Sanidad y plenitud

As Yourself

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:22:32 GMT

“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.

READ A SAMPLE.

As Yourself

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 16:06:04 GMT

“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.

READ A SAMPLE.

New Tricks

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 15:48:48 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, 02 May 2025 16:04:00 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

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:48:27 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

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:36:31 GMT

Take a break before you shatter.

Read a Sample.

What Loss Can Teach Us

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:21:38 GMT

What Loss Can Teach Us

Texting Through Cancer

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:21:23 GMT

Texting Through Cancer

A Family Like Mine

Tue, 24 May 2022 17:46:33 GMT

A Family Like Mine

Blessed Endurance

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:03:56 GMT

Where is God when we are hurting or in despair? How can we find hope even when we feel hopeless?

Pain, struggle, and despair are part of life, and they test our character as God's people. John Wimmer approaches these challenges to our faith realistically and thoughtfully. He does not offer easy answers or platitudes like "Everything happens for a reason."

We can't always understand or control many things that happen to us, but we can choose how we respond to our circumstances. Wimmer encourages us to view times of difficulty as opportunities for spiritual and personal growth. Rather than diminishing our faith, pain and despair can lead us to greater trust in God. To endure through such times is a blessing.

This inspiring book offers practical help for moving from pain and despair to hope. Wimmer reminds us that with hope we also have faith—not the false belief that our lives will be pain-free but the assurance that God will be with us through our most challenging times and lead us to deeper levels of spiritual growth and wisdom.

Click here for an interview with John Wimmer.

For Sabbath's Sake

Tue, 24 May 2022 16:03:28 GMT

Discover a spiritual practice that helps you maintain spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental health.

"We toiled on computers seven days per week, rising as early as 4:00 a.m. to squeeze in spiritual quiet time before we both retreated to our respective laptops, typing the days (and weekends) away. Though I grew up keeping Sundays sacred, six years into our marriage, we'd fallen into the trap of using the Lord's Day to catch up. … At its worst, our church attendance was less than 50 percent. … I began, for the first time in my life, to understand why people don't attend church services."

—J. Dana Trent, chapter 1

In our culture of constant busyness, most of us feel like we're never caught up. The lines between home and work have blurred as we stay tethered to our mobile devices and computers. Many people use weekends to catch up on errands and other work that doesn't get done during the week. God's commandment to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy" seems like a relic from a simpler time.

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.

With humor and honesty, Trent reveals her own struggles with setting apart a day devoted to God, rest, and community. This book traces the rich history of sabbath, helps you find ways to overcome barriers to this spiritual practice, and suggests achievable ways to build sabbath into your life.

Reinicio del alma

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:39:12 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

Questions God Asks Us

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:38:27 GMT

Transformation comes from questions, not answers.

We often look to the Bible as the book of answers. How often, though, do we consider the challenging questions God asks? Hudson notes that Jesus was asked 183 questions in the Gospels but directly only answered three.

The Creator is teaching us as we teach children when they struggle with schoolwork: You learn more by doing than being fed an absolute answer.

In Questions God Asks Us, we're encouraged to focus on the quest rather than a resolution. Such an approach leads to deeper dialogue and intimacy with the divine. This is a critical turning point in our journey with God—as it was for the author.

"I thought the Bible existed to give me solutions to my everyday concerns and dilemmas," writes Hudson. "Then I realized I might be approaching God and the Bible from the wrong direction. It was as if God said to me, 'Trevor, rather than you always asking questions of me, start listening to the questions I have for you.'"

Each of 10 questions Hudson excerpts from the Old and New Testaments serves as a starting point for genuine conversation with the Creator. He assures, "We're not starting the conversation with God from scratch. God has already begun it. We just need to plug into the conversation that is already going on."

Questions God Asks Us offers a fresh approach for personal devotions and a unique discussion tool for small-group Bible studies. It's sure to bless anyone longing for a meaningful, growing relationship with God.

Prayers for Hard Times

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:29:29 GMT

Sometimes life seems full of storms. All of us experience hardships at one time or another. It's when several crises happen at once that you begin to wonder, "Am I going to make it?"

Times of difficulty can grind us down, or they can invite us to become more aware of God's presence and concern.

Prayers for Hard Times is a collection of scriptures, prayers, and meditations designed to help you find hope and discover God's presence in the midst of fear, worry, and distress. These booklets, shrink-wrapped in packages of 20, offer churches an inexpensive way to offer encouragement and spiritual support to people who are going through tough times.

Prayers for Encouragement (Korean)

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:29:21 GMT

Korean translation of Prayers for Encouragement (Pack of 20)

Prayers for Encouragement

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:29:01 GMT

In Jesus' time, lepers were the most stigmatized of patients. Yet he demonstrated great compassion toward them. Today, persons living with HIV/AIDS suffer many of the same discriminations and rejections that first-century lepers did.

What would Jesus do? And how willing are you to follow Jesus' example?

Like its predecessors in the Pocket Prayer Series, Prayers for Encouragement is a 32-page booklet of comforting meditations developed for a specific need—in this case, serious diseases affecting many of the world's poor.

"The church has a special role in providing spiritual comfort, strength, and prayers for encouragement to people in need," says Don Messer, author and executive director of the Center for Health and Hope. "The Upper Room seeks to be an agent of God's healing love and grace in a holistic way. Care and nurture for the totality of human persons made in God's image is an integral part of our call and guiding ethos," said Kimberly Orr, publisher of The Upper Room daily devotional guide.

Packaged and priced so that you can share copies freely, Prayers for Encouragement is a perfect gift for hospital or home visitation or for anyone in pain and need of encouragement. As one contributor says in Prayers for Encouragement, "As we face uncertainty, pain, illness and other trials, we can remember: Jesus, bigger than any problem, is holding me tightly to his heart."

Prayers for Encouragement is now published in 19 languages, extending hope to those in need throughout the world.

Package of 20 Booklets

Sorry, this item is not eligible for special promotional or bulk order discounts.

An Adventure in Healing and Wholeness (Korean)

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:28:06 GMT

This book brings James K. Wagner's successful workbook on healing and wholeness to Korean Christians and churches. The original workbook was field-tested and designed for church groups; this new translation has been reviewed and approved by representatives throughout the Korean church in the United States.

The workbook adapts Wagner's popular workshop into a seven-session format that explores a holistic approach to health and the relationship between prayer and healing. It offers individual and group reflection, study materials, and information needed to begin a healing ministry within a congregation.

Reinicio del alma

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:25:49 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

Soul Reset DVD

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:25:05 GMT

Are you working at a relentless pace, trapped in a cycle of trying to meet others' needs and ignoring your own? You need a Soul Reset—a hard stop to chronic busyness, a deep look inward, an intentional reliance on spiritual practices to help you reconnect with God, and a new path toward the abundant life to which Jesus calls you.

The Soul Reset DVD includes six 5- to 7-minute segments with author Junius B. Dotson in which he

explores themes of authenticity and wholeness from his book Soul Reset
offers commentary on key scripture passages
highlights vital scripture practices modeled by Jesus Christ
shares insights into how to experience your own "soul reset" and live the life God desires for you

The six video sessions are based on these themes:

Soul Reset Assessment
Feel the Feelings
It's Not All on Me
Take Care of Yourself
What to Do with Grief
Living in the Light

Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, Soul Reset offers practical help for slowing down and allowing God to transform your life.

Prayers for Courage

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:23:27 GMT

Package of 20

This booklet brings together scripture and prayers that offer words of hope, comfort, and peace during times of fear, change, and uncertainty.

Created as a special edition of The Upper Room daily devotional guide, Prayers for Courage helps us rest in God's loving presence when fear invades our lives.