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December 2017

December 27, 2017

Three Experiences, One Grace: What Spiritual Direction Means to Me

From time to time, I will have guests post here on the subject of "what spiritual...

November 2017

November 29, 2017

Sexual Misconduct in Spiritual Direction

Sexual misconduct isn’t limited to the entertainment or news businesses. All of that messy, improper...

November 06, 2017

Giving “Thoughts and Prayers” a Break

When tragedy occurs we naturally want to reach out with words of comfort. Lately, so...

November 01, 2017

Learning from our Reactions Along the Spiritual Path

There seems to be a universal pattern to life, including the spiritual path. Action →...

August 2017

August 31, 2017

Spiritual Direction and a Rejection of the Nashville Statement

Evangelical Christian leaders who refuse to accept LBGTQIA+ persons as they are recently released their...

July 2017

July 24, 2017

Why You Don’t Need a Spiritual Director to “Call You on Your Stuff”

When seeking a spiritual director, people sometimes say they want one who will “call them...

July 14, 2017

Holding Feet to the Fire: The Role of Accountability in Spiritual Direction

Occasionally I hear someone say they want a spiritual director who will “hold their feet...

June 2017

June 26, 2017

Spiritual Direction in an Anxious World

Spiritual direction is not a cure for anxiety but anxiety frequently comes up as people...

June 01, 2017

Keeping Faith in the Midst of Fear

I’m going to get political here because, like a Cecily Strong character on Saturday Night...

May 2017

May 16, 2017

Who are we doing all this for? God-talk on The Leftovers

The urge to speak with God face to face and understand great mysteries is a thread...

May 01, 2017

What Clergy Need to Know about Spiritual Direction

Spiritual direction is a clergyperson’s best friend. Deep listening and discernment enhance the life of...

April 2017

April 26, 2017

Spiritual Direction for the Resistance

A young minister colleague came to me last week and said, “we really need spiritual...

April 13, 2017

Why I Became a Spiritual Director

The practice of spiritual direction rescued me. I never felt I fit into the conservative...

March 2017

March 21, 2017

Spiritual Direction and the Most Common Spiritual Block

If I were to poll spiritual directors and ask what is the most common concern...

January 2017

January 03, 2017

5 Ways Spiritual Direction Can Improve Your New Year

Have you included “getting spiritually grounded” on your list of goals for 2017? If so,...

December 2016

December 29, 2016

Young Adults as Spiritual Directors

The field of spiritual direction harbors an unfortunate bias against young adults becoming spiritual directors....

December 02, 2016

Discernment as a Visioning Tool

Many churches and faith based organizations do good work in the present but have difficulty...

October 2016

October 31, 2016

5 Spiritual Discernment Questions for the Undecided Voter

With only a few days left before the 2016 Presidential election there are still those...

October 25, 2016

5 Ways to Detox Your Spirit from this Presidential Election

Feeling addicted to political news and commentary? If so you’re not alone. You may need...

September 2016

September 19, 2016

5 Ways Spiritual Direction Promotes Freedom

Spiritual direction takes freedom very seriously. We want to feel free to be the...

August 2016

August 01, 2016

Holding our Pain: A look at “The Gift of Hard Things” by Mark Yaconelli

This post is part of a roundtable discussion about the new book The Gift of...

November 2015

November 17, 2015

Stages of Freedom: Reflections on The Wolfpack

For one of the most jarring and accurate depictions of the stages of freedom, I...

November 04, 2015

Mysticism and Diversity: Lessons from a Van Flat

It took an experience of mysticism a few years ago for me to understand pluralism—the...

October 2015

October 19, 2015

Welcoming Difficult Feelings in Spiritual Direction

As soon as we accept how we really feel , healing and restoration can begin....

October 06, 2015

Money Matters in Spiritual Direction

Never go to a spiritual director for financial advice. Not only would it be unethical...

September 2015

September 24, 2015

Decent Work is a Spiritual Value

It hurts to be unemployed, underemployed or working at a job that offers few to...

September 15, 2015

What drew me to spiritual direction in the 1980’s is what draws many people to...

August 2015

August 10, 2015

Paying Attention to What Is

It was my annual 3-day summer retreat at a reduced rate resort in Scottsdale and...

June 2015

June 19, 2015

Staying Peaceful when the News Isn’t

One of the most common threads in spiritual direction conversations is “what do I do...

June 12, 2015

Anne Lamott and the Trans-bashing Tweet

The high priestess of progressive Christian inspiration, Anne Lamott is busy this week backtracking and...

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