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Stop Calling Me Beautiful with Phylicia Masonheimer

This week, I’m interviewing my good friend Phylicia Masonheimer.

My life was changed in 1979 when my mom and my grandma found Jesus. I don’t remember what weekends were like before that time, but after they were all about attending the little white church on Highway 97 in Weed, California.

I remember going to church Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday nights. When I got older I’d alternate between sitting in the service and helping in the nursery. I memorized Bible verses to earn prizes from my Sunday School teacher’s prize box. (Margo’s my friend on Facebook now, and she’s still always telling me when I’ve done a good job!)

I love thinking about our monthly potluck fellowships and numerous women’s events during the year. There were visiting evangelists and Saturday teas. Bible study was often held at my Grandma’s house, and every Sunday I received a hug from the older saints at church and sometimes a peppermint from a jacket pocket. I grew up knowing I was loved and that I was special … well, until I strayed far from God and stopped going to church in my teen years. It’s then I felt both unlovable and ashamed. I didn’t have the “Victory in Jesus” that we used to sing about every week growing up.

I am so THANKFUL for the foundation of faith in my life, but my struggle came when I didn’t know what to do with the sin that weighed me down. As a pregnant teen, these same saints showed me to the love of God and I felt welcomed. Because of their love, I dared to believe that God loved me, too.

Yet, the burden of sin never fully went away until I took on my faith as my own. As much as those Christian men and women showed me they cared, I needed to know how much God cared—and how much He forgave—even more. The truth is, there are many people in the church today who hear all about how special they are—about their beauty and worth—yet they live without victory in their lives. Maybe you understand?

In this week’s Walk It Out Podcast, I interviewed my friend Phylicia Masonheimer. Her book Stop Calling Me Beautiful began as a viral blog post by a similar name. It was a short post and pointed out that Christian women are weary of hearing these same messages about beauty and identity without any real practical application from Scripture, and no actual victory in their lives.

“We are told, in Scripture, that His yoke is easy and to take heart, for He has overcome. So why aren’t these things becoming reality for most Christian women?” Phylicia asks. Phylicia argues this is because we’re teaching a “half gospel”—one that skips the hard parts about sin and walking out our faith and focuses only on beauty and identity.

“I sought God to find peace or to get away from the effects of my sin,” writes Phylicia. “I followed Him, but mainly as a means to an end, and my spiritual life reflected that. When I began searching for God for God’s sake, I discovered the kind of spiritual walk Jesus came to initiate.”

I know you’re going to enjoy our talk!

Who is Phylicia Masonheimer?

Phylicia Masonheimer teaches Christian women how to apply faith to the realities of life. She is a blogger, podcast host, and speaker. Her writing focuses on overcoming sin and difficulty by the power of a maturing personal relationship with God. Phylicia lives in northern Michigan with her husband and children.

You can order Stop Calling Me Beautiful HERE.

About the Book:

“If you’re tired of surface-level teaching and shallow faith, this book will ignite a fire in your soul for a deeper walk with Jesus and draw you into the depths of the Word.”
——Gretchen Saffles, founder of Well-Watered Women

Why We Need Jesus More Than Compliments

“You’re a beautiful daughter of the Most High King.” And it’s true. But it’s not the whole truth. The beauty of being God’s daughter has backstory.

If you’re tired of hearing the watered-down Christian teaching and hungry for a deeper spiritual life—one that gives real answers to your hardest questions—Stop Calling Me Beautiful teaches you how. You will learn

how to pursue the truths of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him
how to study Scripture, and how your view of God determines how you face life’s challenges
how legalism, shallow theology, and false teaching keep you from living boldly as a woman of the Word
how to experience God’s presence in painful circumstances

Jesus doesn’t offer a powerless salvation. He makes your brokenness part of His whole redemption story—if you allow Him to. Don’t settle for a feel-good faith. If you want victory over insecurity, fear, shame, and the circumstances you are facing, it’s time to embrace Jesus. All of Him.

Walk It Out Scripture

Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. 1 Peter 2:2-3

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Connect with Phylicia Masonheimer

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Walk it Out #113: Stop Calling Me Beautiful with Phylicia Masonheimer