Edward T. Welch - What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?: Answers to the Big Questions of Life

What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? by Dr. Ed Welch is a penetrating, gospel-centered, paradigm-shifting look at a sin pattern we all struggle with: elevating others to the status of God by seeking from them the acceptance and affirmation that only God in Christ can give us. Come have your desire for the love and praise of others reordered by this practical, well-written, and engaging book. By seeing God in his glory, and ourselves as bought with a price, we are freed to love others without the need to angle for their praise. And we are empowered to obey Gods radical command that (like him) we shower goodness even on our enemies.

Dr. Alex Chediak , Associate Professor, California Baptist University; author of Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World!

This is a book about me... about you... and about everyone else we know. Its about the stuff that consumes us, our lives, our thoughts, and our time, even when we dont realize it. Its about the subtle, yet powerful lies we believe, and the things we pursue that not only wind up controlling us, but slowly drain us of life as it was meant to be. Ed Welch helps us understand our universal human struggles along with the antidote to those struggles, an antidote that will lead you into the liberating freedom of being fully human as you live to please the God who made you, rather than living to please others. This book is life-giving. And since God gives us limited years on his earth, its a book for those who are young to read sooner rather than later! I wish I had had this book forty years ago!

Walt Mueller , Founder and President, Center for Parent/Youth Understanding; author of Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture

The years between fifteen and twenty-five occasion most of the important decisions in our lives. Questions about sexuality, career choice, education, and marriage are usually answered during this decade. How do we help students and young adults connect with the truth of the gospel rather than running after affirmation from others who use cultural expectations as their guidelines? Ed Welch points to Jesus: Jesus loved people more than he wanted to be loved by people. Jesus needed to love people more than he needed love from them. Amen.

Rod Mays , National Coordinator, Reformed University Fellowship (RUF)

Ed Welch is a treasured friend. Every time I am with him I feel encouraged, listened to, challenged, and understood. This book does the same thing. He not only helps us deal with the major issues of life, but Ed brings Scripture alive to help us experience Gods best for our lives.

Jim Burns , Ph.D., President, HomeWord Center for Youth and Family; author of Teenology and The Purity Code

In What Do You Think of Me? , Ed Welch carefully, surgically, exposes people-pleasing for what it is. He lets it be uglyall sin is ugly!and offers a much more satisfying vision rooted in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Whether you are young or old (but especially if you are young), you would do well to give this book a read.

Tim Challies , Author of The Next Story and The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment

As I read What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? , I realized that its all about eyes. In a riveting, real-life, raw way, Ed Welch provides a spiritual eye exam. In language that captures the heart and soul of every human being who ever longed to be known and accepted, Ed shows us whats normal, yet wrong, about our constant fear of the eyes of others. Then he gently, yet firmly, directs our gaze toward Jesus: all eyes on Jesus. That is the way of change. Finally, Ed points our focus onto others: they are our family who God equips us to love sacrificially. If you find that youre always living squinty-eyed, focused only on what others think of you, then read Eds spiritual eye chart to see with clarity answers to your deepest questions about life and relationships.

Robert W. Kellemen , Ph.D., Executive Director, Biblical Counseling Coalition; author of Gods Healing for Lifes Losses

The sin that so easily entangles us allliving in light of what other people think of us. Ed Welchs brilliant insights into this unavoidable struggle are exposed at a level that makes him a skillful surgeon of the heart. Welch invites us to re-examine the crux of the issue with a profound theology that is uniquely practical, informative, and gospel-centered. Working on the college campus where students live to impress other people, this book is now where I will turn to help pastor them through this struggle and embrace the fullness of the gospel that Welch so eloquently flushes out for us.

Alex Watlington , Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) campus pastor at Penn State University