GROW IN CONFIDENCE. KNOW YOUR IDENTITY.
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urney
FOR GIRLS OF FAITH
The leaves on the covers of our Brave & Beautiful Series represent the leaves from the tree of life that are for the healing of the nations. We pray this Brave & Beautiful Journey will bring healing and life to you as well as to the nations of the world.
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BRAVEANDBEAUTIFUL.WORLD Brave & Beautiful is a publication created by Explicit Movement, a Christian faith-based movement that heals and empowers youth and young adults to walk in sexual integrity and healthy relationships as they embrace their God-given identity and God's beautiful design for sex. We provide faith-based resources that equip youth, young adults, parents, and church leaders to have conversations concerning healthy dating and navigating sexuality issues with confidence, leading the way for young people to thrive in relationships. CREDITS COVER Floral pattern: Maria Galybina. 3 Photography by Luminous: Emily Ganiko, Dreamstime, and Unsplash.
WELCOME BACK TO
Brave & Beautiful — vol.3
REAL TRUTH.
REAL LOVE.
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Bave Beauful Jurney
Sh
eR e l e ases ••
Sh eB
e li e ev
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c o v
e r s •• She Accepts ••
i D ifu l •• S h e
eE •• x p re s s e s
ut
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Journey 01
e
&
a e B
Sh
B ra ve
Journey 02
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SHE IS BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL
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SHE RELEASES
16
SHE DISCOVERS
20
SHE TRUSTS
30 SHE ACCEPTS
28
SHE CRIES
40 SHE BELIEVES
40
SHE BLOOMS
58 SHE EXPRESSES
50
SHE PERSEVERES
70 SHE CONNECTS
58
SHE PROTECTS
84 SHE RESTS
68
SHE SPARKLES
BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL
re
••
She s
Sh
e
s
Sh
cts •• She Re sts
nne
Co
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he Celeb •• She Sparkles •• S ra te
C
he s •• S
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Sh
eP
Pro
t e c ts
A
es
Journey 03
Journey 04 Listen
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10
PORNOGRAPHY
20 SHE LOVES
16
SEXUAL ABUSE & TRAUMA
30 SHE GIVES
32
SEX TRAFFICKING
40 SHE DREAMS
50
VOICES OF FREEDOM
48 SHE CREATES
58
HOPE RISING
SHE CELEBRATES
e
r e a te
She Bloom •• s
ri s
Sh
es
eC ri
e m s •• S h
Sh
D re a
s
ves •• She Give o L e s • Sh • ••
She Lstens!
56 SHE ARISES 5
er
ve se
VOLUME 03 — PART 1 Ever feel discouraged, disappointed, or overwhelmed
In this section, we will explore some answers to these
with life’s dramas? Pausing to find what you can be
questions and learn about the power in being young
thankful for can lift you up from that dark place high
women who celebrate life, love others, and who are
enough to take a breath of fresh air. Being grateful is a
generous givers.
key to growing in your emotional health. Thankfulness will help you to relish good times, give you extra
Like a magnet, as you are fueled by God’s heart and
strength to deal with trials, and can even improve your
directed by His whispers to act, we are confident you
relationships! Celebrating the positive blessings God has
will attract unexpected blessings that can fill your heart
given you and thanking Him will feed your soul—but it
with joy.
is not always easy! Perspective changes things.
“And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;” ROMANS 5:3 NASB
Then there is our call to love others…how do we love others well? It is easy to love people we like and feel comfortable with, but what about when it is difficult to love?! And what does it mean to be a good friend? How do we love in healthy ways? Part of loving is giving from a generous heart. God’s Word says it is more blessed to give than to receive… yet sometimes that can be challenging when we struggle with our own selfish desires from time to time! Why be generous?
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BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL
She She She
Celebrates Loves Gives
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8
She Celebr BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL
B RAVE & B EAUTI FU L JOU RN EY: SH E CELEB RATES
Celebrate the blessings in your life.
Be thankful!
JOU RN EY 03 • CHAPTER 15
rates.
pay attention to the good. “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” PHILIPPIANS 4:8 NIV
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BRAVE && BEAUTIFUL BRAVE BEAUTIFUL
A HEART OF GRATITUDE BY JENNIFER FINULIAR
I
n today’s world where information and images are at our fingertips, it is easy to be swept up and carried off into the whirlwind of thinking we need MORE, we should be doing MORE, we deserve MORE!
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That whirlwind can cause us to see only what we do not have, rather than being grateful for what we do have. If we are not careful to put gratitude at the forefront of our hearts, it will be challenging for us to make room in our lives for “much,” or for the “more,” in life that our grateful hearts do desire.
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Gratitude changes our outlook from negative to positive and can help lift us out of depression.
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Our mental and emotional health will improve. We will be able to bounce back quicker after going through sad, frustrating, or troubling situations in life if we meditate on what we can be thankful for and celebrate the good!
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Our physical health can be positively affected! It is a known fact that our mental and emotional health has a profound effect on our physical health, especially in the long term.
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Our relationships can thrive as we become joyful and pour that joy out rather than have a complaining, negative attitude.
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We will begin to remember how much God loves us and live everyday with fresh hope.
Gratitude is simply defined as the state of being grateful. It involves expressing thanks or appreciation for something, from a gift to life itself! A heart of gratitude recognizes the positive things in life and how they affect us. This can range from acknowledging a beautiful rainbow in the sky after the rain, or a fun time you had with a friend, to the feeling of thanksgiving that comes from escaping a serious illness. It is important to practice a heart of gratitude to keep us positive and help us shut the door on the enemy who always seeks to steal away our joy and peace in God.
Do you desire to be successful in life? Be grateful! “Research on the effects gratitude has on our biology shows how being thankful increases our longevity, our ability to use our imagination, and our ability to problem-solve.” DR. CAROLINE LEAF
Be intentional to live the full life that Jesus came to give us! He wants us to have joy, be fulfilled, and to have a life that we love as much as He loves us! Let’s practice a heart of gratitude!
The concept of being thankful in the Bible is mentioned over 150 times! Our all-wise Heavenly Father knows us best—that being a thankful people keeps us healthy and thriving in more ways than one!
There are many fantastic benefits to having a heart of gratitude!
With all my heart and passion, I will thank you, my God!
“With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever,” PSALM 86:12 NLT
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