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GROW IN CONFIDENCE. KNOW YOUR IDENTITY.

JOURNEY

FOR GUYS

DIG DEEPER

The Quest to Dig Deeper Welcome to your Brave & Bold Journey 2, a unique path with solid stepping stones to strengthen you on this adventure you are on. Life is not a sprint but a marathon. The topics in Journey 2 will support you for the rest of your life as you seek to establish some building blocks of emotional health. The strong root system of a grand fruit tree is important for its health and longevity, enabling it to bear loads of good fruit. You are like this tree. We want to help you nourish a great root system so you not just survive but thrive in life with the sweet fruits of personal growth, success, and healthy, positive relationships! We challenge you to approach Journey 2 with an open heart and a willingness to learn and grow— which takes courage and grit. Be prepared to be surprised, challenged, empowered, affirmed, and transformed. You may experience healing moments from past pain, opening the door to newfound freedom, perspectives, hope, and joy. We believe everything you go through can be turned into something that makes you brave and bold so you can step into life knowing how much you are worth. You were meant to be part of a caring community where you can build each other up and grow together. As you ‘dig deeper,’ may each article and activity give you the refreshing water and nourishment you need so you can finish in victory! With gratitude, The Brave & Bold Team

BRAVE & BOLD (CLASSIC) Copyright © 2025 Releasing Generations Published by Releasing Generations Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All articles, art, and photographs have been published and printed with the permission of their creators. Art Direction and Graphic Design by: Ahava Design, LLC. Photos by Unsplash and iStock Photo.

TheBraveSeries.com Brave & Bold is a publication created by Releasing Generations, a non-profit organization that empowers people of all ages to thrive with purpose, while knowing their value. We focus on equipping leaders to positively impact young people through events, training, and resources that build emotional and relational wholeness and release creativity and leadership.

Brave & Bold Volume 02 (Classic) – 1/2025

FOR GUYS

DIG DEEPER

The Journey: 02

Journey

HE IS BRAVE & BOLD Defining What is Brave & Bold

LET IT GO ................................... 12 The Value of Forgiveness

KNOW YOURSELF Becoming Self-Aware

...............................26 GOOD GRIEF ............................... Dealing with Losses in Life

STAND FIRM Being Secure and Confident

UNRAVELLING EMOTIONS ........... 40 Navigating Anger, Fear, and Anxiety

YOUR DESIGN Discovering Your Uniqueness

STAY THE COURSE ...................... 60 Persevering Through Hardships

BORN TO CREATE Activating Your Creativity

PARENTS AND YOU ...................... 76 Exploring the Impact of Parents

FREEDOM TO DREAM Dreaming Big for Your Life

FORGED IN COMMUNITY ............. 90 The Value of Belonging to a Community

Discover Purpose

Dig Deeper

Journey

BUILDING YOUR CORE Establishing Character

PORNOGRAPHY The Negative Effects of Pornography

VALUES TO LIVE BY Embracing Key Values for Success

OVERCOMING TRAUMA Understanding Trauma

LEADERSHIP Becoming an Effective Leader

SEX ABUSE Addressing Sexual Abuse

FRIENDSHIP Building Healthy Friendships

SEX TRAFFICKING Protect Yourself and Others from Victimization

GUYS AND GIRLS Honoring Girls and Women

RISING STRONG Onward with Vision and Purpose

HE PROTECTS Guarding, Defending, and Supporting Others

THE BROTHERHOOD The Value of Men Arising

Develop Foundation

Daring Pursuit

How’s Your Heart? How is your soul doing? What is going on in your inner world?

How is your soul doing? What is going on in your inner world? We are more multifaceted than the eye can see. Caring about how we appear to the world is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing, but do we ever take a look at what is on our inside and invest in our own emotional health? Our soul is made up of our mind, will, emotions, thoughts, attitudes, character, and even our moral makeup—in other words, our inner world. The purpose of these next three chapters, Let it Go, Good Grief, and Unravelling Emotions, is to support you in navigating the negative emotions of anger, fear, and sadness. These common emotions are often ‘stuffed’ and handled in unhealthy ways that can affect us for years to come—and even our physical health over time. Despite our cultural or family influences, we all have the potential to grow and heal emotionally and mentally, paving the way for a brighter future. The last three chapters are related to emotional health as well. You will be strengthened to persevere through challenges, navigate issues with your parents whether they are present in your life or not, and embrace the value of being a part of a loving community. This next article by Brandon Ahu will help prepare you to embark on this transformative journey of self-discovery.

THE CLOSET OF OUR HEART. by Brandon Ahu

What is not revealed cannot be healed.

even guilt and shame over things we’ve done that we’re not proud of.

I hated cleaning my room as a kid. It was one of those things that my mom always threw at me if I ever asked to go out and play with my friends. “Did you clean your room?” was the question that would sentence me to at least 45 minutes of putting away things that had been thoughtlessly thrown across my floor, desk, and bed.

We can easily think, “If anyone knew about this, they wouldn’t want to be around me.” So we ignore these feelings and try to distract ourselves with everything else: friends, video games, sports, social media—anything is better than the stuff we’re feeling now. We stuff them away into the corners of our hearts, where they sit there and start to smell, making other things in our lives smell.

But one day, I cracked the code. Rather than take the time to clean my room and go through everything, I just stuffed it all in my closet and closed the door! Problem solved! So, in the closet it went: toys, books, papers, shoes, backpack, dirty clothes, and used dishes. Every time my mom told me to clean my room, I got it done in less than 5 minutes. The floor, desk, and bed were clean, and I could go out and hang out with my friends.

We were never made to live like this. Although it’s tough and may take a little longer in the moment, we must be able to deal with what we think and feel. Don’t let unresolved issues and feelings sabotage your future. We were made to be free from these things, but you must be willing to bring them into the light.

Everything was great, and my room looked amazing— until the closet got too full, and I couldn’t close the door. Even worse, a funny smell started coming from the closet. One thing about dirty clothes and used dishes is that you can only keep them hidden for so long. The smell started to creep out into other parts of my room.

But hiding is easier, isn’t it? And you can continue to do that. But we know that eventually, we will have to deal with it. The good, the bad, and the ugly, as they say. So, we might as well deal with these things that we’ve tried to hide. Why would we do this? Because…

Of course, my mom found out. And it wasn’t pretty. I had to soak and wash my dirty clothes multiple times to get the smells out, and some just had to be thrown away since they were so gross. Not to mention the dried-milk cereal bowls, old cups of orange juice, and caked-on cheese that wouldn’t come off the nacho plate I had last month. It was a catastrophe. Unloading the mess that I’d stuffed away in my closet for months took longer than if I had just dealt with things the right way.

What is revealed gets healed. And the opposite is true as well: What is not revealed cannot be healed. Yes, it takes courage to face it and bring it into the light. But don’t forget that in the light, you will find wholeness, forgiveness, and life. Don’t be afraid to deal with the things that you are ashamed of. It all starts with being courageous enough to open the closet and be honest with what’s really in there.

Sometimes, we treat our lives like I treated my room. We all want a life that looks clean and well put together. But messes happen to all of us. Rather than dirty clothes or used dishes, our messes look like thoughts, feelings, or habits that we just don’t want to deal with. Intrusive negative thoughts. Feelings of deep anger or rejection. Disappointment that something didn’t happen how we wanted it to. Hurt and pain toward a loved one, or

If we are willing to clean out the closet of our hearts, we will find freedom. “Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.” Sarah Dessen

“If we really want to love we must learn how to forgive.” Mother Theresa

Chapter 01

Let it go

How easy is it to get offended? Irritated? Hurt by people’s actions or words? It can be so easy to hold hurt and unforgiveness in our hearts when we are the receiver of hurtful actions and words.

of the pathway to healing, wholeness, freedom, and joy in life. Open your heart and mind to the articles and stories in this chapter that will empower you to forgive, even when it is difficult.

But remember, forgiveness is always within our reach as we heal and get the support we need in the process. Forgiving yourself and others is part

Let’s grow deeper roots in the good soil of love and forgiveness.