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Seeds of Racial Healing: 52 Devotions for Navigating Through Trauma, By Sheila Wise Rowe

Seeds of Racial Healing

Fifty-Two Devotions for Navigating Through Trauma

by Sheila Rowe

Seeds of Racial Healing
Hardback
$21.99
  • Length: 176 pages
  • Dimensions: 5 × 7 in
  • Published: April 07, 2026
  • Imprint: IVP
  • ISBN: 9781514006177
Other Formats:

A Spiritual Journey Toward Healing and Justice for Christians of Color

You are born from a seed that cannot die.

In a world filled with discrimination, racially motivated violence, and miscarriages of justice, hope and joy can feel unattainable, and lies denying your personhood try to dim the truth that you are created in the image of God.

In Seeds of Racial Healing, counselor and spiritual director Sheila Wise Rowe offers you a season of rest and restoration. Her spiritually formative approach enables you to deepen your faith as you pursue healing from racial trauma, past and present.

Anchored in daily Scriptures, these fifty-two devotions help you become more aware of God every day, even as you confront interpersonal racism and systemic oppression. In each devotion, Rowe inspires readers to share your stories and reminds your weary soul that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

In these devotions, you'll find

  • personal stories,
  • prayer and encouragement,
  • Scripture passages,
  • questions for reflection, and
  • actionable steps to help you pursue both healing and justice.

If you're a Christian of color looking for a an accessible, trauma-informed devotional, Seeds of Racial Healing will help you confront challenges, embrace your worth as a child of God, and sow seeds of healing and transformation, whether on your own or aspart of a group. You'll find encouragement to employ rest, resilience, and the power of faith to nurture growth in yourself and your community.

You'll find encouragement to employ rest, resilience, and the power of faith to nurture growth in yourself and your community.

REVIEWS

"I found myself, like Hagar, saying, 'You are the God who sees ME!' Sheila Wise Rowe has masterfully narrated a devotional in a way that speaks to the very real lived experiences of a group of people who for generations have been oppressed and traumatized. Sheila has thoughtfully and artistically addressed the cultural nuances that are so often overlooked for those who seek healing in God's Word. WELL DONE!"Monique Gadson, associate professor of counseling psychology at The SeattleSchool of Theology and Psychology
"Seeds of Racial Healing is one of those books you don't just read—you feel it. Sheila Wise Rowe doesn't just write about healing; she walks with you through it. Each devotion is honest, reflective, and grounded in lived experience and deepfaith. As someone who's lived through racialized trauma and grief and navigated the long road to healing, I felt both seen and encouraged in these pages. This book offers space to breathe, be honest with God, and believe healing is still possible. Sheila Wise Rowe has given us a gift—a steady companion for the journey when the weight feels too heavy."Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls and author of I See You, When We Stand, All God's Children, Zion Learns to See, and From Dropout to Doctorate
"Sheila Wise Rowe is the sage for our souls. With tender grace and abundant care, she guides us into the arms of the Savior to experience the healing power of God. The sin of racism wounds us all. This book is a salve that mends our brokenness and positions us to thrive together in Christ!"Nicole Massie Martin, author of Nailing It
"Sheila Wise Rowe is a safe voice, offering a holy nudge to remember God as our hope and care amid loss and racial trauma. Seeds of Racial Healing is a timely encouragement, a deep exhale, and a source of comfort for weary sojourners, reminding us that even amid the pressures and unrest of our world, it is God who plants seeds of hope, healing, and restoration in our hearts."Natasha Smith, author of Can You Just Sit with Me? and Black Woman Grief
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Read an Excerpt

CONTENTS

Introduction

Part 1: The Sower and the Seeds, Days 1-10
1. Imperishable Seed
2. The Sower
3. Rooted in God
4. Seedbed
5. Seeds of Welcome
6. Crossroads
7. Seeds of Promises
8. Seeds of Trust
9. Seeds of Hope
10. Gathering Straw

Part 2: The Soil of Your Story, Days 11-21
11. The Condition of the Soil
12. Toxic Soil
13. The Footpath
14. Rocky Places
15. Among Thorns
16. Grains ofResponsibility
17. The Root of Thoughts and Feelings
18. Pulling the Weeds of Shame
19. On Being
20. Sustenance
21. Seeds of Wounds and Wonder

Part 3: Weeds Among the Wheat, Days 22-32
22. Uncovered
23. Seeds of Safety
24. Wheat and Weeds
25. Germination
26. Seedlings
27. The Fruit of Surrender
28. Dormancy: Grief and Mourning
29. The Fruit of Forgiveness
30. Cultivating Justice and Repair
31. Seeded: Community
32. Seeds of Value

Part 4: Becoming Grown, Days 33-42
33. The Vine and the Fruit
34. Growing Perseverance
35. Pruning
36. Blossoming Peace
37. Deeply Rooted Rest
38. Seeds of Gratitude
39. Growing Humility
40. The Fruit of Truth
41. Bedrock
42. Waiting for the Harvest of Blessing

Part 5: Sow, Tend, and Harvest, Days 43-52
43. Planted for God's Glory
44. Mustard Seed Faith
45. Well-Watered Garden
46. Flourishing
47. Cultivating Good Fruit
48. Securing Pleasant Places
49. Fields of Abundance
50. Tending with Peace and Joy
51. Walking the Fields
52. Fruit That Lasts

Acknowledgments
Notes

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BONUS MATERIAL

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ABOUT Sheila Wise Rowe

Sheila Wise Rowe

Sheila Wise Rowe (Tufts University, Cambridge College, M.Ed.) is a truth-teller who writes about faith and emotional healing. She advocates for the dignity, rights, and healing of abuse and racial trauma survivors and offers training and support to them and also emerging and established leaders. Sheila has lived in the United States; Paris, France; and Johannesburg, South Africa. For over twenty-five years she’s been a counselor, educator, writer, spiritual director, and speaker. She’s a member of the Community Ethics Committee of Harvard Medical School, a resource for its teaching hospitals. Sheila is a member of Entrusted Women, Spiritual Directors of Color, and Redbud Writers Guild. Her book Healing Racial Trauma was awarded a 2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award, Christianity Today Book Award, and a Publishers Weekly starred review. Her other books include Young, Gifted, and Black; Healing Leadership Trauma (co-authored with her husband, Nicholas Rowe); and Seeds of Racial Healing.

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