Mike King is the first name that comes to mind when this subject is raised. But as needed as his work is, it's only aimed at a relatively small (but not insignificant) segment of our population. We all have bodies, and all need to look after our bodies. But of the loudly heard opinion, most assumes what is good for one is good for all. That is simply not true. Diet and exercise are two things that will benefit all humans. Beyond that each of us must find out what is most helpful to us.

The same applies to our souls (minds, emotions and will). What is beneficial to one will not be so good for another. As well, our bodies are not separate from our souls. I don't understand the connections, but it's long known that a positive attitude makes a difference to the body. (We all know that it works the other way - it's harder to be positive when suffering.) Our spirit also interacts with these two.

I came across a talk by David Riddell, who I'd never heard of, but a friend tells me he comes to Wellington (all the way from Nelson) every year, and is highly respected around the world. I haven't been to a traditional church service for a couple of decades or more so seeing people talk in a church is not native to me. But I am interested in the topic and his sense of humour helped. The fact that he talked about reality rather than theory and included God naturally when relevant added further.

Best of all he didn't have the traditional three points to his message. Twelve is a lot more, and it soon became apparent that his points were only the briefest of summaries - each one merits far more more than the few minutes we get here. More than that, the relationships between the points, combining in different ways according to the individual concerned, give rise to so many possibilities. In each of the twelve points there is a basic no-nonsense platform. But there isn't a "this is the way - there is no other".

At the very least it provides a structure to my thinking on this complex subject. It takes about ¾ of an hour, but provides a great launching pad for this area.