Chapter 1, Describe the role, substance, and place of spiritual direction in your church and life. Who nurtures this holy conversation in your life?
Within my own life up until last October, I did not have a formal spiritual director or was even aware of the necessity for spiritual direction and the magnitude of what I was missing in my spiritual walk with Christ. I have discussed with my Pastor various spiritual issues that I needed encouragement and direction regarding; however, this was infrequent and sometimes I could not fully discuss all of the issues that I wanted to discuss. In October 2007, I had my first spiritual direction one-on-one meeting with Dr. Langston Bannister that changed my entire perspective on spiritual direction and the need to have this holy conversation nurtured on a regular basis. The discussions that I have had with Dr. Bannister have changed my life and provided me with an objective outside party who listens and walks with me in my spiritual journey and listens for the Holy Spirit and its direction in my life.
I feel that spiritual direction is essential to the life of individuals and congregations, and where it is absent it should be implemented. Spiritual Direction provides me with the “now what” or “go where” or “do what” that I may not be able to hear on my own, but through spiritual direction I have another person who listens to the Holy Spirit with me.
Chapter 2, Explain the 6 components of your Theological World.
The 6 components of my Theological World are more consistent with a World 1 viewpoint of a longing for more beyond anything that ordinary living seems able to fulfill. It is this longing that first brought me to spiritual direction in the first place because what I was experiencing was not satisfying me from a spiritual standpoint and I had a yearning that there was more to have or be as it relates to my relationship with Christ. My Obsessio of separation of being abandoned is sometimes exhibited in my feeling alone or as if I am the “only one” feeling the way that I am feeling and desiring a deeper relationship that exhibits itself not in word but in action, and that sometimes I feel that there is no one else that I can talk to who would understand this yearning and why I am feeling the way that I am feeling. My state of feeling like an alien also makes me feel isolated because the congregation that I currently worship in has some individuals who feel that there is a deeper relationship and calling that should be “lived out” and not just preached or taught. There are times that I am silent or have tried to express my deeper yearnings to “walk as Jesus did” but sometimes it is left on deaf ears or not accepted. Within the Discipleship class that I teach I can feel others yearning for “living out” their faith rather than just talking about it. The Atonement component of my Theological World helps me to mediate my feelings and yearnings with action in the World and the spheres of influence that the Lord blesses me to be within. I have a thirst to have such a deep relationship with Christ and for others to be open to that same form of relationship that there is no question of who we serve because it is exemplified in our walk and not just our words. Can there be a church filled with individuals who “want more” of Christ rather than being satisfied with what they currently have? Once you have entered the holiest of holies, is there more? Can you go deeper? I think so and I know that spiritual direction is the means and key to my deeper yearning and search for wholeness. The component of Christology with Christ as Revealer helps me to understand that it is only through Christ that I will receive a deeper relationship with him and learn the fullness of what I am called to be in him and in relationship to others. Only Christ through the Holy Spirit can reveal to me my deeper calling, but sometimes I get discouraged because the Alien state in which I live makes me sometimes feel abnormal and left out, desiring to be a part of the group that I feel that I am called to live differently from. I sometimes desire to live in the Garden of Gethsemane on a daily basis wishing that there were others that desired to lose themselves in the will of God and not the cares of the world, which the will of God will take care of anyway. The last component of my Theological World of Epiphania is Reunion as Homecoming is evident to me in my desire to live life as a living sacrifice unto God, not perfect but cracked and broken and only made perfect in God through his breaking and making me into who he as preordained me to be according to his will. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. How can we do this now? What can we do to bring God’s Kingdom to Earth in the spheres in which we live “right now” and not just Sunday to Sunday? Can one stay in the moment forever and live in the moment with Christ as the center in all things that you do? These are yearnings that losing my self in God is the only way that I can come to realize what God is calling me to be and do for his Kingdom.
Chapter 3, I experienced discipleship in the context of an Anabaptist--Sect Type of Faith Community. Share your discipleship experience with characteristics of either Sect or Church, or possibly a blend as depicted in the Wesleyan Model in the text. What were the strengths and weaknesses in your Faith Community's spiritual direction process.
I have experienced discipleship in the context of a National Baptist Convention Church with a separate sect on Discipleship that I am blessed to teach on Mondays as a direct result of my interaction and learning from Winebrenner. There is not currently a spiritual direction process at Calvary other than prayer for specific issues that occur within the Church or for individuals that attend the Church. Where God is leading an individual or the Church as a whole has not been directed by or instruction provided for the Spiritual Direction process that I believe is essential to the develop of one’s walk with Christ and living out a life of discipleship before others. The Discipleship Class that I am blessed to teach is the first Discipleship Class in the 79 year history of Calvary and was started just one year ago. This class has changed the members’ perspective in seeking to “walk in the dust of the Rabbi Jesus Christ” and look at the lives of Jesus and the disciples to gain spiritual insight and direction into living out our Christian Discipleship journey in modern times. Because there is no formal spiritual direction process at my church, the development of one is essential because as we look closer at Christ and his involvement with the disciples, we are beginning to see that Christ served as a Spiritual Director to the disciples and instructed them in the Way, allowing them to experience his presence and gain direction for their lives by watching, learning, living, listening and gaining deeper relationship with him. The K-Group that I have been approved to start at Calvary will also be a great step in the right spiritual direction because there are many members within Calvary who are seeking a deeper understanding of what the Holy Spirit is directing them to do, or have questions about “what’s next” or “where do I go now” that the K-Group will help them with through being in a sect within the Church that will allow them to seek out direction of the Holy Spirit in community with other believers in a way that is different than the Sunday Sermon or Prayer Meeting and Bible Study.
Chapter 4, Reflect upon the spiritual direction technique demonstrated by the Desert Fathers in name and release the distractions in contemplation (p. 119). Post after you have practiced this technique during your personal formation such as a Lectio Divina.
“Be Here Now” is a sign that I received while I was an Attorney at Ford Motor Company. The basis behind the sign was that whatever we were going through prior to work or what had occurred during the day, when we were in a Meeting or conducting a Conference Call, we needed to refocus and “Be Here Now” to devote our attention and focus to what we were doing at that time, and not focusing on the past or the future. The Desert Fathers’ discipline in renouncing “mindless thoughts” brought this sign and process back to me because whenever needless or unnecessary thoughts come, if we don’t cast them down and make them subject to our focus on Christ, we will get sidetracked and go down roads or have experiences that will take us away from our mission for God or sidetrack to major on the minors rather than majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors. While practicing letting go of mindless thoughts, it was difficult because as I was intentionally focusing on prayer to God and not being distracted, it was at that precise moment that distractions came (What will I wear today? What do I have to do after Prayer? Are there any homework assignments that I have to complete? What will Sunday’s service be like? Where is the Church going?). These thoughts almost took me off of my focus on Christ and spending time in prayer seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, but once I refocused and let go of these thoughts, I was open in prayer in a manner in which I have not experienced in some time. My prayer was extended and I was able to hear clearly from God because the mindless thoughts were no longer in the way. I believe that his practice is one that I will incorporate daily and even at different times during the day in order to remain focused on Christ and what the Holy Spirit is directing me to do for myself and others.
Chapter 5, Select one spiritual mode that you feel called to practice. Don't push your self, allow your self to feel at ease and relaxed in God's presence. Post your reflections on this experience.
The Spiritual Mode that I feel called to practice is Getting Lost in the Silence through Contemplation and the Prayer of Centering. The Breath Prayer that I have is “Father God, I want to know and live your will” and the Scripture that I focus on is Psalm 134:10 – Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; let your good Spirit lead me into a level country and into the land of uprightness. When I begin my day in silence before the rest of my family is awake or once my wife has left for work and the children are still asleep, I feel a closeness to God because it is just him and I in the room as I sit at the computer and empty myself in this prayer to be filled by his presence and to communion with him to get direction or just be in his presence to begin the day. At this time I feel the closest to God because I am silent and not thinking about anything else but him. This time usually lasts for about 30 minutes and when I miss this time through meetings or other matters that may come up I don’t feel the same during the day.
For this course the time that I practiced this discipline produced a conversation that I had with God where he confirmed my calling and mission to make disciples, not through denomination or tradition, but through living a life of sacrifice and love before God’s people. This was an awesome experience for me because I was going through a time of questioning, doubt and despair because I did not know what God was calling me to do next. He provided me with his answer at the time when I needed it most.
Chapter 6, Select an aphorism that connects with your journey. Post a reflection.
“What matters is not what others or I think of me, but that I am God’s” This aphorism is at the center of my current experience and walk with God, so much so to the point that just knowing that I am God’s with all of my faults, weaknesses, issues, back-sliding, sins, and cracks, that regardless of all of those things that I view as making me unworthy or unrighteous in my eyes or the eyes of others, God accepts me and loves me for who I am, and not what others view me as or what I even view myself as. This aphorism also connects with me on a deeper spiritual level because there are many times that I have felt like an alien or outsider based upon a yearning to have a deeper relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to the point that I feel alone and abandoned at times. This aphorism connects with my journey because it is at those times that God meets me where I am and says that he loves me and that I am his child regardless of others thoughts or even my own lack of self-forgiveness that I may be dealing with. Dr. Langston Bannister blessed me during a one-on-one spiritual direction session to get me to focus on the fact that God loves me for who I am in him and not what I do. This was a life changing event because I had been solely focused on “doing” rather than “being.” I then was blessed to preach on John 3:16 and read a “Love Letter from God” that God placed in my spirit that dealt with how much he loves me in spite of myself and the view of others. Knowing that I am God’s has changed my relationship with God and my relationship with others because knowing how much God loves me and continues to love me has allowed me to be more compassionate and loving towards others, simply because I know that I am God’s.
Chapter 7, Envision and describe a model of spiritual direction that release renewal in your congregation. How does this model reflect a biblical pattern?
The model of Spiritual Direction that will provide release and renewal within Calvary’s congregation will be one that is based upon the Great Commission and will be birthed from the participates in the Discipleship Class that meets every Monday at Calvary. The Great Commission requires that we go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20). The Discipleship Class will provide instruction as it relates to being a disciple and living the life of a disciple; however, the Spiritual Direction Group, which will be comprised of individuals from the Discipleship Class to begin with will go deeper through spiritual direction in learning how to teach others to obey everything that God commands us to do through his Word and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane will also be a primary focus of the Spiritual Direction Group because the disciples of Calvary have studied this event and the prayer and conversation that Christ has with God and the direction that he receives to only do God’s will and not his own, even unto death. I am currently in a one-on-one spiritual direction relationship with Dr. Langston Bannister, which coupled with this course, provides me with individual experience that I can then with the power and strength of the Holy Spirit be the Spiritual Director for the Gethsemane Spiritual Direction Group at Calvary. Christ went many times to get away by himself to pray and be in direct relationship with the Father to hear him clearly and receive instruction or get regeneration solely from him. The Gethsemane Spiritual Direction Group will use this model as an example of a smaller sect within the Church “getting away” with others to hear the voice of God more clearly to receive instruction and direction individually and collectively regarding our individual and collective Christian journeys as disciples. Once these individuals within the Gethsemane Spiritual Direction Group have been trained and gone through this formational experience over time, each will then be a Spiritual Director for a group of 6 based upon the Theological Worlds models or other issues as directed by the Holy Spirit in order to provide this essential spiritual direction component to others inside and outside the Calvary congregation, helping to “make disciples” and increase the spiritual direction for others just as Christ did for the Disciples.
Calhoun Text, Part 3, Section: "Discernment"
You are half-way through this course, post a reflection on "Discernment" that is a crucial component in your spiritual direction skill set. Imagine that you are training members of your congregation to nurture their spiritual discernment. Post your exploration and insights on discernment
Discernment is one of the most crucial components that a Spiritual Director can have because it is being in conversation with God through listening, waiting, being patient, and then acting according to God’s Word and not just simply acting on our feelings, desires or wants. One of the ways that I would train members of my congregation to nurture their spiritual discernment is through silence and patience in decision making, and seeking direction from the Holy Spirit before making a decision based upon our own thought processes or desires. For Lent I publically told Calvary’s Discipleship Class that I was giving up saying Yes. I prayed over this decision and discussed this with Dr. Langston Bannister in one of our one-on-one Spiritual Direction sessions. I have an issue with saying Yes to everyone without first thinking of the ramifications of my response and taking on to many issues that draw my focus away from God and the direction that he has for me individually. During this time I have focused on not saying Yes but providing a response that allows me time to pray, seek direction from the Holy Spirit and really hear from God before I make a commitment. Through this process of discernment and seeking God’s direction, I can then provide my experience and spiritual disciplines to the Discipleship Class to help them with discerning the will of God in decision making, along with books that I am going to read that will provide me with further insight into the discipline of discernment (Listening to God in Times of Choice by Gordon T. Smith.)
Within my own life up until last October, I did not have a formal spiritual director or was even aware of the necessity for spiritual direction and the magnitude of what I was missing in my spiritual walk with Christ. I have discussed with my Pastor various spiritual issues that I needed encouragement and direction regarding; however, this was infrequent and sometimes I could not fully discuss all of the issues that I wanted to discuss. In October 2007, I had my first spiritual direction one-on-one meeting with Dr. Langston Bannister that changed my entire perspective on spiritual direction and the need to have this holy conversation nurtured on a regular basis. The discussions that I have had with Dr. Bannister have changed my life and provided me with an objective outside party who listens and walks with me in my spiritual journey and listens for the Holy Spirit and its direction in my life.
I feel that spiritual direction is essential to the life of individuals and congregations, and where it is absent it should be implemented. Spiritual Direction provides me with the “now what” or “go where” or “do what” that I may not be able to hear on my own, but through spiritual direction I have another person who listens to the Holy Spirit with me.
Chapter 2, Explain the 6 components of your Theological World.
The 6 components of my Theological World are more consistent with a World 1 viewpoint of a longing for more beyond anything that ordinary living seems able to fulfill. It is this longing that first brought me to spiritual direction in the first place because what I was experiencing was not satisfying me from a spiritual standpoint and I had a yearning that there was more to have or be as it relates to my relationship with Christ. My Obsessio of separation of being abandoned is sometimes exhibited in my feeling alone or as if I am the “only one” feeling the way that I am feeling and desiring a deeper relationship that exhibits itself not in word but in action, and that sometimes I feel that there is no one else that I can talk to who would understand this yearning and why I am feeling the way that I am feeling. My state of feeling like an alien also makes me feel isolated because the congregation that I currently worship in has some individuals who feel that there is a deeper relationship and calling that should be “lived out” and not just preached or taught. There are times that I am silent or have tried to express my deeper yearnings to “walk as Jesus did” but sometimes it is left on deaf ears or not accepted. Within the Discipleship class that I teach I can feel others yearning for “living out” their faith rather than just talking about it. The Atonement component of my Theological World helps me to mediate my feelings and yearnings with action in the World and the spheres of influence that the Lord blesses me to be within. I have a thirst to have such a deep relationship with Christ and for others to be open to that same form of relationship that there is no question of who we serve because it is exemplified in our walk and not just our words. Can there be a church filled with individuals who “want more” of Christ rather than being satisfied with what they currently have? Once you have entered the holiest of holies, is there more? Can you go deeper? I think so and I know that spiritual direction is the means and key to my deeper yearning and search for wholeness. The component of Christology with Christ as Revealer helps me to understand that it is only through Christ that I will receive a deeper relationship with him and learn the fullness of what I am called to be in him and in relationship to others. Only Christ through the Holy Spirit can reveal to me my deeper calling, but sometimes I get discouraged because the Alien state in which I live makes me sometimes feel abnormal and left out, desiring to be a part of the group that I feel that I am called to live differently from. I sometimes desire to live in the Garden of Gethsemane on a daily basis wishing that there were others that desired to lose themselves in the will of God and not the cares of the world, which the will of God will take care of anyway. The last component of my Theological World of Epiphania is Reunion as Homecoming is evident to me in my desire to live life as a living sacrifice unto God, not perfect but cracked and broken and only made perfect in God through his breaking and making me into who he as preordained me to be according to his will. Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. How can we do this now? What can we do to bring God’s Kingdom to Earth in the spheres in which we live “right now” and not just Sunday to Sunday? Can one stay in the moment forever and live in the moment with Christ as the center in all things that you do? These are yearnings that losing my self in God is the only way that I can come to realize what God is calling me to be and do for his Kingdom.
Chapter 3, I experienced discipleship in the context of an Anabaptist--Sect Type of Faith Community. Share your discipleship experience with characteristics of either Sect or Church, or possibly a blend as depicted in the Wesleyan Model in the text. What were the strengths and weaknesses in your Faith Community's spiritual direction process.
I have experienced discipleship in the context of a National Baptist Convention Church with a separate sect on Discipleship that I am blessed to teach on Mondays as a direct result of my interaction and learning from Winebrenner. There is not currently a spiritual direction process at Calvary other than prayer for specific issues that occur within the Church or for individuals that attend the Church. Where God is leading an individual or the Church as a whole has not been directed by or instruction provided for the Spiritual Direction process that I believe is essential to the develop of one’s walk with Christ and living out a life of discipleship before others. The Discipleship Class that I am blessed to teach is the first Discipleship Class in the 79 year history of Calvary and was started just one year ago. This class has changed the members’ perspective in seeking to “walk in the dust of the Rabbi Jesus Christ” and look at the lives of Jesus and the disciples to gain spiritual insight and direction into living out our Christian Discipleship journey in modern times. Because there is no formal spiritual direction process at my church, the development of one is essential because as we look closer at Christ and his involvement with the disciples, we are beginning to see that Christ served as a Spiritual Director to the disciples and instructed them in the Way, allowing them to experience his presence and gain direction for their lives by watching, learning, living, listening and gaining deeper relationship with him. The K-Group that I have been approved to start at Calvary will also be a great step in the right spiritual direction because there are many members within Calvary who are seeking a deeper understanding of what the Holy Spirit is directing them to do, or have questions about “what’s next” or “where do I go now” that the K-Group will help them with through being in a sect within the Church that will allow them to seek out direction of the Holy Spirit in community with other believers in a way that is different than the Sunday Sermon or Prayer Meeting and Bible Study.
Chapter 4, Reflect upon the spiritual direction technique demonstrated by the Desert Fathers in name and release the distractions in contemplation (p. 119). Post after you have practiced this technique during your personal formation such as a Lectio Divina.
“Be Here Now” is a sign that I received while I was an Attorney at Ford Motor Company. The basis behind the sign was that whatever we were going through prior to work or what had occurred during the day, when we were in a Meeting or conducting a Conference Call, we needed to refocus and “Be Here Now” to devote our attention and focus to what we were doing at that time, and not focusing on the past or the future. The Desert Fathers’ discipline in renouncing “mindless thoughts” brought this sign and process back to me because whenever needless or unnecessary thoughts come, if we don’t cast them down and make them subject to our focus on Christ, we will get sidetracked and go down roads or have experiences that will take us away from our mission for God or sidetrack to major on the minors rather than majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors. While practicing letting go of mindless thoughts, it was difficult because as I was intentionally focusing on prayer to God and not being distracted, it was at that precise moment that distractions came (What will I wear today? What do I have to do after Prayer? Are there any homework assignments that I have to complete? What will Sunday’s service be like? Where is the Church going?). These thoughts almost took me off of my focus on Christ and spending time in prayer seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, but once I refocused and let go of these thoughts, I was open in prayer in a manner in which I have not experienced in some time. My prayer was extended and I was able to hear clearly from God because the mindless thoughts were no longer in the way. I believe that his practice is one that I will incorporate daily and even at different times during the day in order to remain focused on Christ and what the Holy Spirit is directing me to do for myself and others.
Chapter 5, Select one spiritual mode that you feel called to practice. Don't push your self, allow your self to feel at ease and relaxed in God's presence. Post your reflections on this experience.
The Spiritual Mode that I feel called to practice is Getting Lost in the Silence through Contemplation and the Prayer of Centering. The Breath Prayer that I have is “Father God, I want to know and live your will” and the Scripture that I focus on is Psalm 134:10 – Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; let your good Spirit lead me into a level country and into the land of uprightness. When I begin my day in silence before the rest of my family is awake or once my wife has left for work and the children are still asleep, I feel a closeness to God because it is just him and I in the room as I sit at the computer and empty myself in this prayer to be filled by his presence and to communion with him to get direction or just be in his presence to begin the day. At this time I feel the closest to God because I am silent and not thinking about anything else but him. This time usually lasts for about 30 minutes and when I miss this time through meetings or other matters that may come up I don’t feel the same during the day.
For this course the time that I practiced this discipline produced a conversation that I had with God where he confirmed my calling and mission to make disciples, not through denomination or tradition, but through living a life of sacrifice and love before God’s people. This was an awesome experience for me because I was going through a time of questioning, doubt and despair because I did not know what God was calling me to do next. He provided me with his answer at the time when I needed it most.
Chapter 6, Select an aphorism that connects with your journey. Post a reflection.
“What matters is not what others or I think of me, but that I am God’s” This aphorism is at the center of my current experience and walk with God, so much so to the point that just knowing that I am God’s with all of my faults, weaknesses, issues, back-sliding, sins, and cracks, that regardless of all of those things that I view as making me unworthy or unrighteous in my eyes or the eyes of others, God accepts me and loves me for who I am, and not what others view me as or what I even view myself as. This aphorism also connects with me on a deeper spiritual level because there are many times that I have felt like an alien or outsider based upon a yearning to have a deeper relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, to the point that I feel alone and abandoned at times. This aphorism connects with my journey because it is at those times that God meets me where I am and says that he loves me and that I am his child regardless of others thoughts or even my own lack of self-forgiveness that I may be dealing with. Dr. Langston Bannister blessed me during a one-on-one spiritual direction session to get me to focus on the fact that God loves me for who I am in him and not what I do. This was a life changing event because I had been solely focused on “doing” rather than “being.” I then was blessed to preach on John 3:16 and read a “Love Letter from God” that God placed in my spirit that dealt with how much he loves me in spite of myself and the view of others. Knowing that I am God’s has changed my relationship with God and my relationship with others because knowing how much God loves me and continues to love me has allowed me to be more compassionate and loving towards others, simply because I know that I am God’s.
Chapter 7, Envision and describe a model of spiritual direction that release renewal in your congregation. How does this model reflect a biblical pattern?
The model of Spiritual Direction that will provide release and renewal within Calvary’s congregation will be one that is based upon the Great Commission and will be birthed from the participates in the Discipleship Class that meets every Monday at Calvary. The Great Commission requires that we go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20). The Discipleship Class will provide instruction as it relates to being a disciple and living the life of a disciple; however, the Spiritual Direction Group, which will be comprised of individuals from the Discipleship Class to begin with will go deeper through spiritual direction in learning how to teach others to obey everything that God commands us to do through his Word and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane will also be a primary focus of the Spiritual Direction Group because the disciples of Calvary have studied this event and the prayer and conversation that Christ has with God and the direction that he receives to only do God’s will and not his own, even unto death. I am currently in a one-on-one spiritual direction relationship with Dr. Langston Bannister, which coupled with this course, provides me with individual experience that I can then with the power and strength of the Holy Spirit be the Spiritual Director for the Gethsemane Spiritual Direction Group at Calvary. Christ went many times to get away by himself to pray and be in direct relationship with the Father to hear him clearly and receive instruction or get regeneration solely from him. The Gethsemane Spiritual Direction Group will use this model as an example of a smaller sect within the Church “getting away” with others to hear the voice of God more clearly to receive instruction and direction individually and collectively regarding our individual and collective Christian journeys as disciples. Once these individuals within the Gethsemane Spiritual Direction Group have been trained and gone through this formational experience over time, each will then be a Spiritual Director for a group of 6 based upon the Theological Worlds models or other issues as directed by the Holy Spirit in order to provide this essential spiritual direction component to others inside and outside the Calvary congregation, helping to “make disciples” and increase the spiritual direction for others just as Christ did for the Disciples.
Calhoun Text, Part 3, Section: "Discernment"
You are half-way through this course, post a reflection on "Discernment" that is a crucial component in your spiritual direction skill set. Imagine that you are training members of your congregation to nurture their spiritual discernment. Post your exploration and insights on discernment
Discernment is one of the most crucial components that a Spiritual Director can have because it is being in conversation with God through listening, waiting, being patient, and then acting according to God’s Word and not just simply acting on our feelings, desires or wants. One of the ways that I would train members of my congregation to nurture their spiritual discernment is through silence and patience in decision making, and seeking direction from the Holy Spirit before making a decision based upon our own thought processes or desires. For Lent I publically told Calvary’s Discipleship Class that I was giving up saying Yes. I prayed over this decision and discussed this with Dr. Langston Bannister in one of our one-on-one Spiritual Direction sessions. I have an issue with saying Yes to everyone without first thinking of the ramifications of my response and taking on to many issues that draw my focus away from God and the direction that he has for me individually. During this time I have focused on not saying Yes but providing a response that allows me time to pray, seek direction from the Holy Spirit and really hear from God before I make a commitment. Through this process of discernment and seeking God’s direction, I can then provide my experience and spiritual disciplines to the Discipleship Class to help them with discerning the will of God in decision making, along with books that I am going to read that will provide me with further insight into the discipline of discernment (Listening to God in Times of Choice by Gordon T. Smith.)
3 comments:
Art
I know what it is like to be an alien. I used to say to Dr. Bannister that I felt like a martian. I also was one who used to say ,Yes, without checking out the ramifications. I feel that as god begins to move in us, we begin to distance ourselves involuntarily, meaning we do it while desiring a relationship with what is familiar. My prayer is that God will continue to direct both of us as we seek his will for our lives. Yes, there will be times when our messages and efforts will seem to fall on deaf ears but we must still put forth the effort in the name of Jesus. Who knows, perhaps there is one who does benefit from it. Make disciples is what we are called to do. Being obedient is a must.
Art,
Pretend that I capitalized the "G" in God. I tried to edit but no luck.
Being "resident aliens" is the metaphor for Anabaptists. We are in the world but our destiny, direction, discipleship, and desire [4-point sermon ;-)] is another place and palace with a pool that is filled living water, no chlorine here folks, dive in the waters fine. Relax and enjoy the swim to other side of the river, remember it only takes a lifetime to get there, so don't hurry, God won't leave without you. Thanks for sharing your heart and insights.
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