“With honest self-disclosure, a dash of humor, and a sincere quest for Truth, Victorious Secret is an inspirational gift for any woman trying to cope with real-world challenges while growing ever closer to her true source of strength: an unconditionally loving God.”
— Lisa M. Hendey, Founder of CatholicMom.com and author of The Grace of Yes
“As a mom of three, including two boys widely spaced in age, I’ve survived all sorts of war games. Laura Phelps’s book goes beyond plastic-sword-and-Nerf-bullet warfare and takes on the spiritual battles moms face — battles that have consequences much deeper than the pain from stepping on a Lego. Catholic women need battle plans, swords, shields, and armor; learn how to get it here.”
— Barb Szyszkiewicz, O.F.S., editor, CatholicMom.com
“It’s not easy being a woman. For that matter, it’s not easy being human. Laura Mary Phelps not only embraces this, she shaves it into small pieces, froths it up into a charming drink, and offers it to each of us as an opportunity to grow closer to God. Victorious Secret is a gift to every woman I know: It’s filled with humor and wisdom, and don’t say I didn’t warn you not to drink and read (lest you find yourself snorting that drink while you guffaw). Beneath the laughs, though, lies truth and humility, and it’s a clarion call to each of us: The fight is worth it and the battles are not fought alone!”
— Sarah Reinhard, author and co-editor of The Catholic Mom’s Companion to Prayer
“Get ready to stand side-by-side with your sisters in Christ to emerge victorious on the spiritual battlefield.
“Laura Mary Phelps arms us with practical weapons for spiritual warfare seeking to silence the voices of the devil and drown out the noise that keeps us from the truth — we are ‘beautiful, beloved daughters of God, an absolute masterpiece, a stunning work of art.’
“With candor and humor, Phelps takes us from the bottom of an empty tortilla chip bag into the mess of daily living, with a step-by-step format to empower women in the everyday spiritual battles we all face. With chapters on marriage, self-image, boredom, purpose, calling and trusting in God’s plan for you, Phelps points us toward Mary’s example and shows us the wonder of bringing ourselves to the foot of the cross, where we find ‘grace upon grace … to fight and win this battle.’”
— Cathy G. Knipper, Catholic publicist
“With her characteristic humor and insight into the heart of a woman, Laura Phelps lets us know we are not alone. But Victorious Secret doesn’t just make you laugh out loud, it goes deep and helps make sense of the craziness in life. Loaded with practical tools and advice from someone who has been there, this book is a perfect companion on the quest to flourish and thrive as a beloved daughter of God. If you read just one book this year, may this be it!”
— Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Founder and Chief Purpose Officer of Walking with Purpose
Victorious Secret
Victorious Secret
Everyday Battles and How to Win Them
Laura Mary Phelps
Our
Sunday
Visitor
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
Huntington, Indiana 46750
Except where noted, the Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible — Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition), copyright © 1965, 1966, 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
Every reasonable effort has been made to determine copyright holders of excerpted materials and to secure permissions as needed. If any copyrighted materials have been inadvertently used in this work without proper credit being given in one form or another, please notify Our Sunday Visitor in writing so that future printings of this work may be corrected accordingly.
Copyright © 2018 by Laura Mary Phelps. Published 2018.
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All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts for critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without permission from the publisher. For more information, visit: www.osv.com/permissions.
Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division
Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
200 Noll Plaza
Huntington, IN 46750
1-800-348-2440
ISBN: 978-1-68192-264-5 (Inventory No. T1951)
eISBN: 978-1-68192-265-2
LCCN: 2018936562
Cover and interior design: Lindsey Riesen
Cover art: Shutterstock
Printed in the United States of America
About the Author
Laura Mary Phelps is first and foremost a beloved daughter of God who needed to crash and burn before realizing it. Rescued by Jesus and determined to lead women to their true identity in Christ, she works as a regional area coordinator and social media contributor at Walking with Purpose, a women’s Catholic Bible study. A wife and the mother of four, she enjoys speaking to groups of women about her faith and writing at her own personal blog, www.lauramaryphelps.com, where she is free to talk about the mess she was, the mess she still is, and the God who shows up every day to clean it all up. Her minivan is filthy, and the side doors don’t always open, but praise be to God for children who can climb over seats and a husband who knows how to fix things. It’s not all good, but it is all grace.
This book is dedicated to the countless friends and blog readers who constantly asked, “When are you writing a book?” as well as my awesome, supportive, and loving husband, Nick, along with my beautiful children, Jack, Belle, Annie, and Luke … who didn’t mind eating “cheese bread” for dinner every night for months, because I was too busy writing to cook.
(Actually, who am I kidding? Book or no book, I would have still served them “cheese bread.” Cooking is not my gift.)
And thank you, Jesus, my Savior, Healer, and Redeemer. For every bit of the mess, and the grace to use it for good.
Contents
Chapter 1: The Everyday Battle
Chapter 2: The Self-Image Battle