Soul Keeping by John Ortberg
Week 10: Chapter 9 — The Unhurried Soul
Read Chapter 9 of Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. Key passage: Psalm 23; Mark 6:30–32.
Previewing Week 10 of Soul Keeping
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
Hurry may be the defining spiritual crisis of our age — and the antidote is not efficiency but a fundamentally different relationship with time. Read this chapter slowly, and resist the urge to rush through it.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.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?
2.Ortberg and Willard's concept of 'hurry sickness' — the compulsive, anxious rushing that characterizes modern life — is described as more than a personality type: it is a spiritual condition. Do you recognize hurry sickness in yourself? What are its symptoms in your specific life?
3.Psalm 23's image of the shepherd who makes the sheep 'lie down in green pastures' and 'leads them beside still waters' is a picture of soul restoration happening at an unhurried pace. What would it mean for God to 'make you lie down' today — what would he be asking you to stop?