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Reading Your Life's Story: An Invitation to Spiritual Mentoring
Spiritual mentoring is a particular kind of friendship in which, according to Keith R. Anderson, "two or more people walk together in heightened awareness of the presence of yet Another"―the Holy Spirit. "Spiritual mentoring is not a complicated process that requires technical training and complex protocol," Anderson continues. "It is essential, authentic, and maybe even natural human speech that is focused, disciplined and nurtured by training for one of the hardest natural things we listening reflectively to another. It is sacred companionship as life is lived and story told. Available to almost all, it requires deliberate recruitment, preparation and practice." These pages unfold a vision for mentoring that invites us to read our own lives as narrative and to learn how to enter the narrative of another life. The book covers the scope of the mentoring relationship through various seasons, offering helpful and inspiring metaphors for mentoring. All are invited to enter the mentoring story.
- GenresSpirituality
224 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2016
20 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 9, 2017
I read this book twice. It's up there with the best spiritual mentoring and friendship books I have ever read. I am getting my hands on a print copy so I can underline, make notes and share the wisdom couched within these pages.
It's a great guide for those who have the desire to mentor but also a guide for those who long for a deeper friendship. I feel we sorely lack with learning how to just be present to one another and let that be comfortable. This book does allow for that. I also feel that people need to read that. Often concerned more about doing right, than just showing up. That is what we're called to do.
This is a book I will read many more times, and keep an extra around to give to a friend.
I highly recommend this book. I think it's appropriate for anyone looking to go deeper within themselves, those seeking, already found or just need that spiritual stretch.
**arc from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for a fair review***
It's a great guide for those who have the desire to mentor but also a guide for those who long for a deeper friendship. I feel we sorely lack with learning how to just be present to one another and let that be comfortable. This book does allow for that. I also feel that people need to read that. Often concerned more about doing right, than just showing up. That is what we're called to do.
This is a book I will read many more times, and keep an extra around to give to a friend.
I highly recommend this book. I think it's appropriate for anyone looking to go deeper within themselves, those seeking, already found or just need that spiritual stretch.
**arc from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for a fair review***
November 23, 2016
Spiritual Mentoring
I read a lot. I'm currently working on certification program through Potter's Inn in Divide, Colorado. I've had to range far and wide in my reading for that program. It has been wonderful.
But this book is one of the best books on Soul Care and mentoring I have ever read. I can't recommend it highly enough.
I will give it away to others and read it again and again for years to come.
I read a lot. I'm currently working on certification program through Potter's Inn in Divide, Colorado. I've had to range far and wide in my reading for that program. It has been wonderful.
But this book is one of the best books on Soul Care and mentoring I have ever read. I can't recommend it highly enough.
I will give it away to others and read it again and again for years to come.
August 27, 2024
Wise. Practical. Contemplative.
January 29, 2022
Anderson has crafted an excellent volume on mentoring. The first half is more philosophical, while the second half focusses on the practical issues of mentoring. A common challenge in these types of books I find is that they can be either too focused on the nuts and bolts without giving the 'why' or they can be too philosophical and not give you many takeaways. That is not the case here. Anderson does an excellent job balancing the big picture thoughts with down to earth tips and lists. The driving metaphor of the book is seeing your life as a story. In this metaphor, the primary job of the mentor is to 'read' the life story of the mentee and guide them on it, not with answers and solutions, but by asking good questions and paying attention to the work of the always present Holy Spirit.
September 8, 2017
Eye opening read on spiritual reads. This book is one that I will savor the words from for a long time coming. I do recommend this to anyone who is looking for a read that lift their spiritual relationships to the next level. Keith is a wonderful writer of great detail and honesty.
I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
March 10, 2017
Wonderful for those looking to have meaningful friends and deep spiritual mentoring.
In a profound, warm, sincere, aesthetic and lucid way, the author explains that mentoring is a necessity that we all have to continue to grow and learn, to accompany us honoring our life history where the narrative of God is present that brings us a Sacred purpose. It inspires us to discover the blessing in our lives through the dialogue that facilitates a mentor, in a friendly relationship that becomes a sacred vehicle of greater awareness, where we can undress our vulnerability and feel nourished. Our lives are a source of wisdom that can positively empower us if we see it as a spiritual path; If we ignore our history and do not give it the place of importance it deserves, we run the risk of living rambling without advancing towards greater potential and welfare.
All cultures throughout human history have given importance to spiritual mentors; Therefore, I believe that this book is of interest to all people and even to those who would deliberately and intentionally develop this ability. We are all linked because we are raised in family units, as parents and grandparents want to accompany and bring great value to our children and grandchildren, as educators and leaders we seek the growth of people in our society, as friends we want to support those we care about and love.
My gratitude to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book
In a profound, warm, sincere, aesthetic and lucid way, the author explains that mentoring is a necessity that we all have to continue to grow and learn, to accompany us honoring our life history where the narrative of God is present that brings us a Sacred purpose. It inspires us to discover the blessing in our lives through the dialogue that facilitates a mentor, in a friendly relationship that becomes a sacred vehicle of greater awareness, where we can undress our vulnerability and feel nourished. Our lives are a source of wisdom that can positively empower us if we see it as a spiritual path; If we ignore our history and do not give it the place of importance it deserves, we run the risk of living rambling without advancing towards greater potential and welfare.
All cultures throughout human history have given importance to spiritual mentors; Therefore, I believe that this book is of interest to all people and even to those who would deliberately and intentionally develop this ability. We are all linked because we are raised in family units, as parents and grandparents want to accompany and bring great value to our children and grandchildren, as educators and leaders we seek the growth of people in our society, as friends we want to support those we care about and love.
My gratitude to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review the book
November 6, 2017
Summary: An exploration of the work of spiritual mentoring using the idea of attentive listening to the Holy Spirit and a person to “read” one’s life, with practical instruction on the mentoring process from beginning to ending.
It is not uncommon to speak of one’s life story. The challenge is seeing the story line when you are the one within that story and life appears to be simply a series of relationships and events, and perhaps accomplishments. What Keith R. Anderson proposes is that often it is in the company of another person joining one in listening to the Holy Spirit that the threads of the narrative, or the dots in the picture are connected in a way that makes sense of our lives, and the unique ways in which God may be working in and through them. Anderson calls this “reading.” Here is how he writes about this in his first chapter, “Reading with a Consecrated Purpose”:
“We live in what we have built. The stories of our life become a house we inhabit with its
limitations, eccentricities, mistakes, hidden meanings, and crafted beauty. In this book I hope to offer ways to help us all read the story of our life through the centuries-deep practice of spiritual mentoring. Stories are a way to find coherence and meaning in what seems random, episodic, or even chaotic.”
The first part of this book develops the idea of spiritual mentoring. He differentiates spiritual mentoring from either spiritual direction or spiritual friendship as “an intentional, planned, repeated and focused set of conversations about the life of the mentee in the presence of the Holy Spirit.” After introducing this idea, in successive chapters he writes about God as the author of our stories, about our lives as the text and the different ways we read stories, about mentors as coreaders, and the importance of spiritual friendship in the mentoring process. Finally he speaks of spiritual mentors as imperfect people, and that it is in our authentic vulnerability as great sinners who depend on the mercy of God, that we do our work. He writes, “Effective mentors are honest about their own brokenness and the holes within.”
The second part of the book traces the movements of the spiritual mentoring relationship from beginning to ending. I found the chapter on ending especially helpful, because he focuses on ending well, even if a mentoring relationship hasn’t gone well. It is a bring of closure, and what will happen next. It is not just ending but sending, which he describes as “s/ending.” Other chapters focus on starting well with practical helps on the initial interview for mentor and mentee. He charts what a mentoring session might look like. He talks about the practice of wisdom in helping people begin to understand that the life of faith is a long walk. He talks about the pacing of the mentoring relationship and how mentees can prepare for each session and he addresses accountability.
One of features of this book is that each chapter ends with a brief reflection focused around either a metaphor for spiritual mentoring or some useful resource or concept. Metaphors include hospitality, farming, ecology, prayer, and geography. He describes the “core curriculum” mentoring and the work of spiritual mentoring as “disillusionment,” that is the casting aside of our illusions to embrace truth. These short reflections both stand alone, and round out the framework Anderson gives us in this book and were a highlight of the book for me.
The book concludes with a “Mentor’s Library” and several appendices on lectio divina, how spiritual mentors deal with transference and countertransference, discernment questions for choosing a mentor, and dealing with differences between mentor and mentee. The appendix on transference and countertransference seemed to me especially important in dealing with realities other counselors encounter, and the importance for spiritual mentors to have their own mentors and accountability.
In this book, Anderson gives us an account at once practical and yet not prosaic. He helps us understand this deeply human and yet spiritual relationship, and offers wisdom that comes out of a lifetime of being mentored and mentoring. This is a valuable book both for those who mentor and those who seek mentoring.
It is not uncommon to speak of one’s life story. The challenge is seeing the story line when you are the one within that story and life appears to be simply a series of relationships and events, and perhaps accomplishments. What Keith R. Anderson proposes is that often it is in the company of another person joining one in listening to the Holy Spirit that the threads of the narrative, or the dots in the picture are connected in a way that makes sense of our lives, and the unique ways in which God may be working in and through them. Anderson calls this “reading.” Here is how he writes about this in his first chapter, “Reading with a Consecrated Purpose”:
“We live in what we have built. The stories of our life become a house we inhabit with its
limitations, eccentricities, mistakes, hidden meanings, and crafted beauty. In this book I hope to offer ways to help us all read the story of our life through the centuries-deep practice of spiritual mentoring. Stories are a way to find coherence and meaning in what seems random, episodic, or even chaotic.”
The first part of this book develops the idea of spiritual mentoring. He differentiates spiritual mentoring from either spiritual direction or spiritual friendship as “an intentional, planned, repeated and focused set of conversations about the life of the mentee in the presence of the Holy Spirit.” After introducing this idea, in successive chapters he writes about God as the author of our stories, about our lives as the text and the different ways we read stories, about mentors as coreaders, and the importance of spiritual friendship in the mentoring process. Finally he speaks of spiritual mentors as imperfect people, and that it is in our authentic vulnerability as great sinners who depend on the mercy of God, that we do our work. He writes, “Effective mentors are honest about their own brokenness and the holes within.”
The second part of the book traces the movements of the spiritual mentoring relationship from beginning to ending. I found the chapter on ending especially helpful, because he focuses on ending well, even if a mentoring relationship hasn’t gone well. It is a bring of closure, and what will happen next. It is not just ending but sending, which he describes as “s/ending.” Other chapters focus on starting well with practical helps on the initial interview for mentor and mentee. He charts what a mentoring session might look like. He talks about the practice of wisdom in helping people begin to understand that the life of faith is a long walk. He talks about the pacing of the mentoring relationship and how mentees can prepare for each session and he addresses accountability.
One of features of this book is that each chapter ends with a brief reflection focused around either a metaphor for spiritual mentoring or some useful resource or concept. Metaphors include hospitality, farming, ecology, prayer, and geography. He describes the “core curriculum” mentoring and the work of spiritual mentoring as “disillusionment,” that is the casting aside of our illusions to embrace truth. These short reflections both stand alone, and round out the framework Anderson gives us in this book and were a highlight of the book for me.
The book concludes with a “Mentor’s Library” and several appendices on lectio divina, how spiritual mentors deal with transference and countertransference, discernment questions for choosing a mentor, and dealing with differences between mentor and mentee. The appendix on transference and countertransference seemed to me especially important in dealing with realities other counselors encounter, and the importance for spiritual mentors to have their own mentors and accountability.
In this book, Anderson gives us an account at once practical and yet not prosaic. He helps us understand this deeply human and yet spiritual relationship, and offers wisdom that comes out of a lifetime of being mentored and mentoring. This is a valuable book both for those who mentor and those who seek mentoring.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews