Community & Early Methodism

Spiritual direction is defined by Barry and Connolly as "…help given by one Christian to another which enables that person to pay attention to God's personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of this relationship" (Moon 15).

John Wesley's connexionalism, as described in the book Covenant Discipleship, appears to serve the same goals. Connolly describes the bands as "a process of mutual confession" (Lowes 30). The class meeting is explained as a "supportive structure for discipleship, grounded in the realities of daily living in the world, and undergirded by common sense" (Lowes 41). I get the impression that connexionalism blurred some of the lines between mentoring and spiritual direction. That is perhaps a consequence of its more rigid structure.

I won't say that spiritual direction and connexionalism are twins as much as cousins… But anyways, early Methodism rocks!!!

The Mulholland and Johnson texts last semester helped me recognize the importance of others in my spiritual development. This class is examining the theme in greater detail and I find myself with a desire for corporate spirituality that is quite unlike anything I've experienced before. (Which is really saying something—remember, I'm so introverted I'm actually invisible.)

I find that I'm agreeing with much of what Lowes is writing about in Covenant Discipleship, but don't have a clue how to implement any of it in today's church. The extent of individualism in the Christian experience today is staggering. (And I type this realizing that I'm often part of this problem.)

I would guess that there is a lot of spiritual direction that goes under the radar in our churches. Many "spiritual directors" probably have never heard the term. It's got me thinking about ends and means. New trends continually snake through our churches. It's often hard to remember a few years later why a particular program or method was even attractive. But if we keep the ends in mind—discipleship and service—much spiritual direction will occur no matter what it's called.


Works Cited

Watson, David Lowes. Covenant Discipleship. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1998.

Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner (eds). Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 2004.

Disconnected and Connected

Least Connected is how I feel when all the rushing to duties
removes the possibility of time to steal a chat, a smile, a hug or a look.

Most Connected is how I feel when the friend that I'm thinking of digits
are on my caller id blinking.

Least Connected is what happens when my life has lifted,
out of my hands and placed within reach of someone that would be happy to see:
me pushed, shoved and locked into their controlling, cold, dark closet.

Most connected is what happens when walking down a November street -
a resturanteur friend I know shouts, "Hey Tara come in, relax and take the world off your feet.

Inhale
Exhale
Connect and Release.
Connections that teach me how to live are the ones that I keep.

Most connected is the "Wow" moment when I realise
that the people that try to confine me
are really the helpless captives in disguise.

Isolation and division break the foundations of a plan.
Purpose, excitement, encouragement and vision
help me to stay focused and stand-
when others refuse to see the connections before them
they miss the Promised Land.

Inhale
Exhale
Connect and Release.
Connections that teach me how to live are the ones that I keep.

A better way of doing church staff meetings?

I recently spoke with a friend of mine after a long absence. Both our families had attended church together in the 1990s but had lost touch after we both moved on to new congregations. I recognized the church he said he was now attending as one with a great reputation in the community. I asked him how things were going.

"Great!" he replied. "I stay away from committees and boards and just enjoy myself now!"

We shared a chuckle at the expense of our previous church. In its denomination, that congregation is known as one of the most traditional churches in the nation. My friend and I were both veterans of the "worship wars" of the mid 90s. We joked about numerous wasted evenings wrestling with critical issues like the color of carpeting and the menu of the annual church picnic.

I have lived through my share of crazy power struggles, too, so I empathize with my friend. However, I also feel sad for him and his church. He is an individual at the "top of his game" and the congregation would surely benefit from his experience and insight.

Mark Yaconelli, founder of the Sabbath retreats and co-director of the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project, addressed the need for a more contemplative approach to the staff meeting in a 2003 Youthworker Journal article. Although Yaconelli never directly states the words "spiritual direction" he describes a group discernment process.

The process doesn't fit into either the informal or business models in practice at churches today. Rather, it "...seeks to assign prayer, relationships, and discernment as the primary tasks of a Christian meeting."

The beginning of the meeting features a short opening ritual that consecrates the meeting, changing the context from ordinary to sacred time and space." The meeting then proceeds into steps of relating, receiving, ruminating, and reflecting. These steps will be familiar to anyone who has ever practiced lectio divina, except that it is played out in a group setting. Only after this process are the business items on the agenda addressed. The meeting ends with prayers of thanksgiving and blessing. It is suggested that the leadership of the meeting is shared or rotated. Yaconelli states that two criticisms of taking this approach over more common models will be "lack of productivity" and "wasted time."

Anticipated criticism aside, I am interested in participating in a meeting with this structure. There is no denying that current models leave much to be desired, so why not try something that may allow for a better discernment process? An attitude of expectation may go a long way in snuffing out the sometimes adversarial relationships that are often evidenced on boards. It may also have the benefit of coaxing good people like my friend back into leadership!

Work Cited
Yaconelli, Mark. "Staff Meetings: A Contemplative Approach." Youthworker 2003.

Secret Squirrel

Lamont decided to try her hand at vlogging. This is her first effort, documenting the girls' trip to State College to see Last Tuesday. I thought it turned out pretty cool, especially when you take into account that Lamont has never touched iMovie before!

Step Into The Ooze

I really can't stand the way stuff overshadows the Light of the World during the holiday season. So I wrote an article about it and the good folks at The Ooze published it on their website. Check it out here!

Sisters

I watched Brian De Palma's 1973 film Sisters this morning. It's a real jem from the vaults of American International Pictures. A reporter witnesses a murder through a window and the police don't believe her. There is a definite Hitchcock influence throughout, but the story develops in some disturbing and wild directions in a way that the master would have ever thought. Recommended!

It was interesting picking up on the cultural and social background of the film, especially in some dialog regarding group homes for the mentally ill, which would have been a novel concept at the time. The reporter attributes the police detective's apathy to racism. I hadn't actually noticed that the man was black and his lover was white -- I guess I was watching it with 2007 sensibilities.

Rumor has it that this is yet another classic seventies thriller getting the remake treatment. Do yourself a favor -- skip the multiplex and rent the original on DVD!

Turkey Legs O' thanks

I was pondering the turkey leg image above wondering if i could come up with something for each letter that I'm thankful for. I don't want this to be just another list, quiz or forward... I just want to become more aware of the care God has given to me over the last thirty-something years.

A- Apples that are crisp and not too sweet.
B- Babies that smile and wave at me.
C- Cars that get me to work and home again.
D- Donuts on Saturday morning ( Angel filling chocolate frosted Krispy Kremes!)
E- Energy to create new things.
F- Family
G- Grace to try again each day.
H- Help that I can give and not being afraid to ask for help.
I- Insights into what really matters.
J- Joy in the midst of struggle.
K- Keeping the lines of communication open.
L- Love, life and light.
M- Making up and working problems out.
N- Needing each other.
O- Open doors to new adventures.
P- Presence of God everywhere I go!
Q- Quilts that I can cuddle under with my kids.
R- Reading my Sacred Space.
S- Soup that I get to make from scratch.
T- Time with family.
U- Unconditional love of family and friends.
V- Vast potential for the future and the vison to chase after.
W- Welcome of new friends. Thanks to WPC and all the members that have shown their support and care for me since we met this summer.
X- X-ray glasses and silly toys that my son loves. It reminds me of his laughter.
Y- You - for reading and commenting.
Z- ZZZZZZZ... Sleep precious sleep at the end of a long day.

Thanks to God for all this and more.

Finding My Balance

When I read the Gospels I am often surprised at how many situations just intrude on Jesus as he goes about his life. One interruption after another -- how did this guy ever accomplish any ministry? Yet the Gospels record that Jesus took time away, too, even though there were many urgent needs everywhere he went.

I can't offer you any great insight, but I'm praying that God shows us how to achieve the balance in life that we so often lack!

The Ministry of Meekness

In chapter four of Life Together, Bonhoeffer describes a few ministries not commonly found in spiritual gifts inventories, like The Ministry of Holding One's Tongue and The Ministry of Bearing. While I found the whole chapter constructive, the section that impacted me the most was The Ministry of Meekness. I was convicted by the statement, "He who would serve his brother in the fellowship must sink all the way down to these depths of humility. How can I possibly serve another person in unfeigned humility if I seriously regard his sinfulness as worse than my own" (97)? Before reading that, it never occurred to me how much how much pride I have in my own lifestyle and accomplishments. Bonhoeffer's words often cut me to the quick, but make me want to strive for more in the journey.

Cult Film Sunday

You don't catch a cold -- you earn one. Well, I earned mine this weekend via a packed work and school schedule. I spent Sunday drifting in and out of sleep while watching a VHS tape of cult movies that Mister Oblivious dropped off.

I started out with the delightfully bad Plan 9 from Outer Space...

...then watched Ed Wood's "other" epic, The Bride of the Monster...

...then went onto Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! I can honestly say I've never seen anything like this... And don't ever expect to again...

...and ended the mini-fest with George A. Romero's neat little thriller The Crazies.

Lamont sat in on Faster Pussycat, but I was on my own for the rest of the films.

"If it's the worst movie ever made, why should we watch it?" asked my son in reference to Plan 9. He has so much to learn about cult movies!

Life is Good

I was reminded of God's care and attention as I looked over my journal entries from the last four weeks. It has certainly been a time of reflection and spiritual growth.

I am learning very much in my current class, but even more than that, the assigned reading and discussion of the text on the message board has been a source of ministry and encouragement to me. It has helped me develop an awareness of God's presence in my life in a more "real" way that before. I also find that I am approaching prayer and circumstances of life expecting to meet God in those experiences.

It has been a challenge to keep up with my journaling requirement this last month. This doesn't greatly concern me as my time for personal writing always recedes when school is in session. A good thing about my journaling is that I find it being more true to life and heartfelt than it has been in some time. I think this is connected to being more aware of the presence of God.

The school schedule made it impractical to take this class before securing a spiritual director. But God is faithful and I couldn't have found a better spiritual director, despite being ignorant of some of the necessary qualities of this role. Spending an hour a month together to "listen" is very different from anything in my spiritual background, but I am finding it to be one of the most beneficial disciplines for me right now. I anticipate continuing on with spiritual direction after I graduate.

My Rule of Life has been the topic of discussion with my spiritual director and a matter of much personal reflection. It is currently a great compilation of the classical disciplines, but I am sensing that God is calling me to focus more intentionally on a few items than trying to "do it all."

I want to encourage certain qualities and virtues in my life, such as letting love rule my interactions with others. I also want to be more intentional about building relationships. I want to attach these ideas to some specific goals, but I need to be careful that I choose goals that cause me to stretch without becoming an unworkable burden. My director and I are going to talk about this at our next meeting.

I am incorporating aspects of spiritual direction into my Sunday School class. I now put a greater emphasis upon prayer for my classmates during the week and before class begins. A byproduct of this is that I feel a greater sense of expectation during our time together. I have incorporated some silence at the beginning of class. I also find that I have stopped being such a know-it-all with my class, preferring rather to ask people how they think God is leading them in a particular area.

I can't wait to find our how the next four weeks of class turn out!

Holiday Help for Grieving Families

This may be of interest for those in the Warren, PA or Jamestown, NY regions...

Any day can be difficult for a parent who has lost a child, but the upcoming holidays can be especially difficult to manage because of the many strong feelings associated with the season.

The Friend to Friend support group from Family Services of Warren County is holding a free seminar entitled Holiday Survival Tips for Grieving Families, Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 pm at First Lutheran Church of Warren, corner of 3rd Ave. and East St.

“There’s a song that says It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. But the festive holiday season can find the bereaved feeling acutely alone in their grief,” says Carna Chamberlin, LSW, who facilitates the support group for the charitable agency. “This seminar will help grieving families discover ways to manage the difficult days ahead.”

Topics of discussion will include: Creating a “new normal” to address old traditions, maneuvering “well-meaning” family and friends, walking at your own pace on your own path, and how to handle holiday spirit filled people.

Family Services of Warren County, Inc. provides comprehensive and professional counseling, drug and alcohol services, and youth programs. It is a United Fund Member Agency. For more information about this seminar or any of its other services, please call (814) 723-1330.

Ethics and Spiritual Direction

Trust must be established for a relationship to work properly. In a professional association between individuals such as psychotherapy, pastoral counseling, or spiritual direction, procedures and standards of conduct must be established to provide soul care that will be beneficial to the client.

In Spiritual Direction and Psychotherapy: Ethical Issues, a chapter from the book Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls, Siang-Yan Tan presents his award winning address about the topic that was delivered to the American Psychological Association (187). As both a Professor of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary and Senior Pastor at First Evangelical Church Glendale, Tan is uniquely qualified in this subject area (249).

The need for ethical guidelines for spiritual direction is becoming increasingly important as interest in the discipline continues to grow among individuals. It is possible to conceive of a time in the future when spiritual direction will be as equally regarded as a profession as it is a ministry today. For this transition to occur, a standard for the ethical behavior of spiritual directors must exist and be followed. (Educational standards and perhaps a certification process of directors will become necessary as well, but that is another topic for another paper!)

Of course, a more pressing reason for ethical guidelines is the recognition of the rights of directees and a standard of behavior that directors must observe on their behalf. In common language, a person seeking spiritual direction must be informed and protected. Tan highlights a variety of issues that have arisen out of the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy. These are valid propositions for the practice of spiritual direction as well:

• "Therapist-religious leader associate dual relationships should be avoided" (192).
  
• Collaboration with a client's religious leaders may be beneficial. "[W]ritten informed consent to contact" (192) must be sought, and it is a client's right to decide if that permission shall be granted.


• Ecclesiastical boundaries must be maintained (192).


• Client values must be respected (192).

There are some other important ethical considerations that were not mentioned at all or only briefly inferred by Tan, but would be important to consider in regards to the ethical practice of spiritual direction:

• Case notes should be documented. (This actually protects both the client and the director.)


• A standard of confidentiality must be maintained, except in the case that a client is a danger to themselves or others, or a disclosure of child abuse. The client must be informed of this upfront before their first session.


• A formal intake or screening process is to be performed on a client to determine if spiritual direction is the most appropriate service for their needs. If not, to what service will a client be referred?

In a formal practice of spiritual formation, the needs and rights of the client must always be maintained for a beneficial soul care experience. It is the right thing to do.

WORK CITED
Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner, eds. Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

Missing the forest for all the trees...

"Begin with the end in mind" is a phrase often heard in my workplace as we work on strategic plans for the new year. That wisdom is why I page ahead each chapter to read about a particular tradition's indicators of spiritual maturity—I like to know where I'm going…

The author of the section of the Reformed tradition is hesitant to commit to a precise definition of being conformed to the image of Christ. I think there is some wisdom that some of us in the Wesleyan-Methodist tradition could heed: "Cause-and-effect thinking leads to cause-and-effect practices, resulting in a self-generated spirituality that depends on us instead of God" (107).

I am sometimes frustrated at myself for not being as conscientious about observing my rule of life as I would like. It is a good to remind myself that I'm in pursuit of God and not a set of practices.

WORK CITED

Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner. Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004.

Differences in role of Spiritual Director

I was blessed reading about the practice of spiritual direction in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. What rich and varied expressions of the Christian faith! The most striking contrast I noticed was the different role of the spiritual director between traditions.

Spiritual direction in the Roman Catholic tradition was described as a "… relational process in which the director and directee develop attentiveness to the actions of the Holy Spirit in this particular directee" (56). The Orthodox description appeared to describe something more along the lines of a mentoring or discipleship relationship: "The spiritual guide is to teach and advise, to answer specific questions and give specific direction for how we are to live our life" (43).

In the Roman Catholic tradition, spiritual direction is intended "… to be a free relationship, not a master-disciple relationship" (67), whereas the St. Simeon of the Orthodox tradition described a much different dynamic: "[a director] whom you ought to obey as though he were God himself, whose instruction you must carry out without hesitation, even if what he enjoins on you appears to be repugnant and harmful" (43).

Spiritual direction in the Roman Catholic tradition is a clearly delineated role and process. The Orthodox tradition appeared to overlap the roles of director, mentor, and discipler. Interesting reading!

WORK CITED

Moon, Gary W. and David G. Benner. Spiritual Direction and the Care of Souls. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2004.

Out of the Cold Tour

I have been working on a benefit concert for my local soup kitchen and have had a great deal of help with getting this graphic and project together.

Thanks to Audio Closet for working so flawlessly on the booking and planning for the OOTC Tour.
Thanks to Jamie for listening to me dream and rant on and on about it.
Thanks to Michael and Tim Johnson for the finishing touches on the flyer.
Thanks to Westminster for sponsoring the event and having the vision to see the opportunity for such projects as this concert. Thanks to God for putting all the pieces together with the venue ( Reg Lenna Studio/Tonic Production), WRFA in Jamestown and St. Susan Center.

Please try to make it to this event, but if you can't come to this event, I hope you will be willing to pray for us and the hearts of the people that will be with us on December 4th.

I hope that you're holiday season is cheery and bright and that you will be kept out of the cold physically, emotionally and spirtually as well.

Peace on Earth

Helter Celtic

I appreciate all things Celtic, so my spirit perked up when I noticed the mention of the anmchara or soul-friend in tonight'slecture. The role fulfilled many of the same functions as a spiritual director, but in many aspects resembled more of a peer relationship. As the lecture noted, it was a ministry of lay people.

One of the neat things about the Celtic expression of Christianity was how it fit into the already existing culture, rather than trying to impose a Roman-style culture among the people. An interesting book about this topic is The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George C. Hunter III, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary.

There are some interesting folks in Hamilton, Ontario who run a coffee house that is also their church. The staff and congregation take turns as baristas and engage hundreds of people each day. Could the missional or emergent church emphasis upon engaging the community where one worships be a modern day expression of the anmchara?

Holy Clubs

I find that I am rather intrigued by the idea of group spiritual direction as described in Holy Invitations. This may be a nudge from the Spirit, as my personality preference is as introverted as they come!

It is possible to attend a holiness church week in and week out and never be challenged in our spiritual growth. We more often possess a belief in sanctification rather than its daily lived out reality. We need reminded that holiness is an experience that proceeded its doctrine.

I am no expert on the early Methodist movement, but I am impressed with what I've read. There is something powerful about a group of individuals who united around a common goal. I think a group of "Holy Clubs" devoted to seeking the presence of God would be transformative to the life of the church.

Rose Mary Dougherty is quoted in the text, "Members must agree to commit themselves to 1) an honest relationship with God; 2) wholehearted participation in the group processes through prayerful listening and response; and 3) opening their spiritual journeys to the consideration of others" (139). I know that I would benefit from this sort of interaction with my peers! And aren't these guidelines something the church could benefit from?

Confidentiality appears to me to be the biggest issue in group direction, but maybe that says more about me than the process! I also wonder how appropriate a group would be for the paid staff of a church—for instance, I can't imagine a pastor exploring a call to a different church with the group! There are other issues related to running a church that couldn't be discussed either and I wonder how effective a group would be with one or more members having to watch what they say!

I guess the question to ask concerning the need for group spiritual direction is, "When and where else can I share these longings with my brothers and sisters?"

WORK CITED

Bakke, Jeamnette A. Holy Invitations. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.

Wrapped in a blanket of love...

I am becoming more and more convinced that there is nothing better in life than spending time with the people you love.

I suppose after being in a self admitted funk for a week or so that its time for me to remember that even in the hard timesGod gives wonderful blessings if only we would take the time to look for them,or listen for them in this case.

It's been a tough couple of weeks. Lots of rain, lots of work and not enough "time" for the loved ones in my life.

Tonight was so fun to go to the WASU and be greeted by the ever loving Pam with a huge hug. Walk into the movie room to find Phantasm still playing ( I was working until 8:30 so I thought I would miss them - I didn't :)! ) Next my girl Heather turned around and reached her hands out to me and smiled one of her winning smiles - I love her! Jackie, Mary almost all saw me at the same moment and the girls hugged me and shouted, "Tara's here!"

Steve overheard and shouted over the PA - "Hey, I glad you made it, we were afraid you wouldn't make it". So the band continued to play until about 9pm. The tour they were on showed as the music was really tight and together. Good show boys!

So I danced, sang and blew off all the stress and anxiety and let the music wrap me up in a blanket of vocals, bass. guitar, scratching and percussion. Everybody was dancing, singing and wrapped up in the blanket of music as well - it was a precious blessing to my tired spirit.

Kaddisfly had played earlier in the evening - sadly I missed another performance by them, but I picked up their new cd and am listening to it as I'm typing. I looked at their shirts and other merch for sale and my eyes fell upon a phrase on one of the tee's.

"Without tears, is to be void of love."

These words really seemed to connect with the fact of life bringing a mix of both sadness and joy. You really can't have a "life"one without the other.

I've had so many friends and family facing tears daily lately and I know that life is a mix of both good and bad, but it was truly wonderful to have a moment, an hour or two with folks that I love so much and I know love me in return.

You all are in my heart - and you make my life filled more with blessing and less tears. Unless you count the happy ones!

Mostly, I need to thank God that in the midst of trials - there is always a fountian and oasis to be found; no matter the desert you are traveling through.

'1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

Wherever you are, whatever you face - hold onto God and he'll wrap you up in a blanket of love that can't compare to anything else. Just ask, he's waiting in the wings for all of us to invite him in.

I will open the door. Help me never to shut you out.

Peace and Joy,
Tara Lamont

Finding a Spiritual Director

A requirement of the learning community was to participate in spiritual direction on a regular basis. I don't recall receiving much, well, direction in the process of choosing a spiritual director, but then again, those first few weeks were quite a blur…

I didn't really understand the nature of spiritual direction at the time and imagined it was more akin to mentoring or even giving advice. So I definitely was going to proceed very cautiously into a relationship where somebody was going to tell me what to do.

In the end I chose a pastor that I have known for years. I don't attend his church and he is not a part of my denomination. The qualities that influenced my decision were as follows:

He has a solid reputation among people.
He is involved in both the religious community and the wider community life as a whole.
He's educated.

It turns out that I was completely wrong about the nature of spiritual direction, but the spiritual director is working out just fine.

I think the Bakke text offers some well thought out guidance in the selection of a director. The quality that stands out to me the most is "depend on the Spirit's leading in the direction relationship and want to listen to God rather than be guided by agendas set by themselves or directees" (105). I've already had my quota of pat answers and wrongheaded advice in the name of God, thank you…

Knowing what I do now, I probably would have asked him about his philosophy of spiritual direction and his own pursuit of the inner life. But like I said, the choice of director is working out great regardless.

WORK CITED

Bakke, Jeannette A. Holy Invitations. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.