Pieces of You
by April Farlow
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GENRE: Christian Living
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BOOK BLURB:
Knowing who you are has always been challenging, and in today’s world, more and more voices are coming from more and more places telling us who we should be. The result? A broken sense of identity that we’re struggling to put back together.
In Pieces of You, April Farlow shares how she discovered her identity is formed by the God who made her. Along the way, she’s learned that if we want to put the pieces of who we are together in a real, lasting way, we have to look to Whose we are for help.
It’s time to take a look at the unique pieces that make up who you are …
The pieces you compare …
The pieces informed by the father figure in your life …
The painful pieces …
The pieces of your relationships …
The pieces on which you’ve built your beliefs …
The pieces that give you rules and boundaries …
The pieces that show what you value …
The pieces that give you purpose …
The pieces that help you build a vision for what’s to come.
As we work to put those pieces together, we’ll look to the God who made us, knows us, and loves us to guide us. Because when you take all your pieces—the good, the bad, the broken, and the beautiful—and place them in your Heavenly Father’s hands, there, you’ll find peace. There, you’ll find security. There, you’ll find a real sense of who you are and Whose you are.
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EXCERPT THREE:
As it turns out, relationships are complex, wonderful, and constantly changing. Whether it’s a relationship with a spouse or significant other, a family member, a coworker, a friend, or just a neighbor we cross paths with occasionally, we don’t always appreciate the complexity or influence these relationships have on the pieces of who we are. We don’t always see how they shape not just how we see who we are but how we see who others are, too.
Relationships are complex. They’re made up of people who are flawed and imperfect, and we will inevitably get it wrong a time or two. And that means they likely deserve way more work and attention than we give them. After all, relationships can influence who we become. They leave a permanent tattoo on our skin, our personality, and our ability to have other relationships. They’re strong enough to give us a common bond yet powerful enough to tear us apart.
But you don’t need me to tell you this, do you? You experience the complexity of relationships in your life regularly.
I mean, even science is backing us up here. Social psychologists have claimed that our identity is often shaped by what we think other people think of us. If the people we’re in relationship with label us as beautiful, we believe it. We hold on to that if they say we’re smart, personable, or athletic. We think it about ourselves. We let it become a piece of who we are.
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GUEST POST:
The Craziest Thing I’ve Done in the Name of Research:
In the name of research, I invited 30 of my friends to meet with me in two different groups over a three-month period. To form the teams, I didn’t just ask friends who were closest to me. I included women from various areas of my life to get different perspectives. They may have known one or two other people in the room, but for the most part I wanted them to be in a group of new faces.
I let everyone know up front that they would be asked to be honest and get real, really fast. To give an example, the first question was “tell me about your relationship with your dad growing up.” Maybe it was because I set the group up to have very real conversations or maybe because I asked each one to come as a personal favor, but I was absolutely amazed at how fast everyone jumped in with vulnerability. I expected everyone to answer the questions, but I didn’t expect them to linger after the meetings to continue the conversations. I didn’t expect the friendships that formed.
I have spent 20 years teaching public speaking and storytelling courses and I am used to hearing incredible stories, but these topics that we discussed compelled me to learn more about each person in the room. I had planned just to test the content on my friends. I never intended to collect their stories for the book, but I learned so much that I couldn’t leave them out either. So, my research changed the perspective of the book entirely.
I expected us to do exercises and clarify personal pieces like relationships, values, beliefs, rules, purpose, and vision. I didn’t expect the two different groups to go in such different directions. It was in the two different groups that I realized the depts that our own experiences shape us. It also became clear that the more we talk about our experiences, the more clarity we gain. In choosing to share, we dropped the barriers that come from comparison and became real.
In “Pieces of You,” I refer to these women who shaped so much of the book as my “kaleidoscopes” and I share some of their very real perspectives.
Specifically, here is an excerpt from the book:
I always thought it would be special to have a tight group of friends who have a running text thread. What I have is not that. It’s a random collection of incredible people who don’t all know each other, still, they support me, love me, fight for me, and show up for me. They’re steadfast friends willing to tell me the truth in any situation. They ground me, surround me, and generally astound me with their ability to be honest, loving, and incredible friends. They are my kaleidoscopes.
The “kaleidoscopes” were my crazy research and sweetest surprise along the path to write this book. I would love for you to read this book, as we did, with some friends and even some new faces so that you might shift your perspective and point to a Heavenly Father who knows all your pieces. It just so happens that when we bring all the random pieces to Him, just like a kaleidoscope that brings beauty from random pieces, He reflects our light.
~ My Kaleidoscopes ~
Left to Right: 1.) Kara and Erin 2.) Kristi 3.) Leslie 4.) Natasha 5.) Rachel, Rebecca, & Angela 6.) Meg, Amanda, Nancy, & Maria 7.) Lisa 8.) Maria & Kay 9.) Laura, Kara, Laurie, & Amy 10.) Lynn & Nancy
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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:
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April Farlow has spent the last 20 years motivating audiences to get out of their comfort zone, speak up, and represent their values. In corporate environments, one piece is missed—the ability to talk about forming your identity in God. Today, as a speaker, author, coach, and non-profit leader, April is changing this by sharing her faith journey and helping others do the same with clarity and conviction.
In 2017, after speaking to a group of foster youth, April founded Lydia’s Place, a ministry serving young adults who have experienced foster care or homelessness. April and her husband have four girls and live on a mini-farm outside of Athens, Georgia.
Website:
Instagram:
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GIVEAWAY:
April will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
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Thank you for hosting today.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good story.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a book I will thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove the pics!
ReplyDelete