“ Women in High Def will
remind you that when God writes your story, you are in for the
adventure of a lifetime! Diane Markins has written a book addressing
topics women deal with on a day-to-day basis. If you are looking for a
contemporary, captivating read filled with practical advice that will
give you insight and wisdom for daily decisions, this is
it!”
~ Carol Kent, Speaker and Author
Between a Rock and a Grace Place (Zondervan)
Falling Down Gorgeous
(Excerpt from Women in High Def, Boldly Living
Your Purposes with Vibrant Clarity)
Time takes its toll on all of us.
Parts of me that were once up here are now down there. My face, once smooth and
fresh was becoming a bit weathered and wrinkled. Other areas that used to be
firm are now wiggly. As I turned fifty I began to notice that I was becoming
invisible, based on my appearance. That’s a big fat horse pill to swallow for
my ego. But that’s okay. The good news is that when people start to see less of
me, they see more of Jesus. He’s much more appealing and has no hidden agenda.
I hate to admit it, but I still
enjoy being noticed on occasion. My husband and I went on a date to a very
fancy mountaintop restaurant overlooking the city. I dressed for the occasion
in my fitted black slacks, silky blouse and high heels.
I followed the maitre de to our
table, my husband right behind me. I was feeling pretty good about myself and
strutted a bit as we crossed a large open expanse of the room. As my stilettos
went from carpet to wood floor something strange happened…I began to skate,
stumble and flail about, for what felt like ten excruciating minutes, before
finally landing flat on my keister. For endless moments all sound ceased except
the quiet music in the background. Diners, servers and kitchen staff gaped at
me, frozen in mid-action.
Graciously, I was helped up,
escorted to and seated at our table, where they elevated and iced my swollen
ankle. Then—to my horror—the paramedics arrived, causing an even bigger stir.
Servers and managers came by frequently to check on me. Finally, our fellow
diners made their way to our table as they departed to share their own “fall
down” tales.
Earlier that evening, I had hoped
for a little extra attention. But this wasn’t what I had in mind. Now I was
just grateful I hadn’t chosen the skirt I had considered that was still hanging
on my closet door. My experience that night was a great reminder that the only
beauty that matters is what the Lord puts in our hearts. Everything else
“falls” short in the end.
My Thoughts
I have never been the type that likes to have attention placed on me. When I was younger I would sneak into a room hoping to be left unnoticed. If someone would glance my way I would immediately glance at the floor and try to blend in to my surrounding. Why? I guess I was so self conscious of my looks that I was embarrassed to be seen in public. You see for most of my life growing up I was told how ugly I was and after a while I began to believe it. I could not fully understand why I would always have good looking boyfriends if I was so ugly. I remember after I first married my husband I had a family member visit me. She saw his picture and stated she could not believe he was my husband. He was just too good looking. Though the comment was very hurtful, it opened my eyes to the people I should have in my life. Thankfully after much maturing and coming into my own, I finally realized that it does not matter how someone else views my looks, the most important part is how I view myself. It took a while but I am finally comfortable with myself and my looks and I will never let anyone drag me down again.
On the flip-side, I have had friends that were drop dead gorgeous and used their looks to move their way through life. They would always get free meals, drinks and yes some even racked up on clothing and cars. As they grew older and their looks started to fade they received less attention and to a couple this was devastating. They had to learn to start looking deeper within themselves to understand what actually made them beautiful. What we have inside our hearts and how we present ourselves truly reflects our true beauty within.
In Gods eyes everyone is beautiful!
In Gods eyes everyone is beautiful!
About the Book: (Check out the Website)
Women are as
unique as snowflakes or butterflies, but after surveying hundreds of
them, writer and radio host Diane Markins learned that the top needs
they feel are the same. She also began hearing a recurring theme: I want
more! I want to be better! I want to be bold!
Women in High Def aims to propel women out of a low-def, foggy life of going through the motions in a blur. The profound stories, intercessory prayer prompts and coaching elements work together to catapult women into living fearlessly for God…being bolder moms, having purposeful passions, pursuing marriage excellence, loving themselves with gusto, laughing with abandon, transforming mistakes into blasts of blessings and bravely seeking the Lord in all His majestic glory. The bonus Bible study at the back of the book points them to scripture to gain Biblical insight and direction for each need and role they play. It can be used alone or in a group.
About the Author:
Diane Markins has always aspired to live in High Def.
She uses her radio show, writing and speaking to inspire women to
transform their lives from mediocre and complacent to bold and vibrant.
She settles for nothing less in her own life as a wife, mom,
grandmother, friend and colleague. Diane writes two blogs, WomenInHighDefhttp://dianemarkins.com/books/and WordsInHighDef.com, is a regular contributor to the Presidential Prayer Team website and CBN.com. She and her husband of 33 years work and live close to their children in Arizona.
To celebrate the “Going Boldly” Blog Tour Women in High Def is available for free from September 10-September 14 on Kindle at: http://amzn.to/Oey7Sa
- Book (Women in High Def: Boldly Living Your Purposes with Vibrant Clarity)
- Bright and Vibrant Earrings
- Sparkling Cider (to celebrate life)
- Sumatra Coffee (Bold, Earthy Flavor)
- Into the Wild body wash and spray fragrance from Bath and Body Works
- Custom coffee mug: Women in High Def (front), BE YOUR BOLD SELF! (back)
Instructions to Enter the Grandprize Drawing: Drawing will come to a close September 19th.
- Leave a comment about the book or author on the blog post during the blog tour.
- I will draw one name from those comments on September 19th to send to the tour coordinator by September 21.
- The coordinator will put all the names into a drawing from each blog tour host, and select a winner, using an online randomizer.
- The coordinator will notify the blog tour host who submitted the winning name.
- If one of my readers are selected I will notify the winner and collect the mailing info so the author can send out the prize.
Disclosure: I received this book free from Kathy Carlton Willis Communications as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not compensated in any way in order to provide a positive review. All opinions are my own. For further policy disclosure please click here.
