Healing & Wholeness

As Yourself

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:07:29 GMT

Download the As Yourself 6-Week Study Guide

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” —Matthew 22:39

What does it mean to love others “as yourself?”

For spiritual director, therapist, and former pastor Caroline Vogel, loving God and loving others always came easy. What was much harder, as she discovered during a difficult season in her life, was the “as yourself” part. What did Jesus mean when he said to love others as yourself?

In this heartening exploration of learning to love ourselves as God loves us, Vogel invites us to embrace God's deep and abiding love, with our whole being, just as we are, today and every day.

Through spiritual practices, Biblical insights, and personal story, Vogel shows us how to move from striving for God's love to simply receiving it. With a gentle and wise voice, Caroline teaches us how to slow down, steady our minds, open our hearts, and tap into the life-giving flow of God's grace that is already within us — calling us out of our perfectionism, fear, or shame, calling us toward our own belovedness.

Drawing on her own deep relationship with the Holy Spirit, Vogel reveals that when we are truly aligned with the Spirit and follow Her lead — mind, heart, and body — we are being infused by God's grace moment by moment. We are breathing the Spirit and the Spirit is breathing us. We are living embodied grace inside and out.

If you struggle to love yourself as God does, yearn to know God's love more deeply, and wonder what it's like to embody grace in your daily life, this book is for you.

Welcome to the journey of coming home to yourself in God's love, as yourself.

In As Yourself, readers will explore:

Why receiving God's love is as important as giving it away.
How “hustling” for God's love is the opposite of living embodied grace.
How shame is often a barrier to loving ourselves and others.
How grace already lives inside us; we simply need to open to that truth.
Biblical stories that illuminate the theology of “as yourself.”
A dozen spiritual practices to help you embody grace.

As Yourself

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:28:49 GMT

READ A SAMPLE

Download the As Yourself 6-Week Study Guide

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” —Matthew 22:39

What does it mean to love others “as yourself?”

In this heartening exploration of learning to love ourselves as God loves us, Vogel invites us to embrace God's deep and abiding love, with our whole being, just as we are, today and every day.

If you struggle to love yourself as God does, yearn to know God's love more deeply, and wonder what it's like to embody grace in your daily life, this book is for you.

Welcome to the journey of coming home to yourself in God's love, as yourself.

In As Yourself, readers will explore:

Why receiving God's love is as important as giving it away.
How “hustling” for God's love is the opposite of living embodied grace.
How shame is often a barrier to loving ourselves and others.
How grace already lives inside us; we simply need to open to that truth.
Biblical stories that illuminate the theology of “as yourself.”
A dozen spiritual practices to help you embody grace.

New Tricks

Fri, 02 May 2025 16:18:16 GMT

Pets make us better people.

In the United States today, two out of every three households have at least one pet. No longer just companions, pets are a full-fledged part of the family. For some, a pet may be the only family member living in their house. What if faith communities saw this growing reality as an opportunity to create meaningful ministries of care and outreach for millions of people and the animals they love?

New Tricks is a groundbreaking guide to bringing pet ministry into your faith community, offering practical steps and inspiring ideas to serve those who have pets, promote animal well-being, and embrace the unconditional love that animals bring into our lives. Written by a popular pastor and author and a lay leader who has helped train therapy dogs for decades, both of whom are passionate about animals, New Tricks is filled with heart-warming stories of how animals of all kinds minister to us and how we, in turn, can serve them and their families.

Weaving biblical and theological insight with real stories of healing and support, the authors provide a compelling case for and reasons why a pet ministry has an important place among other transformative ministries in your community — and how it can attract people to your faith community.

Drawing from nearly twenty years of pet ministry experience, authors Betsy and Gayle outline six ways churches can introduce animal programs into their faith community:

Care & Support for Pet Parents — Emotional and spiritual support for those experiencing pet loss, illness, or transitions.
Training Therapy Animals to Prepare for Certification — Training and deploying certified therapy animals to visit people in healthcare facilities, schools and libraries, and participate in faith community activities.
Community Service Projects — Pet food drives, shelter and veterinarian partnerships, and fostering initiatives.
Pet-focused Educational Programs — How to prevent separation anxiety, addressing pet behavioral problems, and taking the perfect pet photo!
Community Events — Blessings of the Animals, World Pet Memorial Day, National Dog Day.
Animal Advocacy — Championing ethical treatment and welfare, conservation, and justice for animals in your community and beyond.

New Tricks also includes practical resources for your pet ministry including pet loss resources (grief rituals, how to write a pet obituary, and a pet remembrance service), a template for your pet/animal ministry launch, and much more.

Whether you're a pastor, lay leader, or a friend of animals big and small, New Tricks provides everything you need to integrate pet ministry into the mission of your church or faith group. Full of real-life stories, step-by-step guidance, and creative ideas, this book will inspire and equip you to make an impact with the pet people in your community and the animals they love — through hands and paws together.

READ A SAMPLE

New Tricks

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 15:51:39 GMT

Pets make us better people.

Drawing from nearly twenty years of pet ministry experience, authors Betsy and Gayle outline six ways churches can introduce animal programs into their faith community:

Care & Support for Pet Parents — Emotional and spiritual support for those experiencing pet loss, illness, or transitions.
Training Therapy Animals to Prepare for Certification — Training and deploying certified therapy animals to visit people in healthcare facilities, schools and libraries, and participate in faith community activities.
Community Service Projects — Pet food drives, shelter and veterinarian partnerships, and fostering initiatives.
Pet-focused Educational Programs — How to prevent separation anxiety, addressing pet behavioral problems, and taking the perfect pet photo!
Community Events — Blessings of the Animals, World Pet Memorial Day, National Dog Day.
Animal Advocacy — Championing ethical treatment and welfare, conservation, and justice for animals in your community and beyond.

READ A SAMPLE

Pastoral Pause

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:27:03 GMT

Take a break before you shatter.

In the demanding realm of pastoral ministry, where energy fades and the threat of burnout is ever-present, pastor Greg Pimlott offers a lifeline. With disarming humor and refreshing honesty, Pimlott invites us into his own transformative journey from burnout to spiritual revitalization, providing encouragement, inspiration, and practical tools for other pastors on the brink of exhaustion and considering a renewal leave.

From his candid account of the moment he realized he needed a break, to a life-changing encounter deep in the New Mexico desert, Pimlott shares poignant glimpses of life before, during, and after his leave to inspire his fellow clergy. Along the way, he provides spiritual and practical resources such as renewal leave checklists, budget-planning tools, book lists, reflection prompts, liturgies, and devotions to equip others on their journeys.

Pastors, facing the challenges of strained relationships, waning creativity, and diminishing spiritual reserves, will find solace and guidance in this invaluable and relatable resource. Take a break before you shatter — Pastoral Pause is your indispensable companion on the journey to self-renewal.

Read a Sample.

Pastoral Pause

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:55:43 GMT

Take a break before you shatter.

Read a sample.

Reinicio del alma

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:37:20 GMT

Todo parecía estar bien, hasta que no lo estaba. Al reverendo Junius B. Dotson le costó un desmayo mientras predicaba en un funeral para darse cuenta de que necesitaba un reinicio. A medida que recordaba su propio peregrinaje a través del duelo, la depresión, el agotamiento y el colapso emocional, Dotson se apasionó por el llamado a un reinicio del alma para los pastores, pastoras, líderes de la iglesia y todas las personas discípulas de Jesucristo.

Este es un estudio de 6 semanas de duración para todas las personas de iglesia que se mueve a una velocidad vertiginosa a través de su vida diaria, a menudo con la confianza sólo en su propia fuerza para traer el reino de Dios en la tierra. Jesús nos muestra un camino diferente, un ritmo más fácil y no forzado de cómo es el trabajo del reino. Es un equilibrio entre el trabajo, descanso, juego, la adoración, el ejercicio y la buena alimentación, prácticas espirituales que mantienen nuestras almas frescas y sanas mientras hacemos el trabajo de la iglesia en el mundo.

Reinicio del alma es un llamamiento a la iglesia y a todas las personas discípulas de Jesús para que reinicien y reordenen sus vidas en torno a las prácticas espirituales, para aprender a caminar a través de nuestras temporadas difíciles con nuestras almas en conexión con la fuente de Agua Viva, de modo que no colapsemos o nos desgastemos. Y si llegamos al punto de agotamiento o derrumbamiento, aprendemos a apoyarnos para levantarnos entre si y dirigirnos a Jesús.

Introducción
Capítulo 1: ¿Cómo está su alma? - Jesús
Capítulo 2: Cuando la depresión golpea - David
Capítulo 3: No todo depende de mí - María y Marta
Capítulo 4: Come algo - Elías
Capítulo 5: La vida en crisis - Job
Capítulo 6: Vivir en la luz - Judas y Pedro

Reinicio del alma

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:28:10 GMT

Introducción
Capítulo 1: ¿Cómo está su alma? - Jesús
Capítulo 2: Cuando la depresión golpea - David
Capítulo 3: No todo depende de mí - María y Marta
Capítulo 4: Come algo - Elías
Capítulo 5: La vida en crisis - Job
Capítulo 6: Vivir en la luz - Judas y Pedro

Texting Through Cancer

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:19:45 GMT

Texting Through Cancer

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:14:56 GMT

When author Jan Woodard requested prayer after her breast cancer diagnosis, her texts, email, and mail were flooded with encouraging notes that inspired her to write about her journey through treatment. As she wrote a weekly column for her local newspaper, Woodard discovered that writing kept her from self-pity by helping her focus on others and shift from fear to faith.

In Texting Through Cancer, Woodard shares the peace she found in surrendering her cancer to God. Through 44 reflections she offers practical ways to find beauty in ordinary moments. Woven throughout her meditations are 12 spiritual practices that challenge readers to explore their own faith more deeply.

This book extends hope to those who wonder how to live fully today when uncertainty overshadows tomorrow. Readers will discover how to pay attention to small signs of God's faithfulness, savor the gifts each day brings, and receive assurance that "all will be well" when they trust their tomorrows to God.

Texting Through Cancer

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:03:02 GMT

ConfigurableProduct #9425

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:19:58 GMT

ConfigurableProduct #9425

What Loss Can Teach Us

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:15:55 GMT

After a significant loss, many people rush to get back a sense of normalcy without allowing themselves time to heal and learn from that loss. Our loving and compassionate God longs to walk with individuals on a transformational journey through loss toward becoming more emotionally and spiritually whole. This book shows readers that God offers an "on ramp" to the process of tending to their pain.

What Loss Can Teach Us provides readers with stepping-stones for getting through loss and pain while discovering the lessons they can learn through that process. Including her own story of loss, the author guides us in spiritual practices that helped her heal.

While nothing changes its reality, loss can lead to an important juncture where readers will decide if they can trust God to take them through the hard process of growth and healing by allowing themselves to be shaped by the lessons they learn through their recovery. What Loss Can Teach Us can serve as a road map for that transformational journey.

What Loss Can Teach Us

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:01:43 GMT

A Family Like Mine

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:44:37 GMT

Families are complicated, and they always have been. A Family Like Mine explores the surprising variety of family stories and relationships reflected in the Bible, emphasizing God's grace, reconciliation, and renewal. The book tells the family stories of our spiritual ancestors in ways that resonate with our own family stories.

Author Rosalind Hughes weaves accounts of familiar and less well-known biblical characters with stories of family formation, estrangement, adoption, and more. She imaginatively retells biblical stories, inviting the reader to dig deeper into the motivations, disappointments, faith, and fulfillment we hold in common with our biblical ancestors.

Story-based and biblically informed, A Family Like Mine combines spiritual autobiography with Bible study to provide a gentle but probing look at the many "mansions" of God's household, where Jesus has prepared a place for all God's children. Reflection questions encourage readers to examine and compare their own family history and spiritual journey with the stories of families found in the Bible.

A Family Like Mine

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:11:56 GMT

A Family Like Mine

Tue, 24 May 2022 17:49:23 GMT

A Family Like Mine

Power Up Children's Group Guide

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:29:58 GMT

This downloadable PDF children’s guide includes topics for children to engage in and learn about, such as building self-esteem, dealing with emotions like anger and sadness, and learning how to ask for help with these when needed. This guide provides an outline for each children’s group gathering, including prayers, scripture verses, activities, and more.

Soul Reset

Thu, 05 May 2022 20:07:54 GMT

Everything was going fine … until it wasn't. For Reverend Junius B. Dotson it took an actual breakdown during a funeral for him to realize he needed a reset. As he recalls his own journey through grief, depression, burnout, and emotional breakdown, Dotson is passionate about calling for a Soul Reset for pastors, church leaders, and all disciples of Jesus Christ.

This is a 6-week churchwide study for everyone who moves at breakneck speed through their daily lives, often relying only on their own strength to bring God's kingdom on earth. Jesus shows us a different way, an easier, unforced rhythm of what kingdom work looks like. It's a balance of work, rest, play, worship, exercise, and eating well—spiritual practices that keep our souls hydrated and healthy as we do the work of the church in the world. Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness includes a book; a DVD; downloadable video segments; age-level discussion guides for children, youth, and adults; sermon starters; and more.

Soul Reset is a call for the church and all of Jesus' disciples to reset and reorder their lives around spiritual practices, to learn to walk through our difficult seasons with our souls connected to the source of Living Water so that we don't burn out or break down. And if we do burn out or break down, we learn to lift one another up and point one another back to Jesus.

Introduction
Chapter 1: "How Is It with Your Soul?" – Jesus
Chapter 2: When Depression Hit – David
Chapter 3: It's Not All on Me – Mary and Martha
Chapter 4: Eat Something – Elijah
Chapter 5: Life in Crisis – Job
Chapter 6: Living in the Light – Judas and Peter

Soul Reset

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:49:01 GMT

Introduction
Chapter 1: "How Is It with Your Soul?" – Jesus
Chapter 2: When Depression Hit – David
Chapter 3: It's Not All on Me – Mary and Martha
Chapter 4: Eat Something – Elijah
Chapter 5: Life in Crisis – Job
Chapter 6: Living in the Light – Judas and Peter