We have all seen that the stronger we are physically, the more capable we are of fighting off physical illness and attack. But what about spiritual health, which defines how we respond to crises in our lives? The Essentials of Spiritual Health provides a clear and simple look at what makes someone spiritually healthy and provides clear guidance for becoming healthy spiritually.

How do I know if I'm growing spiritually? In the distractions of daily life, it can be hard to evaluate how we are doing spiritually. But monitoring the pulse of your spiritual health is just as important as monitoring your mental and physical health. No matter where you are in your walk with Christ, bestselling author Don Whitney makes it easy to do a self-check on your spiritual wellbeing. Quickly evaluate your spiritual state by asking yourself these 10 convicting diagnostic questions: Do I thirst for God? Do I still grieve over sin? Am I a quicker forgiver? Am I more loving? Am I sensitive to God's presence? Am I concerned for others? Am I governed by God's Word? Do I delight in the church? Are the spiritual disciplines important to me? Do I yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus? By bringing the lofty idea of "sanctification" into a helpful and convicting spotlight, this concise and insightful book will transform your spiritual life. Now with a new discussion guide for group or personal use to help you dive deeper into each question. "Don Whitney's spiritual feet are blessedly cemented in the wisdom of the Bible. This is as beneficial as it is solid." --J. I. Packer, author and theologian

A state of the art look at knowledge and ongoing research on the connection between spirituality and health.

Through the years I have known Dr. Williams, he has always maintained a wonderful and stable balance between the physical and spiritual worlds. This book is another example of the two-fold theological and practical perspective that he always brought to his teaching and preaching. John R. Lillis, Ph.D. Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Grace College and Seminary The Association of Black Cardiologist, in 7 Steps to a Healthy Heart, considers spiritual health a top priority. Pastor Williams has effectively compiled a document that is essential to a mans ability to be spiritually healthy and thereby much better prepared to be physically capable and productive. This is a must read. Robert L. Gillespie, M.D. FACC Chairman of the Board, Association of Black Cardiologists The Rev. Dr. C. Dennis Williams has done it again. We need physical and spiritual food now and more than ever. He preaches and teaches men that daily devotion and fellowship with the Lord goes beyond an apple a day. Reverend Swayne A. Cofield, M.D.

In Spirituality and Health Research: Methods, Measurement, Statistics, and Resources, Dr. Harold G. Koenig leads a comprehensive overview of this complex subject. Dr. Koenig is one of the world’s leading authorities on the relationship between spirituality and health, and a leading researcher on the topic. As such, he is distinctively qualified to author such a book. This unique source of information on how to conduct research on religion, spirituality, and health includes practical information that goes well beyond what is typically taught in most undergraduate, graduate, or even post-doctoral level courses. This volume reviews what research has been done, discusses the strengths and limitations of that research, provides a research agenda for the future that describes the most important studies that need to be done to advance the field, and describes how to actually conduct that research (design, statistical analysis, and publication of results). It also covers practical matters such as how to write fundable grants to support the research, where to find sources of funding support for research in this area, and what can be done even if the researcher has little or no funding support. The information gathered together here, which has been reviewed for accuracy and comprehensiveness by research design and statistical experts, has been acquired during a span of over twenty-five years that Dr. Koenig spent conducting research, reviewing others’ research, reviewing research grants, and interacting with mainstream biomedical researchers both within and outside the field of spirituality and health. The material is presented in an easy to read and readily accessible form that will benefit researchers at almost any level of training and experience.

Learn to respond effectively and appropriately to spiritual needs in a health care setting Spirituality, Health, and Wholeness: An Introductory Guide for Health Care Professionals explores the principles of spiritual care as applied to clinical practice. This book focuses specifically on the significance of spirituality in clinical settings with practical suggestions on how to apply these principles in the healing process. With chapters that begin with clear objectives and end with guided questions, this valuable textbook provides a framework that will aid health care facilities in addressing spiritual needs in a clinical setting and help faculty in mentoring students in the field. This practical guide will help you learn when and how to address spiritual issues in health care with patients for whom illness creates a crisis of faith as well as those for whom it provides support. Spirituality, Health, and Wholeness highlights not only the importance of health care professionals in providing emotional, mental, and spiritual care, but the necessity for them to address their own spirituality as well. The book includes the experiences and case studies of skilled authorities mostly from the Judeo-Christian or Judaic tradition who identify principles that they found to be important in working with patients from a wide diversity of spiritual traditions. Spirituality, Health, and Wholeness provides you with detailed information on: “Ministryhealing”—a model of wholeness and healing that incorporates an integrated view of humanity through the four domains: spiritual, emotional, physical, and social the physiological impacts of humor and hope on mood, the neuroendocrine hormones, and the immune system spiritual coping with trauma—an overview of the research literature and how to address the spiritual coping needs and concerns of patients the role of faith in providing meaning to physical illness and the importance of the role of the health care professional in first understanding, and then assisting the patient in their struggle to find meaning the key components of spiritual care to increase the efficacy of spiritual caregivers the bereavement process with regard to religious, cultural, and gender variations, and the role of the healthcare professional in providing support This book shows you not only how to meet the spiritual needs of patients from a diversity of faith traditions, but how to overcome challenges to your own spirituality, such as “difficult” patients and patients whose cultural outlook is so different from your own it causes discomfort. Spirituality, Health, and Wholeness will help all health care professionals who want to bring spirituality into their medical, dental, nursing, occupational therapy, or physical therapy practice.