Self-Care Assessment

The following worksheet for assessing self-care is not exhaustive, merely suggestive. Feel free to add areas of self-care that are relevant for you and rate yourself on how often and how well you are taking care of yourself these days.

When you are finished, look for patterns in your responses. Are you more active in some areas of self-care but ignore others? Are there items on the list that make you think, "I would never do that"? Listen to your inner responses, your internal dialogue about self-care and making yourself a priority. Take particular note of anything you would like to include more in your life.

Self Care and Lifestyle Balance Inventory

Please note that this scale is not a clinical diagnostic instrument and is provided for educational purposes. It merely examines some of the more effective physical, psychological and spiritual methods of staying balanced and preventing burnout. If you have any concerns about your state of emotional health, you should consult with a mental health professional.

Bible Studies by Jen Wilkin | Free Downloads

Each study linked on the site is intended to give you a working knowledge of the Scripture it covers and can be used alone or in a group setting. To use each study in the way it was designed, you can:

1. Download the workbook (request permission to copy for more than 50)

2. Read the foreword to get an overview of the study method

3. Work through the homework for a given week

4. Gather with a group of women to discuss the homework

5. Listen to the audio teaching for that week, either together or on your own.

Some groups listen to the teaching before they gather to discuss a particular week. You can do that, too. Just know that the homework is intended to raise questions, the discussion time is intended to grapple with questions, and the teaching time is intended to resolve questions.

Life in the Presence of God | Kenneth Boa

As Boa offers a guide to practicing the presence of God, he offers biblical foundations and historical examples of walking with God and abiding in his presence. We need to rethink how we use our time and technology to make room for God, to train ourselves with new habits that deepen our awareness of God. The book contains dozens of practical exercises and disciplines that help us draw close to God even in the midst of our hectic modern culture. Boa shows that the more we live in God’s presence, the greater our abiding peace and joy.

The Topical Memory System | The Navigators

The Topical Memory System (TMS) was developed by The Navigators as a simple, easy-to-use system to help believers memorize key verses that point to basic truths and important instruction. If you want to memorize Scripture but aren’t sure what to memorize or how, this system is the perfect launching point to begin hiding God’s Word in your heart.

Doing Bible Interpretation: Making the Bible Come Alive for Yourself and Your People | Larry Caldwell

Don’t we have enough books explaining the philosophy and mechanics of how to understand and teach the Bible? The simple answer is, no we don’t. The problem is that most texts are academic, Western-oriented, and dependent upon extra-biblical resources (concordances, commentaries, lexicons, etc.). Non-seminary trained leaders and those in the Global South without access to hermeneutical tools are left without a methodology they can actually use.

Drawing from his years of experience teaching Bible interpretation in the Philippines and other Majority World contexts (as well as North American seminaries), Larry Caldwell has designed a simple, reproducible seven-step process that focuses on the text and considers the culture in seeking to understand and teach the Bible.

Spiritual Rhythms for Ministry Life | Dr. Nairy Ohanian

Ministry workers frequently have extra challenges wearing down their spiritual endurance: busy-ness, isolation, limited spiritual resources, constant spiritual warfare, expectations, pressures of performance, etc. These factors can easily become serious threats in weakening the strength of servants and leaders. Regularly it seems that ministry takes first priority and self-care a lower priority. Spiritual disciplines often translate to rule or regulation; but the early church saw them as intentional practices to help in the desire for more of God. Thus a simple definition could be...that which fosters More of God! READ MORE

Biblical Concepts for Conquering Guilt | Ken Williams

Guilt is a recurring theme in every person’s life, whether believer or not. All of us suffer from guilt from time to time. But God’s Word is clear: God does not want His children to suffer guilt! Let’s look at guilt from His point of view. READ MORE

Creative Spiritual Renewal | Dr. Nairy Ohanian

When those in spiritual leadership continually offer nurture to others, remaining spiritually fresh themselves is often a challenge. Numerous reasons can account for the dryness, flatness, and lack of vigor. Especially leaders serving cross-culturally, spiritual renewal can be difficult to personally restore. READ MORE

Unoffendable | Brant Hansen

Summary: Giving up our “right” to be offended can be one of the most freeing, healthy, simplifying, relaxing, refreshing, stress-relieving, encouraging things we can do. Unoffendable gives a practical way to live life with less stress and adjust expectations to fit human nature and replace perpetual anger with refreshing humility and gratitude. Through the author’s winsome and conversational style, this book seeks to lift religious burdens from readers’ backs and allow them to experience the joy of living a life of gratitude. VIEW ON AMAZON

Can Humor Be a Spiritual Discipline? | Jonathan Trotter

Thinking of joy as a life necessity. “There are times when the most effective way to teach a certain truth is by laughing very hard.” G.K. Chesterton, as described in The Bookman (1912)

There are times when laughing very hard is brave defiance; a dare to the darkness impinging. Satan, the lying burglar, loves to steal joy. But Jesus, the rough-hewn Carpenter, loves to give it back. KEEP READING

Worksheet on Spiritual Vitality | Ken Williams

This worksheet is designed to help you improve your strategy for maintaining a vital, growing relationship with the Lord. Prayerfully consider and answer each question. READ MORE

Recommended Readings | Spiritual Vitality

Compiled at MissioNexus breakout session, Fall 2016 VIEW LIST