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| Home Welcome to the Christian Spiritual Directors of Northern Nevada (CSDNN) website! We are Christian spiritual directors who affirm a commonly held understanding of the assumptions, purpose and process of "spiritual direction." For names and backgrounds of our Spiritual Directors and Supervisor click here. For theological perspectives click here.
Our Mission
Our Purpose
The
purpose of spiritual direction is to provide a “sacred space” for
individuals to seek a deeper relationship with God and to discern how to best
live out their faith. In this space, in which God’s presence is acknowledged,
they are assisted by a companion’s “holy listening” to discern God’s
movement in their lives.
Our Process
Spiritual direction in the
broadest sense occurs when one person accompanies another in attending to
God’s presence in his or her life and prayers. In
the more formal spiritual direction relationship in which members of the CSDNN
engage, the spiritual director (or companion) establishes an intentional
covenant regarding confidentiality
and other issues with the directee. They
agree to meet at regular intervals within a context of prayer. During the
sessions, directees describe prayer or life experiences that are on their heart,
as the director listens. The director’s function is to assist directees,
primarily through questions, observations and mutual reflective silence and
prayer, to see and name their own experience of God; explore and discover their
foundational calling; and discern how the Spirit is leading them in their
choices, thoughts, and actions. The director’s core intention is neither to provide therapy nor to solve problems, but rather to focus on the directee’s experience of God within any given situation. Margaret Guenther’s analogy comparing spiritual direction to midwifery is apt. A person is capable of discovering for him/herself the spirit that lies within, but benefits from having someone present to “catch” the nuances, movements, signs, feelings, distractions, etc. accompanying the birth of what is and always has been deep within. The dialogue with the risen Jesus on the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-27) also exemplifies the process of spiritual direction, as Jesus contextualized the experiences related by the men to a deeper level of insight into Scripture and their own lives through his questions and responses.
Our MembersMembership is limited to:
Contact InformationCSDNN's facilitator is Nancy Pfaff, M.A.
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Send mail to nwpfaff@gbis.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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