Here Ortberg focuses on your soul, walking us first through what our soul is (do we even know?) and then providing specific areas of what the soul needs... and how we, as the keepers of our soul, take steps to have those soul-needs met. This runs counter to our cultural values of materialism and consumerism and if you feel you're 'missing' something, this just may be it. ( )

The Short of It:

If you’ve ever felt disconnected spiritually, there’s a good chance your soul was at the heart of it.

The Rest of It:

My life group read this book for our study and it was an interesting read. These kinds of books always seem to fall into my lap at the right time.

For the past few months I’ve felt “broken”, for lack of a better term. Just run down and ragged. I do all the right things and yet still feel empty sometimes. It’s the day-to-day routine that gets me. Waking up at 4 a.m., going to bed at 11 p.m. Same. Same. Same. I’v had enough. This book attempts to address this type of thing. If your soul is not good, the rest of you won’t be either.

I thought my soul was okay. Pretty good, actually. But after reading the book I see that my soul is not the center of my focus. I am now attempting to correct that. Did I get everything I wanted out of this book that I expected to? No. It left me feeling a little unsatisfied and flat. What Ortberg says, I agree with 100%. The important stuff needs to come first and the other stuff falls behind it. But the voice seemed off to me. It was a little repetitive and didn’t sound all that sincere even though Ortberg struggled with the very same thing.

All in all, I’m not sure my life group got a lot out of it. I think it would have worked better as a short video series or a podcast.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter. ( )

This is a book about the soul, or psyche, and the importance of looking after it. The writing is clear, and well-presented. The author gives anecdotes from his own life as a father and pastor, as illustrations.

The first section attempts to explain what the soul is, or at least what it is not. Perhaps it’s impossible to define the essence of who we are, in relation to God, and to other people. The main section focuses on the soul's needs; for instance a centre, freedom, gratitude, and more.

The final part of the book looks at suffering, and the ‘dark night of the soul’. The author acknowledges that this can happen, and that it’s not the fault of the person concerned.

I don’t know that I found any great new insights, but I found it encouraging and helpful in beginning to get a glimpse of what the soul might be, and becoming more aware of the importance of keeping it healthy.

Definitely recommended if you’re interested in this topic. ( )

This is one of John's best books! It helped me understand the true meaning of "soul". I will look at scripture that talks "soul-talk" a little more thoroughly from now on. The revelations I received were both joyful and convicting. I like books that make me re-evaluate. John writes serious topics with Biblical integrity, honesty and humor. I so enjoyed his conversations with Dallas Willard. I have never read one of Dallas' books but they are now on my "to-read" list. ( )

I really enjoyed this book by John Ortberg. ( )