Soul Custody: Choosing to Care for the One and Only You

by Stephen W. Smith

Soul Custody calls readers to pay attention to the state of their soul—and free it to thrive. Every day, inner and outer violence ravages the soul, leaving us weak, fearful, and malnourished. In Soul Custody , Stephen W. Smith presents eight choices to help readers reclaim custody of their one and only life—choices about silence, community, vocation, honoring the body, finding one’s true self, and more. As Smith reminds readers, allowing God to shape the soul leads to the deep, full, and satisfying life that God had in mind all along. This is not a self-help book. It is not a book of easy steps to a happy life. It is an invitation to the life God dreams for each of His children. It is a call to start living—to let the soul wake up to life as God intended.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kenji · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually do not like books like this, but it was much better than I expected.

This book guides the reader through 11 facets of spiritual health in holistic way that stand in contrast to the overly-simplified "read your bible and pray more" tropes that many have grown tired of.
It was helpful to meditate about these things over time and reflect upon my own patterns of being.

What I liked the most about this book was the numerous allusions and references to a broad range of deep thinkers. Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, Thomas Merton, I think even St. John of the Cross. This seemed to be written primarily to an American evangelical audience in mind, but it was nice to see that the author wasn't afraid to draw much influence from the Christian mystics.

Certainly not a must-read, but certainly not a waste of time either. I really liked the holistic way the author presented spiritual health.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book allowed me to take long, hard looks at the state of my soul in very specific areas. It really helped focus my attention on areas of my spiritual life that I know are there but life keeps going and I don't (or won't) take the time to really address those areas with Jesus. I highly recommend this book as a forced way to slow down and assess the state of one's soul! This book is orthodox and replete with Scripture applied to the idea of the soul. This book was assigned to me to read before attending courses at the Soul Care Institute and I look forward to discussing it next week.

[Jay Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soul Custody offers eight practical ‘choices’ for looking after one’s soul—covering silence, community, vocation, body, true self, environment, friendship and action. It serves more as an invitation and reminder than a deep dive into new ideas. Some chapters (especially vocation and bodily care) hit home; others left me less engaged. It moved me toward greater awareness of my decisions, but it didn’t feel consistently memorable or sharply insightful. Verdict: 3½ stars.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to open you eyes to the neglect of ones self. Realizing that once you awaken to your spiritual growth, identifying what your purpose is here is important - what God created you to do and who you should be. This connection will make you whole as an individual and this book, helps you understand this process

[Yvonne Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soual Coustody is an excellent read which simplifies the need for healthy spirituality, the importance of balance between inner and external forces, and facing the reality that there is something or someone bigger than man himself. It is indeed a simplistic awakening of the conscious to the benefits of caring for your soul, and doing it now.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would recommend to anyone wanting to reassess their life...

[Jodie Pine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. This was my first required reading for the Soul Care Institute 2 year program that I'll be starting next month. Excited to put some of these great ideas into practice.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As stated, "This not a book of easy steps to a happy life." Stephen W. Smith, in Soul Custody, meddles (in a good way) in your life as a believer to awaken you to the direction of your life, to bring you to the place God has intended, out of the fast-paced, `accomplishment' world. He has broken it down into eight sections to help you understand the different concepts he is addressing. It's clear and concise information, with questions to jolt you awake from the rat-race of your fast-paced world, to slow you down and listen to that "still, small voice of the Holy Spirit."

The encouraging word is that "...for it is God that works in you to will and do of His good pleasure," (Philippians 2:13), but we must be willing to slow down, listen, and obey.

I love his closing Scripture, "Today, I have give you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!" (Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT)

Soul Custody offers eleven life-giving choices that everyone can make to free their souls from the world's demand and release them to live meaningful and satisfying lives:

1. Soul Care: Healing the Violence Done to Your Soul
2. Soul Choices: Turning your Life Around
3. Soul Solace: Choosing Stillness
4. Soul Focus: Choosing a Simplicity of Faith and Life
5. Soul Serenity: Choosing to Detox from Stress
6. Soul Sabbath: Choosing to Cease the Insanity
7. Soul Identity: Choosing to Become the Real You (In Christ)
8. Soul Vocation: Choosing What to Do in Life
9. Soul Address: Choosing to Honor the Body-Soul Connection
10. Soul Companions: Choosing Your Friends
11. Soul Action: Moving from Choice to Action

This would be a great book for Bible studies, Sunday Schools, and personal use, but preferably with an accountability partner. Highly recommend!

This book was provided by Audra of The B & B Media Group, Inc., in exchange for my honest review.

[Byron Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Angela Good · Rating 1 out of 5]

First 50 pages or so good...the rest = bleh. :(

[Margaret Chind]

*Thanks to TBBMedia for providing a copy for review through FIRST Wild Card Tours.*

[Robin Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We need our days to improve so that our lives can improve."