Spiritual Direction is the ancient and sacred process of someone coming prayerfully alongside you, listening to God with you, as you pay attention to your soul.

A Journey Towards God

We have been created with a deep longing for intimacy. Living our lives, we have learned ways of trying to fill this need of being loved, being intimately loved and accepted just as we are – without fear of not being good enough, without condemnation, without having to prove ourselves or pretend.

Let me tell you where this place is: in God’s presence. He is ALWAYS calling us closer to Himself! He is ALWAYS present! He is ALWAYS inviting us to respond to His invitations as he is transforming us back into what we have been created in: His own image!

Spiritual Direction is the ancient and sacred process of someone coming prayerfully alongside you as you hear and follow the invitation of God to know Him deeper and experience His loving presence. I have been trained in the practice of and prepared for the ministry of Spiritual Direction by Christos Center for Spiritual Formation.

 

Standing before the solid oak table which was sacred to his clock alone, his heart beat high with joy at what he saw now. No one else would have seen anything except a confused jumble of mechanism, but Isaac saw his clock as it would be. He saw the accomplished thing and knew that he would make it, and that it would be his masterpiece.

Elizabeth Goudge, “The Dean’s Watch”

Isaac, the watchmaker in Elizabeths Goudge’s novel ‘The Dean’s Watch’ sees through a confused jumble of mechanism and sees the masterpiece it will be. So often we see a confused jumble inside of us as we journey with Jesus through our life. God however looks at us very differently – he sees His masterpiece in us. In a way, embarking on the journey of Spiritual Direction is the desire to feel the hands of the Great Watchmaker touching our lives as we become who we already are: God’s masterpiece, created in His image, holy and dearly loved.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual Direction is paying attention to your soul, together with another person who comes prayerfully alongside you and listens to God with you. Spiritual Direction is taking care of your relationship with God, cultivating your relationship with God and experiencing a deepening intimacy with God.

Spiritual Direction is an invitation to become aware of our inner lives and invite God into the messiness of it. Spiritual Direction is responding to what God is speaking into our lives. Spiritual Direction is learning how to care for our souls by growing in our intimate relationships with God. Spiritual Direction is being transformed by the audacious love and grace God pours into us. Spiritual Direction is learning to live and minister out of our deepening relationship with God and true identity in Christ. It is allowing God to heal and restore the distorted images and understandings we have about who God is and who we are.

 

Rather than stepping into something, Spiritual Direction is the conscious decision of taking a step back to observe, pause, listen, and respond to what God is already doing. Spiritual direction is the help we receive to discover and be open to God’s presence in our lives.  It is about savoring the awareness of that presence and letting it develop into relationship. It is about allowing that relationship to become transformational.

Spiritual direction is not counselling, coaching or mentoring. Spiritual direction is a process where the Holy Spirit has the lead. It is a time to quiet down and consciously pay attention to what God is up to in our lives and then respond to what He is speaking into it. We learn to live and minister out of that relationship with Him and our true identity in Christ. 

 

Spiritual Direction - Who is it for?

In short: Spiritual Direction is for everyone!

You don't need to be a monk, cloistered in a life dedicated to God. All of us are on a journey with God and all of us at times need someone coming alongside to be with us, listen with us and gently point us towards God.

If you feel a desire to grow deeper in your relationship with God and long to experience His presence in your ordinary life, Spiritual Direction might be exactly for you.

Being based south of Atlanta I am able to offer in-person sessions to people in the greater Atlanta area. For those who prefer to meet online due to Corona virus restrictions and concerns or any other reason, I am available to meet online as well. Thanks to technology, I am able to offer Spiritual Direction to everyone seeking deeper intimacy with Christ around the globe in English, German and Swiss-German.

"As gently as possible, I try to say, ‘it seems as though the light is coming from there’ and I point to it, hoping I don’t point in such a way that I block the person’s view."

Susan Phillips, Spiritual Director

What Does it Look Like?

A Spiritual Direction meeting usually takes 60-75min and happens roughly once a month either in person or virtually over Skype/Zoom/WhatsApp/...

Right now, I am based south of Atlanta about 20min from the airport in Tyrone, GA. For in-person sessions we either meet in my office or if you prefer in a park or walking around Lake Peachtree.

There will be listening silence. There will be time for you to share where you are at the moment and how you experience God or wish you would experience God. We might spend some time in a more reflective posture. My role is simply to come alongside as a companion.

 

What About Costs?

Initial Session: free of charge

Whatever your income is, money should never be an obstacle from seeking Spiritual Direction. We are committed to work with your specific budget and specific circumstances. Also, we would love to make Spiritual Direction accessible for support raising missionaries.

Questions, Comments, Feedback?

What Others Say

“Kurt has a very humble spirit and a very mature relationship with his Lord that enables him to walk with confidence with you through whatever challenges you may be facing. He has excellent listening skills and asks challenging open-ended questions that facilitated my going deeper in my walk with the Lord. He doesn't mind the quietness after asking a question to allow/challenge me to go deeper in looking inside myself.”

Jonathan, Missionary