Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves
Recognizing real needs within our American culture, Trillia Newbell’s heart and writing reflect her passion for our earthly lives to represent a more heavenly ideal. In her first book, United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity, Newbell unveils a theology of diversity. As she explains, “Seeing the importance of diversity in Scripture should make us want to explore how we can emulate this today. Ultimately it’s all about God’s glory on this earth and reflecting Him to a broken world.”
While many churches are seeing a wider diversity in their demographics—perhaps especially among their youth groups—Newbell argues that Sunday still is far too segregated and that this disparity is not biblical. As a black female who grew up in the South, attended predominately white schools and churches, married a white man and is raising biracial children, Newbell’s personal story compels her to strive for a more unified biblical identity within the body of Christ, reaching beyond external characteristics such as race. “As we recognize, accept and embrace our new family, the walls of hostility will crumble,” she says.
As any good psychologist would say, our hostilities often are bred in fear, which is the topic she tackles in her second book, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves. Written with a heart attuned to the fears common to most of us, women in particular, Newbell shakes down those fears by looking to Scripture and finding that faith is a healthier alternative.
It’s common for females to worry about the other people in their lives—those who depend on them, who need nurture, who are the counterparts in meaningful relationships—but Newbell’s winsome demeanor comes through in her writing, showing that fears usually are byproducts of hearts corrupted by sin.
“Quotes such as ‘Love yourself’ or ‘Believe in yourself’ are all focused oneself,” Newbell says, “but God says the opposite of the fear of man isn’t finding security and pride in oneself. No, it’s placing one’s trust and security in Him.”
Either of these resources would be worthwhile to use with your youth group. In fact, United would be good for the entire church to walk through together, and perhaps an opportunity to let your youth lead the study. Fear and Faith would be an excellent small group study for the older girls in your midst to explore. While there are some topics that are beyond them (e.g., marriage, children, etc.), others are very timely for them (e.g., fear of other women, not measuring up, physical appearance).
Trillia Newbell speaks at numerous conferences, church, women’s retreats, colleges and seminaries. She’s currently the consultant on Women’s Initiatives for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention.
