Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg addresses the part of humans that is often ignored; the soul. The Bible talks about the soul frequently, but it is ignored often in daily life. The soul deals with our interior lives, our spiritual lives. It is imperative to live the life we were meant for. This book talks about the soul in detail and explains why taking care of our souls is so important. It is easy to get caught up in the physical life, in the material life around us. It is easy to be selfish. But to be free to live the kind of life God planned for us, to know God and have an intimate relationship with Him, we need to nurture our soul. Ortberg discusses the multiple areas that care of our souls can affect. He gives reasons why nurturing the soul is so important. And while this is an important topic, I felt this book was very repetitive. Ortberg covers the same topic in each chapter, and takes many of his points from his mentor. Although his points were important, I felt as if Ortberg discussed the same ideas over and over. The book covers the needs of the soul, but I felt as if I could've read the first few chapters and absorbed the points he was trying to make. I enjoyed the main concepts and Ortberg's writing. I just felt this would've made a better small group study than a book. Ortberg needed to expand on practical ideas for this book to have been more valuable for me personally. Ortberg tells us to nurture our souls, for example, but in general terms, rather than specific suggestions. While the book had value, it is not one I would recommend for those looking for action steps regarding soul nurturing, but more for large ideas. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”