Fear No Evil

Rev. Brady Boyd

             Rev. Brady Boyd arrived at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO, to become their new Senior Pastor. A scandal had caused their former Pastor to resign, leaving a disillusioned and hurting church body. Rev. Boyd brought with him hopes and plans for the future of New Life Church that would move them out of the stagnant stage they were in.

              One hundred days after Rev. Boyd became their minister, another tragedy struck the church. On the afternoon of Sunday, December 9, 2007, a gunman drove onto the campus of the church spewing bullets and mayhem inside and outside the church. When he died inside the church that afternoon, the man had killed two teenage girls and injured several others.

Fear No Evil
by Rev. Brady Boyd

              It took more than two years but Rev. Boyd led the church to full recovery and it is now a vibrant, mission-minded body. He tells the churches’ story and his in Fear No Evil, A Test of Faith, A Courageous Church, and an Unfailing God. The book is filled with golden nuggets anyone who is going through a rough patch can use. My copy is underlined, starred, and hi-lited with gems for future reference.

              One chapter caught my eye in particular as pertains to this blog. Keeping the Lampstand Lit holds a section on four Joy Robbers.

1.       Errant Expectations

Rev. Boyd points out that “healing from life’s heartbreaking events always takes longer than I think.” He notes that impatience with the process keeps us from being kind to ourselves as we heal. He says, “To have expected out community of faith to get over the shooting quickly was a sure way to rob us of our joy. Instead, we had to leave room for healing even as we pursued the joy that was ours to reclaim. We had to allow folks to heal at their own pace.” 

2.       Isolation and Insulation

Rev. Boyd noted that after the tragedy, people wanted to isolate themselves from others and insulate themselves from the world at large. He experienced this himself for awhile. He says, “Fortunately, God would show me that by inviting others into my circumstances, I’d save myself boatloads of pain. By refusing to isolate and insulate over the long haul,” we can be far healthier in the end. 

3.       Fatigue

As the church ran headlong into storm after storm as it reached for recovery, exhaustion set in. Boyd says, “It pays bigger dividends to adopt a strategy of rest instead of trying to power your way through the pain.” As he counsels people who are experiencing losses (jobs, relationships, health, etc.) he tells them, “Unless you find a way to get rest during this ordeal, the pain will do you in.” 

4.       A Windshield that has Become Dangerously Small

There’s a reason why car manufacturers use a small rearview mirror and a big windshield. We are supposed to focus on what is in front of us rather than what we have just passed. According to Boyd, “Whenever we allow the backward-looking, past-oriented, rearview mirror images to eclipse the magnificent work being accomplished before us and all around us, we miss real blessings that God is trying to pass our way. What’s more, we give the enemy of our souls a foothold as he works to deflate our hearts.” 

I’d recommend this book and its gems to anyone who is reaching out to restore the joy in their lives or anyone who knows someone who is. It’s a great read.  

Going out with joy today-

Cathy