About Spiritual Direction

What is spiritual direction?

Spiritual direction is an open, hospitable space to seek God through scripture, contemplative prayer, and God’s unique movement in people’s lives.

A spiritual director is a companion for your spiritual journey. Spiritual direction is focused on helping people pay attention to what God’s doing in their lives—both the everyday elements and the more overtly spiritual parts—and to respond to what they sense. A spiritual director is not one who tells a person what to do, but one who points their attention—“Behold,” “Hey, look!”

Spiritual direction is a spacious, gracious space for soul care. By setting aside time to devote to God, a person shows care to their soul, and opens their time and attention for the ultimate nourisher of souls: God. Both the director and directee listen to the Holy Spirit, as the director listens wholeheartedly to the directee.  

Spiritual direction has a rich history in the church. It complements other disciplines like discipleship, pastoral counseling, mentoring, and coaching, but it’s unique in its focus on growing with God—rather than pursuing a defined goal—and its reliance on the Holy Spirit to set the agenda.

A spiritual director helps a person approach the throne of grace with freedom and confidence.

 

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

Ephesians 3:12

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

In The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Barry and Connolly describe the director and directee, as

“beings on the lookout for God.”

What’s a session like?

Generally a session lasts an hour, about once a month, and can occur in person, through a video call online, or by phone. It’s usually one-on-one, but spiritual direction can also occur in small groups.

The Holy Spirit, along with the directee, sets the agenda or direction for the session. Often it begins with a time of silent prayer to center the time and seek guidance from God. Throughout the time, we’ll often return to silence in order to focus on the Holy Spirit’s workings.

The content of the conversation can cover the whole gamut of life—relationships, work, family, prayer, worship. Joy, longing, lament, lethargy.  

The director listens—to the directee and to the Holy Spirit—praying and asking questions, reflecting the directees words back to them, and sharing words or images from God.

The director won’t offer advice or homework, but will occasionally suggest spiritual disciplines that might be helpful.

Who is spiritual direction for?

Spiritual direction is for any believer in Christ who wants to grow in their relationship with triune God. People who are...

  • longing to see God’s faithfulness

  • growing in discernment and dependence on God

  • grieving

  • transitioning

  • feeling stuck

  • desiring to experience God’s abundant love

  • wanting an increased awareness of God in everyday life

  • seeking God's transformation

Spiritual direction can be useful during any season of the spiritual journey and can last for a few months or be an ongoing relationship.

What does it cost?

Spiritual direction is a gift—God’s presence with us, a director’s presence with a directee. I never want cost to be a barrier. But in order to offer this gift as widely as I can, I ask directees who are able to give what they can (the first session is always free). Their gifts support my ability to do ministry with a wide variety of people.

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