7 Christian Books About Caring for Yourself & Others

Let’s be honest. This fall looks incredibly different than last year. Back to school has been more stressful than ever. College looks different. Work looks different. The past six months have been a rollercoaster of emotions for so many of us. Now more than ever, taking care of our mental health is of the utmost importance.

We asked a handful of our Woodside Staff Members their top book recommendations on taking care of yourself and others. We hope these books will encourage you and help you establish healthy rhythms as you care for yourself and others.

We’ve given a brief description of each and linked them. Be sure to comment on your favorites as you read them and let us know some of your favorite chapters, quotes, and more!

1️⃣ Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald

Has anyone seen my time? I’ve misplaced it. We have schedule planners, computerized calendars, smartphones, and sticky notes to help us organize our business and social lives every day. But what about organizing the other side of our lives? The spiritual side?

One of the great battlegrounds is within the private world of the individual. The values of our Western culture would have us believe the busy, publicly active person in ministry is also the most spiritual. Tempted to give imbalanced attention to the public world at the expense of the private, we become involved in more programs, more meetings. Our massive responsibilities at home, work, and church have resulted in many good people on the verge of collapse. In this book, MacDonald equips us to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness.

To Purchase, click here.

2️⃣ Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas

Gary Thomas details nine spiritual temperaments and — like the Enneagram and other tools do with personality — encouraging you to investigate the ways you most naturally express yourself in your relationship with God. He encourages you to dig into the traits, strengths, and pitfalls in your devotional approach so you can eliminate the barriers that keep you locked into rigid methods of worship and praise.

Whatever temperament or blend of temperaments best describes you, rest assured it’s not by accident. It’s by the design of a Creator who knew what he was doing when he made you according to his unique intentions. If your spiritual walk is not what you’d like it to be, you can change that, starting here. Sacred Pathways will show you the route you were made to travel, marked by growth and filled with the riches of a close walk with God.

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3️⃣ Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard

As Christians, we know that we are new creations in Jesus. So we try to act differently, hoping this will make us more like Him. But changing our outward behavior doesn’t change our hearts. Only by God’s grace can we be transformed internally. Renovation of the Heart lays a biblical foundation for understanding what best-selling author Dallas Willard calls the “transformation of the spirit”―a divine process that “brings every element in our being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God.”

To Purchase, Click Here.

4️⃣ Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Lee DeMoss

Perhaps you still remember the moment, the time of day, the look in the other person’s eye, when you were deeply hurt by someone you trusted. And since then, your life has been put on hold, sabotaged by harbored resentment, dreams of revenge, or perhaps indifference and numbness.

Or it may be just the “stuff” of everyday life and relationships that has left you with a knot in your stomach and a dull ache in your heart.

There are no magic words or secret formulas for forgiveness. But there are biblical principles that can help you break free from bitterness and pain. In Choosing Forgiveness, celebrated teacher Nancy Leigh DeMoss delves into God’s word to uncover the promises and expose the myths of forgiveness. Discover specific strategies for putting God’s grace and mercy into practice, forgiving others as God has forgiven you.

To Purchase, Click Here.

5️⃣ Unshakeable You by John Opalewski

Emotional health can be elusive. We often run our lives on fumes, dangling on the edge of burnout or depression. Difficult relationships, overcommitted schedules, traumatic events, or the gnawing sense we are unlovable drain our energy. What can you do? If you re burnt out or depressed, how do you get healthy? If you re healthy, how do you stay that way? You start by making five choices. Unshakable You: 5 Choices of Emotionally Healthy People introduces key behaviors that move a depressed person toward recovery and keep an emotionally fit person well.

To Purchase, Click Here.

6️⃣ Are my Kids on Track? By Sissy Goff

From birth to adulthood, our children’s physical and intellectual development is carefully tracked and charted. But what about their hearts? After all, how our children develop emotionally, socially, and spiritually will determine who they become as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, friends, and co-workers.

Are My Kids on Track helps you identify and measure 12 key emotional, social, and spiritual milestones in your children’s lives. Moreover, you will discover practical ways to guide your kids through any stumbling blocks they might encounter and help them reach the appropriate landmarks. Along the way, the authors pinpoint the different ways boys and girls develop, so you can help your child flourish in his or her way.

To Purchase, Click Here.

7️⃣ Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Does your life feel like it’s out of control? Perhaps you feel like you have to say yes to everyone’s requests. Maybe you find yourself readily taking responsibility for others’ feelings and problems. Or perhaps you focus so much on being loving and unselfish that you’ve forgotten your limits and limitations. Or maybe it’s all of the above.

In the New York Times bestseller, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you learn when to say yes and know how to say no to take control of your life and set healthy, biblical boundaries with your spouse, children, friends, parents, co-workers, and even yourself.

To Purchase, Click Here.