The Rhythms of His Heart

My understanding of Spiritual Direction has been flowering over the last 5 years. In the middle of my years in full-time ministry with YFC I began to sense in my own soul a disconnect between the outer work of who I was expected to be versus who I was made to be. I was on the edge of burnout. I was tired after years of offering compassion and care to others. I felt a longing in me to tend an intimate connection with God. I longed for a listening space--- a listening person with God. A space that was different than counselling (though it could be coupled with it) and something that my church community couldn't seem to offer me at the time. This would become a space that would give me permission to express my deep pains, joys, dreams, questions and tears without fear of being analyzed or fixed...or even slated as a Christian leader who was weak and not' living in victory'. A dear friend heard this underlying desire and committed to meeting with me in a mentorship/sp...

Kind intention is mostly heard by my ear when I have encountered this question.  The amount of times I have been asked this finds me very grateful when I consider that there are literally people who go through their days without anybody caring enough to pray for them.  Sometimes I have felt deep,  deep compassion...other times I felt like I was to be the product of a human agenda--a controlled approach to what people think I need.  In spite of my crticism of it and in keeping with who I am in creating this blog platform  I want to tell you a story of how this ask no longer pulls at me in a negative way and share my heart as He is forming me thus far.  I have not arrived yet and approach prayer and learning to pray from a heart that cries out, "Lord, teach us to pray!" A couple summers ago I  headed  to Winnipeg with a crew of college-age friends. We would attend a monthly young adult worship gathering.  During the worship set in the ...