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How do we get, and stay, well?
Rachel Bedford invites us to consider the state of our souls - not in terms of our eternal destination, necessarily, but in terms of how we are living and loving well now.
Spiritual Health is an invitation to steadfastness, a how-to-guide to enjoying gifts that we can receive in spiritual wellness, and a roadmap for the pursuit of resilient wellbeing.
In a time of permacrisis, you are invited to come and experience something at once fresh and ancient, an anchor in a storm.
— Archie Coates, Vicar of HTB
"In Spiritual Health, Rachel exposes the deficiency of a humancentric model of wellbeing, without dismissing its value. Instead she extends our vision to the dimension of soul health and the glorious riches available to us in Christ. This book is confronting, theologically razor sharp, and compassionate but also deeply practical. Not only are you convinced of its message, but you also learn how to put its principles to work in your own life. Spiritual Health is must read for every growing disciple of Jesus and forms the natural progression to Richard Foster's classic The Celebration of Discipline."
— Will Van Der Hart, author, priest, podcaster and mental health advocate
"Rachel is deeply prayerful; she carries a precious gift of seeing. With engaging fluency, her invitation is to 'see' into another dimension - that of spiritual health. With honesty and humour, her story-rich chapters invite us to invest in our spiritual health, steadfast and anchored in Jesus, the doctor of our souls. A soulenlarging feast!"
— Rt Revd Dr Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster and author
"Rachel's book is absolutely vital. So often we're misled into thinking that if we get our physical and mental health in check, all will be well! But we are spiritual beings, and paying closer attention to our spiritual health is arguably most important of all. This book provides a much-needed reminder of that truth and equally greatly needed guidance on how to get there. I can't think of a single person who wouldn't benefit from reading this book."
— Rachel Hughes, Senior Pastor Gas Street Church and co-founder of The Orchard
"In a culture that prizes "wellness" but can't seem to find it, Rachel reminds us that soul care is our greatest need. This wise book explains why we need help and where to find it: true medicine for an anxious generation and all of us who want to look after our spiritual health and love Jesus more."
— Emma Scrivener, author and speaker
Part 1
SOULS
Chapter 1 What is a soul? 5
Chapter 2 Crushed souls 12
Chapter 3 Steadfast souls 18
Chapter 4 Your soul needs more than self-help 24
Part 2
HOW TO GET SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY
Chapter 5 Prayer 37
Chapter 6 Church 47
Chapter 7 Communion 58
Chapter 8 The Bible 68
Part 3
HOW TO STRENGTHEN YOUR SPIRITUAL
ANCHOR
Chapter 9 The frailty of contemporary anchors 84
Chapter 10 Anchored souls: tradition 90
Chapter 11 Anchored souls: stewardship 100
Chapter 12 Anchored souls: heaven 110
Part 4
HOW TO BUILD A SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY FUTURE
Chapter 13 Making decisions 127
Chapter 14 Staying full 135
Chapter 15 The next generation 146
Chapter 16 Spiritual health as vocation 155
Last words 162
Text acknowledgements