Running Scared Chapter Fifteen
“Do Not Trust in Man”
“One way to track fears and worries is to follow the money. Another is to follow them back to other people’s possible judgments of us” (p.171). In chapter 15, Welch shifts our attention to another source of fear—our craving for approval. He reminds us of […]
Running Scared Chapter Thirteen
“Seek My Face”
Welch’s thirteenth chapter is an exposition of Psalm 27: “Worriers should be experts in a handful of passages. The story in Exodus 16 about manna is the basic framework; the worry passages in Matthew 6 and Luke 12 add essential detail. Although other Scriptures won’t change this […]
Running Scared Chapter Eleven
“When the Kingdom Isn’t Enough”
In 2Cor. 1:8, Paul writes: “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came [to us] in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life . . .” How do you […]
Running Scared Chapter Ten
“The Message of the Kingdom”
The author is still working with worry themes from the Sermon on the Mount. In the Sermon, he observes that seeking the kingdom is the antidote to worry. In this chapter then, he attempts to explain how seeking the kingdom combats fear.
Welch insists that with the […]
Running Scared Chapter Nine
“Do Not Worry”
This chapter begins a section in Welch’s book entitled “God speaks on money and possessions.” The chapter brings Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (particularly Matthew 6:25-34) into the discussion. The author suggests that the Old Testament manna story, with its lessons, is a prequel to the Sermon on […]
Running Scared Chapter Eight
Worry About Worry
Here’s a twist. Maybe worry itself is something to fear. Welch suggests that the repetition of God’s command not to worry indicates there is something dangerous in fear and worry in and of themselves.
To make his point, he appeals to Mark 4:14-20. This passage is Jesus’ explanation […]
Running Scared Chapter Seven
The God of Suspense
“Deliverance is grand except for one thing: it isn’t deliverance unless it’s the eleventh hour. There first has to be some kind of danger for there to be deliverance. Such drama is fun to watch in movies and great to hear in other people’s stories, but […]
Running Scared Chapter Six
The Manna Principle
Welch writes: “The manna story is the story for all worriers.” In chapter six, he develops what the story of God’s provision for the Israelites has to say to we who fear in the 21st century.
True to his earlier advice, the author notes what the story says about […]
Running Scared Chapter Five
Do Not Be Afraid
With chapter five, Welch turns from observations about the experience of fear and worry to what God has to say on the subject. “Do not be afraid” is God’s most frequent command in the Bible, occurring over three hundred times.
The author wants us to be alert to the […]
Running Scared Chapter Four
Anxiety and Worry Chime In
In chapter four, Welch’s goal is to expand the discussion beyond particular fears to the more general outlook of worry. At the end of the chapter he quotes Freud to demonstrate the significance of worry as a window to the soul:
“There is no question that the problem […]