Spiritual Direction

Spiritual DirectionSpiritual direction provides a focused means to grow in one’s relationship with God. Practiced through the centuries, it has been ‘discovered’ by Evangelicals during the last 20 years. It offers a voice of guidance and grace to those who are intent on growth, with special emphasis given to recognizing and responding to the presence of God in one’s life.

Angela’s painting, Angel of Life, is alive with movement as it speaks to this theme. To me it speaks of the threads of life being woven together and given meaning…of how God takes our messy lives and transforms them into a beautiful thing…of his abundant love and acceptance.

“She who wishes or tries to achieve contemplation, must, if she would walk safely, be fully resolved to surrender her will to a confessor who is a contemplative and will understand her. It is a well-known fact that she will make more progress in this way in a year than in a great many years if she acts otherwise.” Terèse d’Avila (1515-1582)

Spiritual Direction

Elizabeth de Smaele, Spiritual Director

Having completed training in spiritual direction through Tyndale Theological Seminary in Toronto, Canada, I am currently building my practice in The Netherlands. More Enquiry Form

Meditations

Engaging with the Masters

Gleaning wisdom from classic authors, this set of meditations speaks to growing in our spiritual life through worship. Each one highlights a different aspect of worship, modeling postures and practices that help us respond to God’s character, awesome works and gracious love. More

Books and Links

Deeper Devotion

Deeper Devotion is dedicated to helping individuals and churches go deeper with God. It brings together spiritual formation and worship arts, two areas which are vital to Christian life and community. The meditations and articles are offered here to encourage you spiritually. Workshop descriptions present equipping opportunities for your community. More

Articles

Spiritual Formation and Direction

In my circles in The Netherlands the terms “spiritual formation” and “spiritual direction” are still fairly unfamiliar. This article, published by my seminary, articulates the focus of my chosen field very well. I share it here by permission of one of the authors, my valued professor and advisor, Donald Goertz.

In recent years across a wide spectrum of Christian denominations there has been a proliferation of interest in the topic of “spiritual formation” and a resurgence of the practice of “spiritual direction.” What do these important, but sometimes elusive, terms mean? What are the biblical and theological contours of “spiritual formation”? How does “spiritual formation” relate to “spiritual direction”?

In this article we attempt to elucidate the working definition of spiritual formation that shapes Tyndale Seminary’s approach to the subject. In our required course in spirituality, in our Spiritual Formation major within the Master of Divinity degree, and as we prepare men and women to serve as spiritual directors, we are guided by a statement that reads: “Spiritual formation is the continuing response to the reality of God’s grace shaping us into the likeness of Jesus Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, in the community of faith for the sake of the world.”

The place to begin is with the observation that spiritual formation is understood as an ongoing process for Christians. Spiritual formation is not a “program” or “project” or “course” that is completed in a few weeks, but rather is a lifelong process of transformation. While there can be decisive steps forward or dramatic spiritual insights in a moment, the focus here is on fostering the gradual and progressive movement into spiritual depth and personal growth. Faith in Jesus Christ sustains a lifelong journey toward spiritual maturity or wholeness found in him. This process cannot be reduced to Read the rest of this entry »

Additional Articles

Spiritual Direction