Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness

by Junius B. Dotson

Overview

Everything was going fine . . . until it wasn’t. For Reverend Junius B. Dotson it took an actual breakdown during a funeral for him to realize he needed a reset. As he recalls his own journey through grief, depression, burnout, and emotional breakdown, Dotson is passionate about calling for a Soul Reset for pastors, church leaders, and all disciples of Jesus Christ.

This is a 6-week churchwide study for everyone who moves at breakneck speed through their daily lives, often relying only on their own strength to bring God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus shows us a different way, an easier, unforced rhythm of what kingdom work looks like. It’s a balance of work, rest, play, worship, exercise, and eating well—spiritual practices that keep our souls hydrated and healthy as we do the work of the church in the world. Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness includes a book; a DVD; downloadable video segments; age-level discussion guides for children, youth, and adults; sermon starters; and more.

Soul Reset is a call for the church and all of Jesus’ disciples to reset and reorder their lives around spiritual practices, to learn to walk through our difficult seasons with our souls connected to the source of Living Water so that we don’t burn out or break down. And if we do burn out or break down, we learn to lift one another up and point one another back to Jesus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780835818964
Publisher:	Upper Room Books
Publication date:	08/01/2019
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	395,614
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

A recognized visionary leader in church revitalization, the Rev. Junius B. Dotson is the General Secretary (chief executive officer) of Discipleship Ministries, an international agency of The United Methodist Church. Prior to his present position, Rev. Dotson was pastor of Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was instrumental in transforming the church into a 3,500-member multicampus congregation.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgments 13

Introduction 15

Chapter 1 "How Is It with Your Soul?" 23

Chapter 2 When Depression Hit 35

Chapter 3 It's Not All on Me 51

Chapter 4 Eat Something 65

Chapter 5 Life in Crisis 75

Chapter 6 Living in the Light 91

Epilogue 103

Daily Spiritual Practices for a Soul Reset 107

About the Author 125

Editorial Reviews

08/12/2019

Dotson, former senior pastor at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kans., lays out a plan for Christians to slow down, receive God’s word, and live fuller lives in his instructive, convincing debut. After Dotson collapsed while delivering a sermon, he was hospitalized and told he suffered from extreme fatigue. As a result, he took a break from his hectic schedule and focused on the “holistic, healing love and salvation in Jesus Christ.” In this seven-week plan based on his revamped lifestyle and designed for church groups, Dotson offers six spiritual practices—Examen (daily reflection), prayer, fasting, caring for the body, worship, confession—that make up the routine of each week. In the book’s second half, Dotson opens up about his own grief and depression, and calls on churches to more effectively and openly address mental health issues. He also provides reflection questions at the end of each chapter, aimed at creating a more open church community. While any reader will empathize with Dotson’s struggles with overwork and grief, Christian church groups will be particularly interested in his straightforward plan for developing slower, more conscientious faith practices. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly