When is the last
time you thought about the state of your soul?
The health of your soul isn’t
just a matter of saved or unsaved. It’s the hinge on which the rest of your
life hangs. It’s the difference between deep, satisfied spirituality and a
restless, dispassionate faith.
In an age of materialism and
consumerism that tries to buy its way to happiness, many souls are starved and
unhealthy, unsatisfied by false promises of status and wealth. We’ve neglected
this eternal part of ourselves, focusing instead on the temporal concerns of
the world—and not without consequence.
Bestselling author John Ortberg
presents another classic that will help you discover your soul—the most
important connection to God there is—and find your way out of the spiritual
shallow-lands to true divine depth. With characteristic insight and an
accessible story-filled approach, Ortberg brings practicality and relevance to
one of Christianity’s most mysterious and neglected topics.
My Review
I believe we reflect less on the soul these days,
however, as Ortberg outlines, the Bible talks a lot about it.
This beautifully written book helps the reader to
understand the soul's significance and how to care for it. It starts with an
important and revealing analogy, one I've heard a few times, The Keeper of the
Stream. It is with this backdrop that Ortberg soon jumps to the core of the
book: "Your soul is what integrates your will (your intentions), your mind
(your thoughts, feelings, etc) and your body (your face, body language, and
actions) into a single life" and hence, "It's the most important
thing about you. It is your life."
The book is split into three sections:
1. What the Soul is
2. What the Soul Needs
3. The Soul Restored
I found greatest benefit in the first two
sections and particularly appreciated the sections that dealt with sin and how
it wages war against the soul: "Sin fractures and shatters the soul."
It is in our fallen natures that our souls are needy, needy for God, but often
we seek other alternatives that constitute idolatry.
Ortberg shares his own struggles with keeping his
soul set on God and provides some pointers through his own daily experience of
how he has developed the habit of walking through his day interacting with God.
Dallas Willard has played a pivotal role in Ortberg's life and understanding of
how to care for one's soul. Throughout the book we are given the opportunity to
share in many of their conversations on the topic, which I enjoyed immensely.
Ortberg has a very readable style, however, this
is a book that challenges and provokes the reader to draw closer to the Lord as
it is only "with God" that we can find true contentment.
Highly recommended.
Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter
