Bending Branches is a guide for followers of Jesus on the adventure of faith through the practice of spiritual direction
Do you find yourself in a spiritual “desert”, lost along the way, deconstructing, transitioning vocations, entering the second half of life, wanting to hear from God, needing a soul friend, or wanting to see prayer grow in your life with God? Spiritual Direction with Bending Branches doesn’t provide all the answers to these concerns, but it will help you notice the movement of God in your life in the midst of it.
Spiritual Direction
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A Spiritual Direction session typically lasts one hour. Most people engage in these sessions on a monthly basis. Unlike counseling, which tends to be intensive and short-term, the Spiritual Direction relationship might be better thought of as journeying together over many miles and through all kinds of seasons. Many directee’s choose to incorporate this practice as a regular rhythm of their spiritual formation.
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Group Spiritual Direction is a prayerful, conversational way of looking at one's life as the raw material for discerning the presence of God in a safe community. Group Spiritual Direction is not problem-centered like counseling, not skill-centered like mentoring, not issue-centered like coaching. While similar to those disciplines, Spiritual Direction centers explicitly on one's relationship with God—to awaken and strengthen that relationship. Our purpose through Group Spiritual Direction is to help you dust for God’s fingerprints in your life and the lives of those in the group. These groups start throughout the year and generally run for 10-12 months
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I use Fly Fishing, Hiking, Walking, photography, Kayaking, Paddleboarding, and other activities as invitations for a deeper life with Christ. It is a personal or small group retreat for a few hours to a few days.
Sabbatical Planning
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Sabbaticals are a tremendous gift and opportunity to rest, refocus, heal, and enjoy new rhythms. Sometimes they can be a bit overwhelming in the planning, preparation, communicating, and managing expectations for yourself and the church. Doug’s role is to come alongside the pastor/leader and journey with them before, during, and after the Sabbatical. This is done while drawing on Spiritual Direction as the focal point of the journey.
Retreats
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Whether it is a one-day interactive prayer retreat or a weekend of spiritual deepening, contact us and we will work with you to design the retreat.
We will take all the planning out so you can be present with your team.
Let’s start a conversation
If you are interested in scheduling a Spiritual Direction consultation, Sabbatical Planning, or just want to learn more, drop us a line, and we will get back to you. (The initial Spiritual Direction consultation is free.)