Comments on: Beautiful Ugly Blog Tour with Shelia E. Lipsey

By: Shelia E. Lipsey

Shelia E. Lipsey — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:48:26 +0000

Angelo, thank you for your comments regarding Beautiful Ugly. I hope you find it just as interesting, and gripping when you have the opportunity to read it completely. May God Bless you lots and lots!

By: Angelo Thomas Crapanzano

Angelo Thomas Crapanzano — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:04:04 +0000

Beautiful Ugly sounds like a great novel. Just your synopsis has me in an emotional state. I feel so bad for woman like that. Kacie is like so many woman today who have not accepted Christ as their savior. I also blame the men. Where is their sense of decency and morality. I also blame the TV and movie industry. They promote this kind of behavior. Kacie needed help after the first child. She like so many other people go to Church for show. It’s the thing to do. What she needed was some faith.

By: enyl

enyl — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:00:15 +0000

The book is My Son’s Wife, Frankie and Rena are best friends.

By: Tee C. Royal

Tee C. Royal — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:10:28 +0000

Thank YOU for joining us Shelia! I look forward to having you visit us again after some of the members have read the book.

-Tee

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:03:22 +0000

Hope, I think that sometimes churches grow so rapidly and the membership becomes so huge, that there is ‘no time’ for nourishing the congregation with the sincere spiritual guidance needed. There was a time when churches were smaller and just by walking into the church, there was a sense of accountability. Now some churches are like fast food restaurants: in and out as fast as you can.

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:00:32 +0000

Thank you for your support Rosa! I look forward to hearing from you when you finish reading it. Feel free to email me at lipseyshelia@yahoo.com or visit my website: http://www.perfectstoriesaboutimperfectpeople.com

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:58:35 +0000

I have enjoyed you all so much today! I look forward to returning and joining in future discussions with RAWSISTAZ. Until then, look at yourselves in the mirror and love the person staring back at you. We are fearfully and wonderfully made children of God. He makes no mistakes. I have had to learn this over the years as I struggled with some of the same issues of self acceptance. But today I am proud to say that I really do love ME! I deserve good things in life and I deserve to be treated well, especially by myself. I will never allow another human being to make me feel less that the uniquely created person God made me to be. As i sign off today, please know that Beauty is not to be equated with the physical but it is what is truly on the inside that brings out the physical beauty in each of us. Ugly In equals Ugly out. Beauty in equals beauty out. I love you all my beautiful sisters!

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:14:47 +0000

So true, Tee. Not only is there the concern with possibly failing, there’s also the concern about possibly being ridiculed by others.

By: Hope

Hope — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:13:48 +0000

Hi, Sheila. Thanks for joining us today. Beautiful Ugly sounds like a interesting read. To answer one of the questions above, no, I definitely don’t think Kacie is on the right track. I can see this wonderful relationship going quickly downhill once she shares her good news with the good Deacon.

By: Hope

Hope — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:12:18 +0000

Interesting question, Jamie. It could be that the pastor isn’t offering Kacie the spiritual food that she needs. But, oftentimes it seems that we look to the church leadership for validation about what we should be doing, how we should be living, etc. The man Kacie is with is a deacon. HE should know better, even if she doesn’t.

By: Tee C. Royal

Tee C. Royal — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:55:57 +0000

I agree with this too. As children, we’re taught to do certain things, talk a certain way, etc. I think many find it hard to step outside of the shadow of some of the things we learned at an early age–things which hold us back from things.

We also are afraid at times, so it’s easier to fall back on what someone else thinks than to make a stand and possibly fail.

-Tee

By: Tee C. Royal

Tee C. Royal — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:53:08 +0000

This is so true, Shelia! I haven’t read the book, but do know people like this. The problem I find though is that they’re not open to receive the information. One can only do so much for another person.

-Tee

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:51:12 +0000

Seems I’m stumped at the moment. Which is saddening because that is the one thing you’re taught when going to church to help your fellow man. Yet it doesn’t seem to be happening and raising questions as to why and how to rectify. Which makes me wonder what her Pastor is offering to her as her spiritual leader. Is he able to offer assitance or just more ridicule?

By: Tee C. Royal

Tee C. Royal — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:50:59 +0000

You’re a sweetie, and I appreciate your comment and support of RAW!

By: Rosa

Rosa — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:47:19 +0000

Good Afternoon Shelia!!! I just ordered Beautiful Ugly. Cannot wait to read.

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:47:03 +0000

That raises a valued point. I think it has to do with how we viewed ourselves as children too.

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:38:54 +0000

I think it goes back to not knowing your self worth. Once you truly know your self worth you realize you’re valuable and the only one you should be conerned with is you. So you do things that make you feel and or look good. At the end of the day the others that you may be trying to impress may not have your best interest at heart in the first place.

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:03:22 +0000

You’re right again. The thing is what are the options for people like Kacie who are in the church but are not being helped by the church?

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:59:50 +0000

So true! But Why?

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:56:17 +0000

We sure do spend a lot of time concerned with how we look to others or what they may think of us.

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:51:47 +0000

Right and the sad thing is there are more Kacie’s out there doing the same thing. I believe it’s because they lacked guidance and support to show them the value of self worth. If they weren’t blessed with parents that were able to provide this, then hopefully someone else will be able to. As you said, sometimes people in the church are quick to judge instead of offering assistance. It’s easier to do this sometimes instead of offering the help that someone may need. Then you have those few that are willing to help, but because others have abused this help are afraid to offer it again.

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:37:33 +0000

That’s a good question. I’m not downing all people of faith, but it is true that sometimes we sit up in church and turn our noses up at people like Kacie. All the time we probably have skeletons in our closets that would make Kacie’s issues seem trivial. Christians can be the most condemning people, and that is truly something that we should analze within ourselves to see that we are doing what we should as people of faith. Kacie needs someone to come to her rescue but if it isn’t the church, then like you say, Jamie, who will help guide her?

By: Shelia E Lipsey

Shelia E Lipsey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:22:49 +0000

I wrote Beautiful Ugly first of all because the Holy Spirit moved me to write. I write from titles and Beautiful Ugly was in my list of titles. I had no idea what the story was going to be about but once I prayed on it I was inspired to write about the issues that so many people deal with today. That is the issues of ‘how we look’ to other people. In this world it seems we are bombarded with physical attributes of people, and often we are judged because of how we look. These three women for me placed everything into perspective because even though one was ‘beautiful’ on the outside, she felt ugly within, and the other ones equated physical beauty to how they viewed themselves. I pray that Beautiful Ugly will provide first of all healing and compassion to women and men who read it. Next, I pray that if we are one of the type of people who criticize and prejudge people, then maybe Beautiful Ugly will be the seed that leads them to stop judging and looking down on people who don’t fit into their status quo.

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:18:22 +0000

As stated Kacie has been on a journey of statisfication and has lost the value of her self worth. How do you know your self worth when no one is there to teach you? As said, instead of reminding Kacie what she should be doing, maybe showing her how to value herself before seeking others for love. Also showing her to have love herself and have faith in the Lord would help her greatly. But what is she to do when her church family aren’t offering her that support?

By: Jaime L. Lincoln

Jaime L. Lincoln — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:04:15 +0000

Shelia,

If you already mentioned this I apologize, but what inspired you to write Beautiful Ugly?