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The Barnacles of Life

What Dallas Willard taught me about living the Jesus way in ministry.
The Barnacles of Life

We have all seen people neglect their souls for the sake of "ministry," which usually means building a large church or a successful organization. For most of my life, I believed there was a tension between caring for the demands of ministry versus caring for the needs of the soul. Now I'm not so sure.

A distinction might be helpful here. "Caring for your soul" is not the same thing as having a manageable life, or reducing the demands on you, or creating margins that always leave you feeling comfortable, or making regular trips to the spa/ocean/golf course/Baptist campground/Episcopal retreat center.

A healthy soul will always manifest itself by (among other things) pouring itself out for the sake of others. It is a contradiction in terms to think of a healthy soul being preoccupied with its own ease, comfort, and security, or being unwilling to sacrifice in a world of need.

Jesus himself was under constant demand and yet lived with richness of soul. Not only that, ...

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