Review: Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Giving & Receiving Direction

November 20, 2014November 20, 2014 / rtrube54 / 2 Comments

Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Giving & Receiving Direction by Gordon T. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many longing for a deeper awareness of the presence of God in their lives have rediscovered the special relationship known as spiritual direction. One of the needs that have existed is for a readable and concise treatment of the nature of this relationship. Gordon T. Smith has given us that account in this 96 page book packed with both a theological basis for and practical explanation of this form of spiritual friendship.

He begins by describing the agenda of this relationship as one of “directing our attention to the presence of God in our lives.” This relationship is grounded in four theological themes: the Triune person and work of God, the nature of religious experience, the particularity of each person and the church as the people of God and means of God’s grace.

The conversation in a spiritual direction relationship is a focused one where a director seeks to listen to both directee and God as the directee talks about relationships and work, key decisions, our experiences of suffering and pain, and most of all in the life of prayer.

After talking about the content of this conversation, he talks about the form it takes–how is this hour (usually a fixed time is set and typically an hour) spent? It is a conversation that begins with the directee sharing about his current life experiences, reflected upon coming into the meeting. After a time of silence the director may ask questions, and propose observations regarding how God may be present in what has been shared or how the directee may respond to this presence. After silence, the directee responds and the two may dialogue further with the director closing the time with a prayer of blessing.

Smith has a chapter on the role of direction in evangelism and how direction is a special form of friendship and its relationship to pastoral ministry. Spiritual direction is a helpful counterpoint to worship, teaching, and pastoral leadership in pastoral ministry. Spiritual direction can be instrumental in helping a person come to faith as a director helps a seeker discern how God is present. Like a friend, a spiritual director speaks with truth and freedom but at the same time never preempts one’s personal responsibility to choose.

The next two chapters focus on the qualities of both a good director and a good directee (something I’ve not seen elsewhere!). Good directors are schooled in a theology of the Spirit, have an awareness of the history of Christian spirituality, extend compassion and grace, have a capacity for “double listening” to directee and to the Spirit, and keep confidentiality. Directees approach with a desire to grow, a meekness and humility, and intentionality of preparation and response. He then concludes with a focus on the true director in this relationship, the Spirit of God.

We often oppose “spiritual” and “practical”. Smith fuses the two in an account of spiritual direction that prepares the reader engaging in or considering direction to understand the nature and practice of this formative discipline.

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Spiritual Formation Books

November 10, 2013 / rtrube54 / Leave a comment

Recently, several people asked me for a list of books on spiritual direction. I didn’t feel I’d read enough of these to provide much of a list. However, many books on spiritual formation touch on this and have much else that is helpful to growing in our love for God and more fully reflecting his intentions for us. Since this is a “day apart” for many of us (for others Friday, Saturday, or a different day), I thought I might post a list of the books I’ve reviewed over the past couple years in the area of spiritual formation. They are in order from most recent to earliest, with links to my reviews.

The Rule of St Benedict. Classic little book describing the ordering of monastic life.
Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction. Margaret Guenther describes her own practice of spiritual direction.
Discovering Lectio Divina: Bringing Scripture Into Ordinary Life. Howard and Wilhoit give practical instruction in this ancient practice of meditative reading that traces back to the Benedictines.
The Life of the Body: Physical Well-Being and Spiritual Formation. Hess and Arnold talk about the link between the care of our bodies and our spiritual life.
The Third Third of Life: Preparing for Your Future. This book explores how we position ourselves to finish well the final leg of our lives.
Lord, Teach Us to Pray. This is a little gem of a book of Andrew Murray’s reflections on four passages on prayer.
Green Leaves for Later Years. Another book on spirituality in the later years of life, one my wife and I both enjoyed!
Spiritual Rhythms in Community. This book explores how spiritual formation can occur in a group context.
The Return of the Prodigal. Henri Nouwen’s wonderful treatment of the parable of the lost sons inspired by Rembrandt’s painting of the Return of the Prodigal.
The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith. Hagberg and Guelich consider our growth in faith as a progressive journey with identifiable stages.
Pursuing God’s Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups. Explores how can leadership rise out of our habits of spiritual formation, where our decisions are spiritual discerned.
A Traveler’s Guide to the Kingdom. James Emory White links descriptions of various places to which he has traveled with various aspects of the Christian life. A travelogue for the journey.
Kneeling with the Giants. Explores prayer through the example of ten saints.
The Enneagram in Love and Work. A good introduction to the Enneagram, a tool that works by identifying one’s cardinal sin. This book focuses particularly on our love and work relationships.
True Self, False Self: Unmasking the Spirit Within. True self, false self is an important concept in spiritual formation work–the false self being defined as what we have or do, the true self, who we are as God’s beloved.
The Contemplative Pastor, Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction. Classic Eugene Peterson writing to pastors about this important aspect of their work.
The Fire of the Word: Meeting God on Holy Ground. This book focuses on our practices of reading scripture and not just reading a text but encountering the living God in the words of scripture.
Seasons of the Soul: Stages of Spiritual Development. Another book on stages of spiritual life, simplifying this to three: orientation, disorientation, reorientation.
The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery. David Benner’s book gives what I think is the best account of true self/false self.
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry. Ruth Haley Barton uses the life of Moses to explore the spiritual formation life of leaders.

Well there’s twenty books! I don’t necessarily consider these the best 20 books on spiritual formation, simply those I’ve reviewed in the last couple years. Are there books on this topic that you’ve found helpful? I’d love to hear of these!

Review: Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction

October 28, 2013October 28, 2013 / rtrube54 / 1 Comment

Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction by Margaret Guenther
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve read several works on spiritual direction and what I most appreciated about this was the author’s down to earth approach to these matters. She introduces herself as an “amateur” in these things, which carries both the notion of learner and lover. At points I’ve been put off by the professionalization of spiritual direction. Her test of a calling to this is simply that people begin to trust themselves deeply to one.

She begins by describing how she welcomes strangers, those new to a directee relationship. This was very practical, dealing with her own preparation, the preparation of both physical space and a safe atmosphere for direction.

Her next chapter is on the director as a good teacher. Most striking is that good teachers encourage play. While direction often explores serious matters, there can also be a lightness, a joy, and even laughter in this relationship. Good teachers also know the pupil’s limits, are hopeful, ask good questions, evaluate progress, and are themselves learners.

The third chapter explores the idea of director as midwife, the one who comes alongside a birthgiver to instruct and coach, and oft-times to simply wait as insight gestates. Most striking was her discussion of “transition”, a time just before birth where the birthgiver may totally lose a sense of control and how the midwife can give good direction and support at this time to lean into the hard work of giving birth to spiritual insight and growth.

The final chapter explores the direction of women as well as what it means for women to act as directors. Two critical elements here were helping women find their voice and not simply default to submission, and to face the sin of self-contempt, which Guenther especially sees in women. She concludes with an exploration of directing those who have faced abuse.

This is a slim and yet rich book that is probably one of the best treatments of spiritual direction I’ve read, especially valuable for its lack of pretension and refreshing “down to earthness”.

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