“I don’t deserve a soul, yet I still have one. I know because it hurts.”- Douglas Coupland, The Gum Thief John Ortberg concludes Chapter 1 of Soul Keeping by observing that we speak of the soul as a source of strength, yet we also speak of the soul as fragile. There is something about the […]
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”- 2 Thessalonians 3:18 “The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth, which means leaving things inside us.”- G. K. Chesterton My wife Vicki’s favorite flower is the amaryllis. It is […]
Part I of Soul Keeping focuses on what the soul is. In Chapter 1 (“The Soul Nobody Knows”), author John Ortberg asserts that soul is one of the most important words in the Bible. Yet, if the average man or woman on the street is asked to explain exactly what the word soul means, Pastor […]
John Ortberg dedicates Soul Keeping to the late Dallas Willard (1935-2013), noted Christian author and long-time professor of philosophy at USC. Soul Keeping is based on what Pastor Ortberg learned over the years as he sought Dallas’ wisdom in understanding the human soul. Dallas once gave the following advice when John expressed dissatisfaction with his […]
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.”- Genesis 2:7 Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You is the most recent book from author and pastor John Ortberg. In the Foreword by Dr. […]
Prayer (Dutton, 2014) Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God is the latest book by Timothy Keller, founder and pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Pastor Keller introduces the book by emphasizing that any book on the essentials of prayer must treat all three aspects: theological, experiential (devotional), and methodological. Prayer is […]
As Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 15 of Prayer, he poses four questions to help us evaluate our situation with regard to prayer. Pastor Keller asks us to imagine that our soul is in a boat, a boat with both oars and a sail. 1. Are you “sailing”? If your are sailing, you are living the […]
In Chapter 15 of Prayer, Timothy Keller expands on the ancient practice of “Praying the Psalms”, noting that from earliest times the church adopted the Psalms as its prayer book. Pastor Keller cites a letter from Athanasius to Marcellinus: “Whatever your particular need or trouble, from this same book [the Psalms] you can select a […]
Today’s blog incorporates the final three elements of Timothy Keller’s suggested frame work for prayer- Word prayer, free prayer, and contemplation. 3. Word prayer. Pastor Keller states that Martin Luther gives us an important and often overlooked step in daily prayer. Before he moved on to free-form prayer, Luther took time to “pray the text” […]
In Chapter 15 (“Practice: Daily Prayer”) of Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, Timothy Keller outlines his suggested framework for daily prayer, emphasizing that neither the details nor the order is written in stone. The framework consists of evocation, meditation, Word prayer, free prayer, and contemplation. Evocation and meditation are discussed today. 1. Evocation. […]
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”- Psalm 66:18 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”- 2 Corinthians 5:21 Timothy Keller concludes Chapter 14 of Prayer by reminding us that, in […]
“I tell you, though, he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise up and give him what he needs.”- Luke 11:8 In Chapter 14 of Prayer, Timothy Keller states that there is a necessary balance between the two purposes of petitionary […]