Facing Your Fears with Faith

Facing Your Fears with Faith

Humorist Debora M. Coty Uses Wit and Wisdom to Help Women Conquer Their Fears

As much as we would hate to admit it, most of us struggle with some kind of fear, worry or anxiety on a regular basis. Whether the fear is something that seems insignificant to some (like spiders) or is more common to mankind (like the loss of a loved one), we need to find the faith to hand our worries over to God to handle. In Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolate: Wit and Wisdom for Sidestepping Life’s Worries(Barbour Books/February 1, 2013/paperback/ISBN 978-1620291696/$9.99), Debora M. Coty uses her trademark humor to draw readers out of a lifestyle of worry and anxiety and into living life with the security of knowing that God has everything under His control.

“Fear is really about losing control. We can easily fool ourselves into thinking we’re doing the responsible thing by worrying,” writes Coty. “When we worry, we’re desperately trying to maintain control. We keep our manicured fingernails clutching on to every shred of our lives because underneath it all, we’re afraid to relinquish complete control to the Lord. Why? Because things might not turn out the way we want them to.”

In preparation for writing Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolate, Coty conducted a survey of 500 women between the ages of 18 and 80 in order to pinpoint real fears women struggle with most on a daily basis. Gathering the information from her speaking events, online responses via her website, and surveys sent out to churches around the country, she discovered the top ten fears women face:

1)      Loss of loved one (spouse/children/parents)

2)      Debilitating disease/illness/cancer

3)      Failure

4)      Old age/senility

5)      The unknown/the what-ifs

6)      Loneliness

7)      Dependency on others

8)      Rejection

9)      Specific Critters (snakes, roaches, rats, etc.)

10)   Being judged unfairly

Coty addresses the five categories of fear as well as how fear leads to bigger problems such as worry, anxiety and even guilt. Tackling everyday fears — financial, health, relationships, loss, pain, the unknown, the what-ifs — both real and imagined,Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolate promises peace and hope for a better future. Readers will come away refreshed, renewed and ready to conquer their worries.

Faith, Fear, and a Fistful of Chocolate is the third release in Coty’s “Take on Life” series. Much like her earlier releases in the series, Too Blessed to be Stressed and More Beauty, Less Beast, the latest addition is full of personal stories bringing scripture to life, snippets of the author’s unique humor and light-hearted but heavy-hitting practical tips. However, Coty has also added additional reflection questions at the end of each chapter at the request of Bible-study groups, making it an excellent tool for personal or group reading.

To celebrate the release of Faith, Fear, and a Fistful of Chocolate, Debora Coty will be giving away Kindle and hosting a chocolate themed Facebook Party on March 7. For more details about both, readers can visit Coty’s Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/AuthorDeboraCoty.

“I absolutely LOVE this book! Wishing for more courage and joy, and a lot less fear and worry? This book is for you. Dump your doormat badge and let Deb show you how to quit allowing those joy-thieves keep you from enjoying God’s best.”

~ Martha Bolton, Emmy nominated writer, playwright, and author of 88 books including Josiah for President

About the Author

Debora Coty has a gift for getting across sound biblical concepts with a refreshing lightheartedness. She is able to use humor to engage her readers and get to the heart of the topics women struggle with most. Coty began writing to fill the void when her youngest child left for college, and it has since become a passion.

Coty is the author of ten books, including Fear, Faith and a Fistful of Chocolate, More Beauty, Less Beast, Too Blessed to be Stressed, and Mom Needs Chocolate, and a contributor to numerous devotionals for women. She also writes monthly newspaper column titled “Grace Notes: God’s Grace for Everyday Living.”

In addition to being a published author and popular speaker, Coty is an orthopedic occupational therapist and a tennis addict.

Learn more about Debora Coty and her books at deboracoty.com. Readers can also keep up with her via Facebook andTwitter.