Over the course of the summer I have had some things come into my life that brought fear in an instant. It’s interesting that you never really know where your faith is for an area of your life until you have to use it. That was definitely the case for me, it’s a lot easier to say what the Word of God says about a subject opposed to actually doing something with it. So, long story short I decided I need to find out what the Word of God says about Fear! Immediately after that I saw Thomas Nelson was coming out with this book for the Book Review for Bloggers so I got it.

This was my first Max Lucado book, so I had huge expectations based on his reputation for writing. To be honest, I enjoyed the book, but I did not end up reading all of it. Some of the fears I just didn’t relate to because of the season of life I’m in and I felt like the book got repetitive pretty early on.

The main theme of the book is that we all live in a fear driven society and we often let fear run our lives. The answer is obviously to have the one fear that is healthy: the fear of God. Fear God and all of your other fears seem to fade away.

I did get side tracked by a series by Keith Moore called “Free from All Fears“  that really helped me with fear as well.If you’re struggling with fear of anything, I’d recommend listening to this series.

Overall, the book is a good read. I wouldn’t say it is a must read, but if you’re struggling with fear at all, it will give you some perspective of how much God loves you and how small your fears are in light of that.

Here were some of my highlights:

• It’s not the absence of storms that sets us apart. It’s whom we discover in the storm: an unstirred Christ.
• Fear, at it’s center is a perceived loss of control.
• Worry has more questions than answers, more work than energy, and thinks often about giving up.
• For fear of the worst, most people never enjoy life at its best.
• Fear is life’s only true opponent. Only fear can defeat a life.
  
• The One Healthy Fear – the fear of God!
• When Christ is great, our fears are not.

Overall Grade: B     Buy it here

Filing is something I learned about through John Maxwell and Pastor Larry Bettencourt. It’s helped them and it  has helped me tremendously. Before I tell you how I file, let me share with you what and why I file!

What I file - I file stories, quotes, notes, and nuggets by topic. I also  have a separate filing system for memories… I’ll share that at the end.

Why I File… for the Future – Let’s just say in 10 years I get asked to speak on leadership. Specifically on how to lead a team. Because I’ve been filing since I was 18, I’ll be able to go into my teamwork file and put out all kind of nuggets, quotes, and stories about teamwork. I’ll have done 10+ years of research on the topic and have all the data in one folder.

Filing Makes Me Better than I really Am – Imagine the best of 10 years of material in one lesson. People will think you’re a genius! When in reality, it’s the result of 10+ years of the small discipline of filing daily!

How I File

Let me just say first that you  need to find a system that works for you. John Maxwell laid out his filing system here. Pastor Larry’s is different than both of ours, and a lot of our techniques are similar. Here is my system:

Symbols:

I – Something I want to implement in my life

NC -A quote I want on a note card and to file away.

BNC – Something I want to teach some day (Usually multiple points in a chapter – i.e. 10 characteristics of a potential leader)

S – Story

Techniques:

Books – If I find something on a page on Teamwork, I’ll write teamwork with a circle on it. Then one of the symbols indicating what kind of material it is, a lesson, quote, story, or something to implement. Then in the book sleeve I’ll write something like this: Teamwork – pg. 23, NC. That means there is a quote I want to put in a file or on a notecard on teamwork on  page 23. I do this for any topic I come across throughout the book. So when I’m done reading a book I can go to the sleeve and look at my highlights and do the necessary filing (Make copies of the pages, type up the quotes, etc.)

Audio - I’ll usually take notes and do the same thing with my notes… If a podcast I’ll try to write the podcast and how many minutes in the topic is so I can go back and listen to it.

Stories - This one took me a while to figure out! I have one folder now for stories – on the top of the stories I’ll grade the story on a 1-10 scale. If it’s a 10, it’s a story that regardless of how bad my sermon is, it’ll make it amazing. You can usually use stories for any topic you speak on, so that’s why I keep them in one folder.

Pretty much everything else I do, I do in journals – that’s an entirely different post.

Do you have a filing system? I’d love to hear what you do that’s different!

BONUS: A bonus folder I keep is a “Rainy Day File” – it’s my favorite folder. I got this idea from Pastor Larry. I keep a file of all the cards, letters, and other things people give me that inspire me, encourage me, or bring a smile to my face. That way, when I have a bad day or don’t think I’m doing anything with my life, I go to the rainy day folder and get reminded that I am making a difference in people’s lives. Enjoy!

I’ve had the iPhone for a year now! This device is almost unbelievable! It’s basically a hand held lap top! Here are some thoughts on the iPhone:

• It’s Worth It - I switched over to AT&T for the iphone and have no complaints. When thinking over my budget I remember asking my friend Ben Rath what he thought since he had switched already. His reply was, “If I had to cut anything out of my budget, it wouldn’t be the iphone, I’d actually budget so I could get it!” I pay around $92 a month ($45 for the cheapest phone plan, $30 for the Data Package, and $15 for my texting plan). For what you get… it’s well worth the price.

• My Favorite Thing About It - The Camera! I’m a memory freak and I love having a camera on me at all times. I really like it because it syncs the pictures I take with iPhoto so easily. I also love how you’re able to scroll through picures on the iphone. Having this enables me to take pictures everyday that will help me visually go through my year on an even higher level than just taking pictures at big events! (Now I just want the 3GS so I can video record!)

• What I Use it For – E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Calendar, notes, audio recording, ipod (music), tracking my runs, GPS (map), finding restaurants and Starbucks in places I travel to that I’m unfamiliar with, reading my Bible, recording my budget and expenses, buy movie tickets, phone and texting, taking pictures, watching movies, the list could go on and on. (All of these are done through apps by the way).

• The Downside – Honestly, the downside is how distracting it can be. Having the iPhone can seriously take away from the time I’m spending with people  if I let it. Constantly checking e-mail,  Facebook, Twitter, etc… it is so had to unplug.  I’m now trying to undo the bad habits I’ve developed because of the iPhone… sometimes I just have to leave it in another room or turn it off.

Final Grade: A+++

Buy One and Get More Information Here