I spent some time this week with the folks at Zondervan finalizing the details of my first book, Fear No Evil, which releases in April 2011. The manuscript is all but done, the cover design is nearly finished and all of us seem ready to go public in a few short months. For over a year, I have worked on this project, prayed over this project and sometimes fretted over this project. Honestly, I don’t want to write a book for the sake of writing and selling books. I want this to be helpful to people.
Here are the big takeaways from this work that I hope are helpful to the people who choose to read it.
1. Bad things may happen to us, but God is with us even when everything seems dark. He is near us and He is for us.
2. Life may never be the same as before, but life on the other side of the dark valley can be magnificent if we follow the law of the farm. You will have to read chapter 10 for more insight.
3. No one wants to repeat the trip that took us through the dark valley, but what we learn about God, ourselves and our friends is worth the journey.
Fear No Evil is dedicated to the tribe of people called New Lifers who are the most courageous and faithful people I have ever met. Together we have worshipped and prayed our way through dark days and nights and now we stand on the other side, reflective of the journey and thankful for what we have learned.
Pray with me that many others will find the same hope in their journey and find the courage to take one more step out of the valley of the shadow of death. We do not have to fear evil, but we do have to face it. May the miracle story of New Life give them the strength to do just that.