Saturday, February 25, 2017

Fear Fighting by Kelly Balarie

We want to be brave and do away with fear. Balarie, in the context of sharing her own experiences, helps readers understand the various origins of fear and how to conquer it.

Balarie's writing style is very conversational. Reading her book is like listening to a friend across a table rather than listening to a teacher. She illustrates her concepts by telling her own stories, those of others, fictional stories, and stories from the Bible. Her writing style would appeal to career age readers, I think.

My favorite part of the book was her teaching on welcoming the Holy Spirit. (W.E.L.C.O.M.E.) Wait. Experience. Let the truth be told. Come back to prayer, again and again. Open the Bible. Meditate and communicate. Eyes attentive. (105) She notes that the time and energy we give to welcoming the Holy Spirit may well determine if we find peace with God or panic with worry. (106)

The strength of this book is the twelve week Group Study that is included. This is a relational kind of book and would have the most impact when used in a group context. Balarie suggests grabbing hands with “sisters in courage” and being part of a group study would be a great way to do that.

You can find out more about the book, find resources, read others' stories and share your own, and watch an author interview at http://purposefulfaith.com/fear-fighting-book/. You can also join her Facebook page (Kelly Balarie – Author & Speaker). You can download an excerpt here.

Food for thought: “If you spend your whole life grasping for happy in the future, you'll end up missing God's transformation in the present.” (22)

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Kelly Balarie has written for several online sites and Christian magazines. She is a speaker at women's and church events. She and her husband have two toddlers. You can find out more at her blog, www.purposefulfaith.com.

Baker Books, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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