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SOUL FEAST: The Big List of Soul Care Ideas

November 23, 2020

I’ve been brainstorming, polling friends, reading books, and collecting resources from other writers for two months in order to bring you this Soul Feast, a huge list of soul care ideas. And I sure am excited to invite you to the table, friends! Before we dig in, I’d like to outline what I believe to be the four big principles of soul care. In other words, what makes these (and other) activities soul care and not merely self care or a leisure activity?

An activity is soul care if:

  1. It connects you with the source of life — God.
  2. It integrates your body, mind, and heart
  3. It encourages open-handed trust and a release of what you’re not meant to carry
  4. It allows you to savor beauty and the Giver of all good things

With that understanding, just about anything can become soul care with the right intentions behind it. A friend even suggested to me that canning–the actual process of storing food in air-tight containers–was a soul care ritual for her! She enjoyed working with her hands, seeing God’s provision and then admiring the neat, shiny rows of her finished product. She makes it sound almost lovely enough to try myself. Almost.

And, honestly, you probably don’t need this list. You probably just need to reflect on these questions to discover what your soul needs:

  • What do you love to do? You were created to specifically find joy and experience God’s goodness through that. 
  • How can you do what you enjoy with Jesus, thankful for and attentive to his presence?
  • What causes you to look both inward and upward, reflecting on the state of your inner world while bringing it to God?
  • What do you always feel internally refreshed after doing?
  • What stirs a sense of wonder, delight, or contentment within you?
  • What helps you let go of your anxiety and feel the assurance of His nearness?

Your soul is like your spiritual fingerprint, unique to only you, nuanced and grooved in ways that connect you to the Father’s heart unlike anyone else. Jesus is and forever will be the only Way, Truth, and Life; however, the way you experience Him is specific to you. And what drew you near to Him and nourished your soul last year may feel dry or inaccessible today. And that’s okay. Consider it an invitation to connect with God in a new way. 

This list of soul care ideas is not a check-list to get through but a resource to pick and choose from. Consider it prayerfully. What piques your interest? Is there an activity you used to enjoy that you’ve stopped doing? What sounds a little bit challenging that might stretch your soul in good ways? Do you have a tried-and-true, can’t-do-without-it practice? What will you try today? Next week? Next month? Put a reminder on your calendar so you’ll come back to it. 

Your soul is the undercurrent of every other aspect of your life–caring for the deepest part of you is the greatest gift you can give to those around you.

So, without further ado, the Soul Feast:

(Click image to download the PDF version or continue scrolling to read it all here.)

Click to download PDF version of the big list of soul care ideas

ACTIVITIES

  1. Get out in nature
  2. Journaling
    • Gratitude
    • Examen: When was I most aware of God’s presence today?
    • God, how do you see this part of my story?
    • Honest prayer, followed by listening for His truth
  3. Watching water, like the ripples in a pool or a cascading waterfall
  4. Worship, corporate or private
  5. Music
  6. Dancing
  7. Hiking
  8. Baking
  9. Enjoy an unhurried family meal
  10. Crafting
  11. Sewing
  12. Knitting/crochet/macrame 
  13. Canning or cooking
  14. Shooting hoops (a nod to my dear husband)
  15. Incorporate the liturgy of morning, midday, and evening guided prayers
  16. Create scripture art
  17. Laughter, try The Skit Guys or Michael Jr.!
  18. Fresh air walks
  19. Stillness to just be with the Lord
  20. Pairing a picture with scripture
  21. Morning quiet time with a hot drink
  22. Online sermons or podcasts
  23. Watch a flickering candle
  24. Sing around a campfire
  25. Reading (especially with chocolate in hand!)
  26. Cleaning house or organizing
  27. Bible verse coloring
  28. Pray with a coloring guide
  29. Photography
  30. Sketching
  31. Sex (Yes, I said it. And of course I mean within marriage! Have you ever thought to give thanks while making love?)
  32. Unplugged/tech free times
  33. Runs/jogs
  34. Christian Yoga
  35. Interact with Scripture
  36. Coffee with friends
  37. Fasting
  38. Feasting
  39. Taking communion
  40. Preaching the gospel to yourself
  41. Star-gazing
  42. Gardening
  43. Confession…out loud…to another human.
  44. Poetry
  45. Driving
  46. Sabbath
  47. Making cards
  48. Swimming
  49. Baths
  50. Silence and solitude
  51. Retreats
  52. Adding scents/essential oils to prayer or reflection times
  53. Visio divina
  54. Breath prayers
  55. Play an instrument
  56. Share a testimony with a friend
  57. Bike rides
  58. Canoeing
  59. Find beautiful rocks
  60. Hammocking or swinging
  61. Walking barefoot in soft sand
  62. Snuggles with a pet
  63. Watch old videos or flip through old photos
  64. Listen to the birds
  65. Enjoy an art museum
  66. Attend a classical concert
  67. Work on a puzzle
  68. Go fishing at a quiet lake
  69. Camping
  70. Sit by a fireplace

Before you read further, a quick disclaimer: I have perused all the suggested articles below, but I have not read every book, listened to every podcast, nor tried every app on this list. These ideas are compiled from friends of mine who come from many different streams of church influence. If something doesn’t jive with your usual mode of Christian practice, I’d encourage you to examine it prayerfully and keep the portions that enrich your life with Christ while simply brushing the rest aside. 

BLOGS

The Transforming Center

Soul Shepherding

Soul Care

“The Currency of Friends”

“The Internal Pacemaker”

The Presence Project

Hearing The Heartbeat

“Created for Community”

“Attachment Heals”

“Cultivate” Series

“Soul Space: Finding Time to Breathe”

Elizabeth Dixon

“Spiritual Practice” Series

“Does God Really Care About Self-Care?”

Lane M. Arnold

“Why Our Hearts Matter”

PODCASTS

Things Above

The Next Right Thing

Simple Spiritual Practices 

Deep Breath – “Self care vs. Soul care”

CXMH – Faith & Mental Health

The Presence Project

Exploring Peace Meditations

Renewing the Center

BOOKS

Soul Keeping, John Ortberg

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer

Rhythms of Renewal, Rebekah Lyons

Whispers of Rest, Bonnie Gray

Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton

Get Your Life Back, John Eldredge

Try Softer, Aundi Kolber

Invitation to a Journey, M. Robert Mulholland, Jr.

Soul Talk, Larry Crabb

Invitations from God, Adele Calhoun

Renew, Valerie Griffin

An Unhurried Life, Alan Fadling

Soul Care in African American Practice, Dr. Barbara Peacock (YouTube interview here)

Sacred Rest, Saundra Dalton-Smith 

Live Wide Awake, Laura DeGroot

Soul Care, Rob Reimer

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero

Unhurried, Amy Jackson

Hearing God, Dallas Willard

APPS

Soulspace

Pause

Lectio365

Abide

Reimagining Examen

Daily Prayer

What did I miss? Please tell me what your unique soul care activity is and how it helps you connect to God.


“Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
His soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.”

Psalm 25:12-14

MORE ARTICLES IN THE SOUL CARE SERIES

2 Comments

  • April November 26, 2020 at 12:38 pm

    Hey Corella and family,

    I hope all of you are well and enjoying a day of Thanksgiving in Thailand!!!!! A “BIG” thank you for the post, much needed in these trying days! Thank you for the Advent pdf which is such a wonderful present too. Praying for the Lord’s blessings and safety and for His glory to shine bright through you and your family.

    Peace and Joy in HIM,
    April in El Paso

    • Corella December 1, 2020 at 7:41 am

      Thank you, April. We had a very sweet Thanksgiving here with our “family”. And thank you especially for the prayers! May you be filled with all joy and peace and comfort, as well.

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