Spiritual Direction: A Practical Introduction

Spiritual Direction is based on the premise that, recognized or unrecognized, God is already at work in people's lives both inside and outside the institutional church. It links contemporary research on religious and spiritual experience with a model of spiritual direction which helps people pay attention to their experience of God, of the divine, of the holy in their lives, wherever they may be. It draws on many biblical examples and the history of spiritual direction to bring together classical and modern views of the faith journey, including facing the dark nights of the soul and the perceived absence of God. Theory is brought to life in a series of illustrative dialogues.

The attitudes, principles, and practices of contemplative, incarnational spiritual direction permeate this book. Sue Pickering demonstrates from her wide experience of forming others in spiritual direction that these can transform all aspects of ministry. Clergy, laity, pastoral workers, chaplains, and community builders are enabled to help others recognize and respond to God's activity, to deepen their prayer and compassion, and to move out in service as God leads.

Practical, realistic, and sensitive throughout, this book offers a comprehensive guide to:

- Different models of spiritual direction
- What makes a good spiritual director
- Discernment: recognizing God in religious experience and in the everyday
- Listening and responding to God
-Listening and responding to ourselves – body, soul, and spirit
- Listening to others – in places of pain, ,vulnerability, or resistance
- Practical spiritual direction in the church and in the community

In addition, it provides ample opportunity for personal reflection and spiritual formation as the reader is invited into the text.