Soul Care & Spiritual Formation
Resourcing Wellness in Community
Soul Care is the sacred and ongoing journey of nurturing one’s whole being in the presence of Creator God. It draws us beyond the surface of daily life into deeper connection, where we are met, seen, and loved. Here, God’s nearness is not something to grasp but to receive. As we recognize Divine presence, especially in suffering, adversity, and struggle, we’re invited to respond, not through striving, but by resting, listening, and opening to transformation. Soul Care makes space for both God’s voice and our own to be heard, forming sacred ground where healing and renewal take root. Spiritual Formation flows from this sacred journey, gradually shaping our way of being in alignment with the Spirit of love, justice, mercy, and compassion. It invites people and communities into rhythms of life that reflect Divine purpose and embodied presence. This formation is not a destination, but a responsive path…a lived expression of hope and trust in God’s transforming movement through all parts of life.
Spiritual Directors
Selecting the appropriate Spiritual Director is a deeply personal process, requiring careful consideration of various factors. Please discern diligently to identify the qualities and expertise that align with your specific needs and preferences.
A Sanctified Art
In our work, remembering is a spiritual practice. We remember that God created all creation with a goodness refrain. We remember that the poetry of love proclaims that darkness is sacred and black is beautiful (Song of Songs 1:5-6). We remember that Jesus was not white. However, we remember that the white Church has perpetuated violence and oppression against black, brown, and indigenous peoples. We remember that the white Church has profited from slavery. We remember that in the 1820s, white American churches mass-produced and mass-marketed images of white Jesus in order to form a unified national identity of white superiority.* We remember that racism is still alive in our faith communities. As we remember all of these things, we commit to the ongoing work of disrupting racism wherever it persists—trusting that through this journey, God re-members us and makes us whole (*Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. (New York, NY: Nations Books, 2016). 153).
Kelly Latimore Icons
Kelly began painting icons in 2010 while a member of the Common Friars, a community focused on connection with others, the land, and God through service, meals, and farming at “The Good Earth Farm.” Inspired by traditional iconography and encouraged by a priest friend, Kelly developed a unique approach, blending inherited practices with reflections on community life and mission. His first original icon, Christ: Consider the Lilies, was shaped by the question of how to live in right relationship with creation, embodying art as a communal and contemplative expression. For Kelly, iconography is a spiritual practice, a meditation on color, light, and meaning, that seeks to cultivate dialogue, challenge biases, and reveal Christ’s presence in daily life. His work invites viewers to pause, ponder, and grow in connection with God, neighbor, and creation.
Bette Lynn Dickinson
Bette Lynn Dickinson is a prophetic artist, author, and speaker dedicated to creating sacred spaces where individuals can encounter the transformative love of Jesus. Through her evocative paintings and writings, she crafts visual parables that invite reflection on the spiritual journey. As the founder of Awakening the Soul, a nonprofit ministry, Bette offers resources and experiences designed to nourish the souls of ministry leaders and seekers alike. With a B.A. in Art from Western Michigan University and a Master of Divinity from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, she seamlessly blends theological depth with artistic expression. Her debut book, Making Room in Advent: 25 Devotions for a Season of Wonder, showcases her unique integration of art and spirituality.
An Artist's Note
The featured artwork on this page is created by or in collaboration with artists who are deeply committed to honoring the history, heritage, and lived realities of Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples. Through proceeds and partnerships, their work supports ministries and communities in ways that embody soul care, spiritual formation, justice, and a shared commitment to solidarity, healing, and advocacy. May this work stir us toward the vital practice of soul care and justice, not only as personal reflection but as part of our shared spiritual formation within God. You may already have artwork or know artists whose creativity invites this movement. Engage with them as fellow companions on this liberating path.
Sanctuaries of Renewal
Retreat Spaces for Rest and Reflection
Exploring Inexpensive Housing and Pet-Sitting Platforms for Retreats
As you consider creating sacred spaces for retreat...whether for solitude, soul care, or communal renewal...there may be unconventional yet accessible ways to make it possible. Platforms like GlampingHub, VRBO, or even 'pet-sitting exchanges' such as Rover or TrustedHousesitters could provide creative, budget-friendly options. These resources might open doors to peaceful stays in nature, quiet urban sanctuaries, or unexpected places of rest.
But what if retreat isn’t found in a dedicated space at all? What if quiet must be carved out in the middle of noise, in a one-room home filled with children, in a war-torn city, or in the relentless rhythm of daily survival? Sacred space, then, becomes not just about location, but about intention...finding stillness in the small pauses, claiming a moment of breath between demands, or turning an ordinary corner into a refuge of prayer.
Even a walk through a nearby park or path...beneath open skies, alongside trees, desert plains, rubble-strewn roads, or winding alleys...can become a sacred pilgrimage. These everyday places, whether peaceful or marked by struggle, might not be far from home, yet they can hold room for holy encounters, deep breaths, and unspoken prayers.
May you be led to places that offer not just shelter, but deep renewal. And when the world around you is anything but quiet, may rest find you in the cracks and corners of your days...in a lingering sunrise, a whispered prayer, the steady rhythm of your breath. May provision meet you where you are, and may peace unfold in ways you never expected.
MY CONTEMPLATION. . .
by Barbara Holmes, Crisis Contemplation: Healing the Wounded Village
"My contemplative practices include writing, music and dancing, prayer, stillness, social justice activism, and teaching. These practices are the choices of one individual. What happens when the practices are communal and practiced together? What happens when contemplation is not a personal practice, but a collective, biogenetic, and spiritual response to crisis?
Contemplation is the highest expression of [human] intellectual and spiritual life. . . It is a spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. . . It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant source. Contemplation is, above all, awareness of the reality of that Source [God].
Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968) reassured us that when we reach the limits of our knowledge categories and intuitions, there is a wellspring, deep and inexhaustible. In the darkness, we can gather in Spirit and be filled by this Source [God].
Contemplation is not just an effective response to crisis. It can also arise during the most intense aspects of the event. When bodies are being tortured, when minds are pushed to the breaking point, the human spirit falls through the cracks of the crisis into the center of contemplation. Howard Thurman (1899 - 1981) referred to this inner space as an island, a place that cannot be breached without personal consent: "When all hope for release in the world seems unrealistic and groundless, the heart turns to a way of escape beyond the present order."
Contemplation is not a privilege of the few but a vital necessity for our interconnected lives. We are called to stillness, to pause, and to listen deeply."
Scriptural Anchors: Romans 12:1-2 | Psalm 46:10 | 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 | Isaiah 40:31 | Matthew 18:20
A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR IS SOMEONE WHO...
-
Is guided by the Holy Spirit, in the same spirit as those who, from the earliest gatherings, sought to listen together for God’s direction (Acts 13:2–3). The director helps you attend to how the Spirit is moving and speaking in your life.
-
Is a Trained Listener, offering a compassionate presence as you reflect on your experiences, questions, and joys. Together, you discern what is unfolding in your daily life and how you are invited to respond (Jn 14:26; 1 Kings 19:11–13).
-
Does Not Seek to Fix or Diagnose, but creates space for God’s healing and direction to emerge, even amid life’s struggles. Spiritual direction does not separate us from our challenges; it helps us notice God’s presence and invitation within them.
-
Asks Meaningful, Compassionate Questions, opening pathways of reflection and discernment that mirror the invitational questions of Jesus: “What are you looking for?” (Jn 1:38) or Where do you want to be made well? (Jn 5:6).
-
Embodies Hospitality and Confidentiality, offering a sacred and trustworthy space for you to bring your whole self, your hopes, doubts, and desires, before God (Rom 12:9–13; Heb 13:2).
-
Guides You in Spiritual Practices, silence, meditation, and reflection that nurture your relationship with God and strengthen your attentiveness to the Spirit’s work.
-
Invites You into Deeper Union with God, helping you attune your heart to God’s presence in both stillness and activity, and to participate in the Spirit’s work of transformation within you and through you (2 Cor 3:17–18).
-
Encourages Spiritual Growth Rooted in Love, helping you live with greater alignment to the teaching that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21). As Henri Nouwen wrote, “The farther the outward journey takes you, the deeper the inward journey must be.”
-
Celebrates the Transforming Work of Grace, walking with you as you notice how God’s love restores and renews your life, just as the early Church rejoiced together in the ongoing movement of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:42–47).
-
Continues a Long Lineage of Spiritual Companionship (trained and continues to be practiced in the art of Spiritual Direction), following the pattern of faithful guides throughout history who have helped others discern God’s guidance and live into their purpose (Prov 11:14; Is 30:21).
“A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR is one who helps another recognize and follow the inspirations of grace in their life, in order to arrive at the end
to which God is leading them.”—Thomas Merton
Scriptural Anchors: Psalm 139 | Jn 10:27 | Jn 14:26 | Jn 15:26 | Acts 1:8 | Rom 8:26 | Rom 12 | 1 Thess 5:11 | 2 Timothy 2:2
