Session 4 and Five: Building a Spiritual Direction Framework
Chapter 1, Describe the role, substance, and place of spiritual direction in your church and life. Who nurtures this holy conversation in your life?
As a Pentecostal Christian, spiritual direction is very important in our church and in the lives of most of our congregation. Our pastor, Elder Ardelia Corbett, is the one who provides this nurturing in my life. I appreciate that my pastor honors the presence of the Holy Spirit and allows time for the Holy Spirit to come in and minister in our services. The programming and order of service takes a back seat to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. She also encourages the gifts of the Spirit and allows us to worship in a way that is natural and comfortable for us. I like to raise my hands and I often kneel at the altar and wait quietly before the Lord. Spiritual direction is a very important part of my life. She is not only a spiritual director but she is a directee as well. She spends many hours of every day in contemplative prayer for the congregation. She is very sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and has a prophetic and healing anointing. I also am grateful that she recognizes the Holy Spirit’s gifting on others and allows us the freedom to minister to others. I want to know what God has to say to me in regards to every aspect of my life. I also want to know and hear the voice of God. My desire is to go to higher heights and deeper depths in my knowledge, understanding, and worship of my God. Chapter 2, Explain the 6 components of your Theological World.
I best identify with Theological World 5:
1. Feeling: dryness. I think I have mentioned before that I feel that God is afar. I am not used to this feeling. It is very foreign and uncomfortable to me. I am one who usually always feels God’s presence.
2. Obsessio: Heaviness With all of my husband’s health conditions, the financial strain, family problems, stress, etc. I most identify with this aspect of my theological world view.
3. State: Lack. I recognize that my “storage is empty” I need to be filled up spiritually. I am in need and I am waiting on God to power out His time of refreshing on me.
4. Atonement: Amazing Grace. The Scripture verse that really speaks to my situation is “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Mostly gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9b [KJV]).
5. Christology: Christ as the Wounded Healer. I find comfort with the image of Christ as Healer. I know that he knows and shares my pain and my struggles. He is as Isa. 53 states, “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief..”
6. Epiphania: Deliverance, Restoration, Hope I am able to find my center and achieve deliverance by focusing on the Blood of Christ. I try to imagine (I know this may seem odd to some) the healing virtue of Christ’s blood covering my wounds, my insecurities, and my pain. I believe that my deliverance (and my family’s) will come through Christ’s healing power.

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 experienced discipleship by the late Vivian Stamper who I met at a restaurant in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She led me to the church where I found saving faith in Jesus Christ, New Hope Church of God (Cleveland, TN). Vivian read the Bible with me and patiently answered all of my questions. She taught me how to pray and how to wait on God to respond to my silence before Him. She took me to Bible study and told me the importance of “walking the walk.” She taught me about piety and living holy. When I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and I spoke in tongues, it was Vivian who helped me to understand what was happening. This prayer language had not been a part of my CME or Catholic upbringing and was a little bit unnerving for me. Vivian helped instill a deep respect for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I was very fortunate to have Vivian in my life. I do not believe that I would have had that kind of one on one discipleship by just joining the church. The church that I am in now does not do much in terms of individual discipleship. We have Bible study, prayer meeting, Sunday school, and revival services; however, I do not believe that a new convert would feel comfortable with the level of teaching that is being done. We do not have a new member’s class which really upsets me. I have discussed this with my pastor several times and she recognizes the need but does not have the people to put in position. I try to do some discipleship with new converts as I have the time. I am grateful for the discipleship that I received and would like to give back to the Christian community.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.
I have more trouble with distractions now than I used to. I don’t have as much alone time because my husband is home recuperating. I have a five year old who knows no boundaries. When I find the time alone it is in the wee hours of the morning. The distractions that usually plague me are all of the things that I could be doing instead of just being. I try to push all of the chores out of my mind and concentrate on the stillness and quietness of the early morning. I focus on Isa. 53 reading it and rereading it, and then I pray over the verses, asking myself how this is speaking to me and my own situation. I feel the stress and the tension leaving my body, the distractions seem to be a thing of the past, thankfully. 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. I feel called to practice silence and lying prostrate before the Lord. This is very difficult for me because I have a hard time with being silent and “unbusy”. My house is always loud and alive with music, piano playing, television, video games, etc. I am not a game player and I am not much of a television viewer, I find it hard to find a quiet spot to unwind spiritually and lay quietly before the Lord. I lie on my bedroom floor and put in my ear plugs and enjoy the peace and solitude. I focus on the verse “The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Hab. 2:20 [KJV]). As my mind wanders, I reflect back on my focal verse and repeat the words silently. I leave my room feeling peaceful and hopeful. Chapter 6, Select an aphorism that connects with your journey. Post a reflection. “Every day and in every way, I am getting better and better and better” My grandmother used to look in the mirror and speak that audibly to herself every day. I have incorporated it into my own morning routine. She was big on the power of positive confession. I do believe that there is some truth to it. She had many health ailments and was hoping to be healed physically. I do not have any serious health ailments but I seek spiritual healing and wholeness. I am striving to become better holistically. Chapter 7, Envision and describe a model of spiritual direction that release renewal in your congregation. How does this model reflect a biblical pattern?
I envision spiritual direction and discipleship in small church groups. In our church, each member is assigned a deacon and a deaconess who are supposed to be our spiritual advisors and the person we are supposed to be accountable to; but, that’s where it ends. I would like to see these groups get together for home Bible studies and times of fellowship and prayer. I would like to get to know the people in my group a little better. Our church is very cliquish and people tend to run in their own little circles. Very few actually reach out to new members. I envision a better discipleship and mentoring class for new members. I would like to see Bible study and prayer group that is specifically targeted for new members in a format that allows freedom to ask questions.