Spiritual Friendships - questions, mostly

The lovely Carol bought a book titled Spiritual Mentoring, which has a whole lot more than the questions I've rearranged and paraphrased below. This has been of particular interest to me lately, as I've heard that spiritual friendships are a key ingredient, if not the key ingredient, in spiritual growth. I also know some young people who consider me some sort of mentor, so I thought it might be well to be a little more intentional about these things. So here are some key thoughts (they're not all questions) from the book.

---

Survey, history:

• Where am I headed?
  • Who created a safe space for me to tell my story?
    
  • Whose song of faith, what song of faith, has rung powerfully in my life?
    
  • Whose life do I want to imitate/emulate?
  
  
• What do I want?
  
  • What is a key experience you've had? Key relationship?
    
  • What is a personal fear or weakness?
    
  • If you could wave a magic wand, how would you change your life?

Reflecting upon a particular moment or situation:

• What is God up to in this situation?
  
• Where is God's hand at work in this?
  
• What sacred text is to be read in the moment before us?
  
• What might these ordinary moments contain of the God dimension?

A mix of past and present

• Have you noticed a pattern of God's movement in your life?
  
• Did you consider what God might be saying to you in the questions you raise?
  
• What might God want you to hear in the events of your life?

Paradigmatic questions:

• Where was God when...
  
• Who am I?
  
• What does God want to do with me now?

Prerequisites; terms of reference:
NOTE: These aren't questions (d'oh!)

• safe space where you can be open
  
• boundaries: confidentiality, structure, guidance
  
  • i won't tell anyone about your situation
    
  • not to waste your time
    
  • won't tell you what to do but will suggest
    
• questions, struggles, emotions, doubts are acceptable!
  
• ideas, curiosity, wonder, joy are to be shared
  
• the mundane is a container of holy grace

For weekly updates:

• What were the highs and lows of your week?
  
• Were you faithful to follow the disciplines you committed to last week?
  
• What have you heard God saying to you in the experiences of your week?