completing 9 & 10

Calhoun, Part 7, Inner-Healing Prayer

While I have never heard the term “inner-healing prayer” before, I have on a number of occasions practiced this with clergy friends. I tend to agree with Richard Rohr’s suggestion that “pain that is not transformed it transmitted”. I have been struggling with trying to go deeper in my reflections and meditation periods. Keeping in touch with my inner feelings and emotions is at sometimes more challenging and difficult than others. What helps me however is paying attention to my actions, words that I express and sometimes, my inability to focus. Usually these things give me a clue that inwardly something is not quite right. Practicing this method of prayer with my friend at Easter seemed uniquely different from other times we prayed in similar fashion. This time it was as if our prayer took theme of the resurrection. It was like walking into the tomb of dead things, not knowing what to expect except this time, instead of the tomb being empty it was full of things that could rob us of spiritual life if not brought to Jesus. At the end of our prayer time we gave thanks for the Christ being the resurrection and the One who is able to bring new life to dead things. Of course this is not the end of the journey. God always reveals enough to us to keep us coming to him for new life. I just praise God for His mercy and love.



Session #10, "Soul Care", (Benner & Moon text, pp. 187-249) 1) Spiritual Questors: Why are you interested in spiritual direction?

My interest in spiritual direction grew out of my desire to experience a more intimate relationship with God and people. In doing ministry, we become as “broken bread and poured out wine”, especially when we give it our all. Oswald Chambers pointed out in one his devotions that, broken bread and poured out wine comes as a result of obeying God. He also points out how important it is that we not hold back but allow God to replace it and fill us with more of what we need to keep going. Now I am paraphrasing his statements but you get the essence of what he was saying. For years I have had a holistic and authentic religious framework for interpreting and giving meaning to my experiencing whether those experiences were religious or secular in nature. The interest in spiritual direction just came out of a need to go deeper with God and to strip away the layers that me from getting closer to him.

There are numerous distractions that I contend with, many of which come from the many voices of the secular world, as well as from within the context of church work. The church work is what keeps me busy. Church work is incidental to the spiritual work or the “work of the church. I find that spiritual direction better enables me to hear what God is saying to Ben about Ben as well as what God is saying regarding the many situations that I continue to encounter which need my spiritual attention.

Spiritual direction helps me to sharpen my spiritual acumen. It renders me better equipped to come alongside others with a sensitivity that keeps me both empathetic with the people I serve and attentive to God’s direction as a counsel, preach, teach and serve as an administrator in God’s work. Spiritual direction helps me to get out of my own way by positioning me.2) Case Reflection: Reflect on the Pastor Mark Case, this type of case reflection can provide some insights into what a Senior Capstone Case Reflection could be for MAFM students. Briefly describe your Case Reflection of the Pastor Mark Case utilizing the format utilized in the Benner & Moon text: a. Case Assessment, b. Conceptualization of the Case, and c. Treatment of the Case. You may integrate insights from other sources such as: a. Other WTS courses, b. Other training, c. Your life and ministry experience, and d. Personal insight.


a. Case Assessment:

In my initial session with Mark I would focus my attention on trying to discern his primary reason for seeking spiritual direction as well as where he is in his relationship with God. How important is his relationship with God to him? What kind of a prayer life does he have? Apart from teaching and preaching, what value does God’s Word hold for him? What is his level spiritual maturity? How open and transparent does he appear to be? The answer to some of these questions may best be answered by discernment while listening to pastor Mark as he tells his story.


I would also ask Mark concerning the “grace moments” in his life. When did he last see God at work and delivering him in other situations? I would ask him to look as far back as his childhood to answer the question. Getting Mark to look back into his past may reveal some reoccurring themes that could possibly have started with things that he witnessed in childhood.



b. Conceptualization of the Case:

There are a several important simultaneous issues going on in pastor Mike’s life, some of which he has little to no real control over.

He is very attractive with a modest build – magnet for propositions by female congregants.
He has two daughters who have left home, one in the process of getting married: empty nest syndrome
He is fifty years young: possible mid-life crisis issue
Very successful past – possible pride issues going on

There are other issues over which Mark does have control over:

Engaging in extramarital affair
Isolating his wife from her friends
Denying wife’s suspicion of extramarital affair until recently
Failure to share with prior church his sin and ask for forgiveness
Concealing from his present church his real reason for leaving prior church
Staying with or leaving his wife

Benner writes in his book, “The Gift of Bing Yourself” that “We do not find our true self by seeking it. Rather, we find it by seeking God.” I suspect, given the data concerning pastor Mike and his past, that he has not in the habit of seeking counsel of his wife or God, but rather in the habit of relying on his own giftedness and ability to fix things. He makes the decision to move, an attempt to distance himself from the problem. He makes the decision to be his own judge and jury which further exasperates his problem. His moving to a completely opposite environment with much less resources, as well as taking on an additional new role, not only ends up isolating his wife from her friends, but also further isolates them from each other. There are a number who he keeps in the dark concerning this matter, God, both churches, his children and for as long as he could, his wife. All of these concealments, along with the extramarital affair, have greatly contributed to his sense of low-self esteem and the guilt that he has been carrying on with him pertaining to the affair. Perhaps these issues are merely symptoms of a core problem such as selfishness or self-centeredness, which in essence is really a sin problem.

Approach to treatment of the case:


My goal in helping Mike would be to first help him to see the loving and forgiving God of Scripture. Until he can understand God’s unconditional love towards him, there is very little chance of him ever being able to forgive himself within the context of the church, his primary reason for being confused as to whether he should continue in the faith.

Secondly, I would work towards help Mike to develop a positive self image of himself by exploring with him the positive view that God holds of him. Being able to see ourselves as God sees us in the beginning of building a positive self image, as opposed to having prideful self him which is the other side of the low-self esteem coin.

Thirdly, my goal would be to help Mike to understand that God truly wants us to bring him both the good and bad sides of ourselves. I would like to help him see that He takes us as we are and when we are transparent with him about who we are, he in turn reveals to us the “high road.” I would try to assist him in seeing that by not being honest with God, we give into the temptation of being dishonest with self, family and others.

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Fifthly, I would suggest to Mike that he create for himself, a system of accountability. Not having anyone to share his deepest worries and temptations with leaves Mike vulnerable and with a sense of superiority and pride that could easily lead to a relapse. He truly needs an accountability partner with whom he can both share and receive the same from.

Lastly, I would want Mike to see that as a leader it is important and healthy for him to model for those he leads, the proper way of restoring and reconciling broken relationships, whether those relationships issue are between God, family or church members. He does need to assume responsibility for his action and inactions, including the less obvious, the issue of having total respect and trust in his spouses love for him. We would explore the life of king David who, even though he had faults, God did not give up on him.

Paraphrasing the goal of spirituality in the Wesleyan mode, I would attempt to bring Mike into the experience of sanctifying grace whereby his inner sin is cleansed, his image of God restored, and his heart so filled with divine love that he is able to love God with all his heart, mind soul and strength and his neighbors as himself.’ (Spiritual Direction and Care of Souls pg 116)