Fully Alive

'This remarkable book points not to some unreachable ideal of life but to a deeper, more soulful and meaningful experience of the lives we're actually living.'Oliver Burkeman'This is deep stuff, personal yet learned, funny and vulnerable ... the book I didn't know I needed.'Sally Philips'A great gift to all in search of a deeper life.' Krista TippettWhat does it mean to live a good, whole and fulfilling life? And if the world really is ending, or at least expecting turbulent change, what kind of people will we need when it happens?In FULLY ALIVE Elizabeth Oldfield explores how we can build spiritual core strength for an unstable age. Drawing on the ancient wisdom of faith and stories from her own life, Oldfield writes about her quest to live a meaningful, fulfilling life, and the niggling questions that bother all of us below the surface, such as: How can I focus on what really matters and stop getting so distracted by trivialities?How do I become a depolarising person in a culture of outrage, tribalism, and division?Can I find my highs in expansive, life-giving ways, rather than in a bottle of wine or a tub of ice cream?And what kind of world am I leaving for the next generation?FULLY ALIVE is for readers looking for an honest conversation about the deepest questions in our ordinary lives, and practical, meaningful ideas to help us pay attention to the people we are becoming. For ourselves, our communities and the world. 'Plainspoken, fearless, disarmingly tender. Oldfield is a leader by example, and her book is a glowing argument for faith - one that speaks urgently to our fractured world.'Rhik Samadder

I will be buying this book for everyone I know who is interested in what makes for a good life and gives meaning to our human experience. In dark times, this book is an invitation to have another look at a way of seeing the world; a way that has brought light and hope to many., Reading FULLY ALIVE was like sitting down for coffee with a well-read and passionate friend. Elizabeth is courageous, insightful, generous and gentle. Her book is a rare find: it never rejects complexity in its search for clarity and never allows authority to crowd out compassion and curiosity - I felt very nourished by the work - there is wisdom here., In turbulent times, what is there for us to hold onto? In FULLY ALIVE, Elizabeth Oldfield suggests gratitude, humility, connection, community. Her writing is honest, touching, often funny and always thought-provoking. I loved it., Plainspoken, fearless, disarmingly tender. Oldfield is a leader by example, and her book is a glowing argument for faith - one that speaks urgently to our fractured world., When I was writing UNAPOLOGETIC more than a decade ago, I knew the job would soon need doing again. And again. Because the bridge between faith and contemporary experience constantly needs to be rebuilt as times change. So here it is, then: the bridge for the present moment, across which seekers for more meaning in their lives can travel in the knowledge that they won't be bullied, browbeaten or talked down to. This book. This one. In your hand. Right now.

ELIZABETH OLDFIELD hosts The Sacred podcast and is the former director and now senior fellow of the think tank Theos. She appears across the media, including BBC Radio and television, UnHerd, the Financial Times and beyond. Oldfield is also a contributing editor at Comment magazine, Chair of Larger Us and a coach and consultant working with purpose-driven individuals and organisations. She lives in an intentional community in South London with her husband and children.