Emotionally Healthy Spirituality

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The next step outlines and recommends the use of the Daily Office and also refreshes our approach to the Sabbath. The recommendation of the Daily Office again feels odd because of it’s monastic history. An analysis of the routines of the early church as laid out in the New Testament would have been welcome, rather than basing a prescription for regular prayer and devotion throughout the day upon the highly scheduled lives of monks. The reminder of God’s design for Sabbath rest and the author’s exhortation to keep it is helpful and biblical. Based on the new book, Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, this diagnostic tool was created to help individuals, teams and churches get a sense of whether their discipleship has touched the emotional components of their lives. It's a good book. If you struggle with giving yourself the same grace you give others, it's a really good book. Also good if you have a hard time knowing the difference between being loving and obedient to God's command to put others first and being a doormat. I have a hard time with that one too. Was it a book I rushed home at night to read? No. But I'm glad I read it and I think I had some definite mind-change moments in the process. Over 25 years ago, I found myself in a crisis. I was a successful pastor with growing leadership influence, but my inner life with God was nearly non-existent. I almost lost everything.

Hey Valerie- Good to hear your review of the book! I read it myself, but prior to reading this edition, I read the book “Emotionally Healthy Church” by the same author which is in the same vein as “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” but the content, in my opinion, is more enriching and is less bogged down by some of the monks, etc. mentioned in EHS. Even though I enjoy church history, it felt to me like some of the practices from the monks and their teachings were a little more of a concentrated focus than the Bible, God, and what our main focus should be. Anyways, I definitely agree with your thoughts that the book thankfully dissuades from the idea that all feelings lead us astray. Some churches tend to demonize emotions when feelings themselves are not evil but actually a gift from God. The issue only comes when we prioritize our emotions over the leading of the Spirit. Thanks again for your thoughts! Reply It’s also important to engage in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, whether that’s spending time with loved ones, pursuing a hobby, or volunteering in your community. Daria has also been studying astrology, the Tarot, and natural healing practices for many years, and has written widely on these topics. At Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, we’ve created pathways for you to experience transformation personally, with your team, and ultimately, with your entire church or ministry. The next to the last chapter offers practical guidance for growing in emotional maturity—how to handle conflict, be a peace maker, etc. Helpful, but not groundbreaking. The last chapter focuses on yet another new concept called the “Rule of Life.” Apparently Daniel had one, or rather we can infer that Daniel may have had one, and the other examples of the “Rule” come from monastic communities and practices. The idea of the “Rule” is to create an intentional plan to keep God at the center of everything we do. Valid point, but again strikes an odd chord.

Emotionally health powerfully anchors me in the love of God by affirming that I am worthy of feeling, worthy of being alive, and lovable even when I am brutally honest about the good, the bad, and the ugly deep beneath the surface of my iceberg. (54) Setting limits is an important part of creating boundaries that support your emotional and spiritual health.

Consolations and desolations" are terms offered by Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits over 500 years ago to describe the inner feelings that move you toward God and the ones that take you away from God. I am convinced that nothing less than an understanding of Sabbath as a command from God, as well as an incredible invitation, will enable us to grab hold of this rope God offers us. (163) The author then states that "Jesus refused to separate the practice of the presence of God from the practice of the presence of people. When pushed to the wall to separate this unbreakable union, Jesus refused and summarized the entire Bible for us, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: Love our neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments'" Matthew 22:37-40 It is my opinion that this author focuses too much on the love of God and does not balance it out with God's righteous judgement. We should not go too far to either side of the scale. I also do not agree with the author's statement that Jesus summarized the entire Bible with this statement, rather he summed up the law and the prophets (Old Testament) with this statement, though it does sum up what we are to be about as Christians. It seems to me that this author is big on generalities, and not into details. By turning to Christ and applying biblical principles, you can find healing, hope, and strength to face life’s challenges. Emotionally Healthy Discipleship But work for God that is not nourished by a deep interior life with God will eventually be contaminated by other things such as ego, power, needing approval of and from others, and buying into the wrong ideas of success and the mistaken belief that we can’t fail. (32)Eventually, God awakened him to a biblical integration of emotional health and the spiritual practice of slowing down and quieting your life to experience a firsthand relationship with Jesus. It created nothing short of a spiritual revolution in Scazzero, in his church, and now in thousands of other churches. It is my opinion that this author is quite mystical-he promotes the "Jesus prayer"(Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner), which in itself is not bad, but he says that it has, "long been a foundation of the eastern Christian spirituality to help believers remain grounded and dependent on God throughout the day. By repeating the prayer throughout the day, synchronizing the syllables of these words with our heartbeat throughout the day, the intention is that our very lives will embody the richness of the prayer". This sounds quite grounded in mysticism and very similar to what those in Roman Catholicism and orthodox churches do, the repeating of a prayer simply to focus is quite meditative and not how Jesus teaches us to pray in the New Testament. Unless you slow and quiet your life down for a first-hand relationship with Jesus Christ, little change is possible. The integration of these two truths unleashed a spiritual revolution in Pete, in his church, and now in thousands of other churches.

By integrating emotional health into your spiritual journey, you can cultivate a deeper sense of well-being and connection with yourself, others, and the divine. The Role of Faith in Emotional HealthA Review of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship : Moving from Shallow Christianity to Deep Transformation It is about being able to express your emotions in a healthy way and not suppressing them. The Power of the Past Pete learned the hard way: you can’t be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. Though Pete was an experienced pastor of a growing church, his life and faith remained emotionally unhealthy. Like so many others in the church, he routinely: In over four decades of leadership, I've come to the conclusion that one of the biggest gaps in our leadership training comes down to one essential skill...