Lord, Change Me: Running Scared by Edward T. Welch

Once again, God has provided a timely book for me to read! Lately, I've been battling a lot of emotions, and one of them is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the future...just a lot of fear.

Now, we all know fear is not of God. But what can we do about it? That's where Mr. Welch's book comes in...



Edward Welch gives us a thorough and complete examination of fear and its roots in the first section of his book. He discusses the nature of fear, anxiety, stress, and all correlating emotions in depth.

In fact, by the time I finished this section, I was afraid to read the rest! Overwhelmed by all of the data and examples, I was finding myself sinking into those all too familiar feelings of anxiety and distress.

Thankfully, Mr. Welch carries us far beyond our fears into the presence of God. Through use of Scripture, Biblical illustrations, and sound counsel, Mr. Welch reveals God to us in a most familiar but all too often overlooked way: our Great Provider.

He talks about how often in Scripture God tells us to not fear, and why He says that. Mr. Welch also talks of how God sometimes will leave us in suspense of what comes next, not because He's cruel, but because He loves us and knows what is best for us.

Of course, one of my favorite chapters was titled "Worry about Worry"...because THAT'S exactly what I do! Even if there's nothing to worry about, I'll worry about THAT! So this chapter spoke volumes to me.

What then follows are meditations on different aspects of life that tend to cause us worry: money and possessions, people and their judgments (can I get an "amen"!), death, pain and punishment. Each is designed to help us see God instead of the situation or circumstance that insists on staring us in the face.

Finally, Mr. Welch leaves us with some of the most gorgeous promises in Scripture, fully fleshed out in his own words, such as "I Will Be With You", "I Promise", and "Peace Be With You", among others.

All in all, I found this book enlightening, encouraging, and refreshing (once I finished part one, that is!). Even the design is appealing to me. So, I'm giving "Running Scared" five out of five bookmarks, with a pair of running shoes as a charm...unlaced, because we aren't going to run from our fears anymore, right?

"Running Scared" is published by New Growth Press and is available now. For more information, contact The B & B Media Group.

Happy Reading!

Deena