Wellbeing Journey

Y O U R Wellbeing J O U R N E Y

invitation

Y O U R

Imagine living your best life...

reaching that point where everything

falls into place…

Imagine experiencing life to the full,

firing on all cylinders...

Imagine discovering complete

wellbeing in every area of life...

Where we are struggling, we’ll find

breakthrough. Where we’re lost, we’ll

find guidance and where there’s hurt,

we’ll see healing and restoration.

Joanna Adeyinka introducing

The Wellbeing Journey film series, which

she presents with Simon Thomas.

This is your invitation to join

The Wellbeing Journey

W H E R E A R E W E

going?

On The Wellbeing Journey we are aiming for:

• higher levels of physical energy & health

• increased emotional freedom & peace

• profound spiritual contentment

• deeper relationships & harmony with

others

• more of a financial margin & scope

to live generously

• greater creativity & purpose in work

– your vocation

Jesus, the founder of Christianity,

told his followers that he came so

they can have real and eternal life

(The Bible, John chapter 10 verse 10).

The Wellbeing Journey is based on

Jesus’ life and teaching and offers

his invitation to abundant life.

As we look at our physical, emotional,

spiritual, relational, financial, and

vocational wellbeing, we will discover that

each of these areas is connected, and that

God has a plan for our wellbeing.

Focus on one area at a time

– which of the six will you

choose to start the journey?

Y O U R

‘We discover who we are when we

discover whose we are.’

Andy Croft, Soul Survivor Church, Watford

Wellbeing

C H E C K-UP

How do you rate your physical,

emotional, spiritual, relational, financial,

and vocational wellbeing? All these

aspects of our personal wellbeing are

interrelated and are vital to our

satisfaction, contentment and joy in life.

First, let’s develop a wellbeing mindset

• know where you’re really at

• know who you really are

• know that you can really change

Assess your current wellbeing in the six

key areas - take a test at

wellbeingjourney.org/check.

You are priceless to me.

I love you... Do not be afraid.

I am with you.

The Bible, God’s words through

the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 43:4).

PHYSICAL EMOTIONAL SPIRITUAL RELATIONAL FINANCIAL VOCATIONAL

C H A N G E I S

possible!

‘The link between a healthy

mindset and our overall wellbeing

can be medically verified...’

Dr Dave Smith,

in God’s Plan For Your Wellbeing

Dr Henry Cloud says there are three

predictable ways we react when things

go wrong:

• Personal: I think I’m a failure; it’s all

my fault

• Pervasive: we go further... everything

I do is a failure

• Permanent: we end up thinking,

it will always be like this

How can we reverse the downward spiral?

Dr Cloud recommends three things:

1. Dispute negative thinking. Our

personal, pervasive and permanent

thoughts are often false. Name them,

write them down and challenge them

with the truth.

2. Get back control. Write a list of things

you can and can’t control. Act on what

you can control and don’t take

responsibility for what you can’t control.

3. Connect with others. When in a crisis,

having meaningful relationships is a

vital key.

Don’t live the way this

world lives. Let your way of

thinking be completely

changed.

(Romans 12:2)

PHYSICAL

physical

W E L L B E I N G

Exercise, good sleep and healthy eating

all contribute to our physical wellbeing.

And, as Steve Uppal says on The

Wellbeing Journey, ‘You can’t just

separate physical wellbeing from

everything else. It has a direct impact on

mental and emotional health as well.’

Steve knows from experience. ‘I was out of

control and suffering from lack of energy,

and disturbed sleep.’ He lost 5st (32kg) by

exercising and eating less processed food.

He cut out fast food and fizzy drinks first.

He recommends ‘Small steps in the right

direction made over time add huge

benefits to our lives.’

Rugby player Jamie Jones-

Buchanan says track your

physical activity and make

yourself accountable. What

works best for you – an app, a

diary, reminders from a friend?

I pray that you may

enjoy good health

and that all may go

well with you.

(3 John 2, NIVUK)

PHYSICAL

sleep

+ EAT W E L L

‘I like being a GP because we deal with

people holistically...when one part is failing

it affects the other parts of our wellbeing.’

Dr Nkiru Oluwatosin

‘When we sleep our bodies go into a

restorative mode – we are able to function

better and have our strength replenished,’

says GP Dr Nkiru Oluwatosin. For good

sleep, avoid screens, caffeine and alcohol

before bedtime, she says, and follow the

NHS Eat Well guide for a healthy,

balanced diet.

Set a realistic goal, share

it with others and then

get started. Don’t be

discouraged if you fail. Keep

going – it will be worth it!

You created the deepest

parts of my being. You put

me together inside my

mother’s body. How you made

me is amazing and wonderful.

I praise you for that.

King David (Psalm 139:13-14)

EMOTIONAL

emotional

W E L L B E I N G

Hope is the thing we need to pick up on

in moments when life feels bad. The

research seems to suggest that hopeful

people believe four things:

• The future is better

• That you and I have a contribution to

make to bring about that better future

• There are loads of ways of getting there

• All these ways involve frustration,

difficulty and effort in some way

That makes hope different from optimism.

Psychologist Dr Roger Bretherton,

University of Lincoln

‘Push down emotion; project false

strength and hopefully get through by

being a closed book – that’s not helpful’

says Will van der Hart, director of the Mind

and Soul Foundation. ‘Instead find people

who want to listen non-judgmentally; who

give you the opportunity to articulate how

you feel with helpful questioning.’

Nothing at all can ever

separate us from God’s love.

That’s because of what Christ

Jesus our Lord has done.

(Romans 8:39)

EMOTIONAL

gratitude ATTITUDE

When Wellbeing Journey presenter

Simon Thomas’s wife died suddenly,

Simon and his young son Ethan had to

work through a range of emotions.

They made a ‘gratitude jar’ and added

a note every day about something

they were grateful for. ‘It is worth

reminding ourselves that, even when

we go through tough times, there is

stuff to be grateful for,’ says Simon.

‘Being present’ is very much in vogue

today, often linked to the term

‘mindfulness’. The Christian approach to

being mindful includes this call to be

present to ourselves but [also] to the God

who is always present to us. It is about

learning, along with the psalmist, to ‘be

still and know that I am God’ (Psalm

46:10).’ Dr Dave Smith in God's Plan For

Your Wellbeing

Always give thanks to God

the Father for everything. Give

thanks to him in the name of

our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Ephesians 5:20)

SPIRITUAL

spiritual

W E L L B E I N G

‘God loves you and wants to know you.

God made himself knowable through the

person of Jesus – that is God come to

earth, fully alive and fully well. To be fully

well is to invite Jesus – God made

knowable – to meet you and fill you with

his Spirit.’ Bible teacher and student

leader Miriam Swanson

‘The reality of faith is that sometimes it is

like wrestling. There’s a verse in the Bible

that says “You will seek me and you will

find me when you seek me with all your

heart…” I don’t think God is trying to make

it difficult for us. But he wants partnership

with us.’ Pete Greig, instigator of the 24-7

Prayer movement

God so loved the world

that he gave his one and only

Son. Anyone who believes in

him will not die but will

have eternal life.

(John 3:16)

SPIRITUAL

A R E Y O U

thirsty?

Jesus broke first century social taboos and

asked a woman for a drink of water. It led

to a conversation about quenching

spiritual thirst. Jesus said: ‘Anyone who

drinks the water I give them will never be

thirsty. In fact, the water I give them will

become a spring of water in them. It will

flow up into eternal life.’

The conversation was reported by one of

Jesus’ closest friends, a man called John

who wrote an eye-witness account of

Jesus’ life. You can read the whole story

in the Bible book of John chapter 4.

In the fifth century, Saint

Augustine famously said:

You [God] have made us for

yourself, and our hearts

are restless, until they can

find rest in you.

SPIRITUAL

‘God speaks to everybody.

There are no favourites; no special people.’

Pastor Agu Irukwu

TA K E

time out

Simon Thomas’s take-home lesson from

The Wellbeing Journey came from talking

to Pastor Agu Irukwu, UK leader of the

Redeemed Christian Church of God: ‘It was

a reminder that developing our relationship

with God means carving out time, being

disciplined when it comes to listening to

him. It doesn’t mean everything becomes

easy but some of the other areas in life –

our emotional wellbeing, our finances, our

jobs – do become easier to manage even

if they aren’t going particularly well.’

Pastor Agu: How to hear from God

1. Firstly, show up. Set a time and get

into a pattern of meeting with God.

2. Secondly, study the Bible. Create time

to read, study and meditate on the

Word of God.

3. Then intentionally develop a

relationship with God’s Holy Spirit.

Since he’s the one who’s going to do

the speaking – it’s through his Spirit to

my spirit that God speaks – so we

should pay attention to him.

Simon described the experience of hearing

from God as ‘rocket fuel’ and ‘a rudder’ for

life and Pastor Agu agreed: ‘My life unravels

once that part of my life is out of sync.’

Call to me and

I will answer...

God’s words in the Bible,

(Jeremiah 33:3)

RELATIONAL

relational

W E L L B E I N G

‘We need people to help us survive,

especially when we are young and

vulnerable. But we need relationships to

thrive in terms of our emotional wellbeing.

We can take for granted that the

relationships we have will automatically

be good, but “no investment, no return”.

At times my clients got the best of me, but

my family got the dregs. It’s important to

never take those intimate relationships for

granted.’ Motivational speaker and bestselling

author Paul McGee – the Sumo Guy.

‘The grass is always greener when it’s

watered.’ How can we invest in our

relationships?

Paul McGee – the Sumo Guy

Jesus not only modelled the need for

community, but he set up a community

that we could all be a part of: the Church.

While not everyone has the privilege of

a close, healthy, nuclear family, all of us

can discover and develop community

within the context of a local church

– the family of God.

Be kind and tender

to one another.

Forgive one another.

(Ephesians 4:32)

RELATIONAL

‘We are hard-wired for a

relationship with God and

relationships with other people.’

Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf, HOPE Together

L E A R N T O

forgive

Paul McGee says, ‘Forgiveness is not

actually for the benefit of others; it is

ultimately to benefit you... Life can leave

you bitter or it can make you better. It’s a

choice. When we punish someone else for

what they’ve done to us, we punish

ourselves even more.’

‘It is not good for us to be alone. We all

need other people – people to connect

with; people who know us. Social media

can’t be everything we need relationally.’

Liverpool vicar Kate Wharton, author of

Single Minded: Being single and whole

and living life to the full.

Find your delight in the Lord.

Then he will give you everything

your heart really wants.

(Psalm 37:4).

Our seeking will lead to finding,

as God increasingly reveals himself

to us, satisfying our deep spiritual

thirst in a way that only he can.

FINANCIAL

financial

W E L L B E I N G

‘We can do so much with our

money when we have the

right attitude towards it.’

Roy Crowne, HOPE Together

Worries about money are one of the

main causes of stress. Instead of huge

financial anxiety and stress, imagine living

in financial peace: having a margin each

month, with opportunities to save for the

future and to give generously to help

others in need.

John Kirkby from Christians Against

Poverty (CAP) asks: ‘Have you got a

budget? Have you worked out what your

income is; your regular expenditure; the

things you want to save up for? A budget

is the cornerstone of great finances. Then

decide what’s important to you. How you

use your money reflects who you are.’

Don’t worry about

anything. No matter

what happens, tell God

about everything.

(Philippians 4:6)

FINANCIAL

counting

T H E C O S T

Alan and Julie found help from CAP

when their debts were out of control.

They said: ‘CAP worked out what we

could afford to pay each month. Then

they went to all our creditors and worked

out a plan for us. It took about 18 months

to pay everything off. We are now debt

free! It’s like a huge weight off our

shoulders. We can get up in the morning

without worrying about the day.’

Practical action

1. Assess where you’re at financially.

2. Develop a budget. Know what you can

afford to spend. Don’t exceed it.

3. Do everything you can to stay out

of debt.

4. Avoid impulse spending.

5. Cultivate a habit of thankfulness for

what you do have, rather than focusing

on what you don’t have.

Earn all you can, give all

you can, save all you can.

John Wesley, the 18th century

preacher and co-founder of the

Methodist Church

VOCATIONAL

vocational

W E L L B E I N G

‘The Japanese word ikigai translates as “a reason

for being” or “the reason for which you wake up

in the morning”. Being clear on our ikigai or life

purpose is crucial for our wellbeing. Studies have

shown that those with a stronger sense of

purpose tend to act in ways that increase their

physical and mental wellbeing.’ Dr Dave Smith.

What

you are

GOOD AT

PASSION

PROFESSION

What you

LOVE

IKIGAI

MISSION

VOCATION

What the

world

NEEDS

What you can be

PAID FOR

When Joanna asked Dave Smith about

how to find a vocation, he said, ‘Ask

yourself what you’re good at. What do you

enjoy doing? When you’re involved in this

particular task, do you feel bored and

distracted or do you lose all sense of time?

Sometimes when you are doing what you

were called to do, it can be hard…

sometimes it just feels like fun.’

We are God’s handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus to do

good works, which God

prepared in advance for

us to do.

(Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

VOCATIONAL

L I V E

purposefully

‘If you want to know why you were placed

on this planet, you must begin with God.

You were born by his purpose and for his

purpose... until you understand that, life

will never make sense. It is only in God

that we discover our origin, our identity,

our meaning, our purpose, our

significance, and our destiny. Every other

path leads to a dead end.’ Rick Warren

in The Purpose Driven Life

‘It’s a mixture of understanding who we

are and being aware of God being with

us on the journey. There will be

opportunities; there might be

disappointments, but we are not on this

journey alone... We walk this way once

and we can make a difference.’ Jill

Garrett, Tentpeg Consulting

Make a careful exploration of who

you are and the work you have been

given, and then sink yourself into that.

Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t

compare yourself with others. Each of you

must take responsibility for doing the

creative best you can with your own life.

(Galatians 6:4-5 The Message)

T I M E F O R

action

If this is the first time that you have

realised that God has a plan for your

wellbeing, how will you respond to his

invitation to a flourishing abundant life?

‘This is a journey – more like a

marathon than a sprint. Be

kind to yourself; don’t try to

fix everything at once. Find

the one key thing that you

can do, that might have an

impact across different areas

of your life.’ Dr Dave Smith

P R AY E R O Finvitation

If you are not yet on this journey with

Jesus, you can invite him to come into

your life today. You could use this prayer:

Lord Jesus,

I admit my need of you and invite you to

come and forgive me for living my own

way so far. I believe that you died and

rose again so that I can receive new joy,

purpose, hope and wellbeing. Please

come into my life and fill me with your

Holy Spirit. I commit to follow you and

your ways all the days of my life.

Amen!

H E L P F O R T H E

journey

This booklet is based on The Wellbeing

Journey devised by Dr Dave Smith and

produced for HOPE Together and

KingsGate Church, Peterborough, by Fruit

Media. The presenters are Joanna Adeyinka

and Simon Thomas. Dave’s book, God’s

Plan For Your Wellbeing (Waverley Abbey

Resources), is a 50-day guide to the journey.

Find out more about The Wellbeing

Journey at wellbeingjourney.org

Don’t try to travel alone. Millions of

followers of Jesus meet together

regularly – often in a church building.

Find out more about following Jesus

at a church near you.

Words: Catherine Butcher

Design: Darren Southworth,

s2.design 020 8771 9108

Print: Belmont Press Ltd

Order more copies of this booklet at

hopetogether.org.uk/shop

Bible quotations are from the New International

Reader’s Version unless otherwise stated.

Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version

worldwide.

Together

in partnership with

Hope For Every Home

I know the plans I have for you,’

announces the Lord. ‘I want you

to enjoy success. I do not plan to

harm you. I will give you hope for

the years to come.

(The Bible, Jeremiah 29:11)

Together

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