“Brother John…The main thing you will give your congregation – just like the main thing you will give to God – is the person you become. If your soul is unhealthy, you can’t help anybody.”

Those were the words from Dallas Willard to John Ortberg in John’s book, Soul Keeping.

Dallas also said to John, “You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.”

How do we do this?

It is not possible to strengthen your soul amid constant hurry. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be productive and even have a lot going on. But there is a difference between being active and being hurried, or even harried on the inside.

So in the midst of never-ending things to do, how do we nourish our souls?

1. Arrange my day for unhurried time with the Lord.

a. For me it is the mornings. So, I limit early morning meetings. My best time for thinking and being creative is in the morning hours. In the afternoon my creative juices are limited, so that’s when I schedule time with people – meetings, mentoring, planning.

I try to take as much of the morning as possible to be with the Lord. My goal is no longer to accomplish a certain amount of reading or to receive something specific from the Lord, but to be with Him in a listening posture, not just a speaking posture. To sit with Him. To listen to Him through His Word and Spirit. To enjoy Him through nature and good music. To just be with Him.

2. Carve out regular time for reading.

In addition to the Bible, I tend to read several books at once. At least one or more of them are on the soul and/or about the nature of God. The better I understand who God is, the healthier my soul can become. This was Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Ephesians 1:17

Reading is an important part of feeding our soul.

3. Spend time with people who nourish your soul.

For more than thirty years I have had the privilege of having mentors who are farther along in their walk with God and ministry. I talk to them regularly, and almost every time I come away with a little more hop in my step. The one thing all my mentors have in common is that I had to ask them. I hope you can ask someone soon to be a mentor in your life.

Let me say again, the better I understand who God is, the healthier my soul can become. And a healthy soul matters. One more quote from Dallas Willard…