Soul Keeping by Howard Baker

I first discovered this book at the Prayer Retreat House in Idaho Springs several years ago. I read a few pages and was intrigued with the ideas he presented so I bought myself a copy. I finally made the time to read all the way through it and found much to underline and put into practice in my own life.

I'll share with you a few of my favorite thoughts.

"God is always leading us somewhere. Do we understand this? Most often, we are focused on our own goals and plans, and before we know it, we feel as if we are on our own. We look up and realize that we have no idea where God is in our lives. We sense a separation from God, even though a firm knowledge of Scripture tells us He is 'very near'."

In his chapter on Praying the Psalms, he says "Praying and singing the psalms together would have been the practice of Jesus and His disciples as they observed the Jewish tradition of morning and evening prayer. Paul encouraged the Christians to use the psalms in their community worship (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16)...Today, we feel restless if worship does not move us as individuals. Worship is meant to be centered upon God. And it is also an act that binds me to a community, rather than dividing me from others who do not desire the form or emotional pitch of worship that I prefer. [Ouch, that struck a nerve.]...If I take the path of psalm-praying, my vision of prayer changes. I am likely to move out of the narrowness of my individualism, and move into participation with the community of faith which is beyond my own personal desires and purposes."

And in the chapter on Gospel Meditation, "Today, the gap between what Christians say they believe and what they actually experience has widened precipitously. The quest for the reality of God has lured the church into politics, marketing, entertainment, emotionalism, sensationalism, and any number of other 'isms.' We have looked for Jesus in all the wrong places. Elijah did not find God in the whirlwind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but in the "still, small voice." Neither will we find Christ in the noisy or the spectacular until we can first see Him in the quiet and the ordinary--in the reality of our own lives."

There is much more I wish I could share from this book, but this post is already too long and if I write any more, you won't read it. So, get a copy of the book and read it for yourself. I think you'll be challenged and encouraged.