Smudged Pages: Letting Go of the Lies and Letting God Write Your Story
by Aimee Fuhrman
The message of Smudged Pages is all about ditching the lies of the enemy and living in your God-given identity. The Smudged Pages collection includes 3 books and an online course with coaching options.
book synopsis:
Do you long for acceptance without strings? Do you strive for the picture perfect life? Do you feel like a failure? Do you wonder if God even hears you?
You are not alone!
For years Aimee Fuhrman lived in a negative cycle of lies, self-criticism, and false failure. All she could see where the smudges on her pages which resulted in depression and near suicide. But God, who is ever-present even when we don't feel him, led her to a place of hope. He wants to do the same for you!
This book will:
-
Pinpoint which lies you are believing about your identity
-
Give you truth from God's Word to renew your mind
-
Provide the inspiration and motivation to give the pen back to God
There may be smudges on your pages, but the Author of Life intends for your story to be a Masterpiece!
book summary:
God is writing a story on the pages of each person's life, but too often we snatch the pen away from him and try to write our own stories. Why? Lies. The Antagonist of our stories, the devil, uses lies to convince us our lives our safer in our own hands. He gets us to doubt God's love and goodness all the while demoralizing us and degrading our identities.​
​
In the book Smudged Pages: Letting Go of the Lies and Letting God Write Your Story, author Aimee Fuhrman dives into this topic of identity, taking a look at what identity is, how it is formed, and how various life factors make us susceptible to the lies of the enemy. She examines 5 strongholds of deception the devil uses--lies about our:
-
acceptance
-
performance
-
failures
-
expectations
-
view of God
Using examples from her own life, Aimee pulls back the curtain on 25 of the Antagonist's most insidious lies. After each section, she provides scripture references so readers can replace the lies with truth from God's Word.
​
In the final chapter, Aimee explains the spiritual warfare involved in taking back mental and spiritual ground through taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and being transformed by the renewing the mind.
why this message is important:
Today's carefully curated culture of social media and advertised ideals leave many women feeling less than. They strive to meet an unattainable level of perfection. But when they can't achieve it, they get caught in a cycle of false failure and guilt. This often leads to discouragement, weariness, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and even self-loathing.
​
But God wants to set each woman free!
​
Through the power of the Gospel of grace, God's Spirit seeks to reveal to each of us our own unique God-given identity. True joy, peace, hope, and rest can be found when we surrender to the Spirit and let God direct our lives, writing his Masterpiece on our smudged pages!
table of contents:
The Story’s Premise (An Introduction)
God intends for my life to be a Masterpiece written by him, but too often I snatch the pen from his hand and write a destructive counterplot.
The Story’s Theme (Thinking about Identity and Lies)
My identity and the lies I believe are intertwined. I must replace the lies with God’s truth to find my true identity.
The Story’s Setting (Factors that Contribute to Believing Lies about Identity)
The station into which I am born—location, time in history, and circumstances—shapes my identity.
The Story’s Characters (Lies about Acceptance)
Too often my identity and my feelings of love, acceptance, and belonging are based on what others think of me (and what I think of myself).
-
Lie Number One: I have to fit in to be liked and accepted.
-
Lie Number Two: People don’t really want me around (even if they pretend to like me).
-
Lie Number Three: I have to meet others' expectations of me.
-
Lie Number Four: I have to be everything to everybody.
-
Lie Number Five: People wouldn’t accept me if they knew the mess I really am.
The Story’s Plot (Lies about Performance)
Too often my identity and my success are based on what I do and how well I do it.
-
Lie Number Six: I have to have the perfect appearance.
-
Lie Number Seven: I have to be the all-American woman.
-
Lie Number Eight: I have to be the perfect Christian.
-
Lie Number Nine: My identity is defined by how I compare to other people.
-
Lie Number Ten: I have to do it all on my own.
The Story’s Conflict (Lies about Failure)
Too often real or supposed failures compound my sense of worthlessness and rob me of joy and hope.
-
Lie Number Eleven: My past mistakes define who I am and who I can become.
-
Lie Number Twelve: If my marriage or my kids don’t turn out “right” it must be my fault.
-
Lie Number Thirteen: I can avoid failure by following the perfect formula.
-
Lie Number Fourteen: I’ll never change; I’m stuck with my failures
-
Lie Number Fifteen: I don’t deserve God’s forgiveness so I won’t forgive myself.
The Story’s Tone (Lies about Expectations)
Too often my happiness is tied to my expectations of God, myself, others, and the things I feel entitled to.
-
Lie Number Sixteen: Everything would be better if just ‘XYZ.’
-
Lie Number Seventeen: Other people have to meet my expectations of them in order for me to be happy.
-
Lie Number Eighteen: I’m entitled to ‘XYZ.’
-
Lie Number Nineteen: Because I’m a Christian I shouldn’t have to suffer.
-
Lie Number Twenty: I can control my life’s outcome.
The Story’s Point of View (Lies about God)
If I have a flawed understanding of who God is, I cannot grasp who I truly am.
-
Lie Number Twenty-one: God loves me more when I do ‘XYZ.’
-
Lie Number Twenty-two: God has to do ‘X’ for me if I do ‘Y’ for him.
-
Lie Number Twenty-three: If something goes wrong God must be punishing me.
-
Lie Number Twenty-four: God doesn’t really know how I feel.
-
Lie Number Twenty-five: God is not enough for me.
The Story’s Resolution (A Conclusion)
Letting God write my story requires surrender but results in peace and hope.
What people are saying:
"Aimee Fuhrman's message and ministry are needed in our world of carefully curated perfection. Her story of brokenness and surrender reflects the awesome glory of a God who transforms lives. Smudged Pages: Letting Go of the Lies and Letting God Write Your Story contains truth every person needs to know."
-Kary Oberbrunner, CEO of Igniting Souls, author of Unhackable, Day Job to Dream Job, and Elixir Project
“Smudged Pages: Letting Go of the Lies and Letting God Write Your Story spoke to my heart. It was like Aimee was inside my head and understood the lies I struggle with. Her stories of overcoming and the truth she shares from God’s Word give hope.”
-Amber Johnston, HeritageMom.com, @heritagemomblog
“Aimee's honesty is a breath of fresh air! By peeling back the layers of her life, she helps us see that we don’t have to have it all together, we just need to be surrendered to the Author of Life.”
-Tiffany Thenor, Co-Owner/Co-Founder of WonderHere @raising.wonders, @wonderhere
“Aimee’s heart for women comes through on every page! I appreciate that she doesn’t sugar coat the struggles of life or the doubts we have about ourselves and God. Instead, she shows that it’s okay to be imperfect—God’s got a plan to use us just the way we are”
–Emily Grabatin, author of Dare to Decide: Discovering Peace, Clarity and Courage at Life’s Crossroads
“Aimee Fuhrman delves so deep! If you want to break free from the lies the enemy has been feeding you, this powerful book is the one to read! I highly recommend it.”
-Faye Bryant, author of the Grandma, Mom, and Me Saga, motivational speaker, certified Unhackable Life and Purpose coach
“So many of us fight mental battles. We struggle with lies about who we are and what we can or cannot do. Aimee’s book Smudged Pages: Letting Go of the Lies and Letting God Write Your Story helps readers identify those lies and gives some tools to overcome them. I highly recommend it!”
-Kristin Reiss, mother of four, foster mother, and youth worker
Sample Interview questions:
-
Tell me about this title Smudged Pages: Letting Go of the Lies and Letting God Write Your STory.
-
What is the message of Smudged Pages?
-
Why did you write this book?
-
Who is this book for?
-
Spiritual growth and "self-help" books are one of the top categories on the market. What sets your book and message apart?
-
I notice you've got a companion guide to Smudged Pages; can you tell us about that?
-
So this is a whole process of healing and restoration. How long does it take to go through the whole cycle?
-
Can you tell us any stories of how God has used this message, your book, and your ministry?
-
What other resources does your ministry offer?
-
If you could tell my listeners/readers one thing, what would it be?
-
I'm sure my listeners/readers are interested in this message, where do you recommend they start?