Christ Our Rest is a lay ministry of Christian spiritual direction based in the Greater New York City area. Our directors have completed a two-year certificate program with Selah (LIT) and offer spiritual direction over the phone or via video chat.
Individual spiritual direction is a practice in which two people, a director and a directee, meet together and pray. Just as the Holy Trinity is relational-communal (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the life of spiritual formation is meant to be lived in relational community. While many of us are familiar with individual or group prayer settings, spiritual direction combines the focused intention of individual prayer with the relational aspect of praying with others.
At Christ Our Rest, our practice of spiritual direction is trinitarian, biblical, and contemplative.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in each of us, and see each session as a short time set aside to practice being attentive to that particular work in the life of the directee. A direction session lasts for one hour and is marked by periods of silence as both the director and the directee listen to God. The director may introduce scripture readings or ancient prayers of the Church to help evoke prayerful awareness in the directee.
Spiritual direction is an ongoing practice that requires attention and time from both the directee and the director. Christ Our Rest is currently able to offer direction as a gift to the Church, free of charge. However we encourage our directees to weigh the full costs of spiritual formation and fully engage by pursuing Christian community in the local church, keeping a personal practice of scripture meditation and prayer times, tithing, et al.
Along these lines, in lieu of charging a fee we ask directees to consider giving an additional gift to their local church above and beyond their regular tithe while receiving direction.
As you consider beginning spiritual direction, here are some questions you might reflect on:
What is drawing you toward spiritual direction now, at this point in your journey?
Which ideas or images of God provided in scripture do you find easy (or difficult) to accept or relate with?
What are some ways that you experience God in prayer?
What would you like your life with God to look like?
Please email us at info@cordirection.org to schedule a brief informational call in which we can answer any questions and discern together how to move forward. Even if we are unable to offer spiritual direction at this time, we may be able refer you to another director.