Be Bold: Finding Your Fierce
By Rachel Billups
“Rachel Billups is a powerful communicator who has the vision and courage to move where the Spirit is moving into God’s next. A great read for all leaders!”
Mike Slaughter Pastor Emeritus, Ginghamsburg Church, Founder and Chief Strategist,
Passionate Churches, LLC
Recognize your own power and potential to be bold.
From the “thin slice of life” where she grew up with her family in Appalachia to success as pastor of a large church, Rachel Billups’s life stories show strength and grace even in the midst of doubt and wondering. With her brand of fierce she worked through years of school to become an accomplished pastor and mother of four. She took nothing lying down and found that being bold was the only way to be alive. In Be Bold, she weaves her stories into the lives of biblical characters. You will find redemption and insight in Sarah’s story, inspiration in Mary’s call, and ministry and community in Paul’s letter to Timothy. For anyone who hopes to find the fierce in their own lives, Billups’s work leads the way. In both her personal experience and her telling of Bible stories, Billups shows how being bold can bring you closer to God and God’s plan for your life.
From the Introduction
Chapters 1 and 2 challenge us to wrestle with the limitation prophecies that people speak over us. Those negative words have the potential to cap our fierce, and you may discover that these limitation prophecies are your source of fear. Chapters 3 and 4 give us an opportunity to confess that we speak limiting words over one another as well, but we also recognize just how powerful our fierce can be when we fight for the right stuff. I wrote chapter 5 on my wedding anniversary because I wanted to give a picture of what fierce can do in a real-life marriage - the good and the bad. And then comes the hard stuff, chapter 6, 7, and 8 - those moments in my life where I discovered fierce through silence, pressure, and pain. Chapter 9 is a reminder that we are bold because others have shaped our boldness. Finally in chapter 10, I show how our fierce identity becomes the fuel to be fully alive.
More Praise for Be Bold
“‘Crossover Credentials’ is a term I’ve used to describe leaders who use their seemingly disparate gifts toward incredible purposes. Rachel Billups is such a leader. Her “thin slice of life” roots, her Enneagram #8, and her passionate call to ministry render her the best possible person to write this book with authenticity and candor. Her stories will engage you and her truth will challenge you to reach down and find your own amazing fierce.”
Kim Miller Author of Redesigning Churches and Redesigning Worship
“Be Bold is a masterful weaving together of sacred scripture and personal story. Rachel humbly shows us the highlight reel of her life as well as vulnerably shows us the blooper reel too. She wonderfully helps Christ followers hear the whisper of the God who makes the mundane and mess of our lives into a masterpiece. This book will help you become fully alive in Christ living into the best you that you can become.”
Jorge Acevedo Lead Pastor, Grace Church
“Being bold can mean many different things. For Rachel Billups, her boldness is rooted in spiritual honesty, biblical wisdom, and a prophetic witness that lovingly convicts us into communion with Christ. Be Bold: Finding Your Fierce invites us to recognize how powerful the spiritual discipline of affirmation is in transforming our past into fuel for our Christian journey.”
Matt Rawle Author of The Redemption of Scrooge, Lead Pastor, Asbury United Methodist Church, Bossier City, Louisiana
“For years, Rachel Billups has modeled a bold and courageous life, lived for Christ. Thankfully, she has now put into words how we too can face the future unafraid. You may have never seen yourself as fierce, but after reading this book you will!”
Jacob Armstrong Pastor, Providence Church, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Author of The New Adapters, Renovate, A New Playlist, and God’s Messy Family
“Rachel Billups is one of the most talented younger clergy throughout the country. Through her insightful work, Be Bold: Finding Your Fierce, she is real, raw, and confessional about her journey in finding her fierce and God-given leadership mantle. By reading her work, you can’t help but feel challenged to grow in the next step of your leadership journey.”
Rev. Dr. Rosario “Roz” Picardo Dean of The Chapel and Director of The Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation, United Theological Seminary, Co-Pastor of Mosaic Church
“Rachel Billups lives life full out as a fierce, focused, no limits, on-fire pastor, leader, and Jesus follower—and yes, that’s also a pretty good description of Be Bold. Readers will enjoy the gift of fierce.” Karen Perry Smith Senior Executive Director of Leadership Development & Missional Strategy, Ginghamsburg Church
