Review: Spiritual Fitness Checkup for the 50something woman

Dr. Sharon King created a pithy little spiritual self-assessment and coaching tool for midlife women modeled after the physical exam we’re all supposed to have at this point in our lives. (Thankfully, there’s no mention of a colonoscopy in Dr. King’s booklet!)

The Spiritual Fitness Checkup for the 50something Woman: Ten Steps Toward Midlife Spiritual Health (Healthy Life Press, 2010) is a 58-page tool containing 11 brief chapters a mid-life woman or small group could use to spark some self-reflection and prayer. For instance, Chapter 4 is called “Make A Fist”. It addresses anger and unforgiveness in three parts: a discussion of the issue, a Scripture reflection, and a handful of discussion questions. The brevity of this booklet is both a strength and a weakness. The short, devotional-length chapters allow Dr. King to offer a nugget of thought for readers to digest quickly. But some of these topics, such as anger or hearing from God, do deserve a fuller treatment. Perhaps if Dr. King revises the booklet at some point in the future, she might consider listing a few book and website resources, along with some additional Scripture for contemplation, at the end of each chapter.

The booklet is meant to be a conversation starter, and in that, it meets its goal. It might be a helpful resource if you are a women’s ministry leader in search of a conversation starter with the baby boomer women in your congregation.

*I received a review copy of this book from Dr. King’s publicist.