Soul of the Shepherd
The Library
Living in the Landscape of Psalm 23
We invite you to explore with us how to live in the landscape of Psalm 23. In these written reflections you’ll find ways to become more familiar with the Good Shepherd’s care for your soul.
Browse the library by topic
Contentment
“I shall not want”
Restoration
“You restore my soul”
Guidance
“You guide me”
Encouragement
“You are with me”
Reconciliation
“You prepare a table before me”
Faithfulness
“All the days of my life”
Spiritual Direction
Guided Prayers
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Contentment
“I shall not want”
Explore ways to attend to the good desires and needs we have as we entrust ourselves to God’s care.
Recent Posts
Our Family Sabbath with Psalm 23
by Adam Chiarelli Every Friday morning, barring innocent distraction or blatant forgetfulness, our family will sit together, some of us still and some very squirmy, seeking to let each word of this psalm seep into the cracks of our weary being. It's...
The Lord Is
by Mark Werner A thunderstorm is moving in from the southwest as I sit quietly and alone on my back porch. Clouds that are thick with rain make the day feel darker than it usually is at this time. I am sitting still; the openness of my heart is toward prayer; as the...
Wait for the Lord
by Jill Weber Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14 In our modern era of hurry, worry, hustle and instant gratification, waiting on the Lord seems to be a lost art. As a senior leader of not one, but three ministry...
Restoration
“You restore my soul”
Explore the ways we attend to our soul care in the highly demanding and sometimes depleting role of being a ministry leader.
Recent Posts
Part 1: Healing is in Your Places of Joy
By David Achata For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the human journey – how we grow, change, and ultimately heal. There’s a profound wisdom in understanding how the threads of our experiences are woven together to create the unique individuals we...
Part 2 : Want Joy? Release Control
By David Achata This is the second reflection in a 5 part series. To view the first, Healing is in Your Places of Joy, click here. The Illusion of Control The hard thing about being a controlling person (like me) is the continual resistance from everything around. Or...
Part 3: Becoming a Unified Person
by David Achata This is the third reflection in a 5 part series. To read Parts 1 or 2, click below. Part 1: Healing is in Your Places of Joy Part 2: Want Joy? Release Control “You can’t hold on to anything new if your hand is tightly grasped around something else.”...
Guidance
“You guide me”
Explore the ways we can pay attention to the invitations from God in receiving guidance amidst the noise of competing voices.
Recent Posts
The Prayer of A Minor Prophet
by Joe Steinke with David Shirk Introduction Angie and I met David Shirk when we were in our mid thirties. He was a deep soul with crystal blue eyes that seemed to look right through you. After our first conversation, he said something like this; "Joe and Angie,...
The Shepherd’s Voice: My Introduction to Psalm 23
by Terra McDaniel When I was around five, I recited the twenty-third Psalm into a microphone as big as my face one night at church. As a shy kid, I was equally proud and petrified to walk toward the man holding the mike and make it to the end with no mistakes. That...
God’s Guidance Through Our Desire, Design, and Disciplines
by Roger Nix Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5 “The way to spiritual wholeness lies in an increasingly faithful response to the One whose purpose shapes our path, whose grace redeems our detours,...
Encouragement
“You are with me”
Explore the ways we can be attentive to the presence of God through all of life’s circumstances, especially in suffering and grief.
Recent Posts
The Key to Connection Part 1: Grief
by David Achata Grief is a universal language. Yet, are we forgetting how to speak it in our positivity-obsessed world? What if I told you that grief was a key for connection? We all experience loss, moments that leave us raw and exposed. Caring for my mother as...
The Key to Connection Part 2: Lament
by David Achata This is the second in a four-part series. To read Part 1, click here. We live in a culture that promises certainty with good effort and planning. We chase achievements, build elaborate safety nets, and believe we can navigate life’s storms with sheer...
The Key to Connection Part 3: Tears
by David Achata This is the 3rd reflection in a 4-part series. To read parts one or two, click here: 1, 2 In my deepest wound I saw your glory and it dazzled me. – St. Augustine Many years ago I went to the desert to weep. The pain was suffocating. Fresh from the loss...
Reconciliation
“You prepare a table before me”
Explore the ways we can receive the overflow of God’s grace amidst opposition and conflict unto reconciliation and celebration.
Recent Posts
The Table
by Joe Steinke ____________________ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ______________________ Resetting the Table as the Centerpiece of Ministry An...
Knowing God as a Loving Parent: Learning from Julian of Norwich’s Wisdom
by Terra McDaniel Julian of Norwich’s Showings has been food for my soul. I have needed spiritual mothers in addition to spiritual fathers to guide me. I need to know what they thought, what they wondered, how they lived. I need to know that they lived. I wonder if...
Faithfulness
“All the days of my life”
Explore some ways to understand your life stage and how to sustain faithfulness in ministry for a lifetime.
Recent Posts
Finding a Greater Grace From a Deeper Well
APPLE PODBEAN SPOTIFY Our friend and Soul of the Shepherd Council of Contributor, David Achata, sits down with Joe Steinke to talk about what it was like to grow up in community during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. Joe reflects on the rhythms and relationships that...
The Yearly Review For Ministry Leaders
by Chris Klausen The Yearly Review for Ministry Leaders is a reflection tool designed to guide you through a prayerful review of the past year. It serves as a valuable practice for sustaining faithfulness in your life with God and your ministry. It invites you to slow...
The Buffet Years: Settling Into Our Ministry Maturing Stage of Life with Grace
By Joe Steinke A very wise mentor friend of mine once said to me; Joey, don’t ask this season of life to deliver more than it has to offer, because if you do, you may become deeply discouraged. I was in my late twenties working 3 part time jobs,...
Spiritual Direction
Explore short pieces that explain the various ways Spiritual Direction serves ministry leaders.
Recent Posts
Group Spiritual Direction
by Chris Klausen Ministry leadership can be lonely at times. There’s a deep need to connect with others who truly understand the weight of leadership, the joys and challenges of ministry, and the unique ways God meets us in it all. Group spiritual direction provides a...
What is Spiritual Direction?
By Peter White Once upon a time I wanted to get in shape. I lived nearby a church with a pretty stellar fitness center and super affordable rates. My problem was, I could walk into the gym, but I had no idea what I was doing once I got there. Thankfully, I had a buddy...
What is a Spiritual Director
By Peter White Bryan was the first spiritual director I ever sought out. He was a deacon in our church with a deep, quiet wisdom about him. I was in a transitional season. I had finished seminary, but the next steps weren’t working out the way that I had planned....
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