by 
Beginning on February 15, I have the privilege of participating in a Spiritual Director Training Program at the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction. This is a ministry of the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson, Arizona. It offers in-depth study, peer learning, and spiritual mentoring for those interested in becoming a spiritual director. The Board approved my participation last fall, and I am very honored and excited to be going. I will be in Tucson February 15-27 and then again April 12-24 to complete the training.
Spiritual direction is the art of holy listening. You could call it spiritual counseling. A spiritual director helps people discern God’s movement in their lives. A spiritual director helps people through times of restlessness and drought. A spiritual director listens and mirrors back observations. And at times, a spiritual director can even help people break through a roadblock to experience a deeper level of healing and wholeness. I myself had this experience when a spiritual director offered insight into what had been a life-long weight on my soul.
Of course, I believe that I have already been engaging in spiritual direction as a part of my pastoral ministry, but I have not had any formal training. This program will help me be more effective and more confident. One of the reasons I selected the Hesychia School is because they have a specific unit for offering spiritual direction with the so-called “spiritual but not religious.” I seem to encounter a lot of these folks, and I really believe that we have something to offer them at Eureka Christian Church. Perhaps not worship on a Sunday morning, but certainly sanctuary and guidance. I think this can be a growing ministry for us.
Hesychia means “watchful, inner stillness and silence.” While I will be learning a lot and working hard during my weeks there, I am also looking at this as a spiritual retreat. I thank you for giving me this time. It is time for me to tend to my soul. I am only as effective as I am whole, and I know you understand that. You are a rare and wonderful congregation. I thank you, and I am honored to serve with you.
