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PICNIC IN THE PARK SEPT.15TH!
JOIN US AT LONGVIEW LAKE SHELTER #11 FROM 11-1PM FOR FOOD, FUN, AND GIVEAWAYS!
PLEASE RSVP HERE AND PUT "PICNIC" IN THE SUBJECT LINE!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO OR CALL: 913-634-8870
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| UPCOMING EVENTS LINKS
SEPTEMBER
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| DID YOU KNOW...
Approximately 7 million girls and women struggle with eating disorders
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The "ideal" woman - portrayed by models, Miss America, Barbie dolls, and screen actresses - is 5'5, weighs 100 pounds and wears a size 5.
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WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Join us on MESSAGE BOARD (click link) and post your thoughts along with other girls and young women about BODY IMAGE!
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TAKE OUR POLL...
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR BODY IMAGE?
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+LIFE SKILLS
Body Image
Genesis 1:27 says:
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
This verse clearly doesn't have a certain body type or size attached to it...right?
BUT how do we stop being so critical of ourselves?
Here are a few tips:
1. DIET
Did I scare you? I mean a MEDIA Diet! Cut out the stuff in your life that sends negative messages rolling around in your brain! Ask yourself: What am I listening to? What am I watching? What magazines do I look at routinely?
2. SELF AFFIRMATION
What are you telling yourself? Are you telling yourself that you don't measure up?! STOP IT! Look in the mirror...are you looking?? See that hair out of place?! That pimple that looks like Mars? That DOES NOT define you...
Repeat after me...The ONLY opinion that matters is God's! He created me in HIS image, not the other way around! I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
(RINSE AND REPEAT;))
3. GOD
It's SO important that we spend time with God...His words will feed you, fill you, and sustain you...Write down Genesis 1:27 and put it on your bathroom mirror!
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MAILBAG!
We want articles written by YOU about topics YOU want to talk about!
We are now accepting submissions about BODY IMAGE! Tell us in 200-400 words about YOUR body image and answer the following questions...
Is it good? Why? Bad? Why?
What kind of struggles,if any,have you had?
What, if anything, has helped you get past those struggles?
If your body image is positive, how have you been able to keep it that way?
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Have a question you'd like to ask?
OR
A comment you'd like to make about our newsletter?
Send submissions & questions by SEPT. 24th to:
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Greetings!
FWM is a sisterhood of girls and young women ages 12-20s...now I know what you're thinking...that's a HUGE age range! The reality is that no matter what age we are ALL affected by the same issues like self-esteem, beauty, body-image, and so many more! FWM strives to break down barriers girls and young women face by talking to each other about these difficult topics and letting each other know they aren't going through this alone!
Psalm 139:14 says "...I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." This is where the "imfwm" slogan came from...We want girls of all ages to know that He created us and we are fearfully & wonderfully made!
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BODY IMAGE
by Cheryl Ruth. Life Coach
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I've struggled with body image the majority of my life. I hadn't given the proportion of my body that much attention until I was in the 5th grade and someone pointed it out to me. "You're fat," I heard her say. She wasn't the nicest girl I knew but I defended myself and told her it was the clothes I was wearing. I walked away, never giving it another moment's thought...or did I?
From that moment on, I found myself consumed with how I looked and what other's thought. Comparing myself to other girls became routine. Through jr. high and high school I constantly felt like the "fat" kid at a whopping size 6. Never did my parents make me feel I was large or inadequate but rather my peers and messages I received through magazines and t.v. led me to this conclusion myself. At times, my self worth was based solely on how I looked in a certain pair of jeans!
My difficulty with body image didn't stop after college. I've never had an eating "disorder" per se but maybe an eating "malfunction." There were MANY days I would restrict myself on food allowance as a way to deal with stress or punish myself for something fattening I had eaten the day before. Just a couple years ago I dropped 15 pounds and was down to a size 0. Maybe it felt good for about 5 minutes to buy a smaller size, but the reality was I was STARVING myself. I was hungry CONSTANTLY! And on top of that I felt lousy with massive headaches overpowering me daily. The truth was I needed more calories for my energy output.
Now that I'm getting older and hopefully wiser I'm realizing there is NOTHING more beautiful than a girl who's comfortable in her own skin. Just yesterday I sat next to a girl on an airplane who told me she was a size 8 (funny what you talk about with strangers). According to "industry" standards she's overweight! NONSENSE! All I could think was kudos to her for being confident about who she is and where she's going!
I can definitely say that as I'm getting older, I find myself laughing more when I see girls striving to look like a size -2. I don't instantly want to run to the mirror and compare myself, and I know from experience that looking good doesn't have to mean conforming to what someone else thinks. Yes, I exercise and watch what I eat but I'm not OBSESSED with it. I've learned about eating in moderation not starvation. What I think now is, "Been there. Done that. Pass the biscuits!" This chic is eating!
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What Does God Say? by Terri Gake |
Looks aren't everything
But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7M
Do you remember your mother telling you that looks aren't everything? I do. And even at a young age, I didn't get it. Why wouldn't she want me to be pretty? Why wouldn't she want herself to be pretty? I danced with a dance company and the emphasis was on costume and make up and hair. Wow! How completing damaging to a child! Of course it mattered if we knew the dance steps and if we were dancing in unison, but there seemed to be so much pressure put on looking grown up.
Isn't that our culture today? We live in an image-driven society. If it looks good, it must be good. Did you know that even churches are judged by how they package their messages? By how they present themselves to the community? Aren't we as women judged by the style of our clothes and hair? Look who we're competing with though; women who have professionals that style their hair and their clothes and their accessories. Women who are photographed and then edited in Photoshop to make them look 'better', 'prettier', 'sexier'. Is that reality? You be the judge.
In this passage of the Bible, God had taken the kingship from Saul and was looking for a new king. He sends Samuel to the family of Jesse in Bethlehem. Now Jesse had eight sons. God told Samuel to have Jesse introduce his sons to him one at a time. God assured Samuel that he would let him know which son was to be king. All of Jesse's sons were handsome, and Samuel was overcome by their looks and stature. Yet, the first seven he introduced were not God's chosen.
Now Jesse had failed to mention that not all of his sons were in attendance at this affair. The 'runt', David, was out tending sheep. His own father did not think enough of him to invite him to the event, but they called for David and sure enough, he was chosen by God.
So what's the moral? Looks aren't everything, which is where we started. I'm just like you; I like to work out and fix my hair and put on make-up and wear fun clothes. But it's not who I am. Looking good and taking care of my body does not define me. To me, it is merely being a good steward of what God has given me.
Take a minute to reflect on these thoughts. Where are you today? Is your self-worth based on how you look? Or do you believe that God sees through all of that and judges you based on your motives and attitudes?
Copyright 2007 Terri Gake
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| ONLINE BOOK CLUB
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Our online book club is starting soon! We will be reading Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge starting September 24th.
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How does this work? Good question!1.Buy the book!
(I bought mine used at www.amazon.com)
2. Go to www.imfwm.com and click the "Message Board" tab and register for a SCREEN NAME
3. Go to the "Contact Us" tab and put "Book Club" in the subject line, tell us YOUR NAME and the SCREEN NAME you are using
4. Read 1 chapter per week starting Sept. 24th and participate in group discussion on Message Board and earn BEAUTY BUCKS! Questions? Click HERE
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