St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises designed a thirty day retreat to help people grow toward a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. For over 450 years the Spiritual Exercises have served as a model for spiritual growth. Not everyone can make a 30 day retreat, and the good news is that these Spiritual Exercises can be experienced in everyday life, over approximately 30 weeks. The Exercises help a Christian experience God’s tremendous love and grace, and God’s presence in all things. The Exercises lead to deeper identification with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and greater desire to be His devoted follower and friend.
Through the centuries, the Christians who have gone through the Spiritual Exercises have had a life-transforming encounter with Christ.
Working through the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life involves spending an hour in prayer and prayer over scripture each day and meeting weekly with a spiritual director. The spiritual director is a mature Christian who has worked through the exercises himself or herself. The director listens to what the directee is experiencing and helps the directee discern how God is at work. The weekly meetings offer encouragement to faithfulness in prayer. The retreat in daily life usually extends from September until May. Judy Turner has made the thirty day retreat, and has also served as a spiritual director for those doing the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life.
Cynthia Bowers, who lives in Harrison, Arkansas worked through the Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life. Cynthia writes about her experience:
" When I started the journey of the Spiritual Exercises I had no idea how it would change me forever. I knew that the time would be a committment, a discipline and an adventure, but what I didn't expect was a deeper intimacy with Christ than I had ever had since the day I accepted Him as my personal Savior at age 16.
Judy was my spiritual director for this journey and served faithfully throughout the time, encouraging me, praying for me, counseling me and helping me see where the Lord was speaking into my life. How amazing that His invitation to make this journey came at a time when I felt too busy and overburdened in my life. Yet, He used this time to strengthen my faith, show me His abounding love and grace and give me a new devotion to a steady and consistent following with Him."
Contact Judy for more information: judy@christviewmin.org