Spiritual Friends
We are guided in our ministry by a very simple motto
“The thing that only you can do—you can’t do alone.”
There is a solo or individual component to the spiritual journey whereby you alone must walk the interior places of your heart and from there make decisions about your life. There are things you alone have to do like answer the call of Jesus, “Come unto me.” No one else can do this for you.
And, it is equally true, that having done what only you can do, you can’t progress in this pilgrimage without the help of others. There is a community component to the spiritual journey that one ignores to one’s own peril. The forces against which we contend, both inwardly and outwardly, cannot be overcome in one’s own power. There are things that can only be accomplished in community. For example, there is a legend that the answer to your biggest question, “Who am I?”, is written on your forehead but you live in a land with no mirrors. That is, others can see in us what we cannot see in ourselves. We need each other to help us know who we are so that from there we can move on to becoming who God calls us to be.
Howard Snyder, June Terry, and Dean Powell offer to journey with you when you have come to know the importance of needing help on your journey. The gift we offer in our Spiritual Friends ministry is first and foremost the gift of listening. Paul Tillich, a famous 20th century theologian said "The first duty of love is to listen." Simon Weil said, "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity."