The scripture for today comes from John 17:9-12 and Ephesians 4: 1-6: " I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on the behalf of the world, but on the behalf of the ones you gave me, because they are yours.....Holy Father protect them n your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one." " I (Paul) beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

The question at death may be not so much what I did or accomplished  for the kingdom but how much did I grow in love!

We do not create authentic Christian community out of good intentions--work, study and intelligence but we create community when we participate with God. In the giving, we receive and in the receiving we can give more--this creates authentic community.

In Christian community God is at the center of all that we do and God continually is drawing us into community---into oneness of Spirit.

Knowledge without love is nothing. Loving is the key to all relationships--with God, others and self.

Love looks for the good in all people. Love is gentle and kind; never rude or resentful. Love is at the center of true Christianity.

Love is willing to wait on God’s timing. Love is willing to trust completely in God. Love knows no bounds.

Spiritual practices help us know and experience the love of God. They draw us into God's friendship. Listening deeply to one another is the key to growing in love--through telling our stories, through sharing, giving and receiving.  Listening deeply grounds us in faith.

Listening deeply to one another in the Spirit of Christ's love is foundational to loving others.

Listening deeply permits each person to be who they are. It brings freedom to the soul.

Listening deeply for and to God, allows for the experience of God.

....and what comes from God has "staying power"....

We all have the gift of unity in Christ Jesus. We are One in Body and One in Spirit.

How will you live out your unity with Christ and others?

How will you listen deeply to God?

Thank you Cherri Johnson, FUMSDRL board member, for today's blog topic!

The overall conference theme is: The Heart of Pilgrimage: Living by the Spirit. This year’s daily themes come from the Eucharistic prayer: “By Your Holy Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes again. Amen.” The theme for today was Make us One with Christ. The schedule for each day begins with Morning Prayer at 7am. The FUMSDRL Board provides leadership for this contemplative service of Morning Prayer. There are about 100 people (of the over 400 at the Conference) who attend the Morning Prayer service at 7am. This morning Brenda Buckwell Lifland and Scottie Brafford, a spiritual director and the Director of The Center for Spiritual Formation in Memphis, Tennessee led the service.

There is a morning plenary session which is a lecture style presentation on the theme for the day. The teacher for the plenary sessions this year is Marjorie Thompson, Presbyterian minister and author of the best-selling book Soulfeast. Marjorie noted that “One with Christ” is a mystical expression of oneness, “One with each other” is a moral expression and “One in ministry to all the World” is a missional expression. She focused on John 15: 1-11 where Jesus invites – actually commands us – to “abide in Him.” Quoting from Julian of Norwich and Bernard of Clairvaux, she explained atonement as the “primordial inter-penetration of the Divine and human that preserves the difference of identity.”

 
Steve Bryant and Marjorie Thompson 

After a break are the morning workshops. As I said before, this is the third year that FUMSDRL has been invited to offer leadership and spiritual direction at Soulfeast. Each year we have led a three day morning workshop that introduces spiritual direction to participants. There are five members of FUMSDRL’s Board of Directors present this year and several other members of FUMSDRL and SDI in attendance. 

Sacred Center in the workshop space

 
This year the workshop is being led by Reverend Dr. Brenda Buckwell Lifland and Cherri Johnson. Brenda is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of FUMSDRL and Cherri is new member on the Board who brings a wealth of experience as a spiritual director and a supervisor of directors. The workshop is entitled, “Formation from the Inside to the Outside.” Participants came from all over the country and many different walks of life. Today the session focused on individual spiritual direction and how the skills of spiritual direction assist believers in companioning folks on their journeys through life. Attention was given to the difference between spiritual direction and other helping ministries such as therapy, counseling and chaplaincy. Brenda also shared a little of her experience of teaching a dying congregation the principles of spiritual direction and formation and how that revitalized the congregation. Brenda and Cherri demonstrated a formal spiritual direction session which the participants found extremely helpful. Brenda sent the participants with two questions to contemplate:

How has God been present in our discussion?

What signs of joy and hope did you experience in our discussion?

and an assignment to remember the person sitting on either side of them and say prayers of blessing for them.

Brenda and Cherri demonstrate Spiritual Direction

After lunch there is free time when several “Sabbath Options” are available to participants. One of the options that FUMSDRL offers is Spiritual Direction. This afternoon Brenda led a Group Spiritual Direction Session which resulted in several people requesting individual sessions. All of us on the Board are available to meet with individuals when requested.

At 4pm there are one hour workshops offered on a variety of topics – everything from “Approaching the Heart of God: Walking the Labyrinth” to “Spirituality and Photography” to “Hula Hooping.” Linda Douty, author of How Can I Let Go if I Don’t Know I’m Holding On: Setting Our Souls Free and How Can I See the Light When It’s So Dark: Journey To a Thankful Heart, and a member of FUMSDRL from Memphis offered a workshop on “Prayers for Busy People.”

After supper there is a worship experience with lots of singing and original liturgy. Tonight we remembered and celebrated our Baptism.

Soulfeast  is an annual spiritual formation event sponsored by the Upper Room Ministries of The United Methodist Church. It is held in the beautiful surroundings of Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. This year the even is held July 20 through July 24. This is the third year that the Fellowship of United Methodist Spiritual Directors (FUMSDRL) has been invited to offer spiritual direction to the participants and participate in the leadership of Morning Prayer and lead workshops. More on FUMSDRL’s role later.

 

This year for the first year, United Theological Seminary is sponsoring a seminar for spiritual leaders interested in an enhanced experience of the event through reflection and dialogue with key leaders. On Sunday evening, July 20 the seminar began with conversation with Steve Bryant, Publisher, Upper Room Ministries and Associate General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship of The United Methodist Church and Jerry Haas, Director of the Academy for Spiritual Formation and Emerging Ministries.

 

At this meeting, Steve Bryant outlined the key elements of planning a spiritual formation event such as Soulfeast. He said that the planning focused on providing Presence, Practice, Pathways, Power, and Pilgrimage through Environment, Experience, Education, Exercise (of spiritual practices) and Engagement.

 

The purpose of the event, he said, was to provide opportunities for participants to notice the Presence of the Holy, and learn the basic Practices of the faith as they begin the Pilgrimage of walking in the Presence by looking at Pathways available to us in the journey as we become aware of the Power of God. This is done by providing a culture of Spiritual Formation with good leadership which fosters an Environment of Grace that allows others to feel appreciated, and to know themselves as children of God. Liturgical, visual, and physical, Experiences are offered that enable participants to Exercise a daily rhythm of the spiritual practices of celebration and contemplation, solitude and community, prayer and learning providing Education for the spiritual journey that prepares them to Engage life more fully.

 

Jerry Haas noted how extremely important the setting is. Attention to preparation, beauty, hospitality and prayer are essential to providing a safe and open setting for spiritual exploration. Language must be used sensitively in a way that is inclusive and non-threatening. He described such events as playgrounds of the soul providing permission and relaxed and safe ways enter more deeply into God.

 

Following their presentations, and dialogue with them, Elise Eslinger led the group in a time of reflection on the shared information.

submitted by Reverend Karen Covey Moore 

Compassionate listening around the world and across traditions.

As a multi-faith, global learning community and organization that honors the contemplative spiritual practices of compassionate listening, you’d think it would be difficult to help spiritual directors of every faith and community network and connect with each other.

Not true.

While we’ve always felt the ministry of spiritual direction grows stronger by learning and supporting one another, it’s nice to see a study that backs the notion up.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life, a new major study finds that a “majority of those who are affiliated with a religion do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation.” In fact, “most agree with the statement that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life.”

How wonderful to see this trend towards tolerance, a trend towards more open and respectful exchanges and acknowledgement of practices.

Three cheers to compassionate listening, respect and tolerance.

A recent article on longevity in Maclean’s magazine got Ron Rolheiser thinking: many studies, hints and tips for long life revolve around the same notions of the Sabbath.

Ron states that “much of our tiredness and sense of being over-burdened comes from not having a regular Sabbath in our lives.”

Read his tips for longevity, tips based on observing and keeping the Sabbath:

• Keep Sabbath with the discipline demanded of a commandment.
• Sabbath need not be just one day a week. Sabbath to can be an hour, a walk, a meal, a drink, a chat with a friend. Plan at least one Sabbath-moment every day.
• Every day, even if for just a few minutes, go to some place where you can’t be reached. Cell-phones, email, and electronic communications have made us the most efficient and connected people in history, but they are also making the observance of Sabbath all but impossible. Go regularly to a place where you can’t be reached.
• Honor the wisdom of dormancy, know that when you aren’t doing something that is productive you are giving your soul the time and space it needs to quietly take in the nutrients it requires to remain productive. Buy a rocking chair and sit in it regularly, not thinking, not praying, not talking to a friend, just sitting, your soul a fallow field that is quietly waiting.
• Spend some time in quiet and prayer regularly.
• Be attentive to little children, old people, family, food, wine, and the weather. All of these are non-pragmatic and Sabbath-invoking.
• Live by the axiom: If not now, when? If not here, where? If not with these people, with whom? If not for God, why?
• Stay in touch with and listen to your body. It will tell you when you need Sabbath..
• Drink a glass or two of red wine most days, preferably with others.
• Don’t nurse grudges and obsessions, they, more than anything else, will keep you tired and tense.

 

Thanks Ron for the great hints and tips.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) supports the conservation of forests and helps people lead better lives.  Choosing FSC® certified products does make a difference.

You can imagine the elation on green consumers faces when Consolidated press, Seattle's premier publications printer, announced last month a partnership that would change their entire inventory of regularly stocked coated papers to comply with global standards for forest and social sustainability.   All stock paper will now carry the FSC® logo, recognizing the 10% recycled designation and a higher standard for sustainability of our forests.

What does this mean for Spiritual Directors International?  As an organization who truly cares about the environment and maintains a standard for using recycled papers and soy ink, our publications which are printed through Consolidated Press will proudly bear the FSC® logo.  

Thank you Mother Earth for loaning us your resources.