Brave is the New Beautiful: 

Finding the Courage to Be the Real You

 

“If you’re in a season of life where you need a new brand of courage and a deeper sense of God’s faithfulness, read Lee’s beautiful book.”

— Susie Larson, national speaker and author of Your Powerful Prayers

 

“In Brave Is the New Beautiful, Lee Blum invites you to join a girl’s 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 your, bravery is facing your fears so you can step out in faith. Maybe for someone else, it’s 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 orginates from him. He continually calls us upward and onward. If you’re in a season of life where you need a new brand of courage and a deeper sense of God’s faithfulness, read Lee’s beautiful new book. You’ll be reminded afresh that you are not alone and that you get to be a work in progress, without condemnation. Isn’t that the best news ever? We’re 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 don’t feel pretty because of the pain, shame, hurt and loss we carry inside. Lee Wolfe Blum shares women’s 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 anyone’s 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 selves- from being vulnerable and real with others. Without cliches and with real impact, Blum reminds us that life is messy and 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 Writer’s 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 Grego, author of Making Marriage Beautiful

 

“In this refreshing and beautiful book, Lee guides readers to embrace their authentic selves, noting that it’s 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

Table in the Darkness:

A Healing Journey Through an Eating Disorder

 

“In a world where we are encouraged to hide our pain and ignore the brokenness around us,  Lee Blum’s Table in the Darkness is a tender, stark and vital reminder that so many in our midst struggle and struggle deeply. Her story is horrific and hopeful, and the ultimate power of authentic community offers hope to all of us, regardless of what we carry around inside of us. With so few voices reminding us how deeply we need and long for one another, Lee Blum’s is a godsend.”

— Chap Clark, PhD, Associate Provost, Professor of Youth, Family, and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary, and author of 25 + books. Chap’s latest book, Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers 

 

“Table in the Darkness is a page-turning account of a woman’s battle against mental illness, and the inspiring story of how she overcomes. I couldn’t put it down, and cannot recommend it highly enough to those longing for freedom from their past.”

— Emily Wierenga, author of Chasing Silhouettes and Mom in the Mirror

 

“I am a huge fan of Lee Wolfe Blum. She is an inspiring example of the freedom that comes when we allow God’s loving truth to seep through the cracks in our armor and nourish the deepest corners of our hearts. In Table in the Darkness, Lee reminds us that God is at work in us always, even – and often – when we’re not looking.”

— Constance Rhodes, founder and CEO, FINDINGbalance; author, Life Inside the “Thin” Cage