Tell Fear to Go Fly by Robin Jones Gunn

Robin Jones Gunn

You don’t become a respected author with an impressive track record without working hard and taking risks. I admire Robin Jones Gunn, and I’m thrilled to have her as a guest today. Soak in her encouraging—and important—message. ~ Dawn

Tell Fear to Go Fly

I’ve been thinking about this verse in I John 4:18. “Perfect love casts out fear.”

Here’s what I’ve learned as a writer over the many decades. Fear and love cannot fill the same space. Love must drive out all fear. Fear must go away. Fear and love do not co-exist.

Yet so many beginning writers tell me they’re afraid. Afraid of rejection, afraid of failure. Some are even afraid of success. They started out with hope and joy but fear came knocking and they opened the door. Now they sit in a small, dark place where fear is making all the decisions for them.

Dear Beautiful Writer, tell that dark-winged enemy to go fly. Ask God to drive out all fear and fill your heart and your thoughts with His love. Then go back to work and write your little heart out.

When I was writing “Becoming Us” I saw the main character, Emily, as a thirty-something woman who was timid by nature but had fallen into a place of fear as a result of the losses in her life. She’d been married long enough to discover that everything didn’t go the way she dreamed it would. In order to be free to take the next step, Emily had to trust God’s perfect love for her. She had to make peace with the losses and cast out all the fear in her life before she could move forward.

Writers travel a similar path.

Don’t keep looking over your shoulder. Be at peace and write out of strength. When you write without fear of what others will say, without fear of whether you’ll finish or who will buy your work, then your words will be created out of love. Love for the art of word-crafting. Love for the Author and Finisher of your faith. Love for your readers. Love for the gift that’s been given to you. Love for the privilege of being able to communicate truth.

Don’t believe any of the lies that fear has been telling you. Write out of love, not out of fear and your words will echo in the same deep place inside your readers. Your words will be set free and so will you.

_______

When you #write without fear of what others will say, without #fear of whether you’ll finish or who will buy your work, then your words will be created out of #love. via @RobinGunn on #seriouslywrite

Don’t believe any of the lies that fear has been telling you. Write out of #love, not out of #fear and your words will echo in the same deep place inside your readers. Words of wisdom for the Christian #writer from @RobinGunn on #seriouslywrite

Becoming Us

Becoming Us

Emily bravely puts aside her fears and attends a party where she meets Christy, Sierra, Jennalyn and Tess. An unexpected moment links Emily to this small group that call themselves the “Daughters of Eve,” and the five women become unlikely best friends. 

Regular gatherings follow, and as the women share their stories, they find their lives weaving together in beautiful ways. It’s a season of raising children, figuring out relationships and dreaming together about what’s next. Emily needs a fresh start, but even with the encouragement of her new friends will it be possible to be free of the painful past that brought her to California?

Robin Jones Gunn is the bestselling, Christy Award winning author of nearly 100 books with over 5.5 million copies sold worldwide.

Best known for her Christy Miller novels for teens and the Christy Award winning Glenbrooke and Sisterchicks® series, Robin’s non-fiction titles include Praying for Your Future Husband, co-authored with Tricia Goyer and Spoken For, co-authored with Alyssa Bethke. Her newest novel, Becoming Us releases May 7, 2019 from WaterBrook/Multnomah, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing.

Hallmark Channel created three movies from Robin’s Father Christmas novellas staring Erin Krakow, Niall Matter and Wendie Malick. All three movies broke the record for the network by being the season’s highest rated and most watched original movies.

Robin’s love for storytelling and training writers has taken her around the world. She has served on the Board of Media Associates International and has been a keynote speaker in Africa, Brazil, Europe and Australia as well as Canada and throughout the US.

Many readers who grew up with Robin’s books have written to tell her how the memorable characters in her stories have mentored and influenced them over the years. Robin and her husband have two grown and married children and live in Hawaii.

Connect and learn more about Robin here:

https://christymiller.com/meet-the-author

http://ChristyMillerShop.com

www.RobinGunn.com

 

Conquering Your Fear by Reba J. Hoffman, Ph.D.

Reba & Dakota preparing to depart.

I see it almost daily. Really talented writers pour their heart and soul into creating a magnificent story that is sure to change the lives of their readers. They edit, chop, start over and still it never seems good enough.

They pay good money to attend a writer’s conference and just at the second they get their opportunity to pitch their story to their dream agent, they turn and run the other way. Why?

Fear.

Toccoa Falls, Georgia

As I’m writing this, I’m pedaling alone on my bicycle around America to meet women who are plagued by fear. Perhaps they don’t have the fear of agents but they are held captive in their own hearts and life circumstances. Here are some things I’ve learned from them:

Fear will always win unless you do. It’s a battle, but you have the power to win it. If you forfeit the battle, it will be crowned the undisputed champion.

Fear has no power unless you give it. Fear is an intangible emotion that really cannot reign over you without you giving it permission.

Fear is necessary. It gears you up emotionally to face that situation you’re uncomfortable in, like pitching your story to a publishing editor. You really should capture its energy and use it to move you forward toward your goal.

Fear always shows up. Always. Expect it. Recognize it. Put it in its place and use it for your good. Yes, you have that power over the fear in your life.

Fear always subsides. Whether you feel the fear and do it anyway, or turn and run for cover, that yucky feeling in the pit of your stomach will go away. So, if it’s going to show up and it’s going to leave, why not use it for your gain?

Entering Georgia

You—yes, even the most mild mannered, shy, introverted wordsmith—can conquer fear. Sound impossible? It’s not. You can harness that fear and cause it to work FOR you. It can propel you forward toward your goal.

Look, you already have the writing part down. You do it very well. So why not take the time to fear as your friend, rather than your foe? Or if not, at least get comfortable being uncomfortable when fear shows up?

Most people feel the fear and hide. But you can be like a dam that harnesses the raw power of the water and converts it to energy and electricity. You can use its power to accomplish great and mighty things.

I encourage you today to look at fear in a different light, for your good. Your readers will appreciate that more than you know. They need to read what you spend so much time creating.

Trust me on this one!

What is the one thing that scares you more than anything? How has fear stopped you from reaching your dreams? Would you mind taking the first step in conquering that fear by posting it in the comments below?

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Fear will always win unless you do. Click to Tweet
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About the Author

Reba Hoffman giving a
newspaper interview during
her trip

Reba J. Hoffman is a natural encourager and Member Care Coach at My Book Therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is currently riding her bicycle across America to help women with PTSD. She is the author of Facing Fear and Finding Freedom, available on Amazon, and Dare to Dream, a Writer’s Journal published by My Book Therapy. She also publishes a motivational and encouraging blog, Finding True North. Contact Reba at reba@rebajhoffman.com.

On November 5, 1984, Reba was abducted in broad daylight from a parking lot by a drug-crazed criminal. He’d been out of jail for less than twenty four hours. She was beaten, raped and left for dead in a remote area of North Florida. By God’s grace She survived that attack.

The broken bones healed but Reba suffered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, she had a great medical/mental health team and was able to recover. Sadly, that’s not the case with so many women who survive violent assaults. Many are imprisoned in their homes. If they do venture out, they experience anxiety and panic.

Today, Reba is traveling across America on her trusty bike, Dakota, meeting with groups and speaking about PTSD. Her goal is to help liberate women all over the country. For more information, or if you'd like to help, click here.