Ed Welch
Courage Inspired by the Martyrs
“”Grace leads to faith, hope, and power in weakness—all of these are rendered in the heart as courage. Courage can go back to a dream filled with death and retell it with confidence that Jesus will be with me in that moment of wavering. Courage prays rather than remains settled in fear. Courage allows what is good, right and wise to guide us even in the presence of fear. It enters a particularly difficult day with hope. It knows that…
Shaking Off Some Lifelessness with the Psalms
“Sometimes we can drift through life, just going through the motions. We are passive more than active. Distracted—waiting to be entertained—instead of engaged and proactive. Jaded and not alive to the spiritual possibilities in front of us. We can feel like the functioning depressed. I noticed this recently when I was reading Scripture. I was in the early chapters of Acts, which are some of the most exciting stories ever, but I was just. . . going through the motions.…
In the Name
“When we pray, we usually end our prayers with “in the name of Jesus” (John 16:23). It is our custom. A habit. I heard a song recently that repeats—and repeats—a line about love for the name of Jesus. But if we repeat anything often enough, does it devolve into nonsense syllables? Psalm 23 uses the phrase, “for his name’s sake.” Does it slow you down or do you skip over it? A phrase like “in the name of Jesus” is…
Hope for the Depressed
“Never has so much been crammed into one word. Depression feels terrifying—your world is dark, heavy, painful. Some days you think that physical pain might be easier to endure; at least the pain would be localized. Instead, depression goes to your very soul, corrupting everything in its path. Dead but walking is one way to describe it. You feel numb, but you still remember when you actually felt something. Somehow that makes it harder to bear. So many things about your life…
God Wants You to Call Him “My Father”
“We will never understand why our creator and rescuer would want to serve us, forgive us, be with us, and be called “my father.” But it is true. Your God is eager for you to. He loves it. It pleases him.” Read more…
Small Decisions Matter
“Life is in the details. Listen to C. S. Lewis describe how our small, day-to-day decisions matter. Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger…
The fear of the Lord… for today?
“We aim for something similar with the Lord. The better we know him, the more we see an intensity of love and majesty, of mercy, and infinite power. From his throne comes both gentleness and “flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder” (Rev 4:5). And you can’t decide whether to fall down and worship or rush in and touch him. You do both. That’s fear of the Lord for today.” Read more…
Talking to our Souls
“I once thought that the psalms were sung by a fine choir in God’s throne room. Then I actually read them, and they sounded more like the words of a street troubadour who encourages the participation of those around him. Now I find that they are simply spoken and sung everywhere: in the darkness of night, in the early morning, in all the details of everyday life. And there are a handful of psalms in which the psalmists speak to themselves.…
Offer Advice Very Carefully
“Giving advice goes poorly so often, it is worth more careful thought about how we give it. We all need advice. We seek it every day. That is a wise and natural part of being a creature rather than the Creator. But we also know that advice can run from helpful to horrible, and it can bless a relationship or hurt it.” Read more…
Pursue Others like Jesus Pursues You
“But imagine this. You believe that Jesus pursues you. You are letting go of old lies that suggest he doesn’t care and that you are forgotten. Because of Jesus, you no longer look for the easiest person to talk to when people gather. Instead, you move toward the quieter ones, the new person, and the outliers. Imagine a group of people who move toward each other—active more than passive, loving more than fearing rejection. They look glorious; they attract the…
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