The 40-day season of Lent (excluding Sundays) starts this week with ASH WEDNESDAY. We are seeking a daily dose of soul-nourishment through John Ortberg’s book, "Soul Keeping". Subtitled “caring for the most important part of you,” it will encourage, console, cheer, and challenge you – if you let it. While we have daily excerpts intermingled with our IMMERSION material, you’ll benefit much more by joining us in reading (or listening to) the book itself. Here’s the first one:

The most important thing in your life is not what you do. It's who you become. That's what you will take into eternity. You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God's great universe... Your soul is not just something that lives on after your body dies. It's the most important thing about you. It is your life. (Dallas Willard)
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, page 23

This week's immersion focuses on Apostle Paul's words to Timothy. "Reflect on what I am saying" in regards to joining up with God's mission.  You will see much to reflect on in our scripture selections perparing for Lent.

As we step into this week,

celebrating You, Father, who made our souls to thrive in You;

We celebrate You, Jesus, who helps us find rest for our souls;

We celebrate You, Spirit, for continuing to transform us into the image of the Lord -- to the glory of God;

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
-- Jesus

What jumps out at you from this reading? Ask God why…

I called Dallas to ask him what I needed to do to stay spiritually healthy...There was a long pause -- with Dallas there was nearly always a long pause - and then he said slowly "you must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life." I quickly wrote that down. "Okay Dallas" I responded "I've got that one. Now what other spiritual nuggets do you have for me? I don't have a lot of time, and I want to get all the spiritual wisdom from you that I can."
"There is nothing else; hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, p.20

Father God, I want to stay spiritually healthy regardless of how busy this season of my life may be. Please help me to figure out what is most important and pursue it doggedly, not letting the less important parts of life distract me from staying connected to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

It is Well

H.G. Spafford

When peace like a river
attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

If a child is born with such withered legs that there will never be a possibility of walking or crawling, is the child's soul limited by these architectural disasters of the spine, pelvis and
femurs?
-- Soul Keeping, Ortberg, ( Boyd), page 36

Remember: Take five to ten minutes a day to stop and listen, to connect with God in music. Let the Holy Spirit use it to feed your soul.

Genesis 2:7

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

"Brother John, why is there such value and mystery to your existence? The really deep reason is because of this tiny, fragile, vulnerable, precious thing about you called your soul. You are not just a self; you are a soul. '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.' You're a soul made by God, made for God, and made to need God, which means you were not made to be self-sufficient."
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, (Dallas Willard quote) page 39

What’s our primary purpose for immersing in God’s Word?

Our chief goal with God’s Word is to bring about an encounter with the Living God, known as the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ – our Father in Heaven – Abba. 

We know God uses such encounters to create, sustain, or grow faith in His people and complete work He aims it to do in and through us.

Father God – ‘Abba’, as Jesus encouraged me to call you -- let me experience YOU in your Word.

Let me take time to reflect on who you are, and who I am in relation to you.

Let me get beyond the initial reactions and thoughts, past any uncomfortable moments, and let your Spirit speak to my spirit, transform my heart, and renew my mind.

Let him console and comfort me; let him heal and restore my soul in deep places.

In Jesus’ name I pray these things, Amen.

Romans 8:6

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
-- Apostle Paul

If your soul is healthy, no external circumstance can destroy your life. If your soul is unhealthy, no external circumstance can redeem your life.
~ Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, Page 40

Father God, the Apostle Paul claimed that he could be content in plenty or want, well-fed or hungry, doing it all through your strength (Philippians 4:11-13).

His circumstances were not necessary to his soul’s wellness. Let this truth sink deeply into my heart and soul, putting my mind at ease – at peace.

Help me to see you as the source of my wellness, my needs – my very breath – my source of life.

Let me find my life’s meaning in you. Let me find life in you (John 17:3) – in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Mark 8:36

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
-- Jesus

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.)

Augustine’s father was not a man of faith until late in life, but his mother's fervent belief in God was a strong influence on Augustine, one that followed him throughout his life. He spoke highly of her faith in his writings. 

Augustine moved to Rome in 383, hoping to advance his public speaking career. While Rome itself proved disappointing, his talents were recognized by someone who recommended him for the position of public orator for the city of Milan. 

There, Augustine heard the potent preaching of Bishop Ambrose, whose eloquence captured his interest, eventually leading to his baptism four years later. Other than having a city in Florida named after him, he is known for publicly defending the Christian faith against the heresies of Donatism and Pelagianism, and for writing the works City of God and Confessions. 

There, he wrote one of his most familiar quotes about God, 

“You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you.”

Thank You God for faithful moms (and dads and preachers) who disciple us, helping us see God as He truly is, and enabling us to become disciplers of others as well. Amen

I recall Jesus’ memorable words about the soul: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"

I have always thought this verse meant that in the long run it won't do you any good to acquire a lot of money and have a lot of sex and other sensual pleasures if you end up going to hell.

When I mentioned that to Dallas, he gently corrected me: That is not what Jesus is saying. Jesus is not talking here about people going to hell. He explained that Jesus is talking about a diagnosis, not a destination. If we think of hell as a torture chamber and heaven as a pleasure factory, we will never understand Jesus' point.

For the ruined soul -- that is, where the will and the mind and the body are disintegrated, disconnected from God, and living at odds with the way God made life in the universe to run - acquiring the whole world could not even produce satisfaction, let alone meaning and goodness.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, Page 44

Phillippians 4:12

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
-- Apostle Paul

Attending to the soul doesn't mean we neglect those practical things like career or help. The soul lies at the center of them all. It means I don't simply ask "How can I be more successful in my work?" Or "How can I acquire more money?" Instead, I learn to understand how my involvement in each area of life is marking my soul.

In fact, your soul can be all right when everything in your world is all wrong.
-- Soul Keeping, John Ortberg, Page 47

Thank you, Father God, for the blessings of food, both when it is plentiful and even more so when it is scarce. May I always appreciate it as coming from you, and always have an appreciation of others’ needs for it also.

Let me not become more attached to any of your blessings more than to You. 

In fact, I pray that you temporarily remove whatever blessings have become obstacles to my total grateful dependence on You alone. I ask this in Jesus’ name,

Amen.