All posts by Stephen Moon

First Discernment Team Workshop

June 23, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

First Leadership Training: Discernment Team Workshop on June 22, 2014, 8 pm – 10 pm

Scripture: Matt. 9:35-38, NRSV

Eight of us, a newly formed leadership group members of Fellowship of Mosaics gathered in Elk Grove to start the workshops called, “Starting New Worshiping Communities” on Sunday evening. Our first task is establishing our identity by articulating core beliefs about Jesus, Church, witness, gospel, and disciples.

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

As we meditated upon these verses, we realized that we are living in the worst time of the history as we all face helplessness in our time with our own agonies and selfishness to destroy each other. We all became like sheep without a shepherd. We all confessed that we were so selfish and lived like lost sheep.

We deeply sensed that we need to start a new worshiping community for Millennial (or Mosaic) generation with compassion of Christ because they are most confused and vulnerable generation filled with selfishness. They need Jesus because He alone can gives a true guidance for their life. We all agreed that Jesus is the body of Christ, our Savior, Deliverer, Redeemer, Healer and the Lord of our life within whom our life will be transformed to become new creations (2 Cor. 5:17).

To build a strong faith community, we have to be accountable each other with love and encouragement as we continually witness that love toward others are getting cold in our days.

We prayed that we want to become a love-giving community for the Millennials in the harvest of Mosaic generation. Amen!

Are Millennials Less Godly Than Previous Generations?

June 19, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

Are Millennials Less Godly Than Previous Generations?

by Barnabas Piper

Young people are leaving the church at an alarming rate. At least, that’s the narrative you hear over and over again.

As the narrative goes, these godless, self-centered, me-first, consumerist millennials are abandoning the church, the body of Christ, for individualistic spirituality. No more will organized religion suffice for them. They are forsaking the faith of their fathers.

We should be concerned, very concerned!

Assuming that young people are, in fact, leaving the church in droves, it raises a question: Are millennials more godless than previous generations?

It seems like the obvious answer is “yes”; they’re leaving the church, after all. But such a question deserves closer examination.

In decades past, America was a traditionally churched, religious nation. A significant portion of society was religiously involved, and church was a cultural centerpiece. Those who grew up in explicitly religious families and contexts attended church out of habit. It was expected that come Sunday morning, they would scrub behind their ears, put on their nice trousers and tie, and off to church they’d go.

The power of cultural expectations was enormous. In entire swaths of the country, a person was a pariah if he wasn’t a churchgoer.

But no more. Sure, the Bible belt still exists, but the cultural pressure to be in church week in and week out has waned to near zero.

Along with waning cultural pressure, the respect for institutions has diminished among young people, and with it the respect for institutional leaders.

While the good Reverend McGillicuddy might once have been a community icon and an authority figure in people’s personal lives, he is no longer.

Neither are churches community hubs (at least in white communities). Young people don’t look to institutions or their heads for instruction. The trust isn’t there.

And there is a reason trust is missing for the institutional church.

For decades, a gospel of moralism and legalism was taught in numerous churches. People attended because it was the “right thing to do” and a way to “get right with God.” The expectations placed on members were a particular brand of morality built around which things we don’t do (drink, cuss, smoke, watch certain movies, listen to certain music, etc.). It was a burdensome law, one nobody could keep.

Many didn’t even try, though they acted like it on Sundays. And while everyone knew it, they kept on doing it. Except now young people won’t pretend any more or follow an institution so full of fakery. They don’t trust the hypocrisy, and they reject the moralism.

So what is it young people are leaving behind?

In many cases, they are leaving a faux godliness. Millions of lost people, people hanging their hat on morality or mere attendance, populated the pews of the church in previous generations. They were just a lot harder to pick out than those who brazenly walk out the door, so hard we can’t even be sure how many there were.

To answer the question, no, millennials are not more godless. They’re just more obvious.

People suffer from the same sin condition now that we have since Eden. This generation’s expression of it is to reject the hypocritical, cultural Christianity of yesteryear. But the hypocrisy that was subtle before, while easier to ignore, was not godlier. It was no more connected to the gospel and to regeneration than is walking away from church altogether.

Yes, be concerned that young people are leaving the church, but be more concerned why. In many cases, it isn’t because they reject Christ; it’s because they never found him at church either from the pulpit or the pews.

[Disclaimer: Writing anything about “the church” is risky, as is writing anything about an entire generation of people. It requires writing in generalities and broad strokes. This is not intended to lump all churches, church-goers and millennials into the same boat but rather to speak to tendencies and trends over the years.]

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Barnabas works in social media and content marketing for Lifeway Christian Resources. He is the author of the forthcoming The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity (David C. Cook, July, 2014). Barnabas and his wife live in the Nashville area with their two daughters. Read his blog at BarnabasPiper.com and follow him on Twitter @BarnabasPiper.

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Source: http://www.churchleaders.com/outreach-missions/outreach-missions-articles/175022-barnabas-piper-are-millennials-less-godly-than-previous-generations.html

How to Begin a Relationship with God

June 17, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

How to Begin a Relationship with God

by Insight for Living

The world is filled with competing theories about God, religion, and salvation. Alternate views of Jesus vie for our attention at every turn. Different paths to different gods market themselves in the ever-changing desert of ideas. Yet in the midst of this world of contradictory claims, Jesus Christ made a bold assertion: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).

In a confusing world filled with signs pointing us down different roads of philosophies and religions, can we be sure we’ve placed our feet on the right path? The answer to this question comes from the all-time bestselling book, translated into more languages and read by more people than any other book in human history. The Bible marks the path to God with four essential truths.

Our Spiritual Condition: Totally Depraved

The first truth is rather personal. One look in the mirror of Scripture, and our human condition becomes painfully clear:

“There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)

We are all sinners through and through—totally depraved. Now, that doesn’t mean we’ve committed every atrocity known to humankind. We’re not as bad as we can be, just as bad off as we can be. Sin colors all our thoughts, motives, words, and actions.

If you’ve been around a while, you likely already believe it. Look around. Everything around us bears the smudge marks of our sinful nature. Despite our best efforts to create a perfect world, crime statistics continue to soar, divorce rates keep climbing, and families keep crumbling.

Something has gone terribly wrong in our society and in ourselves—something deadly. Contrary to how the world would repackage it, “me-first” living doesn’t equal rugged individuality and freedom; it equals death. As Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)—our spiritual and physical death that comes from God’s righteous judgment of our sin, along with all of the emotional and practical effects of this separation that we experience on a daily basis. This brings us to the second marker: God’s character.

God’s Character: Infinitely Holy

How can God judge us for a sinful state we were born into? Our total depravity is only half the answer. The other half is God’s infinite holiness.

The fact that we know things are not as they should be points us to a standard of goodness beyond ourselves. Our sense of injustice in life on this side of eternity implies a perfect standard of justice beyond our reality. That standard and source is God Himself. And God’s standard of holiness contrasts starkly with our sinful condition.

Scripture says that “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God is absolutely holy—which creates a problem for us. If He is so pure, how can we who are so impure relate to Him?

Perhaps we could try being better people, try to tilt the balance in favor of our good deeds, or seek out wisdom and knowledge for self-improvement. Throughout history, people have attempted to live up to God’s standard by keeping the Ten Commandments or by living out their own code of ethics. Unfortunately, no one can come close to satisfying the demands of God’s law. Romans 3:20 says, “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Our Need: A Substitute

So here we are, sinners by nature and sinners by choice, trying to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps to attain a relationship with our holy Creator. But every time we try, we fall flat on our faces. We can’t live a good enough life to make up for our sin, because God’s standard isn’t “good enough”—it’s perfection. And we can’t make amends for the offense our sin has created without dying for it.

Who can get us out of this mess?

If someone could live perfectly, honoring God’s law, and would bear sin’s death penalty for us—in our place—then we would be saved from our predicament. But is there such a person? Thankfully, yes!

Meet your substitute—Jesus Christ. He is the One who took death’s place for you!

[God] made [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

God’s Provision: A Savior

God rescued us by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins (1 John 4:9-10). Jesus was fully human and fully divine (John 1:1, 18), a truth that ensures His understanding of our weaknesses, His power to forgive, and His ability to bridge the gap between God and us (Romans 5:6-11). In short, we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Two words in this verse bear further explanation: justified and redemption.

Justification is God’s act of mercy, in which He declares righteous the believing sinners while we are still in our sinning state. Justification doesn’t mean that God makes us righteous, so that we never sin again, rather that He declares us righteous—much like a judge pardons a guilty criminal. Because Jesus took our sin upon Himself and suffered our judgment on the cross, God forgives our debt and proclaims us PARDONED.

Redemption is Christ’s act of paying the complete price to release us from sin’s bondage. God sent His Son to bear His wrath for all of our sins—past, present, and future (Romans 3:24-26; 2 Corinthians 5:21). In humble obedience, Christ willingly endured the shame of the cross for our sake (Mark 10:45; Romans 5:6-8; Philippians 2:8). Christ’s death satisfied God’s righteous demands. He no longer holds our sins against us, because His own Son paid the penalty for them. We are freed from the slave market of sin, never to be enslaved again!

Placing Your Faith in Christ

These four truths describe how God has provided a way to Himself through Jesus Christ. Because the price has been paid in full by God, we must respond to His free gift of eternal life in total faith and confidence in Him to save us. We must step forward into the relationship with God that He has prepared for us—not by doing good works or being a good person, but by coming to Him just as we are and accepting His justification and redemption by faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

We accept God’s gift of salvation simply by placing our faith in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins. Would you like to enter a relationship with your Creator by trusting in Christ as your Savior? If so, here’s a simple prayer you can use to express your faith:

Dear God,

I know that my sin has put a barrier between You and me. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die in my place. I trust in Jesus alone to forgive my sins, and I accept His gift of eternal life. I ask Jesus to be my personal Savior and the Lord of my life. Thank You. In Jesus’s name, amen.

If you’ve prayed this prayer or one like it and you wish to find out more about knowing God and His plan for you in the Bible, contact us at Insight for Living. You can contact a biblical counselor on staff.

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Source: http://www.insight.org/resources/articles/how-to-know-god/relationship-with-god.html?t=how-to-know-god

Don’t Ever Stop

May 27, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

“Don’t Ever Stop” by Chris Tomlin [Live @ Passion 2014]

Blessed Assurance

May 14, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

“Blessed Assurance” by Matthew West

Leader’s Three Qualification

May 12, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

Leader’s Three Qualification

1. Be Humble:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” – 1 Peter 5:6

2. Be Grateful:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

3. Be Flexible:
“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:12-13

Lay Me Down

May 6, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

“Lay Me Down” Live by Chris Tomlin

The 4 Friends EVERY Pastor Needs

May 1, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

The 4 Friends EVERY Pastor Needs

by Ike Reighard

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Pastors may be the most well-known, loneliest men on the face of the earth. Friendship is a vital part of New Testament ministry and leadership. Without quality, biblical friendships, we are modeling a flawed Christian lifestyle for our church members. Yet, for many, the difficulties of pastoral friendships outweigh the benefits.

Most pastors find themselves in an unhealthy relationship where their wife is their only friend and counselor. If a pastor continues to project his problems onto his wife, she will grow disillusioned and desperate to leave the ministry. I believe a pastor’s wife should be his best friend, but she should not be his only friend.

In my 30 years of ministry, I have learned that every pastor needs at least four types of friends.

The developer

Your best friend will always be the person who brings out the very best in you. According to Billy Graham, he wouldn’t have made it as an evangelist if he had to minister alone. Over 53 years ago, Billy Graham met his staff and best friends: Cliff Barrows, George Beverly Shea and Grady Wilson. These three men protected him, strengthened him, counseled with their wisdom and corrected him when he needed it. He is convinced that without these friends he would have burned out within a few years after his first groundbreaking crusade in 1949 (Just as I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham, pp. 125-129).

Developer friends will bring the gift of encouragement to a pastor’s life and bring out the very best in him.

The designer

We tend to think of a mentor as a personal, hands-on coach. The Latin and Greek define them more as “advisors” or “wise men.” Jesus was a master mentor. He ministered to thousands, trained hundreds, equipped twelve and had an intimate friendship with three men.

The designer mentors us in our marriage, ministry, child-rearing, civic involvement, business acumen or any area where we need a model. Designer mentors may live near or far, be acquaintances or strangers, or may even be dead. They “design” our lives through Scripture, books, tapes, articles or seminars.

The disturber

We need friends who will shake up our status quo. Disturbers ask us difficult questions, forcing us to take a closer look at motivations and ambitions. Disturbers know when we have retreated into our comfort zones, and they call us out to greater effectiveness. God uses disturbers in our lives to become the object of greater force that breaks inertia and propels us to greater achievement.

A biblical picture of a disturber is in Deuteronomy 32:11. In this passage, the mother eagle tears up the soft nest to reveal sharp thorns that bring discomfort to the eaglets. Because of discomfort, the eaglets leave the nest and learn to fly. The mother develops her young by repeatedly pushing them out of the nest and catching them until they become skilled flyers. Eagles were never meant to stay in the nest, and neither were we. The disturber pushes us to learn to fly.

The discerner

In a lifetime of relationships, perhaps only a handful of people are willing to play this vital role because it requires mutual vulnerability. More popularly known as accountability partners, discerners bring the gift of spiritual insight into our lives. They know how to speak the truth in love. They know how to exhort and rebuke, seeking to keep their friend on the right track. They are also vulnerable—the true friends who will walk into the room of your life while everyone else is walking out.

Proverbs 27:6 reads, “The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.” Always be slow in choosing your discerners and even slower in leaving them.

If you are a typical pastor without close friendships, I urge you to seek them out. They may keep you in ministry for the long haul, and your wife will thank you.

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Dr. Dwight “Ike” Reighard is the Senior Pastor of Piedmont Church in Marietta, Georgia, and President/CEO of MUST Ministries. Previously, Ike served as the Chief People Officer of a Financial Institution that was featured and benchmarked in FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Places To Work In America.” Ike is the author of four books and co-authored a daily devotional, Daily Insights, with Zig Ziglar published by Tyndale House. He resides with his wife Robin on Lost Mountain just North of Atlanta. You may follow Ike on Twitter @ikereighard

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Source: http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/173959-ike-reighard-4-friends-every-pastor-needs.html?p=1

How Do I Know God’s Will?

April 28, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

How Do I Know God’s Will?

by Charles R. Swindoll

Philippians 2:12–13

Want to know God’s will for your life? Let me ask you to stop, look, and listen. God makes His desires known to those who stop at His Word, look in with a sensitive spirit, and listen to others. When we go to His Word, we stop long enough to hear from above. When we look, we examine our surrounding circumstances in light of what He is saying to our inner spirit (perhaps you prefer to call this your conscience). And when we listen to others, we seek the counsel of wise, qualified people.

1. Stop at the Scriptures

The Bible tells us that the entrance of God’s Word gives light (Psalm 119:130). That it is a lamp for our feet and a light that shines brightly on our path (Psalm 119:105). God has placed His Word in our hands and allowed it to be translated into our tongue (both were His determined will) so we could have a much more objective set of guidelines to follow than our dreams, hunches, and feelings. Sixty-six books filled with precepts and principles. And the better we know His Word, the more clearly we will know His will.

Precepts. Some of the statements that appear in the Bible are specific, black-and-white truths that take all the guesswork about God’s will out of the way. Here are a few:

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:15–18)

These specific things are stated to be the will of God. There are even times that suffering is directly the will of God for us.

First Corinthians 7 says a lot about remaining single as well as being committed to one’s marriage. Clearly, this chapter (along with 2 Corinthians 6:14) states that a Christian is definitely not to marry a non-Christian. These are finely tuned precepts that reveal God’s will.

Principles. But the Bible also has principles, general guidelines to assist us through the gray areas. Not so much “do this” and “don’t do that,” but an appeal to use wisdom and discretion when such are needed.

We have both precepts and principles in our traffic laws. The sign that reads “Speed Limit 35” is a precept. The one that reads “Drive Carefully” is a principle. And that principle will mean one thing on a deserted street at two o’clock in the morning, but something else entirely at three-thirty in the afternoon when children are walking home from school.

Just remember this: A primary purpose of the Word of God is to help us know the will of God. Become a careful, diligent student of Scripture. Those who are will be better equipped to understand His desires and walk in them.

2. Look Around and Within

Philippians 2:12–13 presents a good cause for our cooperating with the Lord’s leading:

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

These verses highlight three specifics: There’s a willingness to obey. There’s the need to “work out” or give ourselves to doing our part with a sensitive spirit (fear and trembling). And then there’s the promise that God will “work in you” to accomplish His plan. As we remain alert to His working, paying close attention to doors He opens and closes, He directs us into His will.

Closed doors are just as much God’s leading as open ones. The believer who wants to do God’s will must remain sensitive and cooperative, not forcing his or her way into areas that God closes off. The Lord uses circumstances and expects us to “read” them with a sensitive, alert conscience.

We must stop and check His Word. We must look around and within. And there is one more helpful piece of advice to remember. We must . . .

3. Listen to the Counsel of Qualified People

Solomon the wise once wrote:

A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding draws it out. (Proverbs 20:5)

Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another. . . .

As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man. (Proverbs 27:17, 19)

Like a quarterback, facing fourth-and-one on the thirty-yard line, who calls a time-out to consult with the coach, so must we. God uses others to help us know His desires.

God makes His will known: (1) through His Word . . . as we stop and study it, (2) through circumstances . . . as we look within and sense what He is saying, and (3) through the counsel of others . . . as we listen carefully.

The better we know God’s Word, the more clearly we will know His will for us. —Chuck Swindoll

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Source: http://www.insight.org/resources/devotionals/how-do-i-know-gods-will.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20DailyDevo%20%28IFL%20-%20Chuck%20Swindoll%27s%20Daily%20Devotional%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Soul Keeping: What Is The Soul?

April 27, 2014 Stephen Moon Leave a comment

John Ortberg

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” – Matthew 16:25-26

What Is The Soul?

Your soul is the deepest thing about you. Jesus said that the soul is move valuable than the world. So why would we not value it? Two things are true: 1. You have a soul, 2. It is the only one you will ever have. – John Ortberg

As believers, we do not want to forfeit our souls. But what exactly is the soul? Can we identify it or describe it? Can we locate it in an x-ray? It would seem that something so important as the soul should be understood, protected, and nurtured.

In the new book and Bible study Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You, John Ortberg addresses the question: “What is the soul?” He begins with a comprehensive look at the soul as it is described throughout the scripture.

Watch the Trailer for Soul Keeping

In this six-session study, Ortberg shows that caring for your soul is necessary for your Christian life. John shows what your soul is, why it is important, how to assess your soul’s health, and how to care for it so that we can have a meaningful and beautiful life with God and others.

Play Session One of Soul Keeping

As you watch, use the outline below to follow along or to take additional notes on anything that stands out to you.

Video Notes

The Parable of the Keeper of the Stream

Questions about the human soul:

What is it?
What does it consist of?
Why does it matter, if it does matter? Is it doing okay?

All of us have an outer life and an inner life.

My outer life is the public, visible me — my accomplishments, my work, my reputation.
My inner life is largely invisible. It’s where my secret thoughts, hopes, and wishes live.

The self is not the soul.

In the twentieth century, we replaced community, society, church, and faith with a tiny little unit that cannot bear the weight of meaning. We’ve replaced all these larger entities with the self.
The self is a stand-alone, do-it-yourself unit, while the soul reminds us we are not made for ourselves or by ourselves. The soul always exists before God.

Your soul connects your thoughts, your sensations, your emotions, your will, and integrates them into an entire being.

The four parts of a human being: each part of a human being must be healthy and working as God intended it to, and that makes a healthy soul.

Will: The innermost circle is the will — the capacity to choose . The will is what makes you a person and not a thing. It is important but it is also extremely limited.
Mind: The second circle is the mind, a person’s thoughts and feelings. “The mind of the sinful [person] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6 NIV 1984).
Body: The third circle is the body. “Our bodies are like our little power packs — we couldn’t be us without them . . . But they are not the whole story. We are not just the stuff that our bodies are made of” (Dallas Willard).
Soul: The final circle is the soul. The human soul is what integrates all of our different parts into a single person.

“A healthy soul is an integrated soul, and an unhealthy soul is a ‘disintegrated’ one” (Dallas Willard).

When we’re dealing with a disintegrated soul, we have to come to grips with sin.
What does it mean to lose one’s soul?
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
What Jesus is saying is a diagnostic expression. To lose my soul means I no longer have a healthy center that organizes and guides my life.

You have a soul, and for you to have a soul that is healed, that is healthy, that is redeemed by God, matters more than the outcome of any circumstance in your world or your life. Your eternal destiny rests on the well-being of your soul — and only God can heal the soul.

What does it mean to “keep” one’s soul?

You have one soul; and gaining the whole world will not help you if you lose it.
Caring for your soul, allowing it to flourish in God’s presence and become a gift to the world around you, is the primary charge that faces you before eternity.
Your soul will live forever — and you are the keeper of your soul.

Study Questions

1. What part of the teaching had the most impact on you?

You Are the Keeper

2. A keeper is someone who is in charge of caring for, maintaining, or protecting something. For example, there are innkeepers, zookeepers, bookkeepers, groundskeepers, housekeepers, peacekeepers, shopkeepers, gatekeepers, beekeepers, etc.

Along with the parable John told about the keeper of the stream, what do these images of keepers suggest about the tasks and characteristics of “keeping” in general? For example, the stream keeper’s work was described as “unseen.”
What comes to mind when you think of these characteristics in connection with your soul? In other words, what might they reveal about what it means for you to engage in soul keeping?

Describing the Soul

3. It can be hard to define the soul, but sometimes we have moments when we recognize it even if we can’t define it. For example, John described feeling “an enormous combination of joy and humility and awe” when he watches a sunset at Big Sur, and how there is a depth to that experience that goes beyond what he can apprehend visually.

Think back over the last day or two. In what moments did you catch a glimpse of your soul at work? (If nothing comes to mind, think back to the most recent experience you can recall.)
How, specifically, do you recognize your soul in these moments? In  other words, what distinguishes these moments from other moments?
Overall, would you say you tend to be more aware of your soul in uplifting experiences (such as the one John described) or in experiences of hardship and suffering? Share the reasons for your response.

4. The Bible doesn’t provide a comprehensive definition of the soul, but the words biblical writers use offer insights about its meaning. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for the soul is nephesh (neh‘fesh) . New Testament writers use the Greek word psyche (psü-kha ̄’) to name the soul. The root words for both nephesh and psyche refer to “breath.”

Nephesh can be translated in several ways, but it is commonly renderedlife or soul. For example:

The ransom for a life [nephesh] is costly, no payment is ever enough. (Psalm 49:8)

Only take care, and keep your soul [nephesh] diligently. (Deuteronomy 4:9a ESV)

Psyche is also frequently translated as life or soul. We see both uses in this statement made by Jesus:

For whoever wants to save their life [psyche] will lose it, but whoever loses their life [psyche] for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul [psyche]? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul [psyche]? (Matthew 16:25-26)

In biblical usage, nephesh and psyche are words that encompass all that makes a person a living being, “summing up . . . the whole personality, of the whole self of a person.” In essence, they are words that refer to your life as an integrated whole and all the components that make you uniquely you.

Briefly reflect on the soul using the image of breath, the meaning of the biblical root words. For example, you might consider when you tend to be most and least aware of your physical breathing, what takes your breath away, or what makes you hold your breath. What parallels do you recognize between these physical experiences of breath and the ways in which you might experience, or fail to experience, your soul at work?
The three Scriptures quoted above stress the incalculable value of the soul and the importance of making an intentional effort to care for it. And yet, as Dallas Willard acknowledged, even among Christians, “very few people [are] seriously concerned about the state of their own soul.” Overall, how would you assess yourself in this regard? For example, would you say the attention and care you give to the state of your soul right now is the highest it’s ever been, the lowest, or somewhere between? Share the reasons for your response.

Caring for the Soul

5. John described a distinction Dallas Willard made between being busy and being hurried:

Hurry is the great enemy of souls in our day. Being busy is mostly a condition of our outer world; it is having many things to do. Being hurried is a problem of the soul. It’s being so preoccupied with myself and what myself has to do that I am no longer able to be fully present with God and fully present with you. There is no way a soul can thrive when it is hurried.

How would you assess the threat level of hurry to your soul right now? Is it very high, moderate, or low?
When are you most likely to succumb to hurry — to lose the ability to be fully present with God and others?
If you were to describe the characteristics of a person who is busy but not hurried, what would they be? For example, what would you expect to notice about their demeanor, their actions, and their interactions with others?

Your Turn

John said that this was the most important thing he had to say:

You have a soul, and for you to have a soul that is healed, that is healthy, that is redeemed by God, matters more than the outcome of any circumstance in your world or your life. Your eternal destiny rests on the well-being of your soul — and only God can heal the soul.

In what ways might the next twenty-four hours be different if you were to take this statement seriously? For example, how might it influence the decisions you make, the way you spend your time, or the way you relate to others?

You’re invited to leave your comments on this week’s blog!