Caring for souls so they can
thrive in every season of life.
What is Spiritual Direction?
The practice of Spiritual Direction is a centuries-old Christian process of spiritual formation which Robert Mulholland, Jr calls "a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others."
A Spiritual Director helps a companion orient themselves to God, notice His presence, and transformative care in his or her life for the purpose of spiritual growth and healing.
Spiritual Direction is a practice rooted in presence.
Most of our lives are spent striving toward the future or untangling ourselves from the weeds of the past. Because transformation happens present-tense, it is a life-giving gift to hold the present moment with another. Just as the biblical word “selah” bids us to draw a reflective breath, spiritual direction holds space to pause and take notice of what God, the Master Gardener, is tending in the plot of our lives.
"Spiritual direction is the act of paying attention to God, calling attention to God, being attentive to God in a person or circumstances or situation.... It notices the Invisibilities in and beneath and around the Visibilities. It listens for the Silences between the spoken Sounds."
- EUGENE PETERSON
Why Engage Spiritual Direction?
The spiritual life was never meant to be lived alone. We cannot flourish without relationship – both with God and with others.
A Spiritual Director is someone trained to listen to the stories of your life and help you discern the presence and work of God. A director helps you to notice the sanctifying “life-death-resurrection” patterns in your life, discern rhythms of consolation and desolation, discover your true-self as made in the image of God, develop healthy spiritual disciplines, and cultivate a deeper relationship with God, interior freedom and flourishing.
Is a Spiritual Director the Same as a Counselor or Coach?
While all three tend the same seeds of growth and healing, a Spiritual Director is neither prescriptive nor instructive. Some describe counselling as past-focused with emphasis on healing, coaching as future-focused with emphasis on goals, and spiritual direction as present-focused with emphasis on formation. All are significant for spiritual health.
Because transformation happens in the present — and because our culture actively dissuades us from living in the present — spiritual direction is a critical path for spiritual growth and maturation. It was once a core component of early Christian soul-care and many Christians today are returning to these roots to help foster healthier communities of faith.
"Spiritual direction is, in reality, nothing more than a way of leading us to see and obey the real Director — the Holy Spirit hidden in the depths of our soul."
— Thomas Merton
Spiritual flourishing is the yield of a cultivated life with God as He forms us in the image of Jesus and animates us through His Spirit.
Deb Gregory
Deb likes to think of the spiritual life as a garden, full of seasons and cycles. It's her great joy to come along side others to listen and to notice what God is growing in them and to be reminded of His loving care.
Deb is a documentary filmmaker and producer of the Betwixt Podcast where she explores the liminal spaces as the soil in which the seeds of transformation take root. Her academic background is in Biblical Studies, Old Testament, Archaeology and Communications. While she continues to love these topics, the most formative education she has received was through the Sustainable Faith School of Spiritual Direction.
Deb is a "third-cultured" person, having been raised in Asia and spent much of her life crossing the borders of over 50 countries. It is a privilege to meet with anyone who desires to cultivate a deeper life with God. Deb particularly enjoys being present to ministry leaders, academics, and expats who straddle worlds. She is married to a University Professor and lives in Ormond Beach, Florida with their two adventurous daughters.
Deb offers individual direction, group direction, facilitates clearness committees and community discernment processes, teaches, and leads contemplative prayer and retreats. She is a member of the Evangelical Spiritual Direction Association and ascribes to their code of ethics.
