Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Since entering the ministry in 1978, Max Lucado has served churches in Miami, Florida; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and San Antonio, Texas. He currently serves as the teaching minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. He is the recipient of the 2021 ECPA Pinnacle Award for his outstanding contribution to the publishing industry and society at large. He is America's bestselling inspirational author with more than 150 million products in print.

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The Max Lucado Encouraging Word Podcast

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Redefining beautiful

Thomas Nelson

Contents

A Note from Jenna........................................................................xichapter one Weird Is Beautiful..........................................................1chapter two Forgetting Deodorant........................................................15chapter three Backdoor Sunburn..........................................................27chapter four Quiz: What's Your Style and Why?...........................................41chapter five The Perfect Plan...........................................................73chapter six Nice to Meet You............................................................83chapter seven My Facebook Addiction.....................................................105chapter eight Mercedes? $40,000 Mansion? $3 Million You? Priceless!.....................121chapter nine "Hello! My Name Is ______".................................................137chapter ten Cindy Didn't Settle.........................................................147chapter eleven Deepwater Friendship.....................................................163chapter twelve People Who Are Breathing.................................................177chapter thirteen Your Story.............................................................191chapter fourteen Perfect Promise........................................................207Acknowledgments..........................................................................213Notes....................................................................................217

Chapter One

I'm weird.

I really am.

If In Style magazine were to peg my look, I'm sure they would call it something like "Creative Casual" or "Eclectic Elegance" (although In Style would never feature me, because there is not much in to my style).

What is your style? Is it Disheveled Diva-waking up at the last moment, tossing on whatever fell out of the closet, throwing on a favorite pair of earrings, rushing out the door to get to school, glossing up those lips in the car, and running to first period with wild bed-head hair? Or maybe you are a Sporty Starlet-heading to class in the latest Nikes and a zip-up hoodie that matches the swoosh on your shoes, and modeling a permanent ponytail hair crease. Or are you trendy, artsy, earthy, classy, or just not interested? We all have a look. What's mine? Well ... it's weird.

We think of fashion as our style, but c'mon, our style is so much more than that. We also accessorize with our crazy habits, silly quirks, and faithful beliefs. They are the accessories in our lives people see when they look past our clothing style and into our true style. The ones our best friends see because they know us so well. The ones God sees. But I have to be honest. Inside and out, my style is weird.

In fact, if I made a list of all my strange habits and quirky traits, I would bet a hundred bucks that my list would be so long it could wrap around the earth like a ribbon on a Christmas present. Although, let's face it, the circumference of the earth is about 25,000 miles. No one can be that weird ... or can they? You judge. Here's the short version of my "Why I'm Weird" list:

1. Guess what my number one makeup must-have is? Go ahead. Did you guess Clinique lipstick? Bobbi Brown blush? MAC mascara? All very nice, but no, no, and no. The one thing I never leave home without is ... Vaseline. Yep. Vaseline. I go through a tub of Vaseline faster than I munch a bar of Hershey chocolate. I love it! It's my all-purpose miracle ointment. I use it as a lip gloss, a makeup remover, and a lotion. If I've got some flyaway hairs, I just slick them down with a little Vaseline. For me, it is just as necessary as water and oxygen. It is one of the essential elements to my look.

2. There is one color that is banned from my look-pink. I really dislike pink. I don't care if Teen Vogue says it's "in." I don't care if Glamour calls it "the hot color." I won't wear it. I don't like to decorate with it. If pink were a smell, I would plug my nose. If pink were a holiday, I wouldn't celebrate it. If pink were a food, I wouldn't eat it. It's great for others, but it's not okay for me.

3. Instead of squealing when a cute pair of shoes goes on sale at3. the mall, I'm the weirdo who actually gets excited when the king-size Snickers or Whoppers go on sale at the gas station. There's not a day that goes by when I don't pop sugary goodness into my mouth. In fact, I'm chewing on Sour Patch Kids right now because I started drooling all over my keyboard just thinking about candy. I would prefer a bag of Jelly Belly's over a Chanel crocodile-skin clutch any day.

BEAUTY TIP

Vaseline Fixes

Okay, you may laugh, but I think Vaseline is very under-appreciated. Check out these cool uses of my miracle ointment:

cuticle cream

foot cream (Be sure to put socks on after applying; carpet and Vaseline is not a good combo!)

eye moisturizer

makeup remover

lip gloss

lotion

flyaway hair controller

Who would've thought there'd be all this magic in one little affordable jar of petroleum jelly?

The cool thing is that I'm not alone in my weirdness. Every one of us girls is weird in our own way. Just think about it. What are some of the essential elements of the look that makes you feel like you? Does everything have to coordinate? Do the belt, shoes, purse, skirt, and even the hair band and socks all have to match? Is makeup a dirty word, or is Barbie a superhero? Maybe you only wear dark-colored shirts so pit stains won't show. (Or is that just me?) How about some of those habits or traits that make you unique? Sleeping with five pillows? Watching Full House reruns after school? Always wearing red underwear on game days? Brushing your teeth by counting to 138? Not to 140, not to 150, but to 138.

Take a minute and list a few of your habits, likes, dislikes, Personality traits, and essential elements of your unique look. In other words, what makes you weird?

My Unique Traits: Essential Elements of My Look:

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

See? You're weird too! But it's okay. Weird is beautiful! Weirdness is what makes you ... well ... you!

BEAUTY TIP

Embrace Your Weirdness

One of my biggest fashion faux pas was trying to be someone other than my weird self. Trying to be someone you are not is not a good look. For one, it's not natural, and, two, it seriously takes too much effort. So embrace your own weird, beautiful self! I promise, you look better as you!

Why We're Weird

I used to wonder why we are the way we are. Why am I weird? Why do some people eat mayonnaise on peanut butter sandwiches? Why do some people only wear baggy jeans? And how do fashion divas...