"Do It Afraid" (the title of my new upcoming 2011 album)

 Dear friends and fans,

      I am very excited about my worship album that was released in the Fall of 2011!  I decided to call my album, "Do It Afraid."  It's a title that makes you think.  This idea comes from one of the songs I wrote on my album called, "Do It Afraid."
      Each of us face personal fears each and every day of our lives and many of us let it keep us from doing the things we know we should do or want to do.  My personal inspiration for this song, "Do it Afraid," happened one morning when I woke up feeling fearful when I had to sing for my first CD release concert. . . I was really nervous and almost felt like I couldn't do it.  So often I find myself unable to get rid of the feelings of nervousness and that feeling makes me often run away from things.  But that morning I read a devotional from Joyce Meyer's "Ending Your Day Right" called "Do It Afraid." You can read more about it here: 
http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/EverydayAnswers/Articles/art42.htm
I definitely felt like this message was for me. I then sat down at the piano to write this song, which led me down the road to recording this album and song!! The devotional and song idea helped me to do what I was called to do while I was feeling "afraid" knowing the truth that I am not alone. Essentially, I had to "Do it Afraid!"  
     I read some more of her book and wanted to share some passages that really mean a lot to me and that I also wanted to connect with my song and the message I will be sharing with my album:

(from pages 30-34 in "Do It Afraid" by Joyce Meyer iBook):
    "God said, 'Fear not.' . . . when I hear the command to be fearless, right away I start thinking, 'I'll try, but I can't help it.' What I want you to understand is that when the Bible says, 'Fear not,' it doesn't mean, 'Don't feel fear.' Remember that any time you try to obey God, any time you try to step out into something you have never done before, . . . fear will rush right up in your face and try to stop you. We think the problem is that we shouldn't feel this way. Feeling fear is not a problem! There isn't one thing wrong with you if you feel fear. The mistake you make is in bowing your knee to the feeling instead of going ahead and doing what you are afraid of while you are afraid.  Fear is nothing but a feeling which causes certain manifestations. The Bible doesn't say 'Shake not.' The Bible says, 'Fear not.' And the word fear implies running away from something! In other words God was telling them when fear comes, which it will because fear is the enemy of confidence, not to let it stop them. They were to do it afraid! Because I went ahead and did what I was supposed to do in spite of how I felt, I wasn't a coward. We are cowards only if we run because the word 'fear' implies 'flight' - 'fleeing.' " 
     I encourage everyone to read Joyce Meyer's "Do It Afraid" book!

     Well, I hope that what I am sharing here encourages you as much as it did me. And I simply can't wait to release this album and song to you all!  I know you will be so blessed, challenged, and encouraged by it!  

God bless you all,

~Elizabeth South
www.elizabethsouth.com