam and Eve made to cover themselves were not appropriate in YHWH’s eyes.
They do very little defining of what types and styles of clothing are immodest. You cannot use this book as a guideline for how long a skirt must be, or how low a cut is “too low”. Rather they address the various aspects of immodesty, including ostentation, androgyny, sensuality and association. They also discuss the importance of being modest in our words and actions … modesty is not just about the way that we cover our bodies, but also the way that we conduct ourselves.
This book does not just address modesty, but other aspects of living a godly lifestyle that is pleasing to the Father. The Beauty of Modesty encourages women to see their bodies as beautiful, because they are created in the image of the perfect God … it gives one a desire to dress modestly out of respect and kindness for their own body and those around them … it stresses the importance of not causing others to lust and sin … and most importantly it exhorts women to stand against the secular culture that tries to pervade every aspect of our lives, patterning their lives on biblical instructions, presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is their reasonable service, not conforming to this world: but being transformed by the renewing of their mind, that they may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
I heartily recommend it for any woman who desires to serve the Heavenly Father with all that she has!
(Note: I would recommend that a mother or older sister go through this book before a young girl reads it. As the authors explain the history of cultural immodesty and how it affects us, it may be too descriptive for young girls to read.)
Giveaway Rules:
You must be a Shining Stars Magazine subscriber to enter this giveaway. If you are not currently a subscriber and would like to be, please leave a comment on this post to join the giveaway and include your mailing address. I will then add you to the subscription list, and remove your address before I publish the comment.
All Shining Stars subscribers are allowed one entry.
For an additional entry (leave a comment for each entry):
Follow Shining Stars through Google Connect (on the sidebar).
Add the Shining Stars link to your website or blogroll.
Post about this giveaway on your own blog. (Make sure to leave the link to the post).
This giveaway ends on November 22nd.
