Pile - Fit for Purpose: Your Guide to Better Health, Wellbeing and Living a Meaningful Life

Contents

HarperInspire, an imprint of

HarperCollins Christian Publishing

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollins 2021.

Copyright Dr Richard Pile

Dr Richard Pile asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Japanese version of Ikigai () used with permission.

Copyright Nicholas Kemp, Akhiro Hasegawa.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture texts in this work marked (NABRE) are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 9780310124740 (TPB)

ISBN: 9780310124764 (Audio)

ISBN: 9780310124757 (ebook)

Epub Edition February 2021 9780310124757

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Printed and bound in the UK by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY

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To my family.

Beccy, this book would not have been possible without you. Thank you for your sacrifice, support, encouragement and for keeping it real. I love you.

Josh, Finn and Zac (aka Princes to Kings), I am proud of you; proud of who you are now and who you are on your way to becoming. Being your father has made life truly meaningful, enjoyable... and expensive.

Luke, no matter how difficult life may be, you live it to the full. You are the inspiration for this book, for our family and for every life you touch. Or to put in in your own words, you are awesome.

Do you feel well? Are you satisfied with your life?

How do you measure this? Which areas are important to you?

Do you have the right balance of physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing?

Would you like to be living life better? If so, what would that look like to you?

Have you already gone cross-eyed, developed a headache, and are now wondering whether you might have made a mistake starting this book? Were you hoping for more answers, preferably in digestible bullet points, with rather less in the way of questions? Dont worry. You havent made a mistake. The very fact that you are reading this and contemplating these big questions means that you are already in the right place and heading in the right direction.

What can you expect from this book?

This book will not change your life. Not by itself. Not if you just read it and put it on the bookcase along with all the other books about wellbeing, faith, or self-improvement that are already gathering dust. This book will help you to change your life... if you read, reflect, and act on it.

This book is for you and for everyone. Its short, its simple and pragmatic. It doesnt require you to have lots of time or money, or a degree in medicine or theology. Its practical, with advice and tips on making plans for achievable goals on your journey through life and in faith.

This book is going to challenge some of the behaviours and beliefs that we see, both in society generally and in the faith community specifically.

Finally, this book will leave you asking more questions of yourself and your community as, together, we consider what it truly means to be fit for purpose.

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Im going to start by coming clean: between you and me, I dont read many Christian books. Ive tried for over thirty years. I find a lot of them very preachy. Ive met some of the authors, who were even more preachy than their books. I cant relate. These people have it all figured out or seem to at least. They often come across as a bit smug, a bit holier-than-thou. Some of these books do have things of interest hidden within their pages, but finding them is like panning for gold and Im often left vaguely, but only briefly, interested as they arent immediately applicable to my own life. Some authors are rather too fond of the sound of their own voices.

When I was a student in Nottingham, I used to attend a very well-known church with a large student congregation. The pastor had a reputation for exegesis (explaining and interpreting biblical text) and had written a book, which he plugged shamelessly at church services. He once preached for almost an hour on two words from a Bible verse. Some people might view this as something of an achievement. For me, it was the straw that broke the camels back. I took the view that if, as a preacher, you couldnt get to the point in fifteen minutes, particularly when based on so little material, then you probably needed to rethink your life.

Dont get me wrong. There are a handful of books that have had a really positive impact upon my life and faith. What was it about these books? They either told an inspiring story (The Cross and the Switchblade; Run Baby Run; Gods Smuggler), were really practical and made memorable points that I could translate into real life (Too Busy Not to Pray), And yes, the more observant among you will note that I did just credit Richard Dawkins God truly does move in mysterious ways. The point of my confession is that Im making you a promise that I will do my best not to make the same mistakes in this book that put me off reading so many others in the past. I aim to keep it simple, honest, humorous, direct, pragmatic, and personal. Whether I achieve this is, of course, up to you to decide.

As far as Im concerned, this isnt a Christian book. Its a book about wellbeing and what it means to live a life thats fit for purpose, written by a Christian whose faith, life experience, and clinical expertise inform his understanding of these things. It isnt just for Christians, or for those who consider themselves people of faith. Theres plenty here for everyone, with principles that apply to all. Theres only one world, the real world, in which I live and work along with everyone else, regardless of our different philosophies. My view of such a world is seen not just through the lens of faith but also experience and evidence, all reflected in the way I have structured it. The book works best if you read it from beginning to end, but Ive laid it out so that you will still get something from it if you dip in and out as you wish.