Survival Guide for the Soul
How to Flourish Spiritually in a World that Pressures Us to Achieve
-
-
4.8 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE WORD GUILD 2019 CHRISTIAN LIVING BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
"The pages you are about to read may feel like a literal rescue." —Ann Voskamp, New York Times Bestselling author
Survival Guide for the Soul is a profound spiritual exploration of God's love—a love that many of us understand intellectually without fully grasping or relying on in our day-to-day experiences—a love that fills our sails with joy and frees us to truly flourish.
Many of us are driven by an ambition to accomplish something big outside ourselves. On all sides, we're pressured to achieve—professionally, socially, financially. Even when we're aware of this pressure, it can be hard to escape the vicious circles of accomplishment, frustration, and spiritual burn-out.
Drawing on a wide range of sources from Scripture to church history to psychology and modern neuroscience—as well as deeply personal stories from his own life—Ken Shigematsu, recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal and pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC, vividly demonstrates how the gospel redeems our desires and reorders our lives.
Pastor Shigematsu offers fresh perspective on how certain spiritual practices help orient our lives so that our souls can flourish in the midst of a demanding, competitive society. And he concludes with a liberating and counter-cultural definition of true greatness.
If you long to experience a deeper relationship with Christ within the daily pressures to succeed, Survival Guide for the Soul is packed with biblical wisdom and a godly approach to transcend the human tendency to define ourselves by our productivity and success.
"Loaded with practical insights and encouraging thoughts, every reader will benefit from Ken's work." —Max Lucado, New York Times Bestselling author
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this inspiring book, Shigematsu, senior pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, ruminates on how people of faith can quit endlessly chasing success and be content to rest in God's love. He begins by admitting he has spent too much time pursuing success himself, pointing to the sense of a "divided self" that he believes many struggle with: the tension between worldly success and spiritual fulfillment. Shigematsu uses Augustine as an example when considering the sides of the self: the fourth- and fifth-century African bishop and theologian pursued a life of the flesh, fathered a child out of wedlock, and vacillated between what he wanted to do and what God wanted him to do. By eventually giving up his worldly desires and goals of becoming a famous rhetorician, Augustine found greater peace. Shigematsu then suggests a number of spiritual practices that can help readers discern what choices will lead to God's path, including silent meditation, keeping the Sabbath, and being grateful for life's abundant blessings. "Spiritual exercises," he writes, "attune us to God's presence, acting as sticky-note reminders that God is with us all the time." Shigematsu offers sage advice throughout and posits that following the example of Jesus will let believers redefine what greatness and success really means. Christian readers looking for spiritual rejuvenation will find much in Shigematsu's persuasive book.
