October 10, 2024

Becoming aware of God’s presence in our lives and in the world is a crucial step in spiritual transformation. It solidifies our faith and inspires us along the way. In Incline Your Ear: Cultivating Spiritual Awakening in Congregations, Rev. Chad Abbott and I write about how faith communities and congregations can become more reflective about moments where they experience God’s presence. Special moments to Savor For most of us, the moments of acute awareness of the Spirit’s movement in our... Read more

September 17, 2024

In a world full of solutions, opinions, and advice, the listening ear is one of the most important gifts we can offer one another. It is an act of healing and vision. For people of faith and their communities, the gift of listening both to one another and God offers individuals a path to spiritual renewal and grants congregations a vision of their identity. In a time when congregations are in steep decline and facing significant uncertainty, learning to listen... Read more

September 10, 2024

A favorite question many spiritual directors ask after hearing their clients describe a difficult life situation is: “Where is God in this for you?” I’ve never liked using that question because I figure that is likely why the person came for spiritual direction. To explore God’s presence in that chaotic mess, which can be difficult to do alone. New Way of Seeing What spiritual directors can help with is inviting our directees to look at the situation differently. Spiritual director... Read more

August 7, 2024

You’ve made the commitment. You’ve set aside the time for spiritual direction. But you wonder “what do I need to talk about today?” When we have a burning question, situation or spiritual experience to explore with a spiritual director, then it’s no problem. That’s where you begin. But what if you don’t? Here are some ways to get the most out of your spiritual direction session regardless of whether you have a burning issue or not.   Spend some time... Read more

June 20, 2024

By guest blogger, Anne Randerson, PhD In my previous post, I wrote about taking a Whit Monday stroll through our local park to get some fresh air and inspiration. Nature is a healthy option for combatting stress and fatigue; it nourishes my soul. I wrote about the obstacles, inspiration and discernment I experienced along this walk. In our capacity as spiritual directors we help our clients—our spiritual directees and companions—navigate the spiritual meaning that permeates their lives, including any unexpected... Read more

June 14, 2024

By guest blogger, Anne Randerson, PhD May 20th was Whit Monday, referred to as Lundi de Pentecôte in French, or Pinkstermaandag in Dutch or Flemish—the feast day after Pentecost Sunday. All shops were closed, and most people didn’t have to work, since it was a bank holiday here in Belgium: a holy day, a time for everyone to rest, gather their families for picnics in their gardens, at the seaside, or local parks. Some folks—mainly the elderly—traversed the cobblestone roads... Read more

May 31, 2024

One of my colleagues at the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction, Rev. Dr. Kelly Murphy Mason, feels a strong call to encourage dialogue among people and factions in our nation that are conflicted and polarized. Dr. Mason published this piece “Us in the Absence of a Them” recently for the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs of Georgetown University. In this article she shares some of her experience from a recent conference they held entitled The Church’s Mission... Read more

May 1, 2024

Apprenticing is how spiritual direction training took place for centuries. This ancient mode is again popular, only now it’s portable and highly personalized, thanks to ease of online conferencing. I have been training apprentices since 2019 in the Apprentice Training Program of the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction, using a curriculum I created that focuses on the basic skills needed to do spiritual direction. Because of its popularity, I’ve added two mentor/trainers to respond to the need. What an Apprentice... Read more

March 18, 2024

Spiritual directors many times ask what it is you desire most in life. That’s because our deepest, truest desires are one way God reaches out to us to say “walk in this way.” The “Desire Prayer” is one of my favorite practices because it allows us to get our desires before God openly, unabashedly and with feeling. That’s because you use all your senses to create—in your imagination—a scene that depicts what you desire and you pray in and through... Read more

March 5, 2024

Anne Randerson in Brussels, Belgium on how becoming a spiritual director has increased her awareness of the unfolding of beautiful moments. Anne is my guest blogger this week and we appreciate this look into her world! – Teresa Blythe     On my morning walk the other day, I expected the usual greetings from passersby: “Hallo” or “Dag” or “Goeiemorgen” in Dutch (Flemish), but I saw nobody. Instead, my local park’s bare trees, trickling with remnants of icy rain, greeted... Read more


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