It is helpful especially as I am coming off two very FULLfilling days of training FOURTEEN soon-to-be spiritual directors. I am shadowing my trainers who are with Sustainable Faith. Although I will be Sustainable Faith trained, I will launch out on my own with a whole new curriculum that combines what I have learned from over 40 years of contemplative practices, influences from spiritual formation with Renovare Spiritual Formation Groups (that I started here in the early 90s and grew from there), Renovare Institute, and also my newer learnings on Attachment theory through Curt Thompson and Life Model Works (2 classes and numerous books). I will also teach from my training in the Enneagram (different from how Sustainable Faith covers it). I will also include the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius using the manual I wrote. Oh, and there will be more on Belovedness and hearing God from Jamie and Donna. :)
I love creating this curriculum, and God is speaking to me about letting go of some things I wanted to be included in, but as Marie says in The Sound of Music, "Reverend Mother always says, 'When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.'" And my window is outside what has been done before. God is doing a new thing, and I am so excited to fly out that window into the wide-open blue and beautiful skies! YAY!
I also want to empower people worldwide to train spiritual directors. They can do it under my umbrella so they can be recognized by ESDA, but I would love to see training in third-world countries for people who cannot afford the steep (and getting steeper) prices of spiritual direction training.
Back to the training, I feel like I failed in one supervision session. Not failed, but I ran out of time to supervise, but that was partly because of the person I was supervising. I wanted to get to other things, but many questions caused me not to wrap things up. I also was not in charge of moving things along because my computer froze. So the person I was supervising had to show it on their screen. It went OK though.
I am a bit peopled out though. Really and truly. I have a doctor's appointment at 1:45. Then, I will rest until 6 pm when one of my directees comes over. Tomorrow, I just have to teach one class, maybe meet with a friend from out of town on campus, and the 40th FSF Banquet.
Then, it will be time for a well-deserved Sabbath for me. I really want to rest. But I also want to put together this curriculum. This is going to be so much fun.
Lord, help me and lead me to be creative with all of this. I have 1 1/2 minutes left. Then, I will do some writing until I go to the doctor. I am so excited Lord. I am pretty fulfilled!
YAY for FLYING FREE.