Book Nook: Moving Beyond Anxiety - 12 Practical Strategies to Renew Your Mind

In today’s world, struggles with anxiety seem to be reaching epidemic levels. Stress has become a normal part of life, and fear dominates the headlines on a never-ending news cycle. Now, pastor, former NCAA basketball player, radio show host, and licensed counselor David Chadwick takes on the subject firsthand.  In his new book, Moving Beyond Anxiety: 12 Practical Strategies to Renew Your Mind (April 2020, Harvest House Publishers), Chadwick advocates that God’s Truth is the most powerful antidote to anxiety. 

Chadwick began writing Moving Beyond Anxiety two years ago. At the time, anxiety was beginning to be exposed as an epidemic negative emotion, an emotion that was one of the major causes of teen suicide.  Never did Chadwich dream his book would be released during a world-wide pandemic.  “Now, with Covid-19, anxiety issues are off the charts.  A recent CNN report said that anxiety medications have increased 34% since the Covid-19 virus began! I’m trying to offer 12 practical spiritual disciplines that can be practiced as an alternative source of hope and help.”

Chadwick serves as the Founding Pastor of Moments of Hope Church in Charlotte, NC, and there he often counsels individuals and families trapped in a cycle of fear and anxiety.  In my counseling ministry as well as in our church body, we started hearing more and more stories of people in our congregation struggling with anxiety.  Now, in this time when there is so much unrest in the world, the release date seems providential.”  

After years of shepherding his congregation through these struggles, Chadwick is dedicated to sharing the message that Jesus is the key to overcoming anxiety with readers across the globe. After all, Chadwick writes, Jesus commanded His followers to trust in Him and to not be anxious, rather than give in to fear.

In Moving Beyond Anxiety, Chadwick equips readers to defeat worry and fear forever by immersing themselves in the truth of God through Scripture. He uses Scripture as a base for changing the way readers think and therefore, changing the way they feel and act.  The book shares 12 ways you can overcome life’s fears and worries, including Focusing on Faith, Praying, Caring for your Health, Remembering, and Developing an Eternal Perspective.

“Here is what I believe: you are what you think,” Chadwick continues. “Whatever you mind dwells on will exacerbate emotions.  It’s called cognitive therapy in psychosocial circles.  Scripture confirms these ideas.  Be transformed by the renewal of your MIND (Rom 12:2). Take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5).  Therefore, to change your behavior, you must focus on your thought life.  Conform your mind to God’s Word and you’ll see emotions follow.   Think. Feel. Act.  Win the battle for your thought life and you will win the battle over anxiety.”

David Book Intro from Moments of Hope Church on Vimeo.

About David Chadwick:

David Chadwick is presently the pastor of Moments of Hope Church in Charlotte, N.C.  He has been a pastor for almost 40 years.  He played basketball under the legendary coach, Dean Smith, at the University of North Carolina and was a member of the Final Four 1969 team.  David also has a graduate counseling psychology degree from the University of Florida and an MDiv and DMin from Columbia Theological Seminary.  These post graduate degrees have allowed David to combine therapeutic counseling theories with biblical truth.  David is the author of nine books and hosts a weekly talk show on faith and values on WBT in Charlotte, N.C.  He has been married to the love of his life, Marilynn, for 42 years and has three children, Bethany, David Banner, and Michael.  They have given David and Marilynn seven grandchildren.