Christy Fay - Reclaimed: Uncovering Your Worth

Christy is able to unpack the stories of these five women in a way that is both relatable and accessible to us all. We can easily see ourselves in each woman. Their struggles and shortcomings, their doubts and dreams, and their victories and defeats remind us we are not alone. A great reminder to us all of the love of God that redeems and transforms.

Dr. Lori Salierno-Maldonado
Founder and CEO of Teach One to Lead One

Not only are women the incubators of human life, but we are also the sustainers, teachers, and influencers of those whom we raise. Christy has taken the lives of pock-marked women and restored their stories through grace, love, and dignity. Furthermore, she teaches others the power of redemption and the beauty that comes afterwards.

Bianca Juarez Olthoff
Speaker, Author, and Chief Storyteller for A21

In a world that demands perfection, Christy addresses the real issue we all face: accepting Gods work of redemption in our lives, believing that He continually brings beauty out of ashes. Christys words are important and life-giving for women at any stage.

Bonnie Lewis
Director of Research at EvFree Fullerton and Author at findtheblue.com

Whatever Christy does she does with all her heart and Reclaimed is an example of her commitment to do her work as unto the Lord. Others will be challenged and encouraged by the words and wisdom of this study of five women of God found in the genealogy of Jesus.

Gary Damore
Ed.D., Educator

Uncovering Your Worth

A Study Of Five Women In The Lineage Of Jesus

Uncovering Your Worth

CHRISTY FAY

ReclaimedUncovering Your Worth
Copyright 2015 by Christy Fay

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwithout the prior permission of the author or publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture references marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture references marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-9907578-7-0

Published by HigherLife Development Services, Inc.
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To my dearest Nona, we lost you this year,
so that you might join Him.

There is no way to count the ways
you made each of us better.

You, a loving wife, a devoted mother, a teacher, a writer, an amazing grandmother, and great-grandmother. You wore love, and you wore it well. I think of Colossians 3:14.

The words of this book are for you.

May they honor your life and your memory.

Welcome. If you are reading this, you have decided to embark on a new study by an author you probably do not know. Thanks for taking a risk. I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and now, I guess I get to call myself a writer. You may not know me, but I have prayed for you. As Ive sat down to write and to study, you have been on my heart. I am grateful for each and every one of you and cant wait for what the upcoming weeks will hold for us. I have completed this study on the cusp of finishing Beth Moores Children of the Day. The words of 1 Thessalonians are fresh in my mind, we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well (1 Thessalonians 2:8 NIV). You will find that in these pages I have shared, not only the gospel, but also pieces of my life. As we begin, I want to answer some questions that I would have if I were in your shoes.

What did I get myself into?

I love old stuff. I guess the proper term would be antiques, but even that seems more polished than Id like. Im not sure the beat-up old shutters and window frames that I have hung all over my house would really qualify as antiques. Theyre just flat out old, used, dilapidated, and run down. Nevertheless, I love them.

One of my most favorite places in my home is our office. Well, I shouldnt call it an office. Its a wall that stretches about twelve feet across with a desk pushed against it. My mother crafted the desk with her own hands, and it runs the entire length of the wall. That wall holds some of my most treasured items. Theres an old shutter that is not only interesting to look at, but serves the practical purpose of housing in its crevices our household bills and other important papers. Then theres a big iron architectural piecea metal grid, I guess, for lack of a better way to describe it. I have no idea of its past use, but I have chosen to hang little boxes, crates, and clip-boards from its crisscrossing bars. Next is a funky clock, which holds for me nostalgic value, as Michael and I purchased it from Pottery Barn with a gift card we received as a wedding gift. Its one of the only pieces of wall art we still have displayed from our early-married days. Its funny how our tastes and styles have morphed and changed over our near ten years of marriage. There are old books in my office, with pages torn and yellowed front covers peeling back. My wall also hold old medicine cabinets that we have stripped down for housing canisters of crayons, erasers, pencils, and markers. One of my favorite parts of this collage are the large letters representing the first initial of each of my childrens names.

I love this little spot in my house because we all end up in there, for one reason or another. I often sit at my laptop, with my Bible and books strewn all over the place, writing and studying. My kids can be found perched on their chairs, doing homework or creating some kind of artistic masterpiece. My husband will likely be working at his baking station, a gift my mom and I gave him for his birthday one year, because in this house, my man does all the bakingand hes a legit baker. When hes behind the stand-up mixer, step away, folks! There we all are, amidst these old relics, once considered junk and tossed aside, now used as the platform for inspiration, creation, and innovation. The old becomes new in this space. The ugly becomes beautiful. And the once judged useless is transformed into something worthwhile once more.

Its a wonderful little nook not just because of what memories are made there, but because of the metaphor it represents. Those items were disheveled, bedraggled, and written off as worthless junk, but with a little tender loving care, some imagination, and a whole lot of hard work, a new day has dawned for them. This is the story of the Bible. Messed up, mistaken, riddled, marred, corrupted, and damaged as we are, God sees something else. He sees potential. He sees a new story being written. A new creation rising from the rubble. And that, dear sisters, is what this Bible study is about. Our God is able, and He has promised to take His very broken people and use them to fix a despairing and broken world. This is the good news of the gospel; it is the story of the Bible. It is never too late for you. You are never too damaged or beyond the reach of His merciful hand. His desire is for each of you to step into the new creation that you already are and learn to live comfortably in it until your whole identity is defined by what He sees when He looks upon you, instead of what you see.