Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen. Experience tells me that to grow and be vitally alive in Christ, I need to be prayerful, scripturally-attentive and deliberate.
I often get distracted. The demands and stresses of life draw me away from God. At one point I will feel quite connected to God and at the next I realize there are other forces like pride, envy, fear or anxiety driving my life. Forces that take me down a path of spiritual death.
Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen. For me, growth has often been stimulated by a person God has planted in my life. As a child, it was my parents who taught me to pray and provided an example of faithfulness. As a high school student, it was other youth in my church and the adults who helped us ask and answer some of our questions. In college, a local pastor challenged my assumptions and encouraged me to live my faith. As a pastor, I have been blessed with mentors and colleagues who listened to me and shared their discoveries and life challenges.
Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen. In the book of Acts, we read about Barnabas (his name means “Son of Encouragement”) who traveled with Paul and mentored John Mark at an important moment in his life (15:36-39). Do you have a Barnabas in your life? Someone who encourages you, challenges you and helps you think more honestly?
In recent years, I have been greatly blessed by meeting with a Spiritual Director. In a hectic life, this is a place where once a month for an hour I can reflect on my inner life – my questions, my challenges, my anxieties, my sense of God in my life. My director gives his full attention and listens.
Sometimes he asks me questions. Sometimes he helps me see ways I am missing God in my life. Sometimes he suggests a book I might read or a practice that might help me work through a question I am trying to answer.
As your pastor, I want to walk with you in your faith journey. I am sensing the skills of spiritual direction will help me do that. In October, I will begin a 9-month mentor program for Spiritual Direction at the Spiritual Renewal Center in Syracuse.
An Offer! I want to offer to walk with you in a Spiritual Direction relationship. If you are interested, speak to me. Feel free to ask questions and explore whether this would be helpful to you.
Faithfully,
Pastor Leon
Get Connected: An all-church focus to begin in October. Look for details about the series of worship and small-group experiences through which we will better understand the focus “Connecting with the heart of God.”
