Spiritual Direction is one of the ministries offered by The Santa Cruz Fellowship.

Jayne has spent most of her adult life walking alongside others in Spiritual Friendship.  In 1989 she sensed God calling to deepen her roots with Him by exploring Contemplative prayer practices and Spiritual Formation.  In 1995, she started the Reflective Retreat ministry at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center.  Those retreats grew to five a weekends a year and were focused on providing time, resources and sacred space for women to listen to God.  In the Fall of 2016, Jayne started training in Spiritual Direction with Sustainable Faith, a 2 year ESDA approved program.  She completed her training in April 2018.  She is a member of the professional organization Spiritual Directors International.

What is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual Direction is often described as a 3-way conversation; a conversation between a Director, a Directee and the Holy Spirit.  The emphasis is on the presence and leading of the Holy Spirit with the Spiritual Director providing companionship, recognition, confirmation and affirmation of the work of God in the life of the Directee.  The focus of the time of direction will always be on the directee, on their experience and on their relationship with God, with others, with the world and with themself.

Clarifying what Spiritual Direction Is and Isn’t

Spiritual Direction is not therapy, counseling, discipleship or a visit with a spiritual guru.  The Director’s role is not to diagnose problems or fix people, but rather to notice and help you pay attention to where God may be with you in them.  I will not be offering lots of suggestions or trying to tell you what to do.  I do provide reflective listening, questions for pondering as you seek to discern the movements of God within your life.  I may at times suggest different spiritual exercises or prayer practices, but you will always be the one to choose whether or not that fits for you.  I like the comparison of Spiritual Direction to that of a Spiritual Midwife, attending to the process of Christ being gestated and birthed in a human heart.

What will SD sessions look like?

I will begin each of our session by lighting a candle, to remind us of the presence of the Holy Spirit with us.  If we are doing our sessions by Facetime, I would encourage you to light a candle in your own space as well.

I would recommend that you spend a few minutes before our sessions, reflecting on your current experience with God.  Here are a few questions to think about as you prepare.  You might want to choose one or two rather than the whole list at once.

• What has been my experience of God been like this last week, month or even today?
• What has been stirring in my heart when I think about where I am in my spiritual journey?
• How have I been speaking with God?  How have I been listening to Him?
• When I sit in silence, where does my mind go?  What is capturing my attention?
• What am I longing for?
• What is confused in me at this moment?
• Is there a situation I want God’s help or direction in?        

Time

Our sessions will be 50 minutes.  You won’t have to manage the time, I’ll take care of that and let you know when we’ve got about 10 minutes left so that we can bring things to a close, look at what you’ve noticed and consider how you want to respond.  

Outside of Spiritual Direction, our lives can be pretty full and fast paced, but in Direction we will go slow.  I would encourage you to take your time in answering any questions that I pose.  I also may be silent for a bit before answering any questions you ask.  This gives me a chance to pray and consider more deeply what you’ve said and not just rush forward with another question or observation.  Let’s learn to loiter spiritually.

Confidentiality

Our sessions will be confidential.  Spiritual Directors can voluntarily choose to work under supervision.  I will occasionally need to fill out reports and describe our sessions to my supervisor.  The process they ask us to use will protect your identity.  I will never share who my directees are with my supervisor or with anyone else.  You however, are welcome to share your experience with anyone.  I can’t imagine there is anything that you could share in a session that would shock me and turn me away from you.  I’ve heard lots of stories and confessions, and I’m well aware of my own weaknesses. 

Questions

Thank you for your interest in starting Spiritual Direction with me.  Please let me know at any time if this process and experience is not working for you.  Finding a Spiritual Director is a bit like finding a new pair of shoes.  It takes time and some ‘trying on’ to know if it is a good fit.  Please be candid about what is or isn’t working for you as we journey along. 

The Cost

There is no charge for Spiritual Direction or Spiritual Direction Supervision, they are part of the ministry of Spiritual Friendship within the Santa Cruz Fellowship.  If you feel led to become a part of our giving community, there is information about how to donate under the SUPPORT tab of this website.  We have chosen to keep our donors and their donations blind to us.  A local CPA firm accepts and processes all the donations so we don’t know who gives or how much is given.  This is entirely between you and the Lord.

Agreement Form

If you would like to explore Spiritual Direction with Jayne, please contact me by email [email protected] or by phone or text at 831-252-4581.  You will need to fill out an agreement form, which is located on the dropdown tab under Spiritual Direction.