In late 2001 I discovered a book, with the highly unappealing title of “Shattered Dreams”.

For me, receiving spiritual direction has been transformative. At the beginning of this century the Spirit was deeply at work in my life, painfully transforming me. Amidst what felt like a fierce tornado, a lightning shard of blue sky emerged. In late 2001 I discovered a book, with the highly unappealing title of “Shattered Dreams”. Back then phrases like “spiritual formation” and “spiritual direction” weren’t widely a part of the church or ministry vocabulary here in the UK or the US.

I was not a new Christian but Dr. Larry Crabb’s (Christianity Today and Wikipedia) book helped to stabilise and orientate me. He put words to experiences my pastors and friends didn’t yet know, didn’t understand or have language for (and my wife was concerned for my well-being). But this wasn’t a literary schooling but a relational revelation that stormed into my life. Larry wasn’t the genesis for this new thing, that was the Spirit years earlier, but Larry, half way across the world, was most definitely a part of this.

Larry was a psychologist, author and spiritual director, and he was hugely inspirational to me. He served as Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Colorado Christian University, and spiritual director for the American Association of Christian Counselors. Larry was also an accomplished and a hilarious Elvis impersonator!

That experience of an unfamiliar God and my reading of Larry’s book led me from the UK to meet him in Colorado. In 2002, at his intentionally small School of Spiritual Direction, I was amidst thirty people with a variety of backgrounds from a number of different nations. That time was a life-changing encounter and I returned again to the US for teaching and training in subsequent years.

I had not planned to train in spiritual direction, I wanted to know what God was doing in my life and so that journey began. And I’m learning that amidst disorientation I think the Spirit invites trust more than explanation. Relationship.

A little about me inc. trivia.

I’m married, my wife is a healthcare professional. I have a business background in graphic design/marketing. I’m highly imaginative, creative and a deep, curious thinker. I like people and I’ve lived abroad. I’ve been involved in church leadership and with teaching the “Spiritual Friendship course” from Dr. Larry Crabb (church body ministry and formation) in church. I have level one training in Christian counselling. I dislike hospitals, queuing of any sort and magpies for their culinary tastes. I like magpies as they’re intent observers, Matisse and his cut-outs for his brilliance of imagination and I loved my father’s humour - he’d ring me regularly with a joke and abruptly hang up.