Spiritual Care

To be pastoral is to create a sacred space and time for the other person who needs support. The caregiver is fully present, listening critically and attentively to locate the "pastoral pillars" on the way for continued support. In order to provide effective pastoral care ministry and also be able to nail down and address the core issues bothering an individual, the caregiver should look beyond the ordinary and superficial, and companion into the deep ("the shadow") with the counselee, mentee, directee, client, patient, and the like.

"In I Died for This? I will pick up my pitchfork and muck out the spiritual stables for signs of the living Christ hidden under the mounds of Jesus junk and faith fertilizer."

You keep hoping and believing in faith that your circumstances are going to shift, but the longer time goes on and you don’t see your circumstances change, the more it builds, until finally, it bursts out of you: ”God, don’t you care?” If you’re in the middle of the storm right now, this book is for you. It won’t patronize your pain or give you all the cliche answers. You don’t need to feel ashamed of your questions, but instead you can walk through the steps of how to navigate the pain of struggle from a biblical perspective.

Many Americans balk at the idea of setting aside a whole day for worship, rest, and time with those who matter most to them. Yet we long for more time to spend on what matters most—unrushed time to rest, reconnect with friends and loved ones, and deepen our relationship with God. An ancient spiritual practice exists that can help restore balance to our lives: the practice of keeping sabbath. But how exactly do we manage to build time for sabbath into our busy lives? Dana Trent explores this question in For Sabbath's Sake.

When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a "tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s)". What Allison didn’t expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday dog-training lesson revealed a fascinating spiritual metaphor.

You have to be the biggest and best to stand out. At least, that's what our culture seems to believe. However, as psychologist Dr. Leia Hughey points out, we are all special and deserving of love, even if we are nothing special. Through nonverbal communication with an ordinary horse, she and others were able to reveal unhealed psychic wounds and provide a context for change and transformation. Just people and horses. Nothing special, really, but what a difference it made!

Stephen B. Kellough explores 10 critical truths and the habits that typically make or break a student’s spiritual life in college. Whether you are heading off to college, ministering to college students, or are the parent of a college-aged kid, Walking with Jesus on Campus will help you better understand how to tackle what lies ahead.

Descubrirás a un Jesús diferente, uno que cambiará radicalmente tu forma de ver a Dios, a ti mismo y a los demás; un Jesús que nunca se dará por vencido contigo y que jamás dejará de amarte. Él quiere que lo conozcas, que lo ames y que seas amado por Él. Esta es una perspectiva que cambia la vida, lo mucho que Jesús anhela ser tu amigo, y una garantía de que cuando comprendes a fondo el poder de este mensaje, tu vida se verá diferente. Todo cambiará, y entrarás en la experiencia más satisfactoria que puedas imaginar.

Each of these areas are a part of our daily life in some way, yet we so often fail to see them as holy, sacred, and considered worship by God. Make Good Tables will help you to see that all of life is sacred, holy, and full of God's goodness, beauty, and love.

In this five-session audio Bible study, pastor and author Rich Wilkerson, Jr. reveals how Jesus was referred to as a “friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). In the religious leaders’ minds this was one of the greatest indictments imaginable, but for Jesus it was a sign of success because it was the very definition of his mission. Rich shows that by following Jesus’ example, we can have the same clear conviction and compassion for the lost that he did.

As a police officer, Brandon Wainwright has seen a lot in his 10-plus years on the force, but nothing so strange or life-changing as the spiritual awakening he experienced when his dog, a precocious Chihuahua named Tyson, passed away...and then began communicating from the other side. Once a hard-nosed skeptic, Brandon found himself thrust into unfamiliar territory, consulting with spiritual intuitives and pet communicators in an effort to uncover the truth about the afterlife.

In the midst of uncertain and sometimes frightening times, sharing God's love with others gives us hope and purpose. With her humorous and often touching stories - many featuring horses, cows, and rascally dogs - Cara Whitney delightfully reminds us that it's always a good time to share the love of Jesus with your neighbor. In Fields of Grace, Cara passes on lessons from her amazing animal teachers.

Does failure, or feelings of failure, affect you to the point where you find it hard to move on? Do you avoid situations where you might fail or find it difficult to confront failure? Caris Grimes takes a frank, no-nonsense look at different aspects of failure and what we can learn from them. Using examples from the apparent failures within the ministry of Jesus and other Biblical stories together with academic research, Caris helps us to understand how God uses failure and what we can learn from failure in our personal lives and workplaces.

Is the path ahead unclear? Does life feel uncertain and full of worry and anxiety? Country Soul is filled with Scripture, stories, takeaways, and encouragement that will get your faith moving. Like many of us, Cara Whitney and her husband, Dan (Larry the Cable Guy), have experienced mountaintops and valleys in life. The good news they discovered along the way is that we don't have to go it alone. God's word guides our steps, leading us through the ups and downs of our faith journey.