The phone rings. "I .. uh ... don't know where to begin," the voice stammers. "Someone referred me to you. I'm ... uh ... looking for someone to help me with my prayer life." I receive a version of this call several times a year. One of my hats is that of a spiritual director. I sit with people, help them listen to their life for the stirrings of the Spirit, and make suggestions for prayer and meditation. Three things impress me about those calls. First, the callers' desire: If I wait patiently, they spill out their story about a gracious presence they have long felt fluttering at the edges of awareness, a presence that has awakened an inner ache for blessed intimacy with this One who is so close yet always out of reach.
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