The Tribune | Weekend | 11
Thursday, June 3, 2021
books
New author aims to foster hope with devotional ‘Fierce Forty’
Author Sandena Neely, whose new book Fierce Forty is a step-by-step devotional.
By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net AS A lawyer, life coach, pastor’s wife, and as someone who has lost a beloved sister to a violent crime, Sandena Neely has a lot of life experience. She has seen, if not all, then at least a lot of this world. And the lessons she learned along the way are what she wants to now share with others in her new book. “Fierce Forty”, she explained, is a day-by-day, step-by-step devotional that walks its readers through Bible scriptures that help to combat worry and fear – the two giants that rule people’s everyday life. The new author said she hopes her book gives readers the key to how curate and cultivate a life built on hope and assurance. There is a scripture for every day, along with a devotional, journal prompts, prayer points and a space to journal and to write your prayers and declarations. The wife of Pastor Jevon Neely and a mother-oftwo, Sandena said she is passionate about growth
and positively impacting lives. She said her inspiration for writing a book came from the enormous burden she felt to share her gift of being fierce about prayer. Sandena believes prayer is one of the strongest tools you can have in your arsenal. “This is my very first book and I did not imagine that I would ever write a devotional book or anything religious, however, this is as a result of total obedience to God’s instructions,” she said. “The motivation for writing the book came from the inaugural ‘Fierce Forty, 40-Day Prayer Journey’ that I led earlier this year from January 9 to February 17, where we prayed and journeyed through 40 plus scriptures. The name of the book is inspired by my private journey over the past six years where I committed to being obedient to the voice of God in my life, no questions asked, no wavering, and I was determined to be fierce and passionate about it and it has been a remarkable, transformative and lifechanging journey.” When asked if there is a specific message in the book that she wanted readers to understand and absorb, Sandena said she wants readers to know worry and fear will always be present in life, but the good news is that God has blessed His people with hope and assurance. The book draws from Sandena’s personal experiences and there are several instances where she takes readers through pivotal moments in her past
where she found herself with her back was against the wall and she had to lean heavily prayer to get her through. She shares one particularly life-changing moment on Day 22 in the book, where she writes about her sister Latoya’s violent murder in 2014, and how the passage 2 Corinthians 12:9, which talks about the grace of God being sufficient, was made very real to her. The new book has already received a lot of positive feedback from those who have gotten an advance copy of “Fierce Forty”. Kandice Eldon, the executive director of Corporate Relations at the University of the Bahamas said, for instance said: “Through Sandena’s practical daily lessons, faith can arise along with a renewed sense of hope and a stronger prayer life.” A virtual book launch was held yesterday via Sandena’s Facebook page (Sandena Neely). There will also be an in-person launch this Saturday, June 5, at The Chapter One Book Store at the University of the Bahamas. Sandena said the sessions will be very intimate with all the COVID-19 protocols in place. People can choose to attend the 1pm, 3pm, 5pm or 7pm sessions by registering via Eventbrite (Fierce Forty) or by sending an email to sandenaneely@ gmail.com. Later this month, Sandena hopes to alsi host a ‘Brunch with the Author’ and a virtual book review. “Fierce Forty” is now available for purchase on Amazon and will be available in The Chapter One Book Store, Logos Bookstore in Harbour Bay and at the Bible Book and Gift Centre in Palmdale starting this Saturday.
