Spiritual Directors
A growing number of western Christians are discovering the need for a spiritual mentor in their lives - someone to be a sounding board, to encourage them, to pray for them, to help them see themselves as God does and hear what God is saying to them. As a result, the role of the Spiritual Director has become a valuable resource to more and more people.
What is a Spiritual Director?
Spiritual Direction at its core is one person helping another person to pay attention to what God is saying to them.
“Spiritual direction is a relationship that allows one to assist another in discerning God’s activity and presence in his or her life…. At its core, spiritual direction attends to the faithfulness and initiative of God. The Holy Spirit is really the Director of the time together as both parties pay attention to God’s movements and call.” (Adele Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, p. 116)
The Spiritual Director is not:
- a counsellor
- therapist
- pastor
- financial advisor
- caregiver
- life mentor
- does not focus on telling someone how to act
The Spiritual Director is:
A spiritual friend who comes alongside to help the person discern God's voice, notice what God is doing in their life and obey His leading. The hope is that the person will experience greater intimacy with and enjoyment of God, attentiveness and obedience to His voice and growth in Christ-likeness. This work of digging beneath the surface of our lives and engaging our inner selves and encountering the presence of the Holy Spirit is a difficult work, and the supportive presence and guidance of a Spiritual Director can greatly facilitate this inner awareness and growth.
There are many different ways that people offer spiritual direction. It is quite common to have an initial meeting in order to discuss purpose, expectations, scheduling, cost (fees vary), etc. The best way to find out a Spiritual Director's personal style is to talk with him/her directly.
Our Recommendations:
Centre Street Church recommends the following Spiritual Directors. They have had formal training in spiritual direction and have varying degrees of experience in providing spiritual direction.
Michelle Newsham
403.554.7341
Edith Green
403.278.5730
Rev. Robert Osborne
https://www.robertosborne.info/
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