This will be one of my shortest blog posts ever as this is a review of a specific genre: spiritual writing, even more specifically an introduction book to spiritual direction. I have no idea how I wound up with the white background for some of the paragraphs (other than for the first time I copied from my review on Goodreads over to the blog instead of the other way around, but not all of this is on Goodreads, and then suddenly the white background stops), but I haven't time to retype everything so it stands as evidence of my stage of still learning.
If you are looking for a book on spiritual direction: what it is, listening and responding to God, listening and responding to ourselves, listening and responding to others, listening in context to community, and you are familiar with spiritual direction vocabulary, then this is a five star, clearly buy it, book.
Everything about this book -- writing, style, reflections, examples -- are clear and well-written. No boredom here.
However, if you're not accustomed to spiritual direction vocabulary (let's say you just want to know what spiritual direction is and you're not interested in learning how to participate in spiritual direction), then you might not want to pick up this book.
💕💕💕💕💕 I am currently taking a summer class in spiritual direction for children from the Companioning Center. Experiencing life with God and children has been eye opening. Smart children who can tell me a bible story clearly and recite a memory verse exactly but have no idea where God fits into either (and who were bored during Bible story time because the storyteller "talked and talked and talked") yet given the opportunity to engage with the story or make connections, leading the way, tell of a rich, deep relationship with God.
---------------- Christian Spiritual Direction is not freaky weird, or, at least, it's not supposed to be. If you have had a situation where someone said he or she was doing spiritual direction with you, yet the "director" is telling you what you need to do, what God is saying to you, or even trying to counsel you, then find a different director or, if you did want a counselor, go to a professional counselor. If you wanted a mentor or advisor or teacher, go to those people. Spiritual direction in the simplest words is having someone (the director) listen to you (the directee) and allow you to recognize the movement of God in your life (God who loves you and calls you beloved), and give you space to respond. The director does not choose how God is moving nor choose how you will respond. He or she may ask if you have tried this or that (journaling, psalm praying, imagining oneself in a particular bible scene, drawing while talking with God, to name a few examples), but choices are the directee's, not the director's. (Ugh, that last sentence now edited if you happened to read the autocorrected version the first time through.)
From the author of Spiritual Direction: "...spiritual direction...a one-to-one conversation in which one person helps another reflect on and deepen his or her connection with God" (xi), and "...spiritual direction is about listening to people's stories, listening for glimpses of grace and hints of the holy, listening for the breakthrough presence of God in the midst of ordinary life" (xiii). From page 3, a director "supports and encourages another person (the directee) to attend and respond to God...discover God's care in the midst of difficulties; become aware of the sacred within the ordinary events of life; honestly share with God their feelings, doubts, and questions..."
If you are looking for a book on spiritual direction: what it is, listening and responding to God, listening and responding to ourselves, listening and responding to others, listening in context to community, and you are familiar with spiritual direction vocabulary, then this is a five star, clearly buy it, book.
Everything about this book -- writing, style, reflections, examples -- are clear and well-written. No boredom here.
However, if you're not accustomed to spiritual direction vocabulary (let's say you just want to know what spiritual direction is and you're not interested in learning how to participate in spiritual direction), then you might not want to pick up this book.
💕💕💕💕💕 I am currently taking a summer class in spiritual direction for children from the Companioning Center. Experiencing life with God and children has been eye opening. Smart children who can tell me a bible story clearly and recite a memory verse exactly but have no idea where God fits into either (and who were bored during Bible story time because the storyteller "talked and talked and talked") yet given the opportunity to engage with the story or make connections, leading the way, tell of a rich, deep relationship with God.
---------------- Christian Spiritual Direction is not freaky weird, or, at least, it's not supposed to be. If you have had a situation where someone said he or she was doing spiritual direction with you, yet the "director" is telling you what you need to do, what God is saying to you, or even trying to counsel you, then find a different director or, if you did want a counselor, go to a professional counselor. If you wanted a mentor or advisor or teacher, go to those people. Spiritual direction in the simplest words is having someone (the director) listen to you (the directee) and allow you to recognize the movement of God in your life (God who loves you and calls you beloved), and give you space to respond. The director does not choose how God is moving nor choose how you will respond. He or she may ask if you have tried this or that (journaling, psalm praying, imagining oneself in a particular bible scene, drawing while talking with God, to name a few examples), but choices are the directee's, not the director's. (Ugh, that last sentence now edited if you happened to read the autocorrected version the first time through.)
From the author of Spiritual Direction: "...spiritual direction...a one-to-one conversation in which one person helps another reflect on and deepen his or her connection with God" (xi), and "...spiritual direction is about listening to people's stories, listening for glimpses of grace and hints of the holy, listening for the breakthrough presence of God in the midst of ordinary life" (xiii). From page 3, a director "supports and encourages another person (the directee) to attend and respond to God...discover God's care in the midst of difficulties; become aware of the sacred within the ordinary events of life; honestly share with God their feelings, doubts, and questions..."
No comments:
Post a Comment