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Emotional and Spiritual Care

Emotional and Spiritual Care

Grief Resources

Suggested Books & Studies

Emotional and Spiritual Care

The Sacred Practice of Play, an Outlook on demand webinar, 5/2025

Spiritual Formation Quicksheet Index

‘Soul to Soul.’ A video Journal for researchers and practitioners interested in all aspects of Children’s Spirituality

Isaiah and the Worry Pack: Learning to Trust God with All Our Fears by Ruth Goring

Spiritual Gifts resources from the United Methodist church, 5/2023

Writing Toward Wholeness, 5/2023 recorded PRC webinar

Invitation To Retreat by Ruth Haley Barton, 2022

Practicing discernment by remaining spiritually disciplined, 3/2022 Sunspots podcast

Labyrinth stickers from Vibrant Church Communications, Paid.

Faith Practices Project: Transformation Christian practices for developing a deeper, more life-giving faith (Christian Reformed Church)

Spiritual Gift Websites: ELCA

Personal Retreat Websites

Personal spiritual retreat: 24 hours with God (Ministry Today article)

Labyrinth Resources

Spirituality After 70 (PRC webinar)

Retirement as a Spiritual Journey, 2/2020 (PRC webinar)

Navigating the Pandemic as a Journey of Faith: A Look at Covid-19 Through the Lens of Christian Pilgrimage (APCE webinar)

Grief Resources

Using Movement to Reduce Trauma Responses, a 2023 article

The Little Blue Bottle by Jennifer Grant, Church Publishing Inc 10/2020, a children’s book dealing with grief

Managing the Grief of Others While Dealing With Our Own, a recorded PRC webinar

Children’s Books on Death, Loss, and Grieving, 12/2021 Christian Reformed Church article

Death, Loss, and Grieving: Resources for Ministry Leaders and Parents, 12/2021 Christian Reformed Church article

Mental Health

Find Drug & Alcohol Rehab Centers & Support

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain, a 6/2017 article from Greater Good Magazine

Fighting America’s Loneliness Epidemic, 5/2023 Axios article

Blessed Youth: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness With Children and Teens, a recorded PRC webinar

Start Your Recovery, an organization helping people get started on the road to recovery from substance abuse

100 Devotions for Kids With Anxiety by Patricia MacLaughlin, 2022

The Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho, Chaplain and author, discusses spiritual care needs young people are experiencing around the climate crisis, 9/2022 article & podcast

A conversation and Q&A from Presbyterian Outlook with Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty, professor, pastor, and author of Dutiful Love: Empowering Individuals and Families Affected by Serious Mental Illness, 4/26/2022

Does faith have a place in mental health? Faith leaders & mental health providers share their insights and experiences during a thought-provoking 6/2022 PC(USA) webinar

Find the book, Dutiful Love: Empowering Individuals and Families Affected by Serious Mental Illness, here.

Our kids and mental health, 4/2022 article

Alter program gives churches tools to minister to people living with dementia

Race and Culture Mental Health Resources, 4/2021 (PCUSA)

Pastor Support

Wounded Pastors: Navigating Burnout, Finding Healing, and Discerning the Future of Your Ministry by James Fenimore & Carol Howard, 2024, John Knox Press, $

Theology, Formation & Evangelism Spiritual Practices cohort groups help pastors feeling fatigued, worn out and longing to go deeper into their faith journey, 11/2021

The Unseen Emotional Impact of the Pandemic on Pastors, 6/2021 (95 Network podcast with Karl Vaters)

The Lilly Endowment posts information about its clergy renewal programs (11/2021):

Overwhelm Workshop – Do you feel buried under the weight of the the world? the church? the community struggles? the family demands? the near constant change and ever growing need? It’s all too much. We can help. 2/2022 PRC webinar

How I Recovered From Burnout: 12 Keys To Getting Back, Carey Nieuwhof (Blog article)

Resource pages

IVP Formatio, a book company that deals with spiritual formation

Mental Health Resources, 2021 (PCUSA)

Spiritual Resources for the COVID-19 Pandemic (Spirituality & Practice resource page)

New Mental Health resource from PC(USA) is available for free downloading, 5/2021

Suggested Books & Studies

Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, Spirituality, and Relationship Curriculum

Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality: Making Space for God by Tim Stead, Westminster John Knox 2017

Sabbath as Resistance, New Edition with Study Guide: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann, Westminster John Knox 2017

Broken Wide Whole: Prayers for Daily Living by Suzanne L. Vinson – a collection of 50 prayers and 34 full-color watercolor works by artist and minister Suzanne L. Vinson. These prayers usher the reader to create a sacred pause in the art of daily living. Written as poetry and prose, these prayers help connect you to the Divine Spark through healing and wholeness.

The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls by Chuck DeGroat, Broadleaf Books, 2021, $12.71

The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life by Joan Chittister, Convergent Books, 2021, $18.25, 5/2022 article

The Walk: Five Essential Practices Of The Christian Life, Adam Hamilton (DVD10083) 6 sessions on worship, listening, kindness & service, generosity, witness, and following Jesus’ Example (Available in Resource Center)

The Good and Beautiful God: Falling In Love With The God Jesus Knows, James Bryan Smith (BK 10092) 9 chapters each with a spiritual practice. (Available in Resource Center)

Faith Practices: Holy Habits that Help Us Love God and Our Neighbor, Listen to the Spirit, and Become More Like Jesus, an entry-level introduction to some of the practical “spiritual disciplines” that Christians throughout the centuries have used to draw closer to God. This booklet is a great starting place for individuals or small groups who would like to become more aware of and sensitive to God’s voice in their everyday lives. 2022 from the Faith Practices Project of the Christian Reformed Church. $8

Looking For God In Messy Places: A Book About Hope by Jake Owensby (4/2021, Abingdon) $

Out of the Cave (Harper Christian Resources, 2021) Although everyone is susceptible to depression, even when we’re walking closely with God, we can still stumble and get lost in the wilderness of tangled emotions. This five-session DVD study draws on the life of Elijah to offer a practical plan for facing life’s most uncertain and darkest moments. $49.99

Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened To The Good News? Philip Yancey (DVD9849) 5 sessions (Available in Resource Center)

Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting, Holly W. Whitcomb (BK9843) 7 chapters: patience, loss of control, living in the present, compassion, gratitude, humility, and trust in God. (Available in Resource Center)

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