Content - Spiritual Formation Category

Books to Help You Slow Down this Summer

Tue, 20 May 2025 15:08:00 GMT

When the pace of life speeds up, summer can offer an opportunity to slow down. Whether you're craving rest, seeking deeper spiritual rhythms, or simply longing to breathe a little more deeply, these books offer guidance to help you tap the brakes and reset your rhythms.

As Alan Fadling writes in A Year of Slowing Down:

“I hope you’ll come to believe that God has given us enough time for everything he’s given us to do. I pray that you’ll find growing freedom and courage to make time for that which matters most—to God and to you. I trust that you’ll come to discover that most things shouldn’t be hurried and some things simply can’t be.”

Keep reading to learn more about titles that invite you into this kind of unhurried living.

"No Country for Two Kings"

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 11:00:00 GMT

By Leslie Leyland Fields, coeditor of A Radiant Birth

How fitting that the Advent season often comes during the U.S. election season. I would not have designed it so, but here we are, and I cannot turn away. Two kingdoms are in the offering. Both are offering light and hope and promises of peace. Both are asking for singular allegiance. Both will spare no means to that end. So has it always been since the radiant birth of our Savior in that dim Bethlehem cave. As Advent opens up before us once again, we get another chance to choose.

"No Country for Two Kings"

A king is come. There is no bed

in hostel or hearth for a girl

bursting with child. No bed for a birth

and less room for a king, no matter how infant

and Hebrew he is, no matter how long

the signs of his coming. See,

there he lies among dung and black sheep

in a two-mule town:

This is no place for a king.

But Herod hears. When you're the solo royal

any rumor of a rival is good enough

to make the mad exchange:

1000 babies dying for his crown,

1000 mothers wailing grief

for his relief.

This is no country for two kings.

And when that child grows up crude

with tools and wood, yet dares to rule

over sickness, greed and fear,

he wins a timber throne, is crowned

with thorns and irony—

King of the Jews.

The signs are clear:

this is how kings are kept,

how man redeems:

Yes, let all the children die for me,

while another, lifts his bloody head, decrees

Let me die to make my children royalty.

This is no country for two kings.

The Slow, Sacred Work of Lament

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:00:00 GMT

By Terra McDaniel, Author of Hopeful Lament

Lament is a profoundly spiritual act because grief and loss are just as sacred as trust and celebration. It is freedom to express pain and allow Love into our sorrows with us. It metabolizes grief, honoring our experiences as beings with bodies, souls, and spirits.

Lament is woven through Scripture and our shared histories, including practices of writing, singing, or otherwise enacting grief. It is visceral—smearing ashes, tearing fabric, crying aloud, or allowing tears to flow. Such things have been forgotten or suppressed for too many, often through misbegotten notions of faithfulness. In her book A Hole in the World, Amanda Held Opelt contends "most of us long to be sophisticated in our bereavement. It seems we are most lauded in our grief for being strong, for not allowing ourselves to be overcome. . . we are affirmed for our composure, praised for our resilience." I wrote Hopeful Lament because I learned by experience that attempts to avoid grief paradoxically leave us stranded in sorrow.

When loved ones are gone, the gifts and sometimes hardest moments of their lives must be remembered even as our lives continue. Absence must be acknowledged. When we experience illness, broken relationships, and other less visible sources of grief, we mourn. We weep on behalf of others who encounter pain. We hold collective sorrows like the compounded and ongoing losses of the pandemic, cultural division, and natural disasters. Ours is a time when a reimagining of practices that address individual and communal suffering is essential. All such things are part of the sacred work of lament.

In her book Sparrow Jan Richardson says, "grief moves by turns and spirals, a twisting path that I am not sure can even be called a path because it is not always that clear or orderly." A dear friend who lost her partner told me she'd learned that time isn't linear. Tending sorrow is often more like walking a labyrinth, including journeys inward, sacred moments of centering in quiet and stillness, and returns to dreams of resurrection. The Holy One who is a Man of Sorrows has capacity for our desolation and our consolation, for Lent as well as Easter.

Labyrinth walking is a practice that reflects life as pilgrimage toward connection with the Spirit and our truest selves. It illuminates the reality that we aren't stuck in place but are invited to respond to life as it is, rather than as we might wish it was. Labyrinths spiral yet always lead to a trustworthy center where we are welcome as we are. We don't need to suppress our questions before God. They also model the possibility of moving forward carrying wisdom and mercy received from the throne of Grace with outward journeys that loop and twist just as the trip inward did. Because life is like that.

Labyrinths teach us that steps which appear to be taking us a direction we don't want to go can eventually lead to safety. They are one way to discover lament as a kind of prayer which fosters healing and resilience. They are a chance to recognize God longs to meet us in places of pain.

Lament honors the past, lives the present courageously, and dares hope for redemption. Rilke wrote God whispers as we're made, "Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Don't let yourself lose me."

Go carefully as you practice lament. It is good but never easy work. Know your soul has room for major and minor keys and that God considers your tears and restless nights as treasures (Psalm 56:8).

To walk a labyrinth to tend your burdens, try talking to God about your pain on the way inward. Stay in the center for at least three deep breaths, one for each Person of the Trinity. As you travel outward, what do you notice? How does the Spirit accompany you? Is it in silence? Do you sense a response of some kind? Are you reminded of a memory or passage of Scripture?

You can walk a labyrinth alone or invite your family or community to practice walking one together. If you find it hard to access a physical labyrinth, you could try a finger labyrinth. Here is one simple way to create your own.

How the Liturgical Church Transformed My Faith

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:39:00 GMT

How the Liturgical Church Transformed My Faith

Spiritual Formation and Books: Reading as a Spiritual Practice

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 17:49:00 GMT

By Cindy Bunch, IVP Vice President, Editorial

How do we grow closer to God? How can we become more like him? How do we feel his presence in our lives?

The life of faith is full of these questions. As Christians, we desire to consistently grow in our relationship with God. Devoting ourselves to spiritual formation is one way that we can draw closer to God throughout our journey with Christ. But what does that look like?

When we began the IVP Formatio^® line in 2006, we chose the nautilus—one of the sea's oldest creatures—for our logo because of its rich symbolic meaning. Beginning with a tight center, its remarkable growth pattern can be seen in the ever-enlarging chambers that spiral outward. The nautilus represents the deep inward work of spiritual formation that begins rooted in our souls and then opens to the world as we experience spiritual transformation throughout the ups and downs of life. This is the process of being spiritually formed in the image of Christ.

Books are wonderful resources for our spiritual formation. As a spiritual practice, reading connects us with wise mentors from throughout the centuries.

What Is Spiritual Formation?

Scripture describes the process of our spiritual transformation: "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 2:3:16-18 NIV). Spiritual formation is a term that is used to describe this process of becoming more like Christ.

Within each of us is a longing to draw closer to God—a "God-shaped space," in Pascal's words. Spiritual formation is our lifelong journey of growing ever closer to God.

Robert Mulholland offers a four-part definition of spiritual formation in his book Invitation to a Journey: (1) a process (2) of being formed (3) in the image of Christ (4) for the sake of others. He writes, "Scripture is quite clear in its insistence that we have fallen short of God's purposes for our creation. It is equally clear in its revelation that God works graciously through all the aspects of human life to bring us to the fulfillment of God's will for our wholeness. Thus spiritual formation is a process of involvement with God's gracious work." As we are formed, we discover how we are uniquely created in the image of God and we uncover God's call for us in the world.

Spiritual practices create a context for our growth in Christ.

The Contemporary Spiritual Formation Movement

The growth of spiritual formation and spiritual practice in the evangelical Protestant world has its origins in a book. In 1978 Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline was first published and was a major influence. Foster taught twelve essential spiritual practices, such as meditation, fasting, and solitude, that date back to the early Christian church fathers and mothers but had been mostly forgotten by contemporary Christians.

Some Christians were confused by Foster's emphasis on Christian meditation, as the New Age movement was in full swing at this time, and IVP received some complaint letters due to our 1983 publication of a booklet by Foster called Meditative Prayer. While other forms of meditation focus on simply emptying the mind, what Foster was introducing was a type of prayer that includes listening for God's voice—both in times of silent reflection and in careful reading and rereading of Scripture. This type of prayer provides an anecdote to our human tendency to repeatedly tell God what we want without asking for God's guidance.

Foster's landmark book opened the way for a new spirituality movement. In collaboration with his close friend Dallas Willard (who authored The Spirit of the Disciplines in 1988), Foster founded Renovaré, a grassroots ministry that teaches spiritual formation practices. Willard's full story is compellingly told in the IVP biography authored by Gary Moon called Becoming Dallas Willard.

A Curriculum for Christlikeness

The Formatio line from IVP began with the vision of Willard and Foster in mind. We had already published Hearing God by Dallas Willard in 1999 and were able to bring it into our new line as a foundational book. In 2011 Foster revised and significantly expanded his Meditative Prayer booklet, and it is now available under the title Sanctuary of the Soul. We were also delighted that one of the inaugural books under the Formatio brand was Longing for God, which Foster coauthored with Westmont College president Gayle Beebe.

At the time that Renovaré was founded, Richard Foster was teaching at Friends University. One of his students was James Bryan Smith. Jim Smith became one of the early Renovaré leaders, teaching alongside his mentors Foster and Willard. Smith's The Good and Beautiful Series was his answer to Willard's request that he create a "curriculum for Christlikeness" to teach formational practices to contemporary lay people. At that time, Jim began the Apprentice Institute at Friends University, training the next generation in spiritual practices. The influence of Foster and Willard continues today with the 2022 release of the latest volume of Smith's series, The Good and Beautiful You.

A Rich History of Diversity

The contemporary Protestant movement of spiritual formation is sometimes regarded as being for the White church. But, of course, many of the church fathers, such as St. Augustine and Tertullian, were of African descent. In her book Soul Care in African American Practice, Barbara Peacock reveals how the spiritual practices she learned in her DMin program with Leadership Transformations Inc. at Gordon-Conwell are also a part of the African American Christian tradition. We learn about spiritual direction and lectio divina by exploring the life of Frederick Douglass, for example, and Peacock shares about how the life of Rosa Parks reflects the practices of meditation and contemplation.

One of the ways that reading contributes to our spiritual growth is through the opportunity to learn from the diversity of voices that make up the church. Books provide access to new spiritual mentors.

Reading and Spiritual Growth

Reading can be a meaningful spiritual practice, but reading books for spiritual growth is not about the number of pages covered. It's about what we take in. It's about connecting with God through the writer and finding a deep moment of insight, affirmation, or renewal. The introduction to the book Devotional Classics, edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith, quotes Jean-Pierre de Caussade describing, "Read quietly, slowly, word for word to enter the subject more with the heart than the mind. . . . From time to time make short pauses to allow these truths time to flow through all the recesses of the soul."

Formational reading calls us into our deepest desires and helps us to become our true selves in the light of God's grace.

The Role of Community

Spiritual formation is not a solo journey. Ruth Haley Barton writes, "Spiritual transformation is not an end in itself but rather leads to the ability to discern and do the will of God (Romans 12:1, 2) and so a mission often emerges. But the mission grows out of our commitment to gather around the presence of Christ in life-transforming ways and to listen deeply for his direction in our lives. This is the essence of spiritual community as Jesus defines it (Mark 3:34, 35)." It's important to note, first, that this community experience is a critical part of formation, and second, that we are formed in order to reflect Christ in the world.

The need for community in the spiritual journey has led to the creation of many organizations offering teaching and training resources (both online and in person) in order to foster spiritual growth. For example, Renovaré offers an online book group experience with authors like Tish Harrison Warren (Liturgy of the Ordinary). And the Apprentice Institute offers an annual gathering featuring the contemporary leaders of the spiritual formation movement.

Books for Your Own Spiritual Formation Journey

Reading is an essential path to understanding God through the mentorship of writers both ancient and contemporary. A book written with the goal of shaping its readers spiritually has a unique set of qualities. As you start your own spiritual formation reading journey, look for books that

draw you into the very presence of God, causing you to want to pause to pray, meditate, and reflect, stirring both the head and the heart.
speak authentically of how the authors are addressing spiritual formation in their own lives while also pointing you to God and helping you see how you can relate to God in similar ways.
apply classic disciplines and practices to contemporary life.
reflect the history of Christian spirituality, drawing on writings going back to the church fathers and the saints of the Christian tradition.
include a biblical perspective with an appreciation for how the Word comes alive in the Spirit.
invite you to pursue God out of desire rather than duty.
provide a mentorship that feels like sitting down with a friend and talking about the spiritual life.

Recommended Resources for Spiritual Growth

There are countless resources that help Christians invest in their spiritual formation and growth. While not an exhaustive list, these are some of the organizations, leaders, and educational programs we have partnered with throughout our history, as well as some books we think will be meaningful mentors for you on your own spiritual journey.

Organizations and Leaders:

Educational Programs:

Explore Books for Spiritual Formation:

Browse all of IVP's spiritual formation and Formatio titles and check out the featured books below. You can also sign up for IVP's spiritual formation newsletter to hear from spiritual formation experts and learn about reflections and practices to try yourself.

Hope to Carry On: Inviting God into Our Mental Health Journey

Thu, 06 May 2021 20:23:00 GMT

By Diana Gruver, author of Companions in the Darkness

I will admit—I enter into articles like this one with a metaphorical (and sometimes quite literal) holding of my breath. I've seen the intersection of faith and mental health too often handled harmfully in the past, and I can't help but approach it with a bit of apprehension.

Some of you, like me, have felt the sting of judgmental words and deeds by people within the Christian community. Some of you have silently suffered, afraid to honestly share your struggles. The need to acknowledge this causes me grief not only for the pain that has been inflicted but also because such experiences can cut us off from life-giving conversations about what role our faith as Christians might play in our mental health.

Some of you, like me, have felt the sting of judgmental words and deeds by people within the Christian community. Some of you have silently suffered, afraid to honestly share your struggles.

As we approach such conversations, I find it helpful to remember the analogy of a road with a ditch on either side. Our human tendency is to land in the ditches, but if we can stay on the middle road, we find a helpful and true path forward.

One of these ditches conflates our mental health and spiritual life. It holds the hurtful and accusatory lies that so many of us have had to endure. It says that mental illness reflects a lack of faith or a personal failing. It suggests if we pray more, increase our Bible reading, or "just choose joy" our depression or anxiety would dissipate. It suggests we must search ourselves for unconfessed sin or find a way to stop thinking about ourselves so much. In this ditch, the community we should be able to turn to for Christlike compassion and comfort becomes one that heaps more judgment and guilt on our weary heads.

The other ditch severs our mental health and faith completely. For those who bear wounds inflicted in the first ditch, this is an understandable swing. But this ditch runs the risk of overlooking the ways we operate as holistic beings, sometimes leading to an overly medicalized approach to mental illness. It can segment our lives into distinct categories of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, leading us to forget just how integrated these parts of our lives are. Most importantly, it can present the spiritual life as something we can keep tidy and contained, instead of something that encompasses all of our being and every facet of our life.

If, however, our spiritual life is not a separate and discrete entity that we sometimes engage in and at other times keep separate, and if all of our life—every season, every decision, every habit, every mundane moment—is an opportunity to follow Jesus, then our mental health relates to our life of faith as much as every other part of our life.

When we are aware of the ditches waiting for us, we are freed to seek out the middle road. We need not be afraid to ask how our faith interacts with our mental health and what role it may play in the midst of mental illness, and we can do so without feeling like a spiritual failure when we struggle. We can invite God into our mental health journey and ask what faithfulness may look like in our particular circumstances.

We need not be afraid to ask how our faith interacts with our mental health and what role it may play in the midst of mental illness, and we can do so without feeling like a spiritual failure when we struggle.

As I've personally explored what faithfulness looks like in the context of mental health, I have found a helpful guiding principle for staying on the middle path: if it wouldn't hold up if I was talking about another acute or chronic illness, I need to rethink it. We can ask what it looks like to follow Jesus faithfully in the midst of cancer just as much as we can when living with bipolar disorder and being aware of the parallels between the two will serve us well.

In both cases, we embrace the care of medical professionals and the medication they prescribe as gifts from God to allow us to live healthier lives. We pray for healing, but we also go to therapy and take our medication with the expectation that they may be God's means of answering those prayers. But in both situations, our faith as Christians can play an important role in helping us to find hope in the midst of all that our diagnosis may bring with it.

In my own story, these questions of faithfulness and hope have been lived out in the context of depression. In my book Companions in the Darkness, I share how I've learned from the lives of brothers and sisters alive today as well as companions from the past about how my faith as a Christian informs my mental health. The shape this takes for each of us in many ways is quite personal as we explore the role our faith plays within the context of our own circumstances, diagnoses, and seasons of life. But as I've walked closely with the stories of others, I have seen again and again the ways the Christian faith and the hope of the gospel can speak to us in the midst of mental illness, provide encouragement, and promote resilience.

The message of our faith meets us with hope when we seem to have none and speaks truth back to us when we can barely believe it. We meet a God who cares about and keeps company with those who are suffering and a Savior who is well acquainted with grief. We are promised that regardless of what our feelings may suggest, there is no height or depth or any darkness too deep to separate us from him. We are anchored in a story of the relentless work of God to redeem all things, where ultimately suffering and sin, sickness and death—including the harmful effects of our mental illness—will all fully and finally meet their end.

We pray for healing, but we also go to therapy and take our medication with the expectation that they may be God's means of answering those prayers.

As I am surrounded by the community of faith—past, present, and future—I am reminded of truth when it is easy to forget. They hold on to hope for me when my grasp on it feels weak. They surround me with prayer and love and grace when I need it most. I am reminded that my life has value, I am beloved, and depression will not be the end of my story. I am given words to pray when I have none and the freedom to approach God in full honesty, assured that my cries are heard by a God who sees, a God who hears, a God who will always meet us with grace.

My faith as a Christian is not a quick cure to life's ailments, including those related to mental health, but it was never intended to be. Instead, it offers me anchoring points to keep me tethered, it gives me the assurance I am never alone, and it gives me hope to carry on.

Together at Home: Staying Hopeful in Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 16:47:00 GMT

We're all facing disruption right now. Coronavirus and COVID-19 have radically altered our daily lives, and we're doing our best to be flexible as we adjust to a new normal. But amidst anxiety and disorientation, one thing is certain—we're coming together even as we practice social distancing, whether it's in virtual spaces, in our homes, or as a world community. Christian community is just as important now as ever, so use these tips and resources to stay hopeful while we're together at home.

Build a New Kind of Community

It's so easy to feel isolated as we work from home and pivot our gatherings to virtual spaces. Here are some ways to build an intentional community from the safety of our own homes.

Utilize technology to gather and stay in contact with your loved ones and social groups. Try Zoom, Marco Polo, or Skype.
Start a virtual book club. Chances are you have more time to read right now, so grab that book you've been meaning to get to and invite your friends to do the same! Many IVP books have free discussion guides for just that purpose. Need book ideas?
Support small businesses by taking some time to write reviews of products and services you love on their websites and places like Yelp, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Love your neighbor through social distancing. It feels counterintuitive to stay away from those in need when we have time to help. But staying a safe distance away is putting a priority on your community's health.
- Read "The Christian Response to the Coronavirus: Stay Home" by IVP author Esau McCaulley in the New York Times.
- Read "9 Ways to Love Your Neighbor in This Pandemic" by IVP author Justin Whitmel Earley at The Gospel Coalition.
Act with compassion as you make decisions for your business or organization. It's hard to know how to move forward when there are so many unknowns. Let compassion and care for people be your guiding ethic.
- Read "An Open Letter to Civic and Business Leaders: The Cure to COVID-19 Begins with Compassion" from IVP author and business leader Sundrawn Thomas.
Be kind to those who are marginalized or mistreated. Don't give into ignorant cultural assumptions or forget about the most vulnerable among us.
- Listen to the first episode of IVP author Mae Elise Cannon's new #Activism podcast, "#COVID19 and Racism with Kathy Khang."
- Listen to "I am Not a Virus!" from the Someday Is Here podcast, featuring Seana Reavis, Eugene Cho, Judy Wu Dominick, and IVP Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives Helen Lee.
- Watch this Good Morning America piece about how IVP author Terence Lester and his organization Love Beyond Walls is teaming up with Christian rapper Lecrae to provide portable hand washing stations for those experiencing homelessness in Atlanta.

Equip Your Church for Refreshed Discipleship

The church has an unprecedented opportunity to provide hope, teaching, and community during this time. We want to equip local congregations and ministry teams with the resources they need to do just that.

Free Webinars:

"COVID-19 Church Online Summit" from the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College and the National Association of Evangelicals
"Reading Hope in Trying Times" from Writing for Your Life featuring IVP authors Philip Yancey, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, and Kathy Khang
"Soul Care—Peace for Caregivers in Troubled Times" with IVP author Todd Hunber are live, weekly 30-minute experiences on Zoom starting Wednesday, April 8 at 2 pm CST
"Where is God in a Pandemic? A Conversation Between Tim Keller and Francis Collins" hosted by Biologos on May 18 at 8 pm ET

Podcasts:

"Worship and Sacrament When the Church Is Scattered" from the Center for Pastor Theologians
"Is Digital Church the Right Response to COVID-19?" with IVP author Jay Kim on the Daily Growth Discipleship Podcast
"Leading Beyond the Blizzard: Why Every Organization Is Now a Startup" with IVP author Andy Crouch and Dave Blanchard on the Redemptive Edge podcast
Stetzer Leadership Podcast Season 1: Leadership and The Coronavirus Crisis with guests including IVP authors Jamie Aten, Terri Watson, Andy Crouch, Esau McCaulley, and more
"Listening and Responding to God Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis" on IVP author Ruth Haley Barton's Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast
"Why Urban Churches Aren't Staying Home" with IVP author Jonathan Brooks on the Quick to Listen podcast from Christianity Today
"Francis Collins | Coronavirus Updates with NIH Director" on the Language of God podcast from Biologos
"John Walton | Coronavirus and the Book of Job" on the Language of God podcast from Biologos

Articles & Resources:

Churches Helping Churches Initiative: the AND Campaign and other ministry organizations are coming together to assist congregations in low-income communities in urban areas that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 economic shutdown
"How to Lead Online Worship Without Losing Your Soul—or Body" by IVP author W. David O. Taylor in Christianity Today
"Real Presence and Social Distancing" by Chris Bruno from the Center for Pastor Theologians
"Preparing Your Church for Coronavirus (COVID-19)" from IVP authors Jamie Aten and Kent Annan at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College
"25 Creative Church Ministry Ideas During COVID-19" by IVP author J. Scott McElroy
"Grieving Is Leading" by IVP author Jonathan K. Dodson at Christianity Today
"Comfort in a Time of Communal Suffering" by IVP author Wendy Alsup at Red Letter Christians
"Called to Endurance: The Church and the Coronavirus" featuring an interview with IVP author Trillia Newbell by Rachel Sinclair at Facts & Trends
"Navigating the Unknown: Adaptive Leadership in Highly Anxious Times" by IVP author Tod Bolsinger at Missio Alliance
"Guide to Reopening Church Services" from IVP authors Kent Annan, Jamie Aten, and more at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute
"Caring for Neighbors from a Distance: How Churches Support the Community in a Pandemic" from Missio Alliance

Commit to Reading Your Bible Like Never Before

This is the perfect opportunity to refresh your daily devotionals with increased focus and time. Use these resources for deeper Bible study.

Use IVP's Daily Quiet Time Bible Study. With a new reading and Scripture study every day, this is a great place to start each day's devotional time.
Invest in a new daily devotional book. IVP has a wide selection of devotionals and resources for more informed Scripture study.
Try a free study from one of our bestselling LifeGuide^® Bible Studies, just in time for the Easter season.
Listen to podcasts that supplement Bible study, like this one from IVP author Carmen Imes on the Bible.
Read about how Scripture reading brought hope during a nine-day hospital quarantine for Juanita Rasmus, author of Learning to Be.

Get Creative with Your Kids

Are you suddenly a full-time caregiver and instant homeschooler? Here are some ideas for supporting the academic, emotional, and spiritual needs of your children.

Start spiritual conversations and pray with your kids. You can watch this sample lesson from IVP author Jared Boyd from his book Imaginative Prayer.
Encourage creativity—arts and crafts have no age limit! Taking a break from working at home will be welcome for adults in the house as well.
Have family Bible story time. Reading the Bible together lays a spiritual foundation for your entire family and provides irreplaceable bonding time.
Talk to them thoughtfully about this crisis. Need ideas for how to handle the tough conversations? Check out the Family COVID-19 Toolkit from the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College.

Invest in Your Mental Health

The loss of physical community and regular social spaces can greatly affect our mental health. It's important to be proactive about the possibilities of depression, anxiety, and isolation within our own spirits and for those in our community.

Watch "Hope Amidst Anxiety and Covid-19," a video webinar with Skip McDonald, author of the LifeGuide Bible Study Anxiety.
Gear up with online training courses. During this time, courses like this one from Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries are being offered for free for churches and small groups.
Utilize apps and digital chat resources as a listening ear when you're alone. Services like Crisis Text Line and Talkspace offer instant messaging for those struggling with mental health issues. You can also download this thorough Coronavirus information kit from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Read the CDC's free resources for stress and coping geared towards communities, families and children, first responders, and more.
Recognize and appreciate biblical lament in the article "5 Things to Know About Lament" by IVP author Glenn Packiam at N.T. Wright Online.

Try a New Spiritual Practice

Add to your toolkit of spiritual disciplines and try some new ones to help you grow closer to God in these unprecedented times.

Watch videos that feature guided practices from experts. All you'll have to do is listen and invite God to move.
- Watch Morning Reflection with Diana Shiflett, author of Spiritual Practices in Community.
- Watch Slow: A 5-Minute Retreat from IVP author Gem Fadling.
- Practice this guided visio divina with IVP author Lacy Finn Borgo.
Plan a personal retreat day. Usually it's hard to find solitude and silence. Take advantage of alone time to try a personal retreat.
- Read a free excerpt from Invitation to Retreat by Ruth Haley Barton, and watch this video on why she says retreat is a vital practice for Christians today.
- Get creative with this online retreat from Christine Sine, author of The Gift of Wonder.
Focus on prayer—stressful times call for an increase in prayer!
- Join the global church in praying these "20 Prayers to Pray During This Pandemic" from IVP author Jen Pollock Michel in Christianity Today.
- Participate in this video prayer exercise alongside John Starke, author of The Possibility of Prayer. You can also download his free Lenten prayer guide.
- Use this COVID-19 prayer calendar from IVP author Dominique Gilliard.
- Join this virtual Good Friday prayer vigil from IVP author Ruth Haley Barton and the Transforming Center.
Try journaling to help you creatively sort out your thoughts and prayers during this time. You might be surprised which insights you'll discover when you put pen to paper.