Spiritual Direction
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” – John 16:13
Dear Friends,
I really hope you had the chance to hear Jake’s message on Sunday – whether live and in-person or online. If you haven’t, I really encourage you to go to our website, our YouTube Channel or Facebook and watch the service – there was so much good stuff that he shared! The reason that Jake was preaching was because I had been taking part in a program with Christian Formation and Discipleship Ministries (of Southern California), that I began in January through the prompting of God while I was on my sabbatical last Summer.
I’ve shared some snippets of this in the past from the pulpit, with our leadership and elsewhere. The beginning of this dates back several years to the nudging of God but it wasn’t until I ran into a former colleague and mentor on the tiny island of Iona in Scotland, and invited to take part in this program, that I had any real opportunity to explore Spiritual Direction.
What is that, you say? Well, to quote one of the authors I’ve been reading, it’s “a one-on-one relationship organized around prayer and conversation directed toward deepening intimacy with God.” (David Benner). It’s not therapy or counseling or mentoring, although all of those relationships are valuable and can and should be explored as needed.
As part of my program, after focusing on my own formation in Christ for this past year, along with the methods and practices of offering direction to others, the second year includes practicum – actually offering Spiritual Direction to others (under supervision of trained Directors). It’s both exciting and a little scary to step out into a new ministry. But as always, God seems to be leading, so it’s my job to follow.
I share this for three reasons. First, it’s to draw back the curtain on something God’s been doing in my life, further growing and shaping me this past year. Second, because I want you to be aware of this ministry, and if God’s prompting you to engage in it, I’ve got 19 colleagues in this program who are seeking to offer direction I could recommend to you. And third, if you have friends who you think might be interested and wanting to know more, or to engage in it, you’re welcome to have them reach out to me for more information.
As you can imagine, it is suggested that this relationship doesn’t happen between close friends or family members or pastor and parishioners. In some ways, a form of spiritual direction is what I’m always engaged in, to some smaller degrees, in every conversation, every meeting, every gathering – listening to the conversation partner and to God in that moment. But the ongoing work of 1:1 Spiritual Direction is best done among people who don’t have so many other connections. Trust me on this one. I can’t tell you how many times Bridgette or the kids have said, “are you trying to counsel/direct me right now?” That doesn’t work.
I’ve been engaged in Spiritual Direction myself, for several years now, and I’ve seen the real benefits. It’s part of what made me feel comfortable with being trained to offer it, and growing my ministry here at Canonsburg UP.
I’m so grateful for God and the way the Spirit moves and guides us, sometimes in very surprising ways. And I’m grateful to be able to expand the ways I can live out the call to love and serve the church and the world among you. This kind of ministry is, in my eyes, very much needed in the church today and I’m happy to help you find out more!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus – one new step at a time,
Pastor Don