Jesus cares deeply about your heart.
Jesus cares deeply about your heart.
Art By David Bowman. Click here to purchase.
Dear Friends,
If you have the courage to slow down and let Jesus bind up the deepest wounds of your heart, His love will redeem your story and set you free.
Resources
Must-read books, podcasts, music and more that can help you on your journey toward healing, wholeness, and joy…
BOOKS
Alexis CarruthersWhen God Loves You First
Can our stories of harm be trusted to tell us the truth about ourselves and God?
Only through courageously and vulnerably facing our life stories of trauma, grief, and loss can we find lasting freedom and experience the redemptive and transformative power of the love of God.
WHEN GOD LOVES YOU FIRST offers a series of raw, reflective stories that ask the hard questions: can the goodness of God be trusted in our stories of grief, trauma, and loss? And, can the love of God be found beyond the cry of our broken hearts?
Join the author on a journey beyond the barriers of heartache and hypocrisy to find redemption and discover the truth about the heart of God.
This book might be for you:
If you are feeling discouraged, broken, or unloved while processing grief, trauma, or loss.
Dr. Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel, MARedeeming Heartache: How Past Suffering Reveals Our True Calling
Find freedom and healing from painful memories and relational struggles and learn how your past has uniquely prepared you to experience more joy.
Tragedy and pain inevitably touch our lives in some way. We long to feel whole, but more often than not, the way we’ve learned to deal with our wounds pushes us away from the very restoration we need most. Renowned psychologist Dr. Dan Allender and counselor and teacher Cathy Loerzel present a life-changing process of true connection and healing with ourselves, God, and others.
This book might be for you:
If you feel like the things that happened to you define you, can’t be fixed, or are holding you back from feeling like your best self.
K.J. RamseyThis Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers
Our culture treats suffering like a problem to fix, a blight to hide, or the sad start of a transformation story. We silently, secretly wither under the pressure of living as though suffering is a predicament we can avoid or annihilate by having enough faith or trying harder.
When your prayers for healing haven't been answered, the fog of depression isn't lifting, your marriage is ending in divorce, or grief won't go away, it's easy to feel you've failed God or, worse, he's failed you. If God loves us, why does he allow us to hurt?
This book might be for you:
If you ever feel like you will never feel better, particularly if that makes you feel guilty or faithless.
Cloud & TownsendBoundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life
What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries?
What does a legitimate boundary look like?
Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider telling someone “no”?
Many people focus so much on being loving and unselfish that they forget their own limits and limitations. That’s why the ability to set clear boundaries is essential to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
This book might be for you:
If you feel someone wants more of your time, love, energy, or money than you feel comfortable giving.
Cloud & TownsendSafe People: How to Find Relationships that are Good for You and Avoid Those That Aren't
Too many of us have invested ourselves into relationships where things have gone wrong. You may have experienced being judged, manipulated controlled, or worse.
Safe People will help you to recognize 20 traits of relationally untrustworthy people and discover what makes some people relationally safe, as well as how to avoid unhealthy entanglements. You'll learn about things within yourself that jeopardize your relational security, and you'll find out how to develop a balanced approach to relationships.
This book might be for you:
If you have trouble trusting people or trusting your own judgment of people.
Ronald W. RichardsonFamily Ties That Bind: A self-help guide to change through Family of Origin therapy
Most people’s lives are complicated by family relationships.
Birth order, our parents’ relationship, and the “rules” we were brought up with can affect our self-esteem and relationships with spouses, children, and other family members.
This easy-to-read, practical book explains how families function and what you can do to change the way you act in your family and with other people. Exercises show how to apply the principles to your own situation and develop a more positive approach to all aspects of your life.
This book might be for you:
If you want to better understand how your place and role in your family influences how you see yourself and others.
Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.The Highly Sensitive Person:
How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You
Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water? Are you “too shy” or “too sensitive” according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you?
Most of us feel overstimulated every once in a while, but for the highly sensitive person, it’s a way of life. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Elaine Aron, a highly sensitive person herself, shows you how to identify this trait in yourself and make the most of it in everyday situations.
The Highly Sensitive Person will change the way you see yourself—and the world around you.
This book might be for you:
If someone has said that you are too sensitive or if you feel that way yourself.
PODCASTS
The Place We Find Ourselves
Adam Young | LCSW, MDiv
The Place We Find Ourselves podcast features private practice therapist Adam Young (LCSW, MDiv) and interview guests as they discuss all things related to story, trauma, attachment, and interpersonal neurobiology.
Listen in as Adam unpacks how trauma and abuse impact the heart and mind, as well as how to navigate the path toward healing, wholeness, and restoration.
This podcast is for you:
If you want to understand how trauma has affected your body and brain, take steps to heal, and feel less alone.
Favorite Episodes:
Ep. 1: Why Engaging Your Story is the Best Thing You Can Do For Your BrainEp. 5: Attachment: What It Is and Why It Matters So Much.Ep. 20: Affect Regulation: Why It's Critical For Everyday LifeEp. 58: Healing From Trauma: Your Posture Toward YourselfEp. 75: Uncovering Intentionality: Did My Parents Really Mean to Harm Me? Part 1Ep. 76: Uncovering Intentionality: Did My Parents Really Mean to Harm Me? Part 2Ep. 92: Your Story, Your Suffering, and KindnessEp. 93: Engaging With Someone Who Has Harmed You - Part 1Ep. 94: Engaging With Someone Who Has Harmed You - Part 2Ep. 95: Engaging With Someone Who Has Harmed You - Part 3Ep. 96: Engaging With Someone Who Has Harmed You - Part 4Ep. 98: Engaging With Someone Who Has Harmed You - Part 5Ep. 109: Anxiety: What It Is And How To Respond To ItEp. 129: What Gets In The Way Of Healing? Four Obstacles.MUSIC
Spotify Playlist By Alexis
“WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES”
Slow-paced, contemplative, and encouraging Christian hymns and instrumental music to help you relax, unwind, de-stress, decompress, and, mostly - breathe grace.
This playlist might be for you:
If you want to relax, calm down, or you are having a bad day.
Spotify Playlist By Alexis
“BLESSINGS ON BLESSINGS”
Upbeat, fun, worship music that has a good rhythm for exercising, cleaning the house, driving places, or taking on new challenges.
This playlist might be for you:
If you are feeling good or want to feel better.