The Slow, Subtle Work of the Holy Spirit
*This is a repost of a journal article we wrote together a few years ago, when we were living in Northern California. The journal is no longer active, so as we approach Pentecost, we want to share it with you!
I bow my head and invite the Holy Spirit to fill me afresh. “Come Holy Spirit, come. Guide me as I review my day, noting the places where you’ve been at work. Give me eyes to see you in moments I wasn’t paying attention. May I give them back to you in simplicity and gratitude.”
This is how we usually begin the prayer of Examen. This prayer practice became especially significant in separate seasons of transition, uncertainty, and aimlessness—seasons in which we each needed the healing salve of the Holy Spirit’s presence.
The Formation of Motherhood
The house is currently quiet, with Bryan working upstairs in our home office while I work at the dining room table. Eva is taking her morning nap, but even as I type, I'm very aware that she could wake up at any moment.
So what do I do with this precious time, while my little one rests? Do I work? Write? Spend time in prayer? Read a book? Do some laundry, prep lunch, make a grocery list...? Or do I mindlessly scroll Instagram in an attempt to assuage my monkey brain/exhaustion/desire for connection, and feel instead the pangs of guilt or jealousy or longing or ...?
Communal Discernment
For the last few months, while Rachel and I have been immersing ourselves in discernment, we’ve been able to look not only at discernment in the individual sense, but also at the corporate level. I have always been fascinated by how decisions are made for organizations, especially churches. How do we discern what the Lord is inviting us to as a people and for a people? As we come up on our four year anniversary for CURATE, it’s been fun to see some of these questions and ideas around communal discernment play out for our own ministry.
Resources for Discernment
As promised, here is a (slightly delayed) post including some of our favorite resources on the topic of discernment. Add them to your wishlists or give them a listen, and enjoy!
Hindrances to Discernment
Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at what discernment is, sources of discernment, and consolation and desolation. Even if we have a good foundation of discernment in place though, it can still be difficult – especially when discerning big decisions.
I remember this time last year, trying to discern some big things and feeling like I was in outer space and my tether had just snapped. I was free floating. Rachel and I had just moved, came out of a difficult season of ministry, and received some disorienting news regarding the path we thought we were taking. All of this was a year into the pandemic. Oh, and did I mention that we had just had our first child? I felt untethered and grasping for anything to hold onto. The Lord eventually revealed the path, which was an unexpected and beautiful path, but discerning that path was a significant challenge as we navigated so much transition
Ways to Grow in Discernment
Today we have the privilege of a guest post from our friend Janine of the Stillness Collective. Janine is a spiritual director and supervisor living in New York City. She will be co-leading our online discernment workshop this Saturday, March 5 at 9:30am MT.
Sources of Discernment
Our very simple definition of discernment is living in light of our transforming relationship with God.
So, what helps us to do that? How do we develop eyes, ears, hearts, and minds that are more and more in tune with the voice and presence of God? How can we begin to notice God at work around us, in our day to day moments? What helps us to become more discerning people? In this post, we'll take a look at some sources of discernment that help us to do just that -- some that may be obvious to you, and others that may be a bit unexpected.
Discernment: What is it, and why does it matter?
Have you felt like discernment is simultaneously more needed right now and harder to come by?
I have, personally. For these past two years, I have felt like I needed to discern especially well. Rachel and I have navigated countless transitions and been faced with several big decisions, and I’m also growing more and more aware of the need to discern how I’m being formed by the voices and messages I’m exposed to. I’ve also felt the difficulty and challenges of discerning well. Even though I’ve needed to lean into discernment more in this season, I have felt like it has been harder than other seasons and I haven’t always felt like I’ve done it well. I believe I need better discernment skills more than ever!
Is spiritual formation navel-gazing?
We're doing a short series on what spiritual formation is, as well as addressing some of the criticisms and concerns around spiritual formation that we've heard in recent years. Some of the very real questions posed to us, and even something we've wrestled with ourselves, are: Isn't spiritual formation just a glorified form of navel-gazing? Isn't the contemplative life just a different version of self-help or self-actualization, the key word being SELF? And don't spiritual practices just promote these ideas?
What is Spiritual Formation?
One of our most popular blog posts over the last few years has been defining spiritual direction, spiritual formation, and the disciplines. We thought we would revisit the theme of spiritual formation and look at a few common questions/objections.
So what is spiritual formation anyway? Is it Catholic? New age? Isn't it just a lot of navel-gazing? What’s the difference between spiritual formation and discipleship? Spiritual formation and sanctification? Do I need spiritual formation? Is it just for the elite?
Have you ever wondered about any of these questions? Or perhaps been asked similar questions? Over the next month, we will do our best to answer them, but first, we’re going to look at what spiritual formation actually is.