John Ortberg’s book titled, “Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You” is an important book that will not be read by many. Very few people in our culture care about their soul. Virtually everybody cares about their body. The symptoms of a sick soul are many but one of the main ones is the inability to care for anybody else. If the soul is unhealthy, all a person does is look for ways to help himself. He’s too sick to have a mind and heart for others. Sometimes we call this narcissism but maybe that sick preoccupation with oneself is really a symptom of an unhealthy soul. An unhealthy soul is the result of neglect. When we neglect the One who made us, His provision for us, His statements about us and practices that yield inner health we have no one to blame but ourselves. Often the neglect is blamed on our pace of life. We should remember that the hurried life is a choice. Being busy is normal, being hurried is a self-induced affliction. In Ortberg’s book, he tells the story of seeking counsel from his mentor. His mentor told him that the first thing he needed to do to Can anybody really do that? What would your life look like in 2015 if your soul was flourishing rather than shriveling from neglect? Maybe you are already aware of your need or maybe you are already flourishing. I shouldn’t presume that the reader is not caring for his/her soul. That’s partly an occupational hazard. My “sample” is a bit limited. I usually don’t see people with flourishing souls in my study. I usually see people whose souls are in serious disrepair. Part of my role as a pastor is to help people learn how to come to the Shepherd who “restores our soul” as the 23rd Psalm so beautifully describes. But, soul restoration will not happen simply by saying, “Oh Shepherd, restore my soul!” It will be preceded by green pastures and still waters. We rearrange our lives to do whatever we really want to do. Could we arrange our lives this year to care for the most important part? We’ll have some suggestions on Sunday for how to do this.