Not too long ago, I made a new ministry connection with John Chandler, a spiritual director based in Arizona. A few weeks back, John asked if I would be a guest on his podcast, the Consortio Dei Podcast, and that episode just released yesterday. It was such a joy to participate in the podcast conversation …
Pastors as Spiritual Directors: Eugene Peterson on what spiritual direction is and how it applies to pastors [Under the Unpredictable Plant 6]
I recently re-read Eugene Peterson's classic book on pastoral ministry based in the life of Jonah, Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness (Eerdmans, 1992). There is so much in this book, but I am merely sharing a few pieces that have stuck out powerfully to me in this particular season of time. …
Practicing Spiritual Direction [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 11]
Spiritual direction is difficult. Pastoral wisdom is not available on prescription. Every person who comes to a pastor with a heart full of shapeless longings and a head full of badgering questions is complex in a new way. There are no fail-proof formulae (179). Eugene Peterson brings this book, Working the Angles, to conclusion with attention …
Continue reading "Practicing Spiritual Direction [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 11]"
Getting a Spiritual Director [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 10]
There is a saying among physicians that the doctor who is his own doctor has a fool for a doctor. It means, as I understand it, that the care of the body is a complex business and requires cool, detached judgment....If those entrusted with the care of the body cannot be entrusted to look after …
Continue reading "Getting a Spiritual Director [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 10]"
The Pastor as Spiritual Director [Working the Angles with Eugene Peterson, part 9]
In his book Working the Angles, Eugene Peterson outlines three essential acts of pastoral ministry: prayer, reading Scripture, and spiritual direction. These three acts are, to use a metaphor from mathematics, a holy trigonometry of three inner angles that shape outer, visible acts of ministry: preaching, teaching, and administration. I turn now, in my journey …
Matthew Erickson 