Wellbeing Journey
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Y O U R <strong>Wellbeing</strong> J O U R N E Y
2<br />
invitation<br />
Y O U R
Imagine living your best life...<br />
reaching that point where everything<br />
falls into place…<br />
Imagine experiencing life to the full,<br />
firing on all cylinders...<br />
Imagine discovering complete<br />
wellbeing in every area of life...<br />
Where we are struggling, we’ll find<br />
breakthrough. Where we’re lost, we’ll<br />
find guidance and where there’s hurt,<br />
we’ll see healing and restoration.<br />
Joanna Adeyinka introducing<br />
The <strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong> film series, which<br />
she presents with Simon Thomas.<br />
This is your invitation to join<br />
The <strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong><br />
3
W H E R E A R E W E<br />
going?<br />
4
On The <strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong> we are aiming for:<br />
• higher levels of physical energy & health<br />
• increased emotional freedom & peace<br />
• profound spiritual contentment<br />
• deeper relationships & harmony with<br />
others<br />
• more of a financial margin & scope<br />
to live generously<br />
• greater creativity & purpose in work<br />
– your vocation<br />
Jesus, the founder of Christianity,<br />
told his followers that he came so<br />
they can have real and eternal life<br />
(The Bible, John chapter 10 verse 10).<br />
The <strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong> is based on<br />
Jesus’ life and teaching and offers<br />
his invitation to abundant life.<br />
As we look at our physical, emotional,<br />
spiritual, relational, financial, and<br />
vocational wellbeing, we will discover that<br />
each of these areas is connected, and that<br />
God has a plan for our wellbeing.<br />
Focus on one area at a time<br />
– which of the six will you<br />
choose to start the journey?<br />
5
Y O U R<br />
‘We discover who we are when we<br />
discover whose we are.’<br />
Andy Croft, Soul Survivor Church, Watford<br />
<strong>Wellbeing</strong><br />
C H E C K-UP<br />
How do you rate your physical,<br />
emotional, spiritual, relational, financial,<br />
and vocational wellbeing? All these<br />
aspects of our personal wellbeing are<br />
interrelated and are vital to our<br />
satisfaction, contentment and joy in life.<br />
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First, let’s develop a wellbeing mindset<br />
• know where you’re really at<br />
• know who you really are<br />
• know that you can really change<br />
Assess your current wellbeing in the six<br />
key areas - take a test at<br />
wellbeingjourney.org/check.<br />
You are priceless to me.<br />
I love you... Do not be afraid.<br />
I am with you.<br />
The Bible, God’s words through<br />
the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 43:4).<br />
PHYSICAL EMOTIONAL SPIRITUAL RELATIONAL FINANCIAL VOCATIONAL<br />
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C H A N G E I S<br />
possible!<br />
‘The link between a healthy<br />
mindset and our overall wellbeing<br />
can be medically verified...’<br />
8<br />
Dr Dave Smith,<br />
in God’s Plan For Your <strong>Wellbeing</strong><br />
Dr Henry Cloud says there are three<br />
predictable ways we react when things<br />
go wrong:<br />
• Personal: I think I’m a failure; it’s all<br />
my fault<br />
• Pervasive: we go further... everything<br />
I do is a failure<br />
• Permanent: we end up thinking,<br />
it will always be like this
How can we reverse the downward spiral?<br />
Dr Cloud recommends three things:<br />
1. Dispute negative thinking. Our<br />
personal, pervasive and permanent<br />
thoughts are often false. Name them,<br />
write them down and challenge them<br />
with the truth.<br />
2. Get back control. Write a list of things<br />
you can and can’t control. Act on what<br />
you can control and don’t take<br />
responsibility for what you can’t control.<br />
3. Connect with others. When in a crisis,<br />
having meaningful relationships is a<br />
vital key.<br />
Don’t live the way this<br />
world lives. Let your way of<br />
thinking be completely<br />
changed.<br />
(Romans 12:2)<br />
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PHYSICAL<br />
physical<br />
W E L L B E I N G<br />
Exercise, good sleep and healthy eating<br />
all contribute to our physical wellbeing.<br />
And, as Steve Uppal says on The<br />
<strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong>, ‘You can’t just<br />
separate physical wellbeing from<br />
everything else. It has a direct impact on<br />
mental and emotional health as well.’<br />
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Steve knows from experience. ‘I was out of<br />
control and suffering from lack of energy,<br />
and disturbed sleep.’ He lost 5st (32kg) by<br />
exercising and eating less processed food.<br />
He cut out fast food and fizzy drinks first.<br />
He recommends ‘Small steps in the right<br />
direction made over time add huge<br />
benefits to our lives.’<br />
Rugby player Jamie Jones-<br />
Buchanan says track your<br />
physical activity and make<br />
yourself accountable. What<br />
works best for you – an app, a<br />
diary, reminders from a friend?<br />
I pray that you may<br />
enjoy good health<br />
and that all may go<br />
well with you.<br />
(3 John 2, NIVUK)<br />
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PHYSICAL<br />
sleep<br />
+ EAT W E L L<br />
12<br />
‘I like being a GP because we deal with<br />
people holistically...when one part is failing<br />
it affects the other parts of our wellbeing.’<br />
Dr Nkiru Oluwatosin
‘When we sleep our bodies go into a<br />
restorative mode – we are able to function<br />
better and have our strength replenished,’<br />
says GP Dr Nkiru Oluwatosin. For good<br />
sleep, avoid screens, caffeine and alcohol<br />
before bedtime, she says, and follow the<br />
NHS Eat Well guide for a healthy,<br />
balanced diet.<br />
Set a realistic goal, share<br />
it with others and then<br />
get started. Don’t be<br />
discouraged if you fail. Keep<br />
going – it will be worth it!<br />
You created the deepest<br />
parts of my being. You put<br />
me together inside my<br />
mother’s body. How you made<br />
me is amazing and wonderful.<br />
I praise you for that.<br />
King David (Psalm 139:13-14)<br />
13
EMOTIONAL<br />
emotional<br />
W E L L B E I N G<br />
Hope is the thing we need to pick up on<br />
in moments when life feels bad. The<br />
research seems to suggest that hopeful<br />
people believe four things:<br />
• The future is better<br />
• That you and I have a contribution to<br />
make to bring about that better future<br />
• There are loads of ways of getting there<br />
• All these ways involve frustration,<br />
difficulty and effort in some way<br />
That makes hope different from optimism.<br />
Psychologist Dr Roger Bretherton,<br />
University of Lincoln<br />
14
‘Push down emotion; project false<br />
strength and hopefully get through by<br />
being a closed book – that’s not helpful’<br />
says Will van der Hart, director of the Mind<br />
and Soul Foundation. ‘Instead find people<br />
who want to listen non-judgmentally; who<br />
give you the opportunity to articulate how<br />
you feel with helpful questioning.’<br />
Nothing at all can ever<br />
separate us from God’s love.<br />
That’s because of what Christ<br />
Jesus our Lord has done.<br />
(Romans 8:39)<br />
15
EMOTIONAL<br />
gratitude ATTITUDE<br />
When <strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong> presenter<br />
Simon Thomas’s wife died suddenly,<br />
Simon and his young son Ethan had to<br />
work through a range of emotions.<br />
They made a ‘gratitude jar’ and added<br />
a note every day about something<br />
they were grateful for. ‘It is worth<br />
reminding ourselves that, even when<br />
we go through tough times, there is<br />
stuff to be grateful for,’ says Simon.<br />
16
‘Being present’ is very much in vogue<br />
today, often linked to the term<br />
‘mindfulness’. The Christian approach to<br />
being mindful includes this call to be<br />
present to ourselves but [also] to the God<br />
who is always present to us. It is about<br />
learning, along with the psalmist, to ‘be<br />
still and know that I am God’ (Psalm<br />
46:10).’ Dr Dave Smith in God's Plan For<br />
Your <strong>Wellbeing</strong><br />
Always give thanks to God<br />
the Father for everything. Give<br />
thanks to him in the name of<br />
our Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
(Ephesians 5:20)<br />
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SPIRITUAL<br />
18<br />
spiritual<br />
W E L L B E I N G<br />
‘God loves you and wants to know you.<br />
God made himself knowable through the<br />
person of Jesus – that is God come to<br />
earth, fully alive and fully well. To be fully<br />
well is to invite Jesus – God made<br />
knowable – to meet you and fill you with<br />
his Spirit.’ Bible teacher and student<br />
leader Miriam Swanson
‘The reality of faith is that sometimes it is<br />
like wrestling. There’s a verse in the Bible<br />
that says “You will seek me and you will<br />
find me when you seek me with all your<br />
heart…” I don’t think God is trying to make<br />
it difficult for us. But he wants partnership<br />
with us.’ Pete Greig, instigator of the 24-7<br />
Prayer movement<br />
God so loved the world<br />
that he gave his one and only<br />
Son. Anyone who believes in<br />
him will not die but will<br />
have eternal life.<br />
(John 3:16)<br />
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SPIRITUAL<br />
A R E Y O U<br />
thirsty?<br />
20
Jesus broke first century social taboos and<br />
asked a woman for a drink of water. It led<br />
to a conversation about quenching<br />
spiritual thirst. Jesus said: ‘Anyone who<br />
drinks the water I give them will never be<br />
thirsty. In fact, the water I give them will<br />
become a spring of water in them. It will<br />
flow up into eternal life.’<br />
The conversation was reported by one of<br />
Jesus’ closest friends, a man called John<br />
who wrote an eye-witness account of<br />
Jesus’ life. You can read the whole story<br />
in the Bible book of John chapter 4.<br />
In the fifth century, Saint<br />
Augustine famously said:<br />
You [God] have made us for<br />
yourself, and our hearts<br />
are restless, until they can<br />
find rest in you.<br />
21
SPIRITUAL<br />
‘God speaks to everybody.<br />
There are no favourites; no special people.’<br />
Pastor Agu Irukwu<br />
TA K E<br />
time out<br />
Simon Thomas’s take-home lesson from<br />
The <strong>Wellbeing</strong> <strong>Journey</strong> came from talking<br />
to Pastor Agu Irukwu, UK leader of the<br />
Redeemed Christian Church of God: ‘It was<br />
a reminder that developing our relationship<br />
with God means carving out time, being<br />
disciplined when it comes to listening to<br />
him. It doesn’t mean everything becomes<br />
easy but some of the other areas in life –<br />
our emotional wellbeing, our finances, our<br />
jobs – do become easier to manage even<br />
if they aren’t going particularly well.’<br />
22
Pastor Agu: How to hear from God<br />
1. Firstly, show up. Set a time and get<br />
into a pattern of meeting with God.<br />
2. Secondly, study the Bible. Create time<br />
to read, study and meditate on the<br />
Word of God.<br />
3. Then intentionally develop a<br />
relationship with God’s Holy Spirit.<br />
Since he’s the one who’s going to do<br />
the speaking – it’s through his Spirit to<br />
my spirit that God speaks – so we<br />
should pay attention to him.<br />
Simon described the experience of hearing<br />
from God as ‘rocket fuel’ and ‘a rudder’ for<br />
life and Pastor Agu agreed: ‘My life unravels<br />
once that part of my life is out of sync.’<br />
Call to me and<br />
I will answer...<br />
God’s words in the Bible,<br />
(Jeremiah 33:3)<br />
23
RELATIONAL<br />
relational<br />
W E L L B E I N G<br />
‘We need people to help us survive,<br />
especially when we are young and<br />
vulnerable. But we need relationships to<br />
thrive in terms of our emotional wellbeing.<br />
We can take for granted that the<br />
relationships we have will automatically<br />
be good, but “no investment, no return”.<br />
At times my clients got the best of me, but<br />
my family got the dregs. It’s important to<br />
never take those intimate relationships for<br />
granted.’ Motivational speaker and bestselling<br />
author Paul McGee – the Sumo Guy.<br />
24
‘The grass is always greener when it’s<br />
watered.’ How can we invest in our<br />
relationships?<br />
Paul McGee – the Sumo Guy<br />
Jesus not only modelled the need for<br />
community, but he set up a community<br />
that we could all be a part of: the Church.<br />
While not everyone has the privilege of<br />
a close, healthy, nuclear family, all of us<br />
can discover and develop community<br />
within the context of a local church<br />
– the family of God.<br />
Be kind and tender<br />
to one another.<br />
Forgive one another.<br />
(Ephesians 4:32)<br />
25
RELATIONAL<br />
‘We are hard-wired for a<br />
relationship with God and<br />
relationships with other people.’<br />
Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf, HOPE Together<br />
L E A R N T O<br />
forgive<br />
Paul McGee says, ‘Forgiveness is not<br />
actually for the benefit of others; it is<br />
ultimately to benefit you... Life can leave<br />
you bitter or it can make you better. It’s a<br />
choice. When we punish someone else for<br />
what they’ve done to us, we punish<br />
ourselves even more.’<br />
26<br />
26
‘It is not good for us to be alone. We all<br />
need other people – people to connect<br />
with; people who know us. Social media<br />
can’t be everything we need relationally.’<br />
Liverpool vicar Kate Wharton, author of<br />
Single Minded: Being single and whole<br />
and living life to the full.<br />
Find your delight in the Lord.<br />
Then he will give you everything<br />
your heart really wants.<br />
(Psalm 37:4).<br />
Our seeking will lead to finding,<br />
as God increasingly reveals himself<br />
to us, satisfying our deep spiritual<br />
thirst in a way that only he can.<br />
27
FINANCIAL<br />
financial<br />
W E L L B E I N G<br />
‘We can do so much with our<br />
money when we have the<br />
right attitude towards it.’<br />
Roy Crowne, HOPE Together<br />
28
Worries about money are one of the<br />
main causes of stress. Instead of huge<br />
financial anxiety and stress, imagine living<br />
in financial peace: having a margin each<br />
month, with opportunities to save for the<br />
future and to give generously to help<br />
others in need.<br />
John Kirkby from Christians Against<br />
Poverty (CAP) asks: ‘Have you got a<br />
budget? Have you worked out what your<br />
income is; your regular expenditure; the<br />
things you want to save up for? A budget<br />
is the cornerstone of great finances. Then<br />
decide what’s important to you. How you<br />
use your money reflects who you are.’<br />
Don’t worry about<br />
anything. No matter<br />
what happens, tell God<br />
about everything.<br />
(Philippians 4:6)<br />
29
FINANCIAL<br />
counting<br />
T H E C O S T<br />
Alan and Julie found help from CAP<br />
when their debts were out of control.<br />
They said: ‘CAP worked out what we<br />
could afford to pay each month. Then<br />
they went to all our creditors and worked<br />
out a plan for us. It took about 18 months<br />
to pay everything off. We are now debt<br />
free! It’s like a huge weight off our<br />
shoulders. We can get up in the morning<br />
without worrying about the day.’<br />
30<br />
30
Practical action<br />
1. Assess where you’re at financially.<br />
2. Develop a budget. Know what you can<br />
afford to spend. Don’t exceed it.<br />
3. Do everything you can to stay out<br />
of debt.<br />
4. Avoid impulse spending.<br />
5. Cultivate a habit of thankfulness for<br />
what you do have, rather than focusing<br />
on what you don’t have.<br />
Earn all you can, give all<br />
you can, save all you can.<br />
John Wesley, the 18th century<br />
preacher and co-founder of the<br />
Methodist Church<br />
31
VOCATIONAL<br />
vocational<br />
W E L L B E I N G<br />
‘The Japanese word ikigai translates as “a reason<br />
for being” or “the reason for which you wake up<br />
in the morning”. Being clear on our ikigai or life<br />
purpose is crucial for our wellbeing. Studies have<br />
shown that those with a stronger sense of<br />
purpose tend to act in ways that increase their<br />
physical and mental wellbeing.’ Dr Dave Smith.<br />
What<br />
you are<br />
GOOD AT<br />
PASSION<br />
PROFESSION<br />
What you<br />
LOVE<br />
IKIGAI<br />
MISSION<br />
VOCATION<br />
What the<br />
world<br />
NEEDS<br />
32<br />
What you can be<br />
PAID FOR
When Joanna asked Dave Smith about<br />
how to find a vocation, he said, ‘Ask<br />
yourself what you’re good at. What do you<br />
enjoy doing? When you’re involved in this<br />
particular task, do you feel bored and<br />
distracted or do you lose all sense of time?<br />
Sometimes when you are doing what you<br />
were called to do, it can be hard…<br />
sometimes it just feels like fun.’<br />
We are God’s handiwork,<br />
created in Christ Jesus to do<br />
good works, which God<br />
prepared in advance for<br />
us to do.<br />
(Ephesians 2:10 NIV)<br />
33
VOCATIONAL<br />
L I V E<br />
purposefully<br />
‘If you want to know why you were placed<br />
on this planet, you must begin with God.<br />
You were born by his purpose and for his<br />
purpose... until you understand that, life<br />
will never make sense. It is only in God<br />
that we discover our origin, our identity,<br />
our meaning, our purpose, our<br />
significance, and our destiny. Every other<br />
path leads to a dead end.’ Rick Warren<br />
in The Purpose Driven Life<br />
34
‘It’s a mixture of understanding who we<br />
are and being aware of God being with<br />
us on the journey. There will be<br />
opportunities; there might be<br />
disappointments, but we are not on this<br />
journey alone... We walk this way once<br />
and we can make a difference.’ Jill<br />
Garrett, Tentpeg Consulting<br />
Make a careful exploration of who<br />
you are and the work you have been<br />
given, and then sink yourself into that.<br />
Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t<br />
compare yourself with others. Each of you<br />
must take responsibility for doing the<br />
creative best you can with your own life.<br />
(Galatians 6:4-5 The Message)<br />
35
T I M E F O R<br />
action<br />
If this is the first time that you have<br />
realised that God has a plan for your<br />
wellbeing, how will you respond to his<br />
invitation to a flourishing abundant life?<br />
‘This is a journey – more like a<br />
marathon than a sprint. Be<br />
kind to yourself; don’t try to<br />
fix everything at once. Find<br />
the one key thing that you<br />
can do, that might have an<br />
impact across different areas<br />
of your life.’ Dr Dave Smith<br />
36
P R AY E R O Finvitation<br />
If you are not yet on this journey with<br />
Jesus, you can invite him to come into<br />
your life today. You could use this prayer:<br />
Lord Jesus,<br />
I admit my need of you and invite you to<br />
come and forgive me for living my own<br />
way so far. I believe that you died and<br />
rose again so that I can receive new joy,<br />
purpose, hope and wellbeing. Please<br />
come into my life and fill me with your<br />
Holy Spirit. I commit to follow you and<br />
your ways all the days of my life.<br />
Amen!<br />
37
H E L P F O R T H E<br />
journey<br />
This booklet is based on The <strong>Wellbeing</strong><br />
<strong>Journey</strong> devised by Dr Dave Smith and<br />
produced for HOPE Together and<br />
KingsGate Church, Peterborough, by Fruit<br />
Media. The presenters are Joanna Adeyinka<br />
and Simon Thomas. Dave’s book, God’s<br />
Plan For Your <strong>Wellbeing</strong> (Waverley Abbey<br />
Resources), is a 50-day guide to the journey.<br />
Find out more about The <strong>Wellbeing</strong><br />
<strong>Journey</strong> at wellbeingjourney.org<br />
Don’t try to travel alone. Millions of<br />
followers of Jesus meet together<br />
regularly – often in a church building.<br />
Find out more about following Jesus<br />
at a church near you.<br />
38
Words: Catherine Butcher<br />
Design: Darren Southworth,<br />
s2.design 020 8771 9108<br />
Print: Belmont Press Ltd<br />
Copyright: HOPE Together<br />
Order more copies of this booklet at<br />
hopetogether.org.uk/shop<br />
Bible quotations are from the New International<br />
Reader’s Version unless otherwise stated.<br />
Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version<br />
(NIrV), Anglicised Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998,<br />
2014 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved<br />
worldwide.<br />
Together<br />
in partnership with<br />
Hope For Every Home<br />
39
I know the plans I have for you,’<br />
announces the Lord. ‘I want you<br />
to enjoy success. I do not plan to<br />
harm you. I will give you hope for<br />
the years to come.<br />
(The Bible, Jeremiah 29:11)<br />
Together