Every one of us is on a spiritual journey, whether we know it or not. Throughout our lives, we make choices, have relationships, and form habits that will either draw us closer to our loving creator or nudge us further away. How do we know we are on the right path? How can we know God’s will for us? Where do we belong in God’s story? How can we find meaning and purpose in our lives? Such questions call for deep discernment, seeking the Holy Spirit in all things so that we can walk closely with Jesus and avoid being distracted or confused. During this three-week series, we will look to beloved author, priest, and teacher Henri Nouwen to guide our conversations. His book Spiritual Direction will serve as a framework to help us “overcome our deafness and resistance… and hear God’s voice even when it calls us to unknown places.” Nouwen will lead us on a quest to recognize divine direction from within and increasingly see God in the world around us. We encourage you to buy a copy of the book so that you can go deeper as we explore three practices for discernment: Through reflection and contemplative prayer, we learn to find God in our hearts and see our true selves through God’s eyes Through meditative reading of scripture and other spiritual writings, we develop an “inner ear” that recognizes God in all things Through community, past and present, we are better able to see clearly and connect our daily stories with the great story of God’s love and presence

Scripture References: Luke 1:46-55

Related Topics: discernment, spiritual direction, wisdom | More Messages from Matthew Dyer | Download Audio