Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! Burr it was -23 when we got up this morning and colder up at the lake. We are going up there for supper tonight and to celebrate Paul and Lar’s birthdays. This morning I cleaned the apartment, made our favorite bars, and Lar’s favorite salad. We are going to make a stop on the way as it was a friend’s birthday yesterday. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all have a choice to make whether we settle for a shallow life lived on the surface or one that is centered in God with a deep interior life. Sadly, some people are not interested in their inner life and live on the surface, as their soul gradually shrivels. I have been reading John Ortberg’s book, Soul Keeping, and he shares that in each of us there is a soul that integrates our whole being—will, mind, and body—into a spiritual being with an eternal destiny; but when we are not centered in God, we are like a flower that is no longer connected to the vine and we wither. We need to give attention to our interior life and Ortberg compares it to a stream. He tells the story of an old man who lived high in the Alps by a stream that was fed by springs. The water was crystal clear and the old man would travel between the springs and clean out the debris that would pollute the water. He was called the Keeper of the Springs. Because much of his work was done unseen, the town council decided not to pay him and put their money elsewhere. But when the springs were not tended, mud and silt, branches and farm wastes turned the stream into stagnant bogs. After a while the towns people noticed that the children didn’t play there any more, the swans flew away, and people became ill. Then the council took action to rehire the old man and health was restored. The stream is compared to our soul and we are the keeper. If we tend our soul it will bring harmony to the other areas of our life and give us strength and direction. When our soul is rooted in the Lord we will be constantly refreshed and experience incredible peace. Al has a soul care group for the men at church and they meet together and help one another in their walk with the Lord. We read verses of Scripture that tell us that He will keep our souls, sustain our souls, satisfy our thirsty souls etc. In Psalm 62:5(ESV) David says, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.” In the Message translation David says in the next verse, “He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul.” We were made for fellowship with the Lord and when we know Him in a deep way, it is well with our soul!
Challenge for today: Quiet yourself before the Lord and ask Him to bring restoration to your soul.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy