The Whole Life: 52 Weeks of Biblical Self-Care

I ordered a new copy and received one with some sort of spill damage. Kinda yucky

Regardless of your faith background or no faith at all - The Authors are shining light on a dark and sad aspect of our culture - we have all bought into the need for more and "better" for ourselves and children. The more and better we seek have put us on a treadmill that runs longer and faster every day. Read the book and step off to reconsider life and your priorities. You wont regret it!

What a balm this book has been to my soul and a refreshing, biblical perspective on truly resting in Christ and caring for ourselves. A must read for those feeling weary and worn-out!

Gospel centered living and great weekly devotionals to center all of our life to Christ!

In our hurry up, fast-paced world, as Christians, we often forget that each of us only get one life and one body. THE WHOLE LIFE emphasizes self-care and gives 52 lessons and insights which are organized into six different areas: Spiritual Life, Physical Life, A Purposeful Life, Community Life, Work Life and a Restful Life. These authors identify their audience in the introduction saying, “This book is for Christians who are committed to loving God and loving others; it is for believers who pour their lives out in sacrificial service.” (Page 1).Also in the introduction, the authors give a great summary of their content saying, “Each week includes a thoughtful entry on a self-care topic. Following each entry, you will find a Gospel Spotlight intended to point you to Jesus. An Action and Application section will help you implement practical self-care strategies for the good of your spiritual, emotional, physical and relational well-being. You will also find a Guided Journaling section that will enable you to engage in the content more personally.” (Page 4)THE WHOLE LIFE is a well-written book whether you use it yourself or with someone else to help hold you accountable. This book is not something to read once and forget. Instead, these authors have created an important tool which you can use over and over so you take care of your one life and live it to the fullest. I highly recommend this excellent book.W. Terry Whalin is an editor and the author of more than 60 books including his recent  10 Publishing Myths: Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed .

One of a Christian’s goals is to be a good steward of the Word and that sometimes means giving of yourself to the point where you no longer have anything to give. In today’s harried world, it feels shameful to consider self-care, which is really self-preservation. Counselors Eliza Huie and Esther Smith wrote The Whole Life 52 Weeks of Biblical Self-Care as a working, Biblical journey to bring your best self to your work, your family, and yourself.Each week includes a self-care topic, followed by a Gospel Spotlight, Action & Application, and guided journaling. The format would work well either for individual reflection or as a group study. Topics include Healing Power of the Word, Habits of Eating & Drinking, Screenless or Less Screens, and Danger of Self Driven Workers. Each reading is only 1-2 pages long, making them compact enough to fit into a busy week. The associated reflection points are impactful enough to prompt change – if the reader really takes them to heart.Authors Huie and Smith weave their personal stories into the topics and also include plenty of thoughtful biblical insight and guidance, making The Whole Life feel like a personal coaching session rather than a textbook. The book is broken down into sections that apply to our “whole life”, including Spiritual Life, Physical Life, Purposeful Life, Community Life, Working Life, and Restful Life. Additional tools included at the end include breathing exercises and bullet journaling. The publisher is New Growth Press.Who would enjoy this book?This book is for Christians who are committed to loving God and others, but who pour themselves out and run empty. Anyone who feels tired, frazzled, or overwhelmed by their to-do list will feel understood and hopeful by reading this book.How this book affected me.As a semi-retired work-from-homer, I’m not in a harried phase of life, but I’ve been there. I also know that so many people feel like they’re drowning in daily tasks and responsibilities. As I read the book, I could imagine that this book could be a real game-changer for those who don’t attend to their personal needs. I will definitely recommend it!Our Christian Book Reviews:The book reviews at Finding God Among Us focus on Christian books – adult and children, fiction and nonfiction. Our specialty is books on faith and new Christian book releases. We’re proud to be included in the Top 20 Christian Book Review Bloggers. I chose to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.