Lee Wolfe Blum - Brave Is the New Beautiful: Finding the Courage to Be the Real You

What people are saying about

Brave is the New Beautiful

In Brave Is the New Beautiful , Lee Blum invites you to join a girls club of a new kind: one that encourages each member to move beyond the shallow waters of insecurity and strive toward a place of depth, courage, and authenticity.

Gwen Smith, cofounder of Girlfriends in God and author of I Want It All and Broken into Beautiful

Bravery looks different on all of us. Maybe for you, bravery is facing your fears so you can step out in faith. Maybe for someone else, its the willingness to give others access to her story or the courage to leave a job that props up her identity. We all have mountains to climb and giants to face, but we never go it alone. Jesus is with us, and bravery originates from him. He continually calls us upward and onward. If youre in a season of life where you need a new brand of courage and a deeper sense of Gods faithfulness, read Lees beautiful new book. Youll be reminded afresh that you are not alone and that you get to be a work in progress, without the condemnation. Isnt that the best news ever? Were cheering for you!

Susie Larson, national speaker, talk radio host, and author of Your Powerful Prayers

All of us strive to be beautiful, but even on days when the image in the mirror shines, we still dont feel pretty because of the pain, shame, hurt, and loss we carry inside. Lee Wolfe Blum shares womens stories, including her own, to peel back the layers. This book is a beautiful representation of the hope that follows the compassion, care, and bravery of sharing our stories. A worthy read!

Tricia Goyer, author of more than sixty books, including Life, In Spite of Me with Kristen Jane Anderson

The notion that anyones life is easy is a mirage, wrote Lee. This is a timely message for all who need reminding that our most enduring beauty often lies just beneath the surface of our brokenness.

Constance Rhodes, founder and CEO of FINDINGbalance and author of Life Inside the Thin Cage

In Brave Is the New Beautiful , Blum deftly dismantles the barriers that keep us from being our true selvesfrom being vulnerable and real with others. Without clichs and with real impact, Blum reminds us that life is messy and that we need one another. You will find yourself in these pages, and you will find your friends. And you will find your unique courage.

Shayne Moore, founder of Redbud Writers Guild and author

Though age has eroded my addiction to the culture of youth and beauty, I still sigh for wrinkle-free skin from time to time. Lee Blum has nailed the healthy alternative for women of any age: courage to go deeper. Her heroines are women who rose above disfiguring accidents, who tore themselves away from destructive relationships, who endured the death or illness of a child. I especially resonated with the chapter on reinvention, a path I have traveled and highly recommend. Read this book and be inspired to find your own brave beauty.

Carolyn Miller Parr, MA, JD, retired judge and coauthor of In the Secret Service

Lee Wolfe Blum helps her readers understand that courage is not denying, coping, or white-knuckling it but is accepting our brokenness as a gateway to joy. She skillfully guides us through narratives of loss, disappointment, and pain so that we might develop a more authentic faith and become the beautifully brave women God created us to be.

Dorothy Littell Greco, author of Making Marriage Beautiful

In this refreshing and beautiful book, Lee guides readers to embrace their authentic selves, noting that its not as easy as it sounds and takes tremendous courage. Full of first-hand experience and dozens of anecdotes, Lee paints a vision for how powerful women can be when they embrace life fully and freely.

Kirsten Haglund, community relations specialist at Timberline Knolls Treatment Center and Miss America 2008

BRAVE IS THE NEW BEAUTIFUL

Published by David C Cook

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David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Details in some stories have been changed to protect the identities of the persons involved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked THE MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc; NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV. Copyright 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION and NIV are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica, Inc; NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

LCCN 2016954686

ISBN 978-1-4347-1030-7

eISBN 978-1-4347-1038-3

2017 Lee Wolfe Blum

The Team: Alice Crider, Erin Healy, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Abby DeBenedittis, Susan Murdock

Cover Design: Emily Weigel, Faceout Studio

Cover Photo: Stocksy and Shutterstock

First Edition 2017

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To the brave and beautiful women in this world:

may we know them; may we raise them; may we be them.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

Wendy Mass, The Candymakers