What drew me to spiritual direction in the 1980’s is what draws many people to it today—recovering from an image of God that feels pinched, harsh and conditional. Coming out of fundamentalism is difficult and calls some of us to study theology from a different point of view. The five books I’m recommending here (in alphabetical order by author) are among the best books available on progressive theology. A Catholic theology of nonviolence The God of Peace by John Dear... Read more
Discernment tops the list of reasons people seek spiritual direction. People who want to do the right thing and those who are committed to a set of values and beliefs in life constantly wonder about the choices in front of them. In spiritual direction, we assist you in exploring those choices so that you make the one or ones that are faithful to your understanding of God. These books may also help. I’ve placed them in three categories because principles... Read more
One of the top reasons people give for entering spiritual direction is to find a spiritual practice that fits for them. Many times they ask for book recommendations. Here are five books I think are among the best for exploring a variety of spiritual practices. The Prayer Book that includes History Thirsty for God by Bradley Holt, a religion professor from Augsburg College in Minneapolis is an easy to digest quick history of Christian spirituality. At the end of each... Read more
Spiritual direction is all about the mind-body-spirit connection. Although directors are fond of talking about “getting a person out of their head and into their heart,” what we really mean is we hope to assist our directees in seeing themselves as a whole person, not just a head full of thoughts sitting atop a neglected body. And who really can separate a mind from a body from a spirit? Some medical professionals may try but even they are moving toward... Read more
Much is written about spiritual direction. Just search the term online and you will find a vast array of books about the practice of spiritual guidance. However, sometimes authors use the term to refer to the “direction of a person’s spiritual journey” rather than the actual practice of going to a spiritual director for guidance. So, I’m going to share with you the top five books that I recommend on the practice of spiritual direction. This is far from an... Read more
It was my annual 3-day summer retreat at a reduced rate resort in Scottsdale and I was ready to lounge by the pool. As I was about to enter, I noticed a swarm of about 40 elementary to middle school-aged kids with their camp counselors also entering the pool area. It was a charity event for the inner-city kids and they were ready to whoop it up. This was not my idea of a contemplative day at the pool. I... Read more
Because the practice of spiritual direction is still rather new to a lot of people, there are some fears borne out of misconceptions about it. Here are the top five fears I have noticed people have about spiritual direction. 1. The spiritual director will judge me. Fear of being judged harshly keeps some people away from spiritual guidance. Even when they learn that our training is explicit that we are not to here to judge, correct or change people. That last... Read more
The effectiveness of any spiritual director resides primarily in his or her ability to be a gracious container for whatever story the directee wants to bring to that session. I find Jesus’ story of the parable of the sower helpful in explaining this (Matthew 13:3-9). Think of the directee as the sower (the farmer) and the director as the soil in which the farmer tosses the seed. Think of the seed as the story. In the parable, Jesus says our... Read more
One of the most common threads in spiritual direction conversations is “what do I do with my outrage over all the news I hear about violence and heartbreak?” I’ve asked my spiritual director that question a few times myself. Overall, our world is proportionately less violent than it was thousands of years ago. But that’s irrelevant when news travels instantly via smartphones and social media now. We are aware of horrific violence everywhere it happens. And for sensitive people who are... Read more
The high priestess of progressive Christian inspiration, Anne Lamott is busy this week backtracking and apologizing for a crude twitter remark in which she said (and I will paraphrase) she would not call Caitlyn Jenner “she” as long as Jenner still had a penis. Since quite a few transgender Christians seek spiritual direction—mostly because it is one place in the church where they are accepted as they are—the one thing I know for sure about trans people is that calling... Read more
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