Spiritual Direction at LTSS

01/04/2023

Mentors gathered to fellowship before the January 2023 intensive begins tomorrow! Excited to see what God does among us!

11/20/2022

We are accepting applications for the start of the next new cohort in January 2023. Info and application are available on the website.

Our primary purpose is to train people who feel called to be such spiritual friends, spiritual companions; however, those who are interested in deepening their own spiritual practices are also welcome. Within the Christian tradition, we are grounded in the Trinitarian faith. However, we recognize th...

03/22/2022

For anyone who is a spiritual director and might feel a call to the Nebraska synod! See job posting below.

the Seeking the Spirit Within advisory board of the Nebraska Synod ELCA is inviting interested candidates to apply for the position of Director of Seeking the Spirit Within. More information may be found at this link: https://nebraskasynod.org/discernment-vocation/spirituality/seeking-the-spirit-within/

Inquiries and resumes may be emailed to advisory board president Pastor Brad Meyer at [email protected].

02/03/2022

For all Columbia area spiritual directors—You are welcome to a Centering Prayer practice at 4:30pm on Thursdays in Christ Chapel on the LTSS campus, facilitated by Melanie Dobson. It is a 20 minute “sit” with a short and simple liturgy for vespers (less than 30 minutes total).

01/22/2022

Some thoughts on the Spiritual Direction Certification Program:

The participants in the recent January 2022 4-day intensive practiced Jesus’ words from John 1: 39 to “come and see” where the Holy Spirit showed up in their lives.
-When the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary campus had no electricity or internet at the beginning of the intensive due to system maintenance, and Columbia College opened their buildings up to our use for free. . . come and see.
-When the amazing team of Axiom Farms, our food service provider and farmers on campus, miraculously produced delicious, produced-based meals without water or electricity. . .come and see.
--When instructors cancelled due to sickness or death in the family, and the associate pastor at the Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral gave a moving introduction to icons in their sanctuary with two days’ notice. . . come and see.
--When the campus’ technology faltered once power did come back on, and the twenty participants on Zoom gave patience, grace, and still fully practiced presence with us. . . come and see.
The Holy Spirit did indeed show up to the forty-seven participants, six mentors, and staff in the Spiritual Direction Certification Program, which was held both in-person on the campus and with a Zoom online option. In the intensive’s theme on the “history of Spiritual Direction” we learned about the practice of holy listening in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, as well as spirituality within Native American Christianity. A team of Native Americans in the organization called “Keepers of the Word”, led by Cat Nelson, offered a powerful experience of Native American worship which also included smudging and the rhythmic beat of large mallets on a five hundred year old drum. We built communities of trust and profound connection in mentor groups, walked the labyrinth, and practiced the art of tuning into the workings of God’s in one another’s lives—also called spiritual direction.
When plans fall apart, when the power was out, and when Covid was raging with a new variant, the Holy Spirit indeed showed up, and invited us to “come and see.”

The next cycle of the program will begin in January 2023 with a new cohort of 16 participants. Consider if the Holy Spirit might be inviting you to “come and see” the practice of spiritual direction with us!
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