Meeting will be monthly. Join us for this first meeting!

First, we all have an inner teacher whose guidance is more reliable than anything we can get from a doctrine, ideology, collective belief system, institution, or leader. Second, we all need other people to invite, amplify, and help us discern the inner teacher’s voice.

Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life

Lately I’ve been telling anyone who will listen (and unfortunately lots of people who don’t really want to listen) that the most life-giving thing I’ve done for myself in the past two years has been a spiritual direction group I’ve been attending with some fellow travelers at a sister congregation across town. Once a month we sit quietly in a circle, holding space for one another as each in turn shares a struggle, a joy, a question, or simply a status update. The group listens closely and offers questions and responses. It’s really as simple as that. But there’s a kind of magic in being with people whose only focus is trying to listen deeply for the voice of God in my life, who are there to truly see me.

It’s a rare gift to offer and to receive such kind attention. Most of us long for that sort of recognition in our friendships, in our Sunday school groups, and in our life partnerships. Spiritual guidance is one way we can clear the space to attend to the inner teacher, the Holy Spirit, the true self.

It’s a gift I’d love for us to share at First Baptist. To that end, we are meeting for an introductory session on January 23 from 4-6. If you are curious about giving spiritual direction a try, I invite you to come!

For more details on format and grounding principles, consult the Parker Palmer book.

Shaun Kell

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