I love the comedic comic character Maxine because she’s got a pulse on this culture and tells it like it is: “What’s new with you? Your boobs, your tush or your face?” We laugh yet reports indicate that the widespread availability of plastic surgery and the pervasive influence of reality shows focused on surgical makeovers are having a profound effect on the self-worth of young people, especially girls.
In her quest for a better body image, twenty-three-year-old reality star Heidi Montag unveiled on MTV’s The Hills’ sixth season premiere the effect of plastic surgery addiction. Obsessed with perfect, Heidi had ten procedures done on one day, all in an effort to convert herself into a real, live Barbie doll. This story crowded the Obamas off the cover of People magazine.
No doubt this type of programming encourages young viewers to pursue cosmetic surgery. More young people are considering cosmetic procedures to fulfill their dreams because most media coverage about plastic surgery is very flattering. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the most common procedure performed on people eighteen and younger was rhinoplasty (a nose job), but liposuction procedures and breast augmentations have greatly increased.
Society worships the physical body more than the soul. Scripture says that God has put a sense of eternity in people's minds. “Yet, mortals still can't grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end of time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, God’s Word). I believe the amount of emotion and energy poured into desiring plastic surgery is a way that person is tempting to fill that soul-hole which can only be filled by God.
The Bible says, “It's your life that must change, not your skin… What counts is your life” (Luke 3:8-9, MSG). Many psychologists say it's a myth that how you feel about yourself is related to how you actually look. Our value does not rest in looking a particular way. Celebrate every scar, every birthmark, and every flaw because each of them tells a piece of the story of who you are. Often counseling, encouragement and some lessons in makeup and beauty is all a person needs.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Control Toxic Thoughts and Emotions
Dr. Caroline Leaf's book "Who Switched Off My Brain: Controlling Toxic Thoughts and Emotions is a big success. She and Dr. Daniel Amen (author of Change Your Brain, Change YOur Life)influenced my research for the biblically based book, "Breaking the Cover Girl Mask: Toss Out Toxic Emotions." Neuroscience backs up what the Holy Bible has said for over 3,000 years. There is no freedom without a change of mind.
Maybe it’s anger in the form of abuse, depression, or ongoing negative thoughts. It might be addiction or low-self esteem. What lies and wounds do you hide? What accusations do you wear as your identity? What temptations are you continually enslaved to?
Millions of women suffer with ongoing anxiety, fear, doubt, perfectionism, anger, and depression because of toxic thoughts and emotions. Research shows that at least 87 percent of illnesses can be attributed to our thought life. Our mind affects our whole being. Because emotions and behaviors involve a complex interplay between the heart, the mind, and the body, it benefits us to know how our mind is influenced and how our brain works.
Breaking the Cover Girl Mask gives you the tools to restart, restore, and refocus your spiritual super computer. Drawing from personal and ministerial experience, women’s pastor Kimberly Davidson will lead you on a life-changing journey where you will learn how to confront and heal harmful thought patterns and behavior.
Knowledge changes everything.By implementing R.E.S.I.S.T., you can experience true and powerful mind change, restoring the new mind and nature Christ died to give you. We cannot live the life God intended, a life of freedom and joy, without a change of mind. Meet God in the pages of this book.
Those who have read this say, “Every woman in every church needs to read this!” –(Sydney Nash, Stay at home mom, church and community volunteer). “Kim doesn’t sugar coat this subject. She is honest and transparent and out to bust many worldly falsehoods that lead to toxic thinking and behaviors.” (Ronnie Hansen, Marketing Manager).
This book is signed by the author and costs only $15 + s/h. Get your copy today at: http://www.olivebranchoutreach.com/shopping.htm
Maybe it’s anger in the form of abuse, depression, or ongoing negative thoughts. It might be addiction or low-self esteem. What lies and wounds do you hide? What accusations do you wear as your identity? What temptations are you continually enslaved to?
Millions of women suffer with ongoing anxiety, fear, doubt, perfectionism, anger, and depression because of toxic thoughts and emotions. Research shows that at least 87 percent of illnesses can be attributed to our thought life. Our mind affects our whole being. Because emotions and behaviors involve a complex interplay between the heart, the mind, and the body, it benefits us to know how our mind is influenced and how our brain works.
Breaking the Cover Girl Mask gives you the tools to restart, restore, and refocus your spiritual super computer. Drawing from personal and ministerial experience, women’s pastor Kimberly Davidson will lead you on a life-changing journey where you will learn how to confront and heal harmful thought patterns and behavior.
Knowledge changes everything.By implementing R.E.S.I.S.T., you can experience true and powerful mind change, restoring the new mind and nature Christ died to give you. We cannot live the life God intended, a life of freedom and joy, without a change of mind. Meet God in the pages of this book.
Those who have read this say, “Every woman in every church needs to read this!” –(Sydney Nash, Stay at home mom, church and community volunteer). “Kim doesn’t sugar coat this subject. She is honest and transparent and out to bust many worldly falsehoods that lead to toxic thinking and behaviors.” (Ronnie Hansen, Marketing Manager).
This book is signed by the author and costs only $15 + s/h. Get your copy today at: http://www.olivebranchoutreach.com/shopping.htm
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Penny
I came across a story about a man that reached down & picked up a penny off the ground. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. A penny?? When asked why he picked it up:
I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"
David wrote in Psalms 20:7-8: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
The next time you pick up a penny--read the words, "In God We Trust," and say, Yes, God, I get the message.
I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"
David wrote in Psalms 20:7-8: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
The next time you pick up a penny--read the words, "In God We Trust," and say, Yes, God, I get the message.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Freedom through Forgiveness
Unforgiveness is guaranteed to hinder our growth because it plants roots of bitterness in our heart. It’s like pouring acid in us, a caustic substance that eats through our heart. Why is it so hard for us to “forgive and forget” the injuries of life?
God never promised any of us freedom from pain. We can begin to find happiness if we free our mind of resentment and bitterness—put the past behind and see the process as empowering. you can hold that person responsible, harbor hatred, and consequently, carry feelings of anger forever. Or you can begin healing when you chose to forgive. In order to heal, we must forgive again and again—the big wrongs and the little ones. The alternative is to hold on to hatred and bitterness, which eventually will hurt all our relationships. Give yourself grace.
Sheila Walsh wrote, “In my situation, as long as I was unwilling to let go and forgive, there was still a nail in my wrist, and every time I talked to someone about the situation, it cut in a little deeper." It is our responsibility to pull out that nail. Many people won’t choose to forgive. They live unhappy lives of bitterness and unforgiveness.
Dr. Gregory Jantz says, If the child of the past and the adult of the present are to integrate fully into the person of the future, there comes a time when both must release the hurts of the past. This doesn’t mean that you forget what has been done to you, but that you forgive those responsible, whether they deserve your forgiveness or not. Forgiveness is the final destination on your healing journey. The road that lies beyond is one of health.
What is your greatest battle with forgiveness?
What lack of forgiveness or bitterness is still attached to you?
Read this excerpt from “I’m Beautiful? Why Can’t I See It?” by Kimberly Davidson.
God never promised any of us freedom from pain. We can begin to find happiness if we free our mind of resentment and bitterness—put the past behind and see the process as empowering. you can hold that person responsible, harbor hatred, and consequently, carry feelings of anger forever. Or you can begin healing when you chose to forgive. In order to heal, we must forgive again and again—the big wrongs and the little ones. The alternative is to hold on to hatred and bitterness, which eventually will hurt all our relationships. Give yourself grace.
Sheila Walsh wrote, “In my situation, as long as I was unwilling to let go and forgive, there was still a nail in my wrist, and every time I talked to someone about the situation, it cut in a little deeper." It is our responsibility to pull out that nail. Many people won’t choose to forgive. They live unhappy lives of bitterness and unforgiveness.
Dr. Gregory Jantz says, If the child of the past and the adult of the present are to integrate fully into the person of the future, there comes a time when both must release the hurts of the past. This doesn’t mean that you forget what has been done to you, but that you forgive those responsible, whether they deserve your forgiveness or not. Forgiveness is the final destination on your healing journey. The road that lies beyond is one of health.
What is your greatest battle with forgiveness?
What lack of forgiveness or bitterness is still attached to you?
Read this excerpt from “I’m Beautiful? Why Can’t I See It?” by Kimberly Davidson.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
My story: Saving Opheila
Ophelia, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, illustrates the destructive forces affecting young women. Ophelia is a typical girl, footloose and fancy-free. But she loses herself in adolescence. She falls in love with Hamlet and lives only for his approval. She doesn’t have a relationship with God and the insight of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct her, so she lives merely to meet Hamlet’s and her father’s demands. Who she is, her value, is determined solely by their approval, and she is torn apart. She goes mad with grief. Elegantly dressed, tragically she drowns in a stream filled with flowers.
For twenty years I lived an Ophelia existence. I attempted to take control of my mind, yet I couldn’t conquer the addiction to food, alcohol, cigarettes, diet pills, and my promiscuous behavior. As a kid, our family moved quite a bit. The first move from America to London, England. I was teased by schoolmates because I didn’t fit into the culture. I was unlike them because I had an accent. I felt stupid because I needed a tutor. I was weird because my clothes were different. Weirdo! What I heard was, “You do not belong” and “You are not accepted.”
We moved back to America when I was twelve. Again I was weird and different, but now I was entering adolescence—the hurricane years. The pain of rejection became part of my normal thought process. I expected people not to like me. We moved several more times. I fell in with the wild crowd, feeling the pressure to fit in. I smoked cigarettes and tried alcohol and drugs. This group gave me a sense of belonging and a means to forget the rejection and losses.
Then I began to gravitate into a new world of worshipping celebrities and models. I believed the lie that to be popular you have to look like a model. Teen magazines say, Don’t worry about being good, worry about looking good and being socially accepted!
As a teen I pretty much turned off my God-given talents and gifts in search of the Western culture’s definition of ideal. I set my sights on being a super model.
When I announced this in my sixth-grade class, a few boys laughed, “Yeah, you’ll be a supermodel…for MAD Magazine.” Translation, You’re ugly. Give it up! I didn’t give it up. I’d do anything to be a beautiful super model or celebrity. And why not? In this culture celebrity and beauty has its rewards. This was the beginning of what I call the Cover Girl masquerade . . . and the spiral downwards began.
The spiral began innocently enough with a simple diet. My senior year in high school I lost fifteen pounds and looked remarkable. I received compliments and praise from my parents and friends…and I wanted more. I felt accepted and loved. I belong! Now I’ll be popular! The disordered eating thought process began in high school but exploded when I entered college and joined a sorority.
Before I knew it I was a full-blown bulimic, a disease that took over my life. I wish someone had said to me, “Great, you’re now a size six. There are a million other size sixes out there. What’s different about you? What is about you, Kimberly the person, that shines?” That would have stung a little, but hopefully have pointed me towards working on my inside. Instead, I worked tirelessly trying to conform to this culture’s image of the stick, thin woman.
As I grew into adulthood, my self-esteem continued to deteriorate. Clearly, by bingeing and purging I was self-medicating—the stress, anxieties, and pain. And then my body started desiring and needing the alcohol. Alcohol abuse usually leads to inappropriate sexual behavior. I couldn’t stop the promiscuity. I did what I thought I should do in order to be accepted. Again, I justified it. Everyone else is sleeping around. It was a way to fill the hole in my heart. But it only deepened the wounds of shame, humiliation, and abandonment.
I eventually got pregnant and chose to have an abortion—another demon o deal with. I had a major life choice to grapple with--to bring this baby to term, or abort it. There was no doubt in my mind that abortion was the answer. After all, I wasn’t married, I had an established lifestyle, and I would have brought embarrassment and shame upon my parents. When I chose abortion, I was really choosing to purge my baby, like the food I ate. I could clearly see that at that time in my life I didn’t value myself, so how could I value my baby’s life? You could say the monster bulimia took two innocent lives. After I had the abortion, I chose to bury this experience like a wrecked ship, on the bottom of an ocean.
Like Ophelia, I was in danger of drowning. It was beginning to look like a life or death situation. It was vital I be revived. I needed someone to point me to Jesus Christ. “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears” (Ps. 18:6).
God sent that person and he took me to church. Jesus walked into my messed up life and a couple months later I was saved. The Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
Jesus pronounced, “Daughter, You’re free to go. I’ve done the time for you (Acts 2; 2 Cor. 3:17). Now go and tell the world what you have experienced.” The shackles melted. Evil evaporated. Jesus will always meet us right where we are at. We don’t have to be good enough, smart enough or religious enough to earn an audience with him. We can have a personal, intimate relationship with the God Almighty.
My identity changed because God adopted me into his family. God took all my guilty acts and thoughts, and placed them on Jesus. At that moment, he said, “Kimberly, you are forgiven. Every offense is wiped from your record.” God forgives and forgets—completely, and I became righteous—perfect before God. No external makeover can compare to the internal makeover we receive from Jesus Christ!
Excerpt from Kimberly’s book: Breaking the Cover Girl Mask: Toss Out Toxic Thoughts
.
For twenty years I lived an Ophelia existence. I attempted to take control of my mind, yet I couldn’t conquer the addiction to food, alcohol, cigarettes, diet pills, and my promiscuous behavior. As a kid, our family moved quite a bit. The first move from America to London, England. I was teased by schoolmates because I didn’t fit into the culture. I was unlike them because I had an accent. I felt stupid because I needed a tutor. I was weird because my clothes were different. Weirdo! What I heard was, “You do not belong” and “You are not accepted.”
We moved back to America when I was twelve. Again I was weird and different, but now I was entering adolescence—the hurricane years. The pain of rejection became part of my normal thought process. I expected people not to like me. We moved several more times. I fell in with the wild crowd, feeling the pressure to fit in. I smoked cigarettes and tried alcohol and drugs. This group gave me a sense of belonging and a means to forget the rejection and losses.
Then I began to gravitate into a new world of worshipping celebrities and models. I believed the lie that to be popular you have to look like a model. Teen magazines say, Don’t worry about being good, worry about looking good and being socially accepted!
As a teen I pretty much turned off my God-given talents and gifts in search of the Western culture’s definition of ideal. I set my sights on being a super model.
When I announced this in my sixth-grade class, a few boys laughed, “Yeah, you’ll be a supermodel…for MAD Magazine.” Translation, You’re ugly. Give it up! I didn’t give it up. I’d do anything to be a beautiful super model or celebrity. And why not? In this culture celebrity and beauty has its rewards. This was the beginning of what I call the Cover Girl masquerade . . . and the spiral downwards began.
The spiral began innocently enough with a simple diet. My senior year in high school I lost fifteen pounds and looked remarkable. I received compliments and praise from my parents and friends…and I wanted more. I felt accepted and loved. I belong! Now I’ll be popular! The disordered eating thought process began in high school but exploded when I entered college and joined a sorority.
Before I knew it I was a full-blown bulimic, a disease that took over my life. I wish someone had said to me, “Great, you’re now a size six. There are a million other size sixes out there. What’s different about you? What is about you, Kimberly the person, that shines?” That would have stung a little, but hopefully have pointed me towards working on my inside. Instead, I worked tirelessly trying to conform to this culture’s image of the stick, thin woman.
As I grew into adulthood, my self-esteem continued to deteriorate. Clearly, by bingeing and purging I was self-medicating—the stress, anxieties, and pain. And then my body started desiring and needing the alcohol. Alcohol abuse usually leads to inappropriate sexual behavior. I couldn’t stop the promiscuity. I did what I thought I should do in order to be accepted. Again, I justified it. Everyone else is sleeping around. It was a way to fill the hole in my heart. But it only deepened the wounds of shame, humiliation, and abandonment.
I eventually got pregnant and chose to have an abortion—another demon o deal with. I had a major life choice to grapple with--to bring this baby to term, or abort it. There was no doubt in my mind that abortion was the answer. After all, I wasn’t married, I had an established lifestyle, and I would have brought embarrassment and shame upon my parents. When I chose abortion, I was really choosing to purge my baby, like the food I ate. I could clearly see that at that time in my life I didn’t value myself, so how could I value my baby’s life? You could say the monster bulimia took two innocent lives. After I had the abortion, I chose to bury this experience like a wrecked ship, on the bottom of an ocean.
Like Ophelia, I was in danger of drowning. It was beginning to look like a life or death situation. It was vital I be revived. I needed someone to point me to Jesus Christ. “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears” (Ps. 18:6).
God sent that person and he took me to church. Jesus walked into my messed up life and a couple months later I was saved. The Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
Jesus pronounced, “Daughter, You’re free to go. I’ve done the time for you (Acts 2; 2 Cor. 3:17). Now go and tell the world what you have experienced.” The shackles melted. Evil evaporated. Jesus will always meet us right where we are at. We don’t have to be good enough, smart enough or religious enough to earn an audience with him. We can have a personal, intimate relationship with the God Almighty.
My identity changed because God adopted me into his family. God took all my guilty acts and thoughts, and placed them on Jesus. At that moment, he said, “Kimberly, you are forgiven. Every offense is wiped from your record.” God forgives and forgets—completely, and I became righteous—perfect before God. No external makeover can compare to the internal makeover we receive from Jesus Christ!
Excerpt from Kimberly’s book: Breaking the Cover Girl Mask: Toss Out Toxic Thoughts
.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
How to Help a Loved One Overcome Depression
For those suffering from depression, the support of friends and family members can be crucial to recovery. Depression is a medical condition that usually improves with treatment. Those with depression need the support to recover and faith in the Word of God.
In the Bible David provincially wrote, “Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy” (Psalm 30: 5). He wrote a majority of these heartfelt psalms. Like us, David describes his depression as being a pit. But, he also knew God’s promise of deliverance despite his present despair.
Our emotional and spiritual life is full of peaks and valleys, and we want immediate relief and answers. But, often, as with David, the Lord calls us to wait, which is the hardest part. Look ahead to the future. There is a way out. Thank God for where he will take you!
If you are worried about a loved one with depression, know how to recognize the symptoms of depression and worsening depression, offer emotional and practical support, and know what to do if suicide seems likely. Speak to the person about their symptoms and feelings, and encourage them to seek treatment from a psychologist or counselor.
This is an excerpt from the book: I'm God's GIrl? Why Can't I Feel It? Check out my website: www.olivebranchoutreach.com.htlm for inspiration, Scripture and help.
In the Bible David provincially wrote, “Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy” (Psalm 30: 5). He wrote a majority of these heartfelt psalms. Like us, David describes his depression as being a pit. But, he also knew God’s promise of deliverance despite his present despair.
Our emotional and spiritual life is full of peaks and valleys, and we want immediate relief and answers. But, often, as with David, the Lord calls us to wait, which is the hardest part. Look ahead to the future. There is a way out. Thank God for where he will take you!
If you are worried about a loved one with depression, know how to recognize the symptoms of depression and worsening depression, offer emotional and practical support, and know what to do if suicide seems likely. Speak to the person about their symptoms and feelings, and encourage them to seek treatment from a psychologist or counselor.
This is an excerpt from the book: I'm God's GIrl? Why Can't I Feel It? Check out my website: www.olivebranchoutreach.com.htlm for inspiration, Scripture and help.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Stopping an Eating Disorder in Its Tracks
This week I came across a blog with this header: “How to stop bulimia nervosa for good.” The author said the answer was: “Hypnosis is an effective treatment that can help guide you to quit this eating disorder for good.” I’m not putting down hypnosis, and even if this method works for some people, the underlying symptom(s) has not been addressed. Chances are great there will be a relapse.
Without addressing a person’s distorted perceptions, her understanding of her own identity, the work of Jesus Christ, and how she can truly resolve anger and forgive others, there is no real freedom. God has specific processes for setting people free. Disordered eating is very serious, and God is the only One who can truly set a person free for good.
Anybody suffering from unhealthy eating patterns and low self-esteem needs unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness. She needs to acknowledge:
1. What her actual view of God is (the Great Physician)and how to correct a distorted view of God and herself
2. Who she is--seeing herself the way that God sees her, in Christ
3. How to confront the heart of anger and then truly forgive others
4. Why suffering isn’t pleasant, but is part of the growth & redemption process
5. Nutritional keys to healing and creating a binge-free life
6. How God will free her from this and other behaviors that have power over her life
Every person’s road to recovery is different. I was set free permanently after walking through these steps (written in the book: I’m Beautiful? Why Can’t I See It? by Kimberly Davidson) and changing my lifestyle. If you struggle with an ED, you, too, have the same hope.
Without addressing a person’s distorted perceptions, her understanding of her own identity, the work of Jesus Christ, and how she can truly resolve anger and forgive others, there is no real freedom. God has specific processes for setting people free. Disordered eating is very serious, and God is the only One who can truly set a person free for good.
Anybody suffering from unhealthy eating patterns and low self-esteem needs unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness. She needs to acknowledge:
1. What her actual view of God is (the Great Physician)and how to correct a distorted view of God and herself
2. Who she is--seeing herself the way that God sees her, in Christ
3. How to confront the heart of anger and then truly forgive others
4. Why suffering isn’t pleasant, but is part of the growth & redemption process
5. Nutritional keys to healing and creating a binge-free life
6. How God will free her from this and other behaviors that have power over her life
Every person’s road to recovery is different. I was set free permanently after walking through these steps (written in the book: I’m Beautiful? Why Can’t I See It? by Kimberly Davidson) and changing my lifestyle. If you struggle with an ED, you, too, have the same hope.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)