Bonnie S. Calhoun: Combatting Fear

Everyone's Story welcomes back author Bonnie S. Calhoun. I encourage my guests to write uplifting messages straight from the heart, and to feel free to tie it into their writing. Bonnie's subject this week is perfect timing, considering that her feature will begin its run on the day of remembrance, 9-11, that changed the world. Yet, Bonnie adds a ray of light here, of hope, and shares with us why we should not fear. For this reason, as well as that Bonnie is a lovely woman and wonderful author, I'm pleased that she is with us this week. Please check out her BookGiveaway (for those who haven't read it yet), and her encouraging words below. Both Bonnie and I look forward to hearing from you!

BookGiveaway:

Bonnie is offering 1 copy of THUNDER (Book 1 of the Stone Braide Chronicles) to 1 randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, September 18th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment (you may choose to use the Contact Me form to privately send me your email address--the form is in the right-hand sidebar on the blog's main page, toward the bottom).

DO NOT FEAR by Bonnie Calhoun

Whenever I write, or think about a new story idea, the underlying premise is always do not fear. No matter what the character goes through, they dig down inside of themselves and drag out the will and determination that only God can give us to go on.

I think that is what draws me to YA (Young Adult) characters because by nature they have a sense of fearlessness…okay so that particular fearlessness comes because their teenage brains don’t fully connect all the little synapses until they’re 25. You know what I mean…the part of the brain that tells us adults to head in the other direction, well the teen brain tells them…go on, try it! What’s the worst that can happen? And in their minds that never includes serious hurt. So in a way their lack of fear is foolish, but in today’s world the foolishness comes from an overabundance of fear.

It is very hard in today’s world to not see news of every pestilence, disease, weapon, or terrorist. In the mainstream media the old saying is, “If it bleeds, it leads.” And people today have been so bombarded with it that they have slowly slipped into a constant fearful state. But it feels justifiable because of all the bad things on the news.

I think this is the time when we should get in the Word more, especially Jesus ministry here on earth. It will help to fortify us against the darts of the enemy that are constantly trying to wear down your faith. Are you going to let fear cancel out your faith? Or are you going to grow the kind of faith that will cancel out the fear?

I also know that there are traumatic and awful, sometimes life changing things that can happen to pare away at faith and allow the fear to blossom but that is a great time to break out the Word and read the story of Joseph. Thirteen chapters and you wonder if it will ever end…but look what the Lord did. Or read the book of Job. Now that is a story that will make your hair curl...or straighten out…at one point it got so bad that his own wife told him to curse God and die. But in the end, the Lord returned all that had been stolen.

In both stories the men remained true to the Lord and did not let their lives be overtaken by fear. They trusted in the Lord.

And I bet you expected me to say “Fear Not is in the Bible 365 times.” Well it’s not! With all the different do not fears, do not worry, be anxious, or any other form of the same thought combined there’s only about 300 of them. But ya’ know what? If my God, who cannot tell a lie, says it only ONCE…it’s still good enough for me.

Folks, none of what goes on in this world has caught our God by surprise. He did not get up on this side of the world today and go “Oh geez. I didn’t see that coming.” He’s bigger than all of it. And we’ve got to decide whether we believe Him or not when He said:

Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (NASB)

Bonnie's previous Everyone's Story's feature:

Interview with a lovable snark and suspense author
A visit with Bonnie Calhoun

Bonnie's Ah-hahs To Tweet:

@BonnieCalhoun: a cool author’s thoughts on why fear is hard to escape from & what to do about it. (Tweet This)

Everyone’s Story: The one and only @BonnieCalhoun, author of #YA #dystopian. #BookGiveaway (Tweet This)

@BonnieCalhoun: living in a world that bombards you with fear. #BookGiveaway (Tweet This)

Authors' Bio:

Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year.”

She love to write, but it doesn't make her happy unless there is...body count, blood, or blowing things up. She also has mad skills at coding HTML, and website design. And she lives in a log cabin in the woods with fifteen acres and a pond full of bass, though she'd rather buy fish at the grocery store. Bonnie shares her domain with a husband, a dog, and two cats, all of whom think she’s waitstaff!

Her latest series is a YA dystopian with Revell titled Stone Braide Chronicles. The first book Thunder published in 2014. The second book Lightning will publish Oct 2015. There are also two FREE e-book short stories. Tremors is the prequel to Thunder, and Aftershock (short story) comes before Lightning.

Places to connect with Bonnie:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Pinterest

YouTube

Amazon