Synopses & Reviews
True beauty is not about how you look…
but how you live.
Women are constantly bombarded with the lie that how we look is far more important than who we are. It’s time for a clarion call back to the truth.
Journey with gifted storyteller Kim Meeder as she encourages women to see that true value is defined by our Creator and that our worth has a purpose of eternal proportions.
Real beauty isn’t a look, it’s an action. It can be found by making one crucial, life-defining choice—to lay down personal ambitions and selfish desires, pick up your sword of encouragement, and fight for those who are losing their battle for hope. As you do, fierce beauty is revealed—along with lasting value, fulfillment, and joy.
In Fierce Beauty, Kim shares inspiring true stories from her own life of adventure, love, and loss—including her parents’ shocking death when she was nine years old and her struggles with self acceptance, knowing God, and standing for Him. Through it all, you’ll discover life lessons about trust, transformation, surrender, forgiveness, and genuine purpose.
Ultimately, life comes down to one question: Will you serve yourself or your King?
Includes discussion guide for individuals or groups.
“You were not created to be a princess of entitlement
but a warrior, fighting to bring love and hope to the world.”
– Kim Meeder
About the Author
Kim Meeder is the author of
Hope Rising,
Bridge Called Hope, and
Blind Hope. Along with her husband, Troy, she owns and operates Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Central Oregon, a nonprofit organization that rescues abused and neglected horses and pairs them with disadvantaged children, offering them a place of safety, peace, and hope. She has been a popular guest on the
Focus on the Family radio broadcast, Dr. Dobson’s
Family Talk, and featured on the
CBS Early Show.
Reading Group Guide
1. Part 1: The Problem
1. What matters most to you? What things tend to sidetrack you from becoming all that God is calling you to be?
2. You may never have found yourself clinging precariously to the side of a mountain, but perhaps you’ve encountered circumstances just as intense. What were the choices that led you there? How did God meet you in those situations?
3. In chapter 3, Kim wrote, “Authentic beauty is revealed in what we do for those in need around us. On that day I wanted to be beautiful like Amelia…because she was beautiful like Jesus.” When was the last time you did something strictly for the benefit of someone else—knowing the person could not pay you back? Describe how you felt afterward.
4. What have you found to be the most effective ways of defending your heart against sin? What are some “arrows” you’ve encountered when you’ve let your guard down? As Kim pointed out, there is no arrow that the unfailing love of Jesus cannot remove. In a few words how would you describe His arrow-removing process in your life?
2. Part 2: The King
1. Kim says, “At some point we will all experience our best-laid plans being obliterated in a single moment. An accident, a disease, an addiction, an infidelity, a discovery, a choice—each can exact life-changing consequences.” How has God shown His faithfulness to you in times like these?
2. Have you ever experienced total peace despite tumultuous or scary circumstances? If so, how would you advise a friend to find peace in the midst of troubled circumstances?
3. In chapter 11, Kim recalled God speaking to her: “The things you choose to entrust to Me, you will have forever. But the things that you choose to hold on to will all perish.” What have you entrusted to God? What are you holding on to? Why? How are you protecting those things better than God could? When might you be willing to give those things to God as well?
4. Have you ever had a “wilderness” experience in which you didn’t know how or when you’d make it through? What are your thoughts about where God is during those times? What was most effective in helping you put one foot in front of the other and not give up?
3. Part 3: The Warrior
1. Have you ever asked, “Who am I, and what do I really have to give?” Describe some things you’ve already given, such as a smile, a prayer, a word of encouragement, a small gift. Since you are unique and strategically placed in this world—no one else can be you— what are the gifts you have that can make a difference for those in your life who might be struggling?
2. In chapter 15, Kim compared unforgiveness to a prison. She also stated, “Forgiveness is a purposeful decision to let go of our years of rubble.” Is there someone in your life you haven’t fully forgiven? If you are holding on to years of rubble, what is it costing you? Are you willing to take action to be completely free?
3. In your own race through life, what weights slow you down? Who is cheering you on? Whom are you cheering for? What is your greatest motivation to do your best?
4. Kim wrote that a warrior is one who casts down her “princess crown” of entitlement and picks up her King’s sword of encouragement to fiercely defend those who are losing their battle for hope. Consider your world, your community, your friends, your family. Of those near you, who is losing the battle for hope? If you were to pick up your sword of encouragement, what would that look like for the people around you?