Resources

TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP.

In our fast paced and increasingly chaotic world, the wellbeing of our souls are often neglected. But Bremerton UMC believes that our souls deserve to be cared for—we believe that our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being is an essential part of God’s plan for humanity. God’s desire for human flourishing is found in every part of the Bible, and so we look to these ancient stories, poems, and letters to guide our unique journeys towards greater self understanding and personal transformation.

In “Soulcare: Help for Heavy Times,” our worship services and engaging messages are designed to bring healing and support to your weekly rhythm. Each Sunday gathering is built around finding community, raising awareness about mental health conditions and needs, and growing in faith together–no matter your life experience or current situation. Every week, we’ll discover how to navigate the challenges of our culture with compassion, and how God is with us every step of the way.

For more information about the topics that we will cover and for additional support options in our local community, use the resources and links below. To connect with a member of our pastoral team for emergency or ongoing care, click here.

Anxious For Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World - Max Lucado

  • Summary: We all experience anxiety, but we don’t have to let worry and fear control our lives. Anxious for Nothing, from New York Times bestselling author, Max Lucado, provides a roadmap for coping with and healing from anxiety.

The Answer to Anxiety: How to Break Free from the Tyranny of Anxious Thoughts and Worry - Joyce Meyer

  • Summary: What if there was a way to put a stop to your worrying before it steals your peace of mind?  In The Answer to Anxiety, Joyce Meyer reveals truth from God’s Word that shows us how to focus on God when we’re feeling unsettled.

Grieve, Breathe, Receive: Finding a Faith Strong Enough to Hold Us - Steve Carter

  • Summary: In this book, Steve is more personal and vulnerable than he's ever been, and by doing so he encourages all of us to: Allow ourselves the necessary time and space to properly GRIEVE what is, what you thought it was going to be and how key people let you down rather than fill our days with activities and commitments that distract us. Slow down to BREATHE in God's grace, His peace, and His love . . . and to learn how to exhale all the negativity, pain, resentment, and bitterness we carry within us. Be open to RECEIVE all the lessons, surprises, and healing God knows we need for every part of us to be made whole.

Soulbroken: A Guidebook for Your Journey Through Ambiguous Grief - Stephanie Sarazin

  • Summary: Most people will experience this type of traumatic event over the course of their lifetime, yet the complications of these situations often leave grievers feeling alienated or ashamed. Soulbroken is a guidebook that recognizes this often-misunderstood grief, validates the unique challenges posed by its ambiguity, and champions tools for healing. In it, Stephanie Sarazin presents the ambiguous grief process, offering insights to help readers better understand the nuances of their grief experience when a loved one is not lost to death.

Out of the Cave: Stepping into the Light When Depression Darkens What You See - Chris Hodges

  • Summary: In Out of the Cave, Chris Hodges uses Elijah's life to show us that everyone is susceptible to depression. Even when we're walking closely with God, we can still stumble and get lost in the wilderness of tangled emotions. But we don't have to stay there, because we serve a God who meets us in the darkness.

Hurting Yet Whole: Reconciling Body and Spirit in Chronic Pain and Illness - Liuan Huska

  • Summary: Countering a Gnosticism that pits body against spirit, Huska takes us on a journey of exploring how healing is not an escape from the limits of the body, but becoming whole as souls in bodies and bodies with souls. As chronic pain forces us to pay attention to our bodies' vulnerability, we come to embrace the fullness of our broken yet beautiful bodies. She helps us redefine what it means to find healing and wholeness even in the midst of ongoing pain.

Healing What's Within: Coming Home to Yourself and to God When You're Wounded, Weary, and Wandering - Chuck DeGroat

  • Summary:If you’re like many of us, you carry a weight of buried pain. Despite looking put together on the outside, you feel secretly fractured within. While you appear strong and resilient on the outside, inside a storm brews of all the ways you’ve been hurt or harmed...In Healing What’s Within, therapist and professor Chuck DeGroat invites you on a compassionate journey inward to return and retune to the life God created you to live.

The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out to God When Pain Overwhelms - Dr. Michelle Bengston

  • Summary: Drawing on her own experience of chronic pain and her years as a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Michelle Bengtson provides a countercultural perspective on pain. Offering hope without any false promises or empty platitudes, Dr. Bengtson unwraps the complex emotional aspects of dealing with pain. She gives you permission to question God, helps you identify the lies you've believed about your pain, and reorients your perception based on the truth of God's Word.

Why Am I Feeling This?: A Teen's Guide to Freedom from Anxiety and Depression - David Murray

  • Summary: In this companion guide to his book for parents Why Is My Teenager Feeling Like This?, pastor and counselor David Murray introduces you to the personal accounts of eighteen teens who have struggled with different types of anxiety or depression. This guide will help you discover not only the common causes but also the keys to unlock their chains. By utilizing God-given truths and tactics, you can experience new liberty, peace, and joy in your life.

The Kids Book of Worries: Understanding Anxiety and Managing Feelings - Catherine Stephenson & Jenny Stephenson

  • Summary: Is your child struggling with worry or fear about everyday situations? Whether it’s starting a new school, making friends, or facing the unknown, anxiety can feel overwhelming for both kids and their caregivers. This supportive, interactive book is here to help. Designed for children aged 4-10, it gently guides them through understanding their emotions and offers practical, effective ways to manage anxiety.

Everywhere, Still: A Book about Loss, Grief, and the Way Love Continues - M.H. Clark

  • Summary: Everywhere, Still is a book about missing someone. It's a book about loss and grief--whether that loss is permanent or temporary. And it's a reminder that there is always a way to stay close with the people who are biggest in our hearts, no matter how far across space and time they may be.

When Someone You Love Has Dies: Talking to Young Children About Death - Stephanie Seidler & Robin Katz

  • Summary: When Someone You Love Has Died is an award-winning, heartfelt, and compassionate children's picture book that gently addresses the topic of death and the experiences that come with it.

Some Days: A Tale of Love, Ice Cream, and My Mom's Chronic Illness - Julie Stamm

  • Summary: Warm and uplifting, Some Days is the perfect story to share with your child about life with multiple sclerosis―or any chronic illness. Although some days are fast and some are slow, Rosie and Wyatt fill each one with love, excitement, and fun . . . not to mention ice cream!

Sometimes we need assistance beyond what we are able to read or listen to, so we have listed a few local organizations below who specialize in mental health and wellness. Learn more by clicking a selected organization below!

Book Resources - Adults:


Book Resources - Kids:


Podcast Episodes:

Book Resources - Adults:

Book Resources - Kids:

Podcast Episodes:

 

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital immediately. To reach mental health professionals at any hour of the day or night, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: simply dial 988 to access free, confidential care.