Who are our spiritual directors?

In 2008, my wife Amanda and I returned to England to thank people for their spiritual influence in our lives.

They included the curate who preached when I became a Christian, the missionary who was instrumental in my calling to the ministry, the principal of the Bible College whose wisdom changed the course of our lives, and the minister of the church my wife attended at university.

Each one of these people had given us some sort of spiritual direction, but I have come to see Amanda’s minister as a spiritual director.

I say ‘I have come to see’ because, when we knew him, spiritual directors were not part of our church tradition. Yet, this godly man had always challenged us about our spiritual journey, and when we visited him in 2008, he intentionally took us on his daily prayer walk and asked after our spiritual welfare.

In his book, ‘Working the Angles’, Eugene Peterson wrote, “…It is not merely nice for pastors to have a spiritual director; it is indispensable…”.

With this in mind, I have decided to do a series on spiritual direction and the necessary spiritual disciplines it involves. I trust that this series will not only help you but also help you to help others.

Have you ever had a spiritual director?

Do you currently have one?

Do you think you would benefit from someone guiding you on your spiritual journey?

Robert