Imagine Your Life Without Fear

 

Frankly, I can't. And I'm not alone! Driving to work yesterday, the top news story on the radio was, "People are afraid, stressed, depressed and angry!  Are we facing another recession?"  That seems to be the main worry fueling the fear. What will happen to my savings? Will I still have a job? Can I make my house payments? How can I make my grocery dollars stretch? When will I be able to buy my son the glasses he needs?  What am I supposed to do about the overdue bills on my kitchen counter? Will there be any money for retirement?

My own night terrors are different but the pounding heart feels the same!  What will happen when my husband has his upcoming open heart surgery?   Will my daughter's home in Thailand be flooded? Should my dad be in a care home or in his own home? What will happen if I get too far behind at work? WHY WON'T MY HEART STOP POUNDING?

I pulled a book off of the New Releases shelf last week. The very act of taking it off the shelf had a calming effect. Okay, I'm acknowledging that there is a problem. Oh look, other people are in the same boat.

Angie Smith, wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of Selah), has written What Women Fear: Walking in Faith That Transforms for those of us that, like her, grapple with crippling fear.  I knew I was in good hands when I read, "Maybe you don't worry about dying, but you get sick thinking about the fact that you might fail."  She freely admits that fear has been her constant companion since childhood.  She reminds us that we are not alone in our fears and that we aren't a bad person because of them.

"I so desperately want to be able to...give you a solution that will replace your fear with faith.  I have heard that so many times...trade your fear for faith...and yes, I do believe faith replaces fear. But I guess, in my mind, it just isn't as black and white as some people have made it sound.  It is more of a balancing act, where we deliberately lean into Him and away from our fear."

Love that  - lean into Him and away from our fear. I know that this book will be helpful to many of us. Angie Smith has also written I Will Carry You,  in which she chronicles her family's journey through unthinkable grief.

As I have walked through our store the past few days other titles have caught my eye - Fearless by Max Lucado, Letting Go of Worry by Dr Linda Mintle, Moving from Fear to Freedom by Grace Fox, Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow and of course, the Word of God.

Zephaniah 3:17 in the New Living Translation says, "For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

~~Becky

Don't forget that you can order any of the above books through our website:  www.houseofjames.com

Life and Death of a Bookstore

The very first Borders Bookstore closed its doors for the last time two days ago, Monday September 12, 2011. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it was started by two brothers in 1971, Tom and Louis Borders, with $500 worth of stock.

Todd Leopold wrote a very moving tribute/obituary on CNN.  Join me for a moment in the world of book lovers, bookstore owners, managers and employees to pay our respects.

 "...when done right, there's something about a bookstore.

It's a library, a gathering spot, a refuge, a journey. Often it's small, maybe an 800-square-foot storefront jammed into a city street. Or it's idiosyncratic: an old house or converted barn, a rambling lobby or strip-mall space. It may not even be in your neighborhood, but that's where you go.

At its best, it's crowded: sometimes with people, always with books -- books stacked to the ceiling. Books lined up in bookcases. Books spread out on tables, highlighted on platforms, displayed in twirling, 5-foot-high wire racks.

Don't know what you're looking for? That's part of the adventure. A bookstore is governed by serendipity. You walk in and the world falls away. There's no rush. It's just you and the books, these pockets of words and paper that somehow transport you to a different place.

The best bookstores have a certain feel, a certain comfort to them. They're stately but not forbidding. The employees are a mix of the young and the eccentric, college students and lifers. The front of the store features their recommendations, a little offbeat, a little intriguing. If you're looking for something specific, they know where to find it; if you don't know what you're looking for, they can be your Virgil and Beatrice, guiding you through the world.

It is a place with a soul."

Click on the following link to read the entire article.
 http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/12/first.borders.bookstore.closing/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

~~Becky

To Be Perfectly Honest

 

One Man's Year of (Almost) Living Truthfully Could Change Your Life. No Lie.

It has been years since my husband has had time to sit down and read a non-church related or work-related book.  When the doctor told him to take it easy this summer as a result of heart trouble, his evenings suddenly loomed large and empty.  It didn't help that I had to make an emergency trip down to San Diego for four days.  I am NOT the wife who leaves frozen casseroles in the freezer for thawing and micro-waving. No no, I leave BOOKS!  And Loren dutifully read them.

Phil was challenged by Ron, his editor, to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth for an entire year and then write a book about it.  Now this is the guy who is a self-confessed life-long chronic fudger, who makes his living standing in front of people and telling them stories. In Phil's own words, sometimes he "...adds just enough salt to keep a tale savory, just enough falsehood to keep people interested."  His delicious stories are one reason I have read Servant Magazine from Prairie Bible Institute for years.  Phil writes a hysterically funny column for each issue that is truly a highlight!

When Phil mentioned the proposed book idea to friends and told them that he was considering taking a truth vow, their eyebrows shot up. One friend asked, "Isn't that a bit like giving up arson for Lent?"

The year-long journey is fraught with temptation, anger, guilt.  Phil tells us truths about himself that made us blush, chortle and empathize.  Here's a real guy, struggling with real issues, willingly sharing his true story.

My husband liked this book very much and as soon as he had finished it, he was very thoughtful.  He kept referring to it in the days after and then recommended it to his brother-in-law. You will like it too.

~~ Becky

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

Francis Chan has done a superb job of telling us what the Bible says about hell. Not what I wish it said, not what he would like it to say, but what God actually tells us in the Bible.

He does so humbly and graciously with excellent documentation.  Erasing Hell is not clever or entertaining.  It is certainly not a "feel good" book.  It is horrifying and grievesome. And Francis Chan makes it clear over and over again how hard it was to write.  

Each chapter is followed by "Notes".  These include Biblical chapter and verse as well as extended hermaneutic information and books he has referred to. At the end of the book Chan includes a section of Frequently Asked Questions and an extensive bibliography.

You cannot read the book without understanding the author's heart for God, His Word and people. He does not write arrogantly, but rather with a broken heart.  Bottom line:

As I have said all along, I don't feel like believing in hell. And yet I do.  Maybe someday I will stand in complete agreement with Him, but for now I attribute the discrepancy to an underdeveloped sense of justice on my part.  God is perfect.  And I joyfully submit to a God whose ways are much, much higher than mine.

After having read Love Wins by Rob Bell several months ago and wishing I was smart enough to refute his  heretical, yes heretical! point of view, I thank God for godly men like Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle who are brave enough to pen these difficult but necessary words.

 

~~Becky