“To Steal, Kill, and Destroy”: Anxiety and Spiritual Direction

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I’m excited to share that I just had a short article published in Connections, the online publication of Spiritual Directors International, which is – quite self-explanatorily – an organized community for spiritual directors, also known as spiritual companions, or people who help other people become more aware of where and how God is present in their lives. (Hint: He’s everywhere – if we just learn to look!) SDI claims “more than 6,500 members in 42 countries around the world.”

In my article, “Facing Performance Anxiety in Spiritual Direction” (p. 7 of the newsletter), I describe a bit of what it’s like to be a new spiritual director and to feel my inner “demons” of insecurity and fear triggered by something that happens in a direction session as well as how my peer supervisors helped me get to the bottom of what was bothering me.

Here are two short snippets from the piece.Screenshot 2018-05-25 at 11.42.41 AM

 

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And here’s the header image the editor chose: Screenshot 2018-05-25 at 11.47.33 AM

That’s me, facing down my fears! Obviously on a day where I’m wearing fake eyelashes.

(You can find the complete article and the full edition of Connections here.)

Lent Day 44: “Blessed Are Those Who Believe”

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PREPARE

Find a place and posture of that will support your time of prayer. Ask for the grace of increased faith in Jesus.

READ

John 20:19-31

REFLECT AND PRAY

1) Imagine how the disciples felt after Jesus was crucified. Although they knew in their heart of hearts that Jesus was the Messiah and that he would be raised from the dead, they were heartbroken. They must have been filled with doubt and even despair. They were hiding from the Jewish leaders. Then, suddenly, in their darkest hour, Jesus appeared and sent them out as the Father sent him. Their tears must have been turned into laughter, their anxiety into peace. Ask the Lord to wipe out any doubt and any fear that may be holding you back and to use you for His purposes.

2) Verse 28 is the only verse in which someone directly calls Jesus God in the Bible. When Thomas saw for himself that Jesus had come back from the dead, he had to believe. In what powerful ways has Jesus revealed himself to you? Ask him to reveal himself to you in beautiful and powerful ways this Lent and Easter.

OBEY

Believe. If you are reading this reflection it is because you in some way or another have experienced God’s love. Deep down you know that Jesus is God and that he was crucified and raised from the dead. Thank Jesus for his perfect sacrifice on the cross. Ask Jesus to increase your faith in him. Ask him to allow your faith to be true (see James 2:14-26, Galatians 5:6, and Hebrews 11).

Guest writer: Abraham Aldama

“Leap of Faith” is a devotional series on the Gospel of John for the Lent season. All readings are available on the Vineyard One NYC app, along with additional resources for Bible reading, worship, and prayer (IPhone app here; Google Play app here).