"The Man Named Fear" by Jim Yackel

Without trepidation we carry forward along this path, out-pacing the man named Fear. We will not entertain fear as he is an ungracious guest who carries in his backpack cockroaches that will infest the cupboards and

piping of our deepest thoughts and of our spirit. No, we cannot allow him to follow us home!

This man named Fear lurks in the bushes and as he pants we can see the mist of his breath in the cold, fading daylight. He can masquerade as a wolf to maximize the fright factor, or he can pitter-patter around our feet as the pusillanimous black rat in order to revile us. Indeed, this man named Fear is a master of disguise and the embodiment of all lies.

He will tell us everything we want to hear, but we cannot listen to the ting of the pearls dropping from his silver tongue. Indeed my new friend, he will soften you up with flattering words and deceptive religiosity that convinces you that YOU are a god, and once you have swallowed the bait he will swallow you whole like the Venus Flytrap swallows the unthinking fly...(more here)