Third Person Spiritual Direction

04/07/2026

David Benner writes: “If you are making significant progress on the transformational journey of Christian spirituality, you have one or more friendships that support that journey. If you do not, you are not. It is that simple.” (Sacred Companions, p.16). I agree with him. That's why I meet with a spiritual director every month as well as meeting regularly with a spiritual formation group. These people, as well as others, support me in the journey. Who are the people in your life who support you?

12/29/2025

12/05/2025

Every Advent for years, we take out an old booklet by Henri Nouwen called "In Joyful Hope". You can tell by the picture that it has been well used. Here is the reading for Friday, the First Week of Advent:

"If we do not wait patiently in expectation for God's coming in glory, we start wandering around, going from one little sensation to another. Our lives get stuffed with newspaper items, television stories, and gossip. Then our minds lose the discipline of discerning between what leads us closer to God and what doesn't, and our hearts lose their spiritual sensitivity.

Without waiting for the second coming of Christ, we will stagnate and become tempted to indulge in whatever gives us a moment of pleasure ... but when we have the Lord to look forward to, we can already experience Him in the waiting."

Do I try to live with an "Advent awareness" that God is always ready to come to me with His saving power?

10/23/2025

“Our lives are not problems to be solved but journeys to be taken with Jesus as our friend and finest guide.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen

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05/31/2025

Read this in Henri Nouwen’s “Bread For The Journey” and thought it appropriate for these days.

02/01/2025

I'm looking forward to starting a spiritual formation group at our church. So encouraged by all the good things happening at West Springs Church.

This Sunday there will be a short info session with the facilitator after the service. If you are interested in learning from one another, leaning into spiritual questions and the beauty of spiritual direction - connect this sunday or email for more info.

12/22/2024

A post for the Fourth Sunday of Advent:
"The mystery of God's love is not that He takes our pains away, but that He first wants to share them with us. Out of this divine solidarity comes new life. Jesus' being moved in the center of His being by human pain is indeed a movement toward new life .... The truly good news is that God is not a distant God, a God to be feared and avoided, a God of revenge, but a God who is moved by our pains and participates in the fullness of the human struggle." ~ Henri Nouwen

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08/07/2024

I came across this quote the other day in a book about discerning your calling or vocation. It is a subject that comes up quite regularly in spiritual direction, particularly in seasons of transition. What do you think?

"Vocation is 'the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need'. ~ Frederick Buechner

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05/05/2024

Are you considering Spiritual Direction? Wondering why people meet with a Spiritual Director? Here are some common reasons people seek out this ministry:

- In the midst of or anticipating a transition in life
- Needing help discerning God's leading
- Feeling a restlessness in their faith
- Experiencing a change in life circumstances, a crisis or loss
- Worship and prayer for them has changed, either for good or not
- Feeling thirsty for God
- Needing a safe place to tell their stories of what God is doing
- Wrestling with their understanding of God
- A desire for a deeper life of prayer
- Wanting to overcome a period of spiritual dryness
- A desire to continue growing spiritually
- Other spiritual concerns

If you would like to explore whether spiritual direction would be helpful for you I would be happy to meet with you for a free introductory session.

04/27/2024

For many of us it is difficult to discern the ways God is at work in and around us. Often we are not very practiced at this. A foundational principle of spiritual direction is that God is always at work and we want to become more attentive and aware of that. I find Frederick Buechner's advice to "listen to your life" helpful. He writes:

"There is no event so commonplace but that God is
present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving
you room to recognize him or not to recognize
him...Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless
mystery that it is...because in the last analysis all
moments are key moments, and life itself is grace,
and a source of truth."

04/01/2024

I heard someone quote this prayer of St. Teresa of Avila this morning. It is a good reminder of the posture we need when facing our fears.

Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.