“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
-Jeremiah 6:16
Advertisements
Spiritual Direction
“Here we are, you and I, and I hope a third, Christ, is in our midst…. Come now, beloved, open your heart, and pour into these friendly ears whatsoever you will, and let us accept gracefully the boon of this place, time, and leisure….” —Aelred of Rievaulx, Spiritual Friendship 1:1
As you walk with Christ, how are you being transformed? This question speaks of 
allowing Jesus’ love to shape you as you grow in him. Being formed into the likeness of Christ does not take place in isolation. We need companions for the journey to nurture our faith and help us discern God’s movement in our lives.
Examples are rooted throughout scripture—Moses and Joshua, Naomi and Ruth, Nathan and David, Elizabeth and Mary, Paul and Timothy, to name a few. God used these men and women to provide direction for those who sought to know and follow God. Soul care flows from our relationship and connectedness to the Triune God. Do you desire to know God’s love, hear Christ’s voice, and trust the Spirit’s presence and work in your life? Then you may benefit from the listening presence a spiritual director can offer.
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.” —John the Beloved (1 John 4:16)
What Should I Expect?
Spiritual direction is a ministry of prayerful listening for discernment in a confidential setting of encouragement and compassion.In spiritual direction, a trained listener holds you and your relationship with God in prayer while listening—listening to God and to you.The goal of spiritual direction is to attend to the presence and voice of God in your life, being fashioned by his hands into Christ’s image, to “know the love that surpasses all knowing” (Ephesians 3:19).
Contact Julie for more information, or to schedule an introductory appointment with her in person, by phone, or by Skype. A one-hour session is $50, with introductory session at no cost.
Spiritual Formation
“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.” Jesus (John 15:5, The Message)
How would you describe your abiding connection to the life-giving Vine, awareness of the Gardener’s presence and voice, and discernment of the Spirit’s invitations and movements for you and your Community group, Ministry team, or Women’s ministry? Are you dwelling in Christ together, bearing abundant fruit for the transformation of His world? What is your role, and how is each of you connected to the greater whole…the nourishing vineyard?
What is Spiritual Formation?
Thomas Ashbrook of Imago Dei defines Spiritual Formation as:
“The process that takes place in us, as the life of the Spirit of God transforms our life through deepening love and intimacy with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, remaking us in the likeness of Jesus Christ, in His love for the Father and the world.” (Mansions of the Heart, p. 32)
Group Spiritual Formation provides a way for God’s Spirit to transform you as you dwell together in this deepening love and intimacy with the Trinity.
Below are the offerings provided. The core text for each is the Bible — God’s inspired holy word, revealed to us through the Word Himself, Jesus, and His indwelling Holy Spirit. Rooted in Scripture, these books then surround us with that ancient cloud of witnesses (C. S. Lewis, John Wesley, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ignatius Loyola, Benedict of Nursia, Teresa of Avila, along with numerous Biblical witnesses) to companion us on our journey of faith, walking together in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior. To learn more about the following opportunities, contact Julie for more specific details and cost. Each one can be hand-crafted to fit your unique group or team.
Crafting a Rule of Life (14-week course using this book)
Mansions of the Heart (14-week course using this book and this study guide)
Sacred Listening (14- or 28-week format using this book)
Live into Your Createdness (14-week course using this book and this book) — assessment tools to guide you on your journey based on how you uniquely bear the image of God.
Workshops on any of the above (one or two days highlighting key content)
Soul Care Retreats (day-long or overnight formats using LTI’s tools)
Online Spiritual Community
You are invited to the well-ordered way for 2018!
Launching January 2018, this intentional, intimate, online spiritual community for women will embark on a quest together: Crafting a Rule of Life.
“Your personal rule of life is a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ’s glory.” ~Steve Macchia, author of Crafting a Rule of Life
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
-Romans 12:1-2 The Message, emphasis mine
To walk with God down this well-ordered way, we will explore with Him our unique individual lives which include our:
roles…gifts…desires…vision…mission
From this exploration with Jesus we will then form our personal rule of life in the areas of our:
time…trust…temple…treasure…talent
We will wrap up with exploring our “Commitment to the Body of Christ” and the “Context of a Spiritual Community.”
Listen to this podcast to get an excellent overview of the book and process: Renovare Podcast Episode 56
Details
January-June 2018
Book reading on your own, responding every two weeks with personal reflections in a Google Doc within community.
An experiential assignment on your own during the 6 months.
A 4-hour silent retreat on your own during the 6 months.
Gather “live” online in March and June for one hour of group spiritual direction.
Cost: $75
Required Materials: Crafting a Rule of Life and journal/notebook
Click here to register for this online spiritual formation community. Space is limited to first 12 participants who register.
Contact
To contact us at Dwell Ministries, please submit the following.
