It may well become a classic in this important area of spirituality. It is the reader's opinion that if you read only one book on this subject this year, The Way of Spiritual Direction should be the one." John G. Durbin, STL.

Spiritual Direction gives us the unique and unrivaled experience of having Henri Nouwen as our personal spiritual director, answering our questions about the spiritual life in his wise, comfortable, and engaging style. With Nouwen's guidance, we can reorient our lives and open the door to true spiritual transformation. Henri Nouwen, the world-renowned spiritual guide and counselor, understood the spiritual life as a journey of faith and transformation that is deepened by accountability, community, and relationships. Though he counseled many people during his lifetime, his principles of spiritual direction were never written down. Now two of his longtime students, Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, have taken his famous course in spiritual direction and supplemented it with his unpublished writings to create the definitive work on Nouwen's thoughts on the Christian life. Stories, readings, and thematically organized questions for reflection and guided journal writing provide an unparalleled resource for spiritual direction, both for individuals and for small groups.

Spirituality.

A guide for Christians who are considering spiritual direction or who are already engaged in the process. It explains what spiritual direction is, the qualities to look for in a director, the process of finding a director and ways to develop a deeper prayer life.

In recent years, many Christian clergy, laity and mental health professionals have rediscovered the ancient practices of spiritual direction. Seen as a refreshing alternative to the techniques and limitations of modern psychology, such practices offer new insights for pastoral care. But many remain unclear on what spiritual direction is and whether its methods are applicable to their own clients and parishioners. Spiritual direction is a practice of Christian soul care that is found most notably in the Catholic, Orthodox and Episcopal traditions but is also present in Wesleyan/Holiness, Pentecostal/charismatic, social justice and Reformed communities. Predating modern counseling and psychotherapy movements but sharing key principles and insights for spiritual formation, spiritual direction offers significant resources for today s pastors, counselors, therapists, chaplains and other caregivers attuned to the work of God in people s lives. In this landmark volume, editors Gary W. Moon and David G. Benner, along with a team of expert contributors, provide a comprehensive survey of spiritual direction in its myriad Christian forms. Specific chapters offer careful historical perspective and contemporary analysis of how Christians from various backgrounds have practiced spiritual direction, with particular attention to each tradition s definition of spiritual direction, the process of authentic transformation, the role of the spiritual director, indicators of mature spirituality and other aspects of the spiritual direction process. Chapters also provide psychological and clinical insight into how spiritual direction is similar to, different from and can be integrated with psychotherapy and pastoral counseling to help others experience spiritual transformation and union with God.

"God created us to be lovers," writes Nick Wagner in his introduction to Spiritual Direction in Context. "When we love, we are in right relationship. We are acting for justice. The ministry of every spiritual director, in any context, is to serve as a guide into the depths of that love relationship." Here, in this provocative collection of essays, respected leaders in the field of spiritual direction explore the myriad of contexts in which this relationship takes place and offers practical ways to respond to them. As the popularity of spiritual direction grows, directors are facing situations that monks and nuns - for centuries the exclusive practitioners of this profession - never had to face. The essays in this book, drawn from Presence, the journal of Spiritual Directors International, look deeply at spiritual direction in a number of contexts, including the workplace, with the aging, in hospitals, with women's groups, with youth, with the homeless, and with those in mourning. Spiritual Direction in Context is the third in the SDI series.

One of today's most eminent Christian leaders describes 10 principles of spiritual direction and 10 guidelines for prayer, discernment, and asceticism. Morneau shares a rich understanding of reverence, the primacy of joy, and gives a series of delightful spiritual exercises for "eclectic nomads".

Updates his classic, Spiritual Friend Spiritual direction pioneer Tilden Edwards here shares the wealth of twenty years of experience he's gained since his classic book, Spiritual Friend. The fresh and insightful result covers both spiritual and practical sides of the art, from the nature of the soul to recommendations on payment rates. Both directors and directees benefit from this wholistic look that considers all of the person and not just his or her prayer life. At the book's heart, though, is spiritual direction at its best. Edwards examines new methods to nurture the soul, ways to recognize a true spiritual experience, and suggestions for being truly present during the process. Practical guidelines are also given for getting started with new directees, running group spiritual direction, evaluating sessions, and setting up a spiritual director peer group. In addition, Edwards gives a brief history of this special ministry and a view of its future. He also considers spiritual companionship in other religious traditions and their relation to a Christian framework. This new title offers enormous insight and support for both spiritual directors and directees, anyone considering entering spiritual direction, and all those ministers--from pastors to Christian counselors--who so often unexpectedly find themselves in the role of spiritual director. +

The modern resurgence of interest in spiritual direction comes from every occupation and lifestyle, not just those in the religious life. But while some books cover the basic topic, almost none consider the subject of advanced direction. What are the special issues of someone who's been offering spiritual direction for more than five years? And of someone who's been receiving spiritual direction for more than five years?Written by a well-known practitioner, researcher and theoretician of the art, this clear and insightful book fills the gap by providing concrete help for both veteran directors and veteran directees. The book offers a theological basis for the process of direction then moves onto such advanced themes as resistance, desire in prayer, transference and counter-transference, love mysticism and mutuality with God. It also focuses on the special concerns of women in direction. Each chapter includes a section on theory, some illustrative case material, verbatims, and suggested discussion questions.Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings is for a wide ecumenical audience of both directors and directees. It's of particular interest to women clergy, retreat directors, pastors, and all religious and clergy who find themselves spiritual directors "by default."