Part of our annual My Year In… series
This year’s list has a counselling and pastoral care focus, as well as covering some different life stages (admittedly at the younger end!). For more detailed reviews, see my blog.
Mental Health and Your Church (Thorne and Midgely)
An excellent resource with a biblical framework to understand mental health, and then guidance for how churches might care well for members with such challenges. Churches should neither do nothing nor everything, so there are a range of options and opportunities offered, which would be achievable for most churches. In the end, we welcome, we love, we help people persevere and become more like Jesus, and we particularly look out for those who bear more burdens in life.
Down, Not Out (Cipollone)
If you are living with anxiety or depression (or someone close to you is), and you want to explore it through a compassionate and understanding Christian lens, this is an excellent choice. It’s gentle, loving, and honest, giving hope and encouragement. Cipollone brings gospel truth to bear, promising the reader that God loves them and is with them through it all. He weaves his own story throughout, and the short chapters are designed for someone with a shortened concentration span.
Ask the Christian Counsellor series (Various)
This growing series of short books (~100 pages) offers biblical wisdom and practical support on a range of issues. Biblical counsellors sensitively address the variety of challenges Christians face either personally or as they support others: grief, PTSD, abortion, anxiety, anger, infidelity, marriage problems, and overwhelm. I have found each to be biblically focused, compassionate, and full of grace.
In the end, we welcome, we love, we help people persevere and become more like Jesus, and we particularly look out for those who bear more burdens in life.
Being the Bad Guys (McAlpine)
Many will have already read this, but if you haven’t yet, it’s worth doing. McAlpine suggests Christians are now the bad guys in society, a stark change from previous times. Our goal then is to “be the best bad guy you can be”—honouring Jesus by respecting and loving those around us, admitting our mistakes, and presenting Christ to those who are seeking a more satisfying identity than the world offers. Much of his discussion is connected to sexuality and gender because it’s so prominent in our cultural landscape. Key issues can change quickly, so it will be interesting to see whether this focus is still relevant in a decade’s time. For the moment though, many Christians will find this accessible book puts into words what they experience on a daily basis.
Not Yet Married (Segal)
While not my favourite book title (although he explains it well), this is an encouragement to joyfulness in singleness and wisdom in dating. He elevates singleness to a purposeful, intentional service of God that is less divided and distracted. If single, he suggests doing radical time-consuming things for God, avoiding the distractions of the world, and loving your life now. Regarding dating, the overarching principle should be more about pursuing clarity than searching for intimacy. There is sensible advice on how to date and how to break-up. Aimed more at those who are younger (20s and 30s) and thinking through what it means to live with honour, grace, and a gospel focus.
You Are Still a Mother (Gibson)
In this heartfelt and honest book, Jackie Gibson reaches out to mothers like her who have lost a child in stillbirth or miscarriage. Gibson has carefully worded each short chapter to represent gospel truths with compassion and care: cling to God’s truths, turn to Jesus, God is sovereign, the child is precious and safe in the arms of Jesus, and suffering makes us groan for our home in heaven. It is for Christians, and could be read soon after a grief, or later.
Bringing Forth Life (McIver)
McIver encourages us to see the wonder, joy, and privilege of all aspects of becoming a parent, while acknowledging the challenges many women face with the arrival of motherhood. The Biblical themes of labour, birth, and parenthood are highlighted and expounded. They are then embedded in God’s promises and character, with links drawn between God’s loving and sacrificial care for us and its echoes in our care for our children. She offers balanced perspectives, honouring choice and options regarding pregnancy care and testing, yet with a clear respect for the gift of life.
Raising Tech-Healthy Humans (Sih)
Helps those with primary-aged children chart a path to wise, well-managed and healthy tech use in the home. Sih suggests our overarching goal should be to raise adults with healthy brains and the ability to live within boundaries. He then offers practical strategies to assist families in setting up for a lifetime of healthy tech use. A strong sense of grace permeates the book—we are all imperfect parents, and we’re all learning how to do this together in a way that suits our unique households.
Parenting Ahead (Hatton)
For parents whose children are in the tween or teen years. Hatton first encourages long-term redemptive, hope-filled parenting, then considers the pitfalls that hinder such parenting (over- and under-parenting, idolatry, and the world). She finishes with practical suggestions for what living redemptively might look like. Overall, it’s a helpful balance—acknowledging God is in control, we are sinful and make mistakes, and there is no perfect parent or parent formula. Parents can be proactive, intentional and gospel-focused.
The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk)
By one of the most respected world trauma specialists, van der Kolk has summarised years of trauma research in this easy-to-read format. It is long, but his storytelling skills are evident as he weaves stories, case studies and examples throughout while also explaining research, outcomes, programmes, and the impacts of public policy. For those who want to be better trauma-informed, this is an excellent introduction to current thought.
Tackling Trauma, (Barker, ed.)
While the book above is excellent, the Christian also wants to consider other issues—what it means to be a broken yet loved child of our God of comfort; what forgiveness and reconciliation look like; how Christ’s redemption changes us. This volume of 20 essays from scholars, pastors, and trauma professionals considers trauma from theological, biblical, and pastoral perspectives. However, its real distinction is its global perspective, moving away from the individual and personal focus of the developed world. It encompasses a broader view of the impact on communities, considering the war in Ukraine, civil war in the DRC, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, and extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. This will be particularly applicable for those ministering to communities of trauma, or those who preach and care pastorally.
