Care for my Soul!

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who is "listening" to you share hardships in your life and all they say is, "I'm so sorry. I hope things get better. See you later!" or a simple "I'll be praying for you," and never follow up? Do you ever wish that someone would want to care about you more? Or do you wonder if people are even capable of caring for you in the way you desire to be cared for, deep down in your heart? We will be discussing these questions throughout this semester as we study the history & theory of "Soul Care" in the church. There is a potential for us to care for and be cared for by others, as we will see throughout history. We were created to be cared in the deepest parts of our hearts and God has given us the capacity to help bear one another's burdens as we point people to Jesus. This is great news and hope for our lonely and tender hearts that desire to be known!

History & Theory of Christian SoulCare & Direction

This class is "an introduction to the history and theory of spiritual soul care, mentoring and direction from a biblical experimental and psychological perspective. Specific focus is on assisting others in deepening their relationship with God through increased sensitivity and responsiveness to the Holy Spirits' presence and work in all areas of life (including the common and ordinary). Attention is also given to understanding the personal dynamics at work within and between the director and directee and the role of spiritual guidance within the broader context of pastoral care and mentoring as well as in the more specific discipline of spiritual direction."

Books

            

       

1. Desiring the Kingdom by James K.A Smith

2. The Rule of Saint Benedict by St. Benedict

3. Water From a Deep Well by Gerald L. Sittser

4. John and Charles Wesley: selected writings and hymns by Frank Whaling

5. Seeking God: the way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal

Choose 1 for an assignment:

6. The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle

or

7. Celtic Daily Prayer by Northumbria Community

*Some of these books give a one-sided perspective of a distinct tradition, yet our goal is to study how Soul Care has been done throughout church history and glean insights that we can apply now.

Week 1 Class Highlights

In studying soul care it is important to define terms, since the subject is abstract. Here are some of the interesting explanations for how to understand our human being:

Soul: the essence of being or life, ultimately derived from God. A soul equals the spirit & the body. Soul comes from the hebrew word "nephesh", "animating breath" which God breathed into dust, creating man. Soul includes mind/heart/body/spirit, it is the whole individual, the essence of humanness. 

Spirituality: Generic, how one relates to the spiritual world or how we live out our beliefs. 

Christian Spirituality: Is a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit that reaches to the deepest recesses of the human experience

Soul Care: both the care and cure of souls, this includes both the action to support and the effort to heal.  Since souls can both be destroyed and wounded, soul care ties together the repentance and remediation of the person and their maturity into Christ-likeness. 

Week 1 Assignment

1. Read Sittser: Intro, Chapter 1-3 & endnotes

2. Sittser p.49 writeup, write your own obituary

3. Writeup 1-2 pp on your own Biblical Theology of Soul Care (bullet points, or outline)