From Fear to Faith

"From Fear to Faith" (revised) by Merlin R. Carothers Better than I attempt to review what should be hands-down A BUY, being that the author has - a rich lifetime experience - isn't at ALL stuffy (no way, even for a layman versus preacher) - has the gift of the Holy Spirit to genuinely inspire/lead him - wrote other books in similar positive, honest, and USEFUL way; allow me to quote an excerpt from his Chapter One: The Specter of Fear Fear lurks in the silent darkness, unwanted - hated. It's power is so great that even when ignored or denied it can still control our destiny. My first parachute jump was a lesson in sheer terror. The Airborne instructors had vigorously indoctrinated me to believe that I was a tough paratrooper, impervious to fear. Yet I was still afraid. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain." This adage is often true, but I was afraid during my second jump too. I didn't know it then, but my hard lessons in living and coping with the more insidious aspects of fear had just begun. I still had much to learn about fear's enormous capacity to influence our behavior. We arrived at Fort Benning, Georgia in 1943, two hundred robust, cocky young men from all over the United States. The rigors of infantry basic training were behind us; now we were ready to confront a new challenge - Airborne training. The grueling physical training we had endured prior to coming to Jump School had, we thought, separated the men from the boys. We were the elite of the Army, we boasted. We could do anything! We eagerly awaited our chance to show the Army what real men were. Were we afraid? No way! We were embarking on a new and exciting adventure. The sergeants who greeted us at the bus terminal were seasoned Airborne veterans. They had once been green horns like us; they knew our attitudes. The process of ego pulverization was fierce and immediate as they rushed upon us like voracious sharks attacking minnows: "Pick up those bags, you chicken-livered mama's boys, and let's go!" Mama's boys? Sergeant, you don't know who you're talking to. We aren't afraid of you or anyone else! How wrong we were. The sergeants had one primary objective - to separate the men from the boys. In their less-than-humble opinion, the men were those who would never give up despite injury, suffering - even torture. In infantry basic training we had learned to run, or so we thought. But at Airborne School we never just went for a run. All we ever did was run, run, and run some more. Anytime we moved it was on the run. We ran to the latrine. We ran to chow. We ran to training sites - five, ten, or more miles. Finally we reached such a high level of fitness that we could run for hours on end without tiring. Failing meant, heaven forbid, washing out of the glorious Airborne. But running was fun compared with the rigors at the training sites. At one site we were suspended from

Merlin Carothers shares incredible insights regarding facing and overcoming fear. He draws on his own experiences, which are uniquely relevant and compelling, to help illustrate how to employ the techniques he outlines. I would encourage you to purchase one for yourself and one for each loved one, for this short book is encouraging and uplifting.