Chew on This

As I continue this journey, God raises different places along the way that I can call "Ebenezer".  Each of these spots give me great help.  The newest one is a book by Henri Nouwen called Spiritual Direction.   The book takes the writings of Nouwen and distills his thoughts on spiritual direction (obviously) and the life of the believer.  In the preface, Nouwen is quoted to say, "Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live the spiritual life."  Yet, the thought is expanded and changed to describe what Nouwen learned later.  The statement reads, "Yet we cannot live our spiritual lives alone.  Although we need solitude to know God, we require a faith community to hold us accountable.  We need to learn how to listen to the word of God, ever present within our hearts.  We need disciplines of study and spiritual practice to discern the word of God in words of scripture.  We need a church or faith community that provides opportunities for worshiping and sharing, engaging in mutual correction and bearing of burdens, confessing faults, offering forgiveness, and celebrating life.  We also need guides:  spiritual friends, a spiritual director, or a spiritual accountability group that can function as a safe place to bear our souls." (italics added)

I think these are things that one needs to continually seek--both a personally intimate yet open relationship with the Father and others.  May God direct us all to those safe places where we can grow together, encouraging one another to love and good deeds and intimacy with Him.