Emotionally healthy(ish). Spiritually honest.
Books that are honest and full of practical wisdom for people that want to grow, not just get by.
Emotional Strong(ish) Parenting
7 Shifts for a Resilient and Jesus-Centered Home
Parenting can feel like survival—permission slips, driving permits, lost cleats, and meltdowns in aisle seven. But what if the chaos is where God’s forming something deeper in you: emotional wholeness that could transform your family for generations?
In Emotionally Strong(ish) Parenting: 7 Shifts for a Resilient and Jesus-Centered Home, author and speaker Janel Breitenstein helps parents trade reactivity and shame for emotional resilience rooted in the gospel. Blending humor, neuroscience, and biblical wisdom, she reveals how God’s emotionally healthy love can transform everyday Christian parenting moments—from conflict to connection, from anger to peace, from fear to trust.
Through seven practical mindset shifts, Janel equips parents to grow in emotional intelligence, mental health, and spiritual maturity so they can bring that wholeness into their homes. As parents change from the inside out, kids begin to experience the powerful results of that transformation: deeper security, empathy, and faith that lasts.
How to Stop Yelling Up the Stairs
Keep Your Cool While Raising Your Kids
Lead with love when your last nerve is shot.
You want: a peaceful home where you model self-control.
You have: regrettable reactions when the kids baptize the cat.
Your children, whom you dearly love and usually like, are bickering upstairs, baiting each other across the invisible line on the back seat, or causing the laptop to bellyflop on the linoleum. The end of your rope vanished along with the chance to enjoy a hot cup of coffee.
How can you handle your real-life kids and real-life stress without flipping your lid or locking yourself in the bathroom?
With been-there humor, Janel Breitenstein offers wisdom and practical strategies pulled from God’s approach to conflict. In this boots-on-the-ground field guide, you’ll find empowering tips to parent smarter, not harder—with greater emotional intelligence and intentional discipleship; thoughtful questions to help you dive into the “whys” beneath your anger; group discussion prompts; and “cooling” prayers.
It’s time for an inner exploration that will clear your path and your mind. You can calmly and confidently raise your kids, lower your voice, and shape a home of peace.
Permanent Markers
Spiritual Life Skills to Write on Your Kids’ Hearts
A You-Can-Totally-Do-This Guide to Teaching Spiritual Life Skills That Last
As mom to a work-in-progress family of six, author Janel Breitenstein knows too well the chaos of life with the lid off. She understands how skeptical you are of shoehorning more into carpool-packed days and just trying to get kids to put socks in the hamper. But as a missionary, she also understands the urgent need to cultivate unerasable habits that prepare kids for a bold relationship with Jesus.
If you’re a parent looking for doable, out-of-the-box ways to disciple your children, Permanent Markers is a resource you’ll seek again and again. Find…
- age-appropriate, uber-easy ideas and activities that will draw kids toward God
- questions to kickstart meaningful conversations, along with journaling prompts for both you and your kids
- hands-on life skills for teaching kids what the world often rejects—like community, self-control, humility, and Christ-anchored identity
- small-group discussion questions and lists of additional resources
Permanent Markers empowers you to engage kids in vibrant spirituality, leaving this work of art up to God. You’ll find a practical, fun handbook for the most vital, eternal part of parenting.
Deliver Us from Meltdowns
And Other Real-World Prayers for Parents
Funny, heartfelt, and encouraging prayers for every Christian parent dealing with the chaos of family life.
Set aside perfection and learn to live with grace, forgiveness, and imperfection on your parenting journey. This humorous and heartfelt book of honest parental prayers is a comforting reminder that you are not alone. Parents everywhere are striving to do their best. They call out with the same pleas: for their kids to eat something other than chicken nuggets, to put down the phone for just a minute, and to come home safely. And rest assured, God hears us.
In the whirlwind of family life, Deliver Us from Meltdowns offers a sanctuary of laughter and encouragement. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, the power of prayer and a touch of humor can lift your spirits and help you regain perspective. Inside, you’ll find prayers that speak to the experiences of every parent, including:
- Lead Us Not into Temper Tantrums
- Get Behind Me, Helicopter Parent
- Grant Me Infinite Patience for Endless Whys
- Help Us Like Each Other Before We Get to Church.
Grow into the perfectly imperfect parent that God expects you to be. This thoughtful and candid book of prayers meets parents where they are and gives them better places to go—back to God’s promises and into a supportive community of parents.
Meet the Author
Janel Breitenstein
Janel is a mom, missionary, international speaker, and contributor to or author of over 16 published works. Her Scripture-focused work blended with emotionally healthy relationships creates and aunthentic, intimiate connection with her readers. She is a wife and the mom of four kids and lives in Colorado. You can find her having uncomfortable, important conversations.