Author: Edward Welch

Subtitle:

A Small Book about a Big Problem

How many times today have you been irritated? Frustrated? While you might not think about it often, if you look closely at any day most everyone can find anger in their actions and attitudes. Something spills or goes missing, we get stuck in traffic or someone cuts us off on the road, or we feel like the people we live and work with are only making our lives more difficult. And while no one wants to get angry, what happens when our irritations and frustrations rise yet again?

Anger is so common—yet it also hurts. It not only leaves a mark on us, but it also leaves a marks on others. The wounds we inflict on ourselves and others because of anger—loss of intimacy, trust, security, and enjoyment in our closest relationships—give us compelling reasons to look closely at our anger and think carefully about how to grow in peace and patience.

But if you, like many others, have just gotten irritated for the umpteenth time today, you might wonder if change is possible. Can anyone truly find peace? The answer is yes, but you will need a plan. Biblical counselor and psychologist Ed Welch invites readers to take a fifty-day journey that unpacks anger while encouraging and teaching readers to respond with patience to life’s difficulties. Readers will also be introduced to Jesus, the key to any plan for change. Known as the Prince of Peace, he is the only one who can empower his people to grow in patience, peace, and wholeness. 

• Provides short, daily meditations that encourage readers to look carefully at how their anger affects them and others.
• The fifty-day reading plan gives ample time for readers to unpack the underlying causes of irritation and frustration and develop a Spirit-led plan for growth.
• Offers encouragement and helps readers to develop the skills to deal with the universal problem of anger and respond with more patience to life’s difficulties
• Christ-centered teachings give readers hope that they can change not based on their own efforts, but through the work of Jesus and his indwelling Spirit.
• A useful tool for pastors, counselors, and lay helpers who are working with people who struggle with a short fuse.

About the author:

Edward T. Welch, M.Div., Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He earned a Ph.D. in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and has a Master of Divinity degree from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed has been counseling for over thirty years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions.

Ed Welch's biblical counseling books include Shame Interrupted; When People Are Big and God Is Small; Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave; Depression: A Stubborn Darkness; Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Addiction; Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest; and When I Am Afraid: A Step-by-Step Guide Away from Fear and Anxiety.

Endorsements:

“Does anger really require a basic treatment program of seven weeks?  Yes.  Small symptoms mask major diseases. In A Small Book about a Big Problem, Dr. Ed Welch masterfully combines biblical analysis and a lifetime of counseling experience with a gentle exposing of our true condition—and then prescribes gospel medicine.  Complete the course! At first it may not taste good. But it offers the hope of long-term spiritual health.” ~Sinclair B. Ferguson, Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“As a young pastor anger nearly destroyed my family and my ministry. By grace, God rescued me. My hope is that this book, filled with profound insights, tender grace, and practical wisdom, will be used by God to rescue and restore many. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading it.” ~Paul Tripp, Author of New Morning Mercies

“Anger is a big problem today—in our political life, in the world’s religions, on the highways, and in our own hearts. Scripture says it is often murderous, and it warns us about it at length. But often when we are angry, we don’t have the patience to listen to a lecture or treatise. Thankfully, Ed Welch’s book provides biblical teaching about anger in powerful, eloquent, short segments. Right to the point; right to our hearts.” ~John Frame, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology and Philosophy, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, FL

“The title of this book is accurate. These fifty reflections are brief and succinct, but they directly address one of the biggest and ugliest problems in the world. Anger is inextricably tied up with bitterness, envy, hate, an unbridled tongue, resentments, party spirit, and war. It divides homes and splits churches—and this among the people of God who, Jesus says, will be known for their love. This eminently probing and practical book is in part a collection of first steps for combatting this awful wickedness.”  ~D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical School, Deerfield, IL; cofounder of The Gospel Coalition

“A few pages into A Small Book About A Big Problem,I thought: ‘He’s done it again!’ Ed Welch writes with simple, penetrating, grace-filled clarity that sets us on the path to the reality of forgiveness and hope for change. If you feel like you’re in a losing battle with anger, read this book—and read it for all fifty days. ~C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville