Confession time. I’m addicted to refreshing my twitter feed. And the result is I’m on media overload, a spiritual condition many find themselves in these days. Media overload is when your eyes glaze over because you’ve been reading or watching too much news. It’s when you can’t stand to be away from your smartphone in [Read More…]
Who are we doing all this for? God-talk on The Leftovers
May 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The urge to speak with God face to face and understand great mysteries is a thread running through HBO’s third season of the dystopian religious drama “The Leftovers.” Last week, in episode 5 of the show’s final season, Episcopal priest Matt Jamison (played by Christopher Eccleston) finally gets a chance to unburden himself to God. Although [Read More…]
What Clergy Need to Know about Spiritual Direction
May 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Spiritual direction is a clergyperson’s best friend. Deep listening and discernment enhance the life of a congregation and its leaders, so if you are clergy, I hope you consider how this spiritual practice can be used or expanded in your work. If you are a layperson, please pass this good news along to the clergy [Read More…]
Spiritual Direction for the Resistance
April 26, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A young minister colleague came to me last week and said, “we really need spiritual direction for the resistance–time to reflect on what we are so passionate about.” The resistance of which my friend speaks is made up of humanists, interfaith religious leaders and progressive Christians all fighting the creeping authoritarianism of the Trump administration. [Read More…]
Spiritual Direction and the Most Common Spiritual Block
March 21, 2017 by Leave a Comment
If I were to poll spiritual directors and ask what is the most common concern people bring to direction, I’m guessing most would say “I want to pray more, but I just don’t.” Wanting to do something but not getting around to it is known as an action block. And with our sped-up, highly technological, [Read More…]
5 Ways to Observe Lent this Year
March 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Many Christians observe the season of Lent with 40 days of a spiritual practice of their choosing. Lent is traditionally the fast of 40 days before Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday, and it helps us clear out space in our lives for a deeper relationship with God. It’s a small way we honor the suffering [Read More…]
How to Find the Right Spiritual Director
February 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
One of the advantages of having a lot of spiritual direction training programs around these days is that—at least in some areas of the country—you have a lot of potential spiritual directors to choose from. Even with supply at its highest, it is important that you are comfortable with the person you choose. Finding that [Read More…]
How to Say Goodbye to your Spiritual Director
January 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
All relationships have a lifespan, and the relationship between a person and their spiritual director is no different. It is a shame when people hang on with a spiritual director out of a sense of duty or obligation. If you find you are no longer growing in the way you had hoped to grow spiritually [Read More…]
5 Ways Spiritual Direction Can Improve Your New Year
January 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Have you included “getting spiritually grounded” on your list of goals for 2017? If so, you may find the practice of spiritual direction helpful. Spiritual direction is a contemplative look at what really matters in your life. Here are 5 ways spiritual direction can be helpful to you: Spiritual direction provides a safe, confidential [Read More…]
Young Adults as Spiritual Directors
December 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
The field of spiritual direction harbors an unfortunate bias against young adults becoming spiritual directors. Some training programs will not consider anyone under 30 for admission and others reluctantly accept those in their 30’s but really believe that anyone under 40 doesn’t have enough life experience to be a spiritual director. The message is: wait [Read More…]
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