Spiritual Practices for Soul Care

“In bite-size chapters, Barbara Peacock presents a heavenly feast for our hungry souls. From her vibrant African American spirituality, she introduces timeless practices for the modern person in pursuit of a meaningful walk with God. She’s a trusted guide, having traversed the landscape from which she writes for the past several decades. Join her in these forty practices and watch your soul come alive once more.”

- Stephen A. Macchia, founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc., director of the Pierce Center at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and author of Becoming a Healthy Church

“In Spiritual Practices for Soul Care, Barbara Peacock offers practical strategies and tools to promote spiritual growth and deepen faith in ways that honor and celebrate the rich legacy of Christianity. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to draw closer to God.”

- Rev. Dr. Felicia Y. Thomas, Morgan State University

“Reading Spiritual Practices for Soul Care is like making a soul friend. Barbara Peacock’s stories, reflections from Scripture, and prayer poems will embrace you in Jesus’ loving presence. Her diverse community of forty soul care mentors includes individuals from all walks of life: people from the Bible, saints ancient and modern, writers and preachers and activists. Each mentor illustrates a fresh and encouraging soul care practice to help you welcome God into every facet of your life.”

- Drs. Bill & Kristi Gaultiere, founders of Soul Shepherding and authors of Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith

“Brief enough to be covered in forty days yet deep enough to linger over for forty years, Spiritual Practices for Soul Care is a delightful combination of personal, practical, and even poetic spiritual counsel to care for your most precious possession—your soul.”

- David A. Currie, MDiv, PhD, professor of pastoral theology and dean of the Doctor of Ministry and Anglican Formation Programs at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“Filled with rich illustrations from her own life, Barbara’s latest book introduces her readers to a wide collection of spiritual practices, along with summaries of faithful practitioners from throughout the centuries and around the world. The resulting ‘host of witnesses’ spurs us on to run the race set before us, nurtured in body and soul and inspired to explore these practices further for ourselves.”

- Susan Porterfield Currie, director of the Selah Certificate Program at Leadership Transformations

“I am glad to encounter another helpful resource for guidance in personal and communal soul practices to deepen the journey into the holy from someone who walks the talk. Spiritual Practices for Soul Care is an irresistible invitation for embracing the divine nature in our daily walk. Dr. Peacock is serious, thorough, vulnerable, humorous, and at times very intimate in her narrative. Her work enriches academia and church life alike.”

- Sophia Steibel, PhD, professor of Christian education and spiritual formation at Gardner-Webb University

“As a faith leader and a mentor to other faith leaders, I am always looking for ways to deepen my own faith and provide resources to others. Spiritual Practices for Soul Care offers forty ways to help you put spiritual disciplines into daily action, and it is just what I’ve been waiting for. Dr. Barbara Peacock has always been a leader in spiritual direction and soul and self care. Now we have the written resource to accompany what we’ve experienced with her in person and virtually. She lives what she preaches and teaches. I’m excited and already planning to obtain copies to use at my retreats and cohorts. I’m celebrating Barbara and her new work, and I’m proud as a peacock!”

- Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, CEO of The Suzan Johnson Cook Global Centers for Women in Ministry and faith adviser to Presidents Clinton and Obama

“I have always known Barbara Peacock to be a creative and industrious disciple of Christ. As she has accrued many years of ministry experience, she has applied all of her gifts and talent to focus on the spiritual health of believers with special emphasis on leaders. This book is not an imaginative novel to use as a distraction from our complex realities. Rather, it is a tool to be used in our everyday need to continuously replenish our spiritual strength to survive and master our realities. I believe Dr. Peacock is in the forefront of motivating all of us to be as attentive to our spiritual health as we are to our physical and financial health. We should all be grateful for her insightful ministry.”

- DeForest B. Soaries Jr., Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, Somerset, New Jersey