Soul Care and Learning to Live the Abundant Life of Jesus with Steve Smith (Part 1)

Cultivate the Ordinary

In this episode, Travis and Jess interview their good friend and mentor Steve Smith. After years of relentlessly chasing the intoxication of results and "success" in ministry as a pastor, Steve was beyond burnout at a large church in 1996. It was then that he received the life giving guidance and soul care direction from his mentor, Dallas Willard (beloved philosopher, writer, and theologian).

After regaining his footing, Steve had a newfound energy, hope, and purpose. He and his wife Gwen embarked on a new journey into the world of soul care where they've helped ministry and marketplace leaders return to wholeness and healing for nearly 30 years.

Steve and Gwen went on to found Potters Inn and later The Soul Care Institute to provide resources and immersive retreats to fulfill the mission of creating "a space for people to become present to God and care for the deep longings of the soul." Steve has authored many books on soul care and has a long running podcast called Soul Care Conversations.

Steve shares insights on what it means to care for the soul and why caring for the soul is crucial to living "the abundant life of Jesus." Interwoven in this conversation are personal anecdotes and raw and honest stories from Steve on his journey from "hemorrhaging" to finding healing. Steve shares about the importance of knowing and living into our belovedness in the eyes of the Father. He gives some helpful questions to triage our weary souls and then gives some really foundational aspects to "learning to live with the soul in mind." This podcast could not come at a better time for most of us. We need Steve's words and guidance as many of us find ourselves weary, anxious, burned out, and struggling to know the first thing about soul care.

Steve's resources mentioned in the podcast:

https://www.pottersinn.com/

https://www.soulcareinstitute.com/

Soul Care Conversations Podcast

https://www.pottersinn.com/podcast

Steve’s poem “Belovedness”

https://pottersinn.substack.com/p/belovedness

Steve's books

https://www.pottersinn.com/store-new

Other books mentioned:

Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self Discovery

Additional resources from Travis and Jess:

Guided Pace website: resources for coaching, soul care, and spiritual retreat offerings

Travis' books:

Shiny Eyes: Seeing Better Through the Lenses of Joy, Tears, Beauty, and Hope

Redemption's Echo: Living in the Reflection of God's Grace