12-Week Study & Discussion Guide

Soul Keeping

by John Ortberg·87 discussion questions

Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Ortberg opens the book by describing a life lived in the 'shallows' — skimming the surface of existence without ever going deep. What images or experiences from your own life does that phrase bring to mind?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for Soul Keeping by John Ortberg, with 87 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg is a heartfelt and searching exploration of the most neglected part of modern life: the human soul. Drawing on decades of friendship and mentorship with the late philosopher-theologian Dallas Willard, Ortberg invites readers to stop living on the surface and begin tending to what lies beneath — the soul, that deepest center of the self that is our primary connection to God. The book's thesis is simple but urgent: you can manage your career, your reputation, your body, and your schedule, and still lose your soul. True life — the abundant life Jesus promised — flows not from self-management but from soul care. Ortberg structures the journey in three movements: discovering what the soul actually is, understanding what the soul needs to flourish, and experiencing the restoration that comes when we finally let God tend to us at the deepest level.

This study guide is designed for small groups or individual study, with one week devoted to each chapter, plus an opening week for the introduction and a final Review & Reflection week. Each week, read the assigned chapter before your group meets or before you sit down to journal. Let the reading settle — don't rush it. Then work through the discussion questions honestly, either with others or in writing. If you are studying alone, treat the questions as a conversation with yourself and with God. Many weeks include a closing prayer drawn from the language and imagery of that chapter; use it as a launching point for your own prayer rather than a script to recite.

By the end of this guide, you will have a clearer picture of what your own soul looks like right now — its hungers, its wounds, its tendencies — and a set of concrete practices for cooperating with God in its restoration. You will also carry with you some of Dallas Willard's most luminous wisdom, which Ortberg shares with characteristic warmth and humor throughout the book. The goal is not information about the soul; it is the experience of a soul coming alive. Come expectant.

Week 1: Introduction — The Shallows

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Read the Introduction of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg.

Before we can tend to our souls, we have to notice that we have one — and that it may not be doing as well as we'd like to think. Take a few moments before reading to sit quietly and ask: What is the actual condition of my interior life right now?

1.Ortberg opens the book by describing a life lived in the 'shallows' — skimming the surface of existence without ever going deep. What images or experiences from your own life does that phrase bring to mind?

2.Ortberg frames his mentor Dallas Willard as the person who first made him take the soul seriously. Who in your life has pointed you toward your own interior life? What did they say or do that mattered?

3.The introduction raises the question: When is the last time you thought about the state of your soul? Be honest — how often does the condition of your soul actually occupy your attention compared to the condition of your body, career, or finances?

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12-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Introduction — The Shallows7 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 1 — The Life You've Always Wanted Isn't What You Think7 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 2 — What Is the Soul?7 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 3 — The Struggles of the Soul8 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 4 — What the Soul Needs8 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 5 — SOul Training: The Practice of Sabbath7 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 6 — Transforming the Soul7 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 7 — The Practice of Grace7 questions
  9. Week 9Chapter 8 — Soul Care in Community7 questions
  10. Week 10Chapter 9 — The Unhurried Soul7 questions
  11. Week 11Chapter 10 — The Restored Soul7 questions
  12. Week 12Review & Reflection8 questions

Week 2: Chapter 1 — The Life You've Always Wanted Isn't What You Think

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 1 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg.

1.Ortberg argues that the life most people want — comfort, achievement, approval — is not actually the life Jesus offers. What did you grow up believing 'the good life' looked like? How has that picture changed, or not changed, over time?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Chapter 2 — What Is the Soul?

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Read Chapter 2 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Genesis 2:7; Matthew 11:28–30.

1.Ortberg draws on Dallas Willard's definition of the soul as the organizing center of a person — the part that integrates everything else (mind, will, body, social relationships, soul). In your own words, what does it mean for the soul to be an 'integrating center'? What happens when that center fails to hold?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 3 — The Struggles of the Soul

All 8 questions →

Read Chapter 3 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Psalm 42:1–11.

1.Ortberg describes the soul as something that can be lost, damaged, shrunk, or starved — not destroyed, but diminished. What images in this chapter most clearly captured for you what a struggling soul looks like?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 4 — What the Soul Needs

All 8 questions →

Read Chapter 4 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: John 15:1–11.

1.Ortberg argues that the soul has specific needs that, when neglected, lead to predictable forms of decay. What are the primary needs he identifies in this chapter, and which of them surprised you most?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 5 — SOul Training: The Practice of Sabbath

All 7 questions →

Read Chapter 5 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Exodus 20:8–11; Matthew 11:28–30.

1.Ortberg presents Sabbath not as a religious rule but as a gift designed for the soul's flourishing. Before reading this chapter, what was your instinctive reaction to the word 'Sabbath' — obligation, irrelevance, longing, or something else? Did the chapter change that?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 6 — Transforming the Soul

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Read Chapter 6 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Romans 12:1–2; 2 Corinthians 3:18.

1.Ortberg argues that soul transformation is not about trying harder but about training — placing yourself in situations and practices where God can change you. What is the difference between 'trying' and 'training' in the spiritual life? Why does that distinction matter?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Chapter 7 — The Practice of Grace

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Read Chapter 7 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Luke 15:11–32; Romans 5:1–5.

1.Ortberg argues that one of the greatest obstacles to soul health is the inability to truly receive grace — that many Christians intellectually affirm grace but practically live as if they have to earn God's favor. Does that resonate with your experience? How does this show up in your daily inner life?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 8 — Soul Care in Community

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Read Chapter 8 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Hebrews 10:24–25; Galatians 6:1–2.

1.Ortberg argues that the soul needs community not as a supplement to spiritual growth but as a primary environment for it. How does that differ from how most people in your experience actually use church or small groups?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Chapter 9 — The Unhurried Soul

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Read Chapter 9 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Psalm 23; Mark 6:30–32.

1.Ortberg returns in this chapter to the theme of hurry, deepening the argument that an unhurried soul is not a luxury for monks and retirees but an essential condition for anyone who wants to live with God. What is your gut reaction to the idea of living at a slower pace? What does that reaction reveal?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 11: Chapter 10 — The Restored Soul

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Read Chapter 10 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Psalm 23:3; John 10:10.

1.Ortberg describes a restored soul not as a soul that has arrived at some static destination but as a soul that is increasingly integrated, alive, and at home with God. Does that description feel like good news, or does it feel unreachable? What does your reaction tell you?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 12: Review & Reflection

All 8 questions →

Review your notes, journal entries, and any underlined passages from Soul Keeping. No new reading is required this week.

1.Go back to the one-sentence diagnosis of your soul's condition that you wrote in Week 1. How would you write it differently now? What has shifted in your understanding of yourself and your soul?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
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About the Soul Keeping guide

How many weeks is the Soul Keeping study guide?

This study guide covers Soul Keeping in 12 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 87 discussion questions across 12 weeks — an average of 7 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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How are the discussion questions different from what I'd find online?

Free discussion questions online tend to be surface-level — "What did you think of chapter 3?" Our guides include questions designed to spark real conversation: questions that connect the book's ideas to personal experience, draw out different perspectives, and help group members open up and share honestly.

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