Note: This book was originally published under the the name Secret Keeper Girl: The Power of Modesty for Tweens back in 2018. Less than a year later, author Dannah Gresh officially changed the name of the ministry the book was based on from Secret Keeper Girl to True Girl. After this change, Dannah made the decision to "republish" the book with a new title and subtitle (True Girl: Discover the Secrets of True Beauty) to reflect this name change. When I inquired about it, I was told by her ministry team that material within the book did not change, just the title. So I am changing the titles in this review, believing that my review reflects the contents of the both versions of the book. If you have any questions, please let me know ~ Bethel When I first heard this book was coming out last year, I was so excited. The original book Secret Keeper for teens is one of my all-time favorite books and since the author Dannah had developed a ministry to tween girls, I figured that this book would come along eventually. I was very excited to buy it and read it. In the end, I was not disappointed. Dannah’s heart for helping young women understand their God-given power of modesty is evident on every page. But I really enjoyed getting to see the older material I was familiar with was adapted to a younger audience. She uses different illustrations and metaphors to speak to the younger girls. She has a little bit different line of logic to help them understand the motivation behind modesty. The devotional companion even includes a coloring experience. But the heart between all of these books remains the same, and that makes it an excellent resource to tween girls, their parents, and even their youth leaders. If you haven’t checked this out, then you should. ~ Bethel Modesty is a difficult concept to teach to young women in our world today. We are surrounded by a culture that tells us that when it comes to clothes, “less is more.” And this idea is being pushed upon us at a younger age than ever before. Even t-shirts for preschool girls are designed to accentuate a figure that they don’t even have yet. Girls are being convinced that they can wear whatever they want whenever they want, and if anyone restricts that, it’s infringing on their rights. It makes it difficult for those of us that want better for these girls. We struggle with how to communicate to them the importance of the way they present themselves. It makes us ask the question: how can we teach the importance of modesty to young girls today? In her book, True Girl, Dannah Gresh adapts her material on modesty for older teens and addresses it on the level for tween girls. In a book of fun illustrations, both in visual and written forms, Dannah helps the girls understand their value as a unique masterpiece created by God and they our understanding of how much God loves us should motivate our desire to dress modestly. She also talks about what makes a girl truly beautiful, not by what is on the outside, but what is on the inside. She addresses issues that so many parents struggle to talk about with their daughters, but she does so in a totally tasteful and age-appropriate way. She gives fashion tests to help girls determine if an outfit is appropriate. Dannah even shares examples are stories about girls their own age to make their journey more relatable. If you are a girl about 7-11, you want to ask for a copy of this book. If you are a parents of a tween girl, you need to get this book. Even if you are a youth leader, you need to check out this book. Girls and adults alike will be grateful with the help and perspective this book provides. Girls and their moms with also love the corresponding mother-daughter devotional guide, which includes a coloring experience and an awesome letter to the moms. I cannot recommend either of these books enough. Get your copies today! (To check out my review of the teen edition of this book and its devotional guide, click here)
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When I was part of the launch team for the book Girl Defined a year ago, our whole team received this ebook as a gift. I was quite excited about it, since I was really inspired by Girl Defined and enjoying studying the topic of modesty. When I finally took the time to read it, I couldn’t put it down! I loved Bethany’s and Kristen’s perspectives on the topic, especially when it comes to grounding our view of modesty in Scripture. This is something that millennials need to learn, not just in relevance to modesty, but in all areas of life. I was challenged to re-evaluate my own standards, which is a good thing to do when it comes to modesty because fashion is an ever-changing presence in our culture. It challenged me to remember that my standards of modesty must always seek to honor God, which is exactly what these girls do. Their passion came through once again as it did in Girl Defined. Part of me wishes that the book could have been longer and had been a physical book! This is a great resource that I would highly recommend to women of all ages ~ Bethel When it comes to modesty, most girls don’t want to think about it. We have all had fights with our parents about the appropriateness of our outfits. We all want to be beautiful and attractive without regarding the consequences. So many of us have bought into the lie that modesty and fashion do not go together and therefore, we can’t honor God and still keep up with the latest fashion trends. Our culture is trying to sell to us that the less clothes we wear, the more attractive and empowered we will be as women. All the while, as we reveal more of our body on the outside, we also expose our struggles with attitude and selfishness on the inside. These leaves so many of us caught in the tension of wanting to honor God, but not wanting to dress like our grandmothers. It makes us ask the questions: What does God think about modesty? Is there a way to dress modest and fashionable? In the book Project Modesty, Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird share a biblically grounded perspective about the importance of modesty in the life of a Christian woman that wants to honor the Lord with her life. They walk through the problems with our culture’s views on how much we can take off and then they walk us through the reason why we even have to wear clothes, tracing it always back to the Garden of Eden and the first sin. They help us understand that modesty isn’t about rules; it’s an act of obedience to God and shows gratitude for all Christ did for you. They even bring in the opinions of a few guys to help us understand the importance of making modest wardrobe choices. After they walk through the reasons, they actually demonstrate what modesty looks like, and how you can still be fashionable in the process of being modest. They devote about half the book to walking through their personal modesty standards in several different areas of clothing, and then showing you how you can wear things modestly but including dozens of full color pictures of Kristen, Bethany, and their younger sisters modeling their fashionably modest outfits. In the end, you are left with a powerful challenge to honor God in your wardrobe choices, but you are reminded that you can still dress fashionably in the process. I love how theological sound and straightforward this book is. Bethany and Kristen pack a lot of great truth into this eBook and this is one that I highly recommend. This eBook is currently only available for purchase on Bethany and Kristen's blog, Girl Defined Ministries. To purchase a copy, click here. Get your copy today! When Heather Hart (an acquaintance from a book launch team) approached me about reviewing a book she co-authored, I was excited. Although it took much longer than it should have to finally read it (like 9 months after I first received it! Opps!), I was grateful that I finally did. This book is powerful, relevant, and necessary in our culture today. Shelley worked hard to make her original edition of the book more relevant by bringing Heather on as a co-author, and I think it really paid off. As an adult, I find that I need to be reminded of my worth in God’s eyes, especially in the middle of a world that gives so many unfulfilling methods to find our value. Not only do I think that this book is great for teen girls (the primary target audience), but as a youth leader, I think this book is a fantastic resource for anyone working with teen girls, because it covers so many relevant topics. I also found that like Shelley and Heather, I too have a heart to proclaim similar truths about finding confidence in Christ to women that need to hear it, especially teen girls. This is definitely a resource I will use in the future. Thank you Heather for reaching out to me to review this book. I was greatly blessed by it. I know that any other woman or teen girl that reads it will be too ~ Bethel Every girl wants to be beautiful. We all want so desperately to be thought of as attractive, especially by guys our age. But unfortunately, in the process of trying to achieve that beauty, we often turn to the wrong sources to find and keep our beauty. Everyday makeup, inappropriate clothes, overdone hairdos, relationships (good or bad) with guys, and the list could go on. In addition to that, as we seek affirmation, we also struggle with what the world tells us about how to live our lives and where we can find our happiness and contentment. They all look appealing, especially since everyone else is doing them, but none of them really work. All of this makes it hard to live life as a young woman in our culture today while keeping our self-assurance and our self-esteem intact. It makes us ask the questions: How can I find assurance in our world today? Am I really beautiful, or is there another way to measure my value and worth? In their book, Mirror Mirror…Am I Beautiful (2nd Edition), authors Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart answer the questions of where women (especially teen girls) should find our value as well where to find assurance in our culture today. They take the opportunity to address many relevant issues that are so prevalent in our culture, and they share ways that we can understand them from a biblical perspective and demonstrate how we can use our responses to honor the Lord in the process. What makes this book so relevant is the number of topics it covers. This isn’t your typical Christian book on beauty and self-esteem; it’s really a guide book to help you find your confidence in Christ and to live your life in such a way that expresses that confidence. And this confidence in Christ will be what will make you beauty, not anything you can do to yourself or for yourself. All of this is communicated in easy to understand language and relevant examples from the lives of the authors and from other girls and women just like you. There are even discussion questions for each chapter in the back of the book that can be used for a Bible study. Whether you struggle with not having enough confidence in Christ, if you find you have too much confidence in the world’s ways, or if you find you’re somewhere in between, this book is for you. I would recommend to any teen girl around 15 or older, or anyone that works with teen girls, like parents, youth sponsors, or teachers. This book, as well as a leader’s guide for the Bible study, are available on Amazon (both paperback and Kindle) as well on the book’s website: www.FindYourTrueBeauty.com. Get your copy today! (Remember to look for the 2nd Edition from 2016. The 1st Edition was released in 2008 by just Shelley Hitz) Jessica Rey first came to my attention when Ted-Talk style video titled “The Evolution of the Swimsuit” went viral back in 2014. In this video, she talked about the progression of women’s swimwear, the scientific research that explains the consequences wearing bikinis has on men’s minds, and how we came regain a sense of modesty in today’s culture. I was so compelled with she said, I shared with the girls of my Bible study a few months later. In this video, she mentioned that she was writing a book called “Decent Exposure” about the topic of modesty, and I knew that it was a book I definitely wanted to read. Although it took me a while to finally get a copy, I was so excited when I finally did. This book was written to be a guide for young women about how to be modest and feminine yet still fashionable in a culture that is sending too many wrong messages. Although the book is a little more expensive, it is totally worth checking out if you want to honor God with your fashion and femininity ~ Bethel We live in a world that tries to define a woman’s femininity by how confident she is in her sexuality. But the problem is that the standard of what defines that confidence continues to change. The amount of clothes that is considered socially acceptable continues to decrease. Women exposing their chests, backsides, and mid-drifts is normal, and in the process, the quality of the men that are attracted to these women also decreases. Yet at the same time, our world continues to convince us that we must be equal to men in order to have our proper value in society. What results is that many of the women in our culture have become hard-hearted and in reality are no less confident than when they started. It makes us ask the question: is there a way to be decently exposed in today’s culture? In their first book, Decent Exposure, Jessica Rey and Leah Darrow walk you through what it means to be decently exposed in a culture where standards on decency are out the door. These ladies walk you through the lies of our culture, including how they want you to be dissatisfied with your appearance and how we aren’t truly equal to men in everything except our value. They discuss the consequences of following the world’s standards of decency, including its impact on the guys around you and your romantic life. And finally, they give you practical standards on how to determine the decency of the clothes you wear, as well as practical tips for fixing issues if your clothing doesn’t measure up. They make sure that you understand that you can dress modestly and fashionably at the same time, even if the world tries to tell you otherwise. This is all done in the content of a book with beautiful and colorful pages that will engage and challenge every women that takes this message to heart. This book speaks to the heart of what young women of this generation need to hear about modesty, but does it in a way that is inviting and appealing. I would highly recommend this book to any young women 15 or older, and well as any older women that want to find ways to communicate the truth about modesty to the younger generation. This book is primarily available on the book’s website or on Jessica Rey’s website (which is the best deal), but you can also find it for resale on Amazon. Make sure to get your copy today! Personal Rating. My only criticism of the book is that there is no Scriptural content at all. There is one reference to checking the personal standard of your "church or synagogue" and that's as far as it goes. Aside from lacking Biblical content, this book is a great resource on the topic of modesty I would likely recommend This book has had a profound impact on my life, and on my ability to live out my life as a Christian woman. Ever since the first time I read it in junior high, I have continued to find ways in which the teachings of this book have influenced by spiritual walk. In fact, I recently realized that I own every edition of this book that has ever been released. This book helped develop a passion within me to share and declare God’s truth of the subject of modesty. I also came to have a love and respect for the author, Dannah Gresh. Although I have read and been challenged by many of her books, this one left its greatest mark. Because of the seed that was planted in my heart with the teachings of this book, I eventually came to write a sermon on modesty that’s on YouTube, teach my first Bible study through this book, and even write a spoken word poem on modesty. The journey I’ve been on to understand the delicate power of modesty has been an incredible one, and one that I encourage every Christian girl and young women to go on. If you want to know more about this book, just ask ~ Bethel Modesty. It’s a word that tend to make a woman cringe. It immediately invokes images of women wearing frock dresses, knitting their life away as an old maid. Many women find it easier to ignore what they know about the decency of clothing and instead want to use their body to their advantage to get attention or approval. They think it will fulfill them, but it usually ends up leaving them feeling used and empty. And most of time, they don’t know why. Sometimes, Christian girls know about modesty, but they end up being so in love with fashion or with the approval of others that they ride the modesty fence, dressing just modest enough for their parents’ approval, but having their hearts in the fashions everyone else is wearing. Everyone is so busy listening to the voices of our culture telling them how to fit it, they don’t even take the time to understand what modesty is really all about and why it’s important. They don’t even begin to take God’s perspective into consideration. It leaves us to ask the questions: what is modesty? And is modesty really that relevant to my life today? In Dannah Gresh’s popular book, The Secret Keeper, you learn that modesty is not only relevant in our world today, but that there is delicate power within it, one that can be used for God’s glory. In this short but powerful book, Dannah leads you through an incredible journey of understanding this power, as well as helping you understand God’s purpose in this power. Plus she gives tips for how to check your outfits to make sure they are modest with some fashion tests. In the process of learning about your wardrobe reflects, you begin to understand that modesty is not just about what you wear; it’s a lifestyle that reflects your heart and your attitude. It becomes an expression of your obedience to the Lord. Coming to this understanding will change the way you see everything around you, if you fully embrace it. In a day and age where modesty isn’t valued or even acknowledged by the culture as a whole, Dannah’s teachings, packed with God’s truth, are needed now more than ever. If you want to know more about modesty and are ready to take God’s truth about the way we dress seriously, this is book for you. Whether you’re teen or pre-teen girl that is just trying to learn what God says about it, or you’re a young adult women who hasn’t studied on this subject before, this book is the perfect place to start. Get your copy today! Another Great Resource Dannah Gresh also released The Secret Keeper Devotional as a companion to this book. It’s takes you through 35 days of 5 short devotions over 7 weeks, one week per chapter of the original book. There are also tear out cards and a leader’s guide for a Bible study through this material. It takes you more in depth into the delicate power of modesty and how it relates to your relationship with God. If you are ready to be challenged through this material, the devotional guide is a necessary companion to the original book. It is also a great resource for a Bible study for teen girls. Get your copy today! |
Lion's Eyes Reviews is a blog dedicated to reviews of Christian books, most of which are non-fiction, but may also occasionally review movies and musicals. It will also feature the work Bethel does to help launch and promote the works of Christian authors.
The name is derived from one of Bethel's favorite books, Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko. Through these reviews, Bethel hope to give Christians the tools they need to look at the world "through the eyes of a lion" so they can find the courage to "run toward the roar". To find the detailed archives of these reviews, you can check them out here: Books In Review Movies in Review Broadway In Review Quick Reviews To understand the rating used in these reviews, click here Categories
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Bethel Grove is a Christian young woman who loves to read and write, eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, and disciple teen girls as a youth leader. What started as a hobby of writing book reviews and doing deep biblical studies eventually led her down the path of self-publishing and helping other Christian authors launch their books. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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