Lumen was started in 2015 as a ministry where a community intent on trinitarian spiritual formation and spiritual direction can thrive. We understand spiritual formation as the work of growing into Christ-likeness through the power of the Holy Spirit under the love and guidance of the Father and the role of the spiritual director as one of companioning others towards that end.

Additionally, we also desire to bring together the domain of Trinitarian spiritual formation and the domain of missional action such that they would serve and inform each other. So often the domain of spiritual formation focuses on the shaping of a life into Christ-likeness, the contemplative life, and soul care unto themselves. The domain of missional action and the work of justice and mercy focus on activity and work and sacrifice that leads unto exhaustion and burnout and a desolate interior life. It does not have to be so. We see in the Trinity, in the life of Christ, throughout Scripture that our interior life in God nourishes our activist life, and our kingdom work of pushing back the darkness in our communities and societies shapes our souls towards depth and intimacy in our life with God.

Our great thirst is for God: “my soul finds rest in God alone.” (Ps. 62:1) Spiritual Direction, also called spiritual companionship, is a relationship between two people whose focus is the one person’s life with God, cultivating that thirst and seeking that rest.

Spiritual direction is not so much about being “directed” as it is listening to the Holy Spirit, the true Director who is constantly working behind our backs, speaking to us in every moment of the day, accompanying our ordinary daily living, our work, our relationships, and reminding us of our longing for our true home, God. He is drawing us into a deeper sense of our belovedness, of our free and truest selves as His daughter or son.

This sense of God’s activity in our lives is often thwarted, and we are distracted or numbed by the speed and volume of today’s way of living. The soil of our lives–the pain, doubt, weakness, as well as joy, triumph, and hope—is the exact place in which we are invited into encounter with God. Our desire in spiritual direction is to notice and respond to God.

Often individuals pursue spiritual direction during a period of discerning life choices, exploring new ways to pray, or because of a season of dryness in their spiritual life, or in order to provide space to work through a longstanding question or longing.

In a relationship of spiritual companionship, the director and directee get together on a regular basis, usually around once a month, for an hour. While we may open and close our time with formal prayer, silent and/or spoken, the whole hour is intended to occur in an atmosphere of listening to God and noticing what we sense his Spirit revealing:

The “directee” brings to this time an awareness of what has been happening in your life during the past month – the events, struggles, desires, and recurring themes that seem to be playing out. As you’ve tried to pay attention to God in the midst of these, including your experiences of encounter with him in your reading of the Scriptures and your prayer life, what have you been noticing?

Often a desire for spiritual companionship is prompted by one’s having no awareness of God saying or doing anything. Your practice of the classic spiritual disciplines may feel completely dry and lifeless; bring that as well!

Spiritual direction is “space to explore the everyday ordinariness for the presence of God and the workings of grace,” precisely at those times when “nothing seems to be happening.” — (Eugene Peterson)

A spiritual director is here to listen, both to you and to God’s Spirit, as you share. His or her role is not ultimately to be the one who interprets God for you, but to be one who helps you grow in noticing the presence, work, and invitations of the Holy Spirit.

Contemplative Spiritual Direction involves periods of silence during a session to foster quietness, stillness, and listening.

The spiritual director will pray for you in between sessions, on a regular basis. You may of course contact him or her at any time should any particular concern arise.

The network of spiritual directors offer their gifts on a one-on-one basis, in the context of group spiritual direction, on retreats of silence and spiritual formation retreats, quiet days, and seminars.

Born and raised in Guatemala, Christine witnessed the power and mercy of Jesus Christ in a context of poverty, violence, and civil war. To this day she is most drawn to the frontiers of God’s kingdom where light is pushing back darkness and where men and women are formed in the crucible of sacrificial service. In the United States, she has been involved in campus ministry, urban mission on the Mexican border, and church planting in Austin, Texas. She also teaches writing at a small liberal arts university, chairs a denominational task force for biblical justice, is on the supervising faculty of Selah (a spiritual direction training program), and is the director of Lumen: Center for Mission and Spirituality (a ministry for spiritual formation and spiritual direction).

Christine, along with her pastor husband and four children, lives in Austin, Texas, spending summers in Guatemala’s city dump serving in ministry to and with staff who are pouring their lives out for the poorest of the poor. Christine’s particular emphasis is working with justice workers and mission/ministry staff within the U.S. and internationally.

• Certificate in Spiritual Direction: Selah, Leadership Transformations, MA
• Enneagram Consultant/Coaching Certification, Crosspoint, IN (in situ)
• MA in Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada
• MA in Rhetoric and Applied Linguistics, The University of Texas at Austin

Terri’s journey as a disciple of Christ began in the mountains of northern California at age sixteen. She and her husband, Mark, raised four children in northern California, all of whom they homeschooled. She retired from teaching in 2020, allowing more time to delight in 12 grandchildren.

Born with a contemplative nature, Terri connects deeply with God through nature, prayer, worship, art, and close community.

Terri served Christ Church as pastor to artists for over five years during which time she led seminars, silent prayer retreats, and developed liturgically inspired, collaborative art installations.

In June of 2016 she received a Certificate of Completion from the Selah Program in Spiritual Direction, a training program offered through Leadership Transformations. Continuing to follow the Lord’s leading to serve the church, in January 2017, Terri was ordained a deacon by Bishop Todd Hunter of C4SO, She serves at Christ Church, Austin.

Terri finds deep joy in accompanying mothers, artists, and ministry workers, as they seek God through all seasons of spiritual life.

Currently Terri is on sabbatical working on a project.

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Practicing spiritual direction is one of the ways Jon encounters God. He was first introduced to spiritual direction as a student in seminary at Regent College. A couple of years later, he started attending Lebh Shomea, a Catholic House of Prayer, in the deserts of south Texas visiting once or twice a year. In addition to being a place where Jon would meet God in silence and solitude, while at Lebh Shomea (Hebrew for “Listening Heart”) Father Kelly Nemeck became his spiritual director. Meeting with him always felt like an invitation to step into the warm but disorienting presence of God. Though silence permeated their direction time together, Jon rarely walked away from his time with Father Kelly without having met with the Lord.

Jon’s calling as a spiritual director is grounded in Scripture with an open heart to listening and looking for God’s presence in everyday life. In addition to practicing as a spiritual director, he has the gift of being married to a lovely wife, has three wonderful children, and is professionally connected to Austin’s high tech industry as a software engineering manager. Jon takes time to read good books, play the drums, and enjoy the culinary bounty that Austin has to offer.

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Raised by a single mom, Amy saw God provide in tangible and unexpected ways. One of those provisions was a spiritual director named Zada who listened and guided her through the loss of her father and the intimacy available to her in Jesus Christ. Due to the companionship of Zada and a community of love, Amy began to invest in younger women’s lives and eventually went on to graduate school in counseling.

It is relationship that transformed Amy as a young woman and relationship that has wooed her into the practice of noticing what God is doing and where He is moving in her life and in the lives of those she loves. She finds deep joy and privilege in walking alongside others in their journey of faith.

Amy is wife to David, mother of two teenagers, Slater and Gracie, and a learner in the ways of grace, healing, waiting and trusting God. She directs a relational healing ministry at Christ Church Austin, teaches spiritual formation to junior high girls at Veritas Academy and loves receiving and offering spiritual direction.

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As a young adult traveling with missionary parents and living in Africa and South America, Eric experienced the deep pain and brokenness of the world in the sufferings of the poor, the sick, and the victims of injustice. It was there, in those same lives, that he saw the purest expressions of the love of Christ. Those early experiences have given Eric a love for marginalized people from all cultures and confidence in God’s love both for him and for the world.

As a formal discipline, Spiritual Directorship is something new for Eric, but he has been accompanying seekers on their spiritual journeys for most of his Christian life. Over the past few years, the focus of Eric’s personal walk with God has shifted from a reliance on personal strengths to the embrace of weakness, from independence to dependence, from running after God to waiting on God.

After many years of working in the sciences as an environmental and hazardous materials manager, today, Eric finds himself pursuing the arts as a sculptor and writer. He lives in Austin with his wise, beautiful wife, Cheryl. They are proud and busy godparents to seven godchildren. Eric enjoys a wide variety of pursuits including traveling, hiking, camping, birdwatching, reading, photography, and discussing ideas with anyone. Eric is a graduate of Selah, a spiritual direction training program offered by Leadership Transformations.

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Lisa attended middle school through college in Virginia. It was in college that she really started to grow in her faith through her time in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. During the time in InterVarsity, she met her husband Brian, and they married in 1985. In 1992 they moved to Austin to continue their service in InterVarsity. Together they have three sons who are now all grown and married.

Lisa has a strong desire for people to see God’s presence in their lives and experiences. She believes that by doing so, they have the potential to fully encounter the depth of God’s love and to lean into their unique gifts as image bearers of God.

Lisa has always worked alongside her husband as an integral part of the ministry with InterVarsity and local churches. Together they lead retreats for pastors, marketplace leaders, and artists through Fuller Theological Seminary. They have a retreat space that is part of their home in West Austin where they offer guided retreats, spiritual direction, and space for silence, prayer and rest.

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JP was born in Chicago, IL. His immigrant parents came from India to the US in the
mid-1970s. They quickly moved to Dallas (couldn’t handle the cold Chicago weather) where he was raised. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where his faith grew with the help of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. After three years working in the mortgage industry and in the state government, he resigned his position in 2006 and became a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Jason “JP” Philipose serves for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as the Director of Spiritual Formation and Prayer for the Red River region, which encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. His passion is to develop staff and students in their desire to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.

He completed his spiritual direction certification through the Selah program of Leadership Transformation Inc. He serves as a Spiritual Director with the Lumen Center for Mission and Spirituality. JP lives in Cedar Park with his wife, Ruby, and their two children, Jaya and Gabe. He enjoys playing basketball, running, being in nature, and trying out new food spots in Austin.

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Bill first found his way into spiritual direction while visiting a monastery outside of Charleston, South Carolina, called Mepkin Abbey. There he met and began regularly meeting with one of the monks, Father Kevin. Father Kevin was instrumental in helping Bill discern his sense of calling to the ministry of both teaching and accompanying others on their spiritual journeys as they think about their work in the world. 

Bill is now the Director of Vocation at Christ Church of Austin. He has an undergraduate degree from Baylor University in Economics and Spanish, a Masters of Divinity from Truett Seminary, and a PhD in Philosophy of Religion from Claremont Graduate University. His research examines the work of Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar and several Latin American theologians of the 20th Century to consider what each might say to the church today about salvation, beauty and neighborliness in a violent and globalizing world. You can learn more about Bill’s book on the subject (Lexington-Fortress Press, 2019) and his other work here.

Bill completed his spiritual direction certification through Baylor’s Truett Seminary, where he has previously served as the Assistant Director of Spiritual Formation. As a spiritual director, Bill is especially interested in vocational discernment and working with contemplative prayer practices. Bill is also an ordained Anglican priest and a part-time Lecturer at Baylor University in theology and ethics. He is married to Whitney and has three sons, Liam, Roy and Cody. When not working or spending time with family, Bill loves to run, waterski and surf whenever he gets the chance. 

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Cinde came to spiritual direction out of her desire to find a spacious place where God could speak into her life, unhindered by distractions. The peace, clarity, and delight she finds in that process led her to train as a spiritual director so that she might help others find their spacious place in which the Holy Spirit can speak into their lives, encountering God in a transformational way. Cinde believes that in our fast world, slowing down, finding balance and spaciousness to be present to God’s work in us, listening to and for God in our lives is one of the greatest gifts we can give and receive. She considers herself most fully a companion in discernment, believing God has begun His work in each of us, and it is His desire for us to open ourselves to this beautiful work and continue becoming who He intends us to be.

She received a Certificate of Spiritual Direction from Selah and is currently enrolled in a year of Ignatian Training at HeartPaths DFW. Cinde trained, taught, and ministered in healing ministries, having received abundant healing and grace through her own challenging life events. She’d be honored to share the transformational time of spiritual direction with you.

Cinde and her pastor husband, Jeff, currently live in Plano, Texas. They are parents of three adult children and three precious grands. She experiences her faith most vividly through placing herself in the path of God’s grace through nature, prayer journaling, the arts, and encouraging others along their way.

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Melissa became a Christian in college, and she and her husband have been in ministry for over 20 years (including as missionaries in Monterrey, Mexico for 4 years, and part of a church-plant in Kansas City, MO). The majority of Melissa’s Christian journey has had a strong emphasis on the intellectual knowledge of God. And though grateful for the wealth of biblical teaching she had received, about 7 years ago a stirring for something deeper and more holistic began.

4 years ago she was introduced to spiritual direction and though she did not quite understand it, it was immediately intriguing because she felt an instant connection to every spiritual director she met. She realized that spiritual direction was a training ground for herself to learn to more deeply experience the Lord and His Presence. Then after a few years, she felt the Lord calling her to get training to be able to provide that space for others to encounter the Holy Spirit too! She is halfway through Selah- a 2 year spiritual direction certification program.

She is a wife and a mother to four (2 college students & 2 high schoolers) and has the joy of being a small group leader and member of her church’s mission team. She finds refreshment in connection, most commonly: connection with the Lord in creation, in prayer or in His word, connection with others in great conversations, connection over a delicious meal, connection to a good story-written or visual, and connection to the Body whether in worship, community or books/stories.

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Born in Venezuela and raised in Houston by 2 Longhorn parents, this Aggie was destined to need help! Carolyn’s 4 adult children were raised in Austin by 2 emotionally unhealthy, broken people. While she was always seeking freedom, passion and peace, her earnest dive into healing began after her family journeyed through her husband’s cancer diagnosis, treatment, and subsequent divorce. He survived, but their 32 year marriage did not.

At that point, through lots of EMDR, trauma work, counseling and ultimately spiritual direction, Carolyn found more of what she’d been searching for. While she hasn’t ARRIVED, she is enjoying the fruit of daily dependence on the Lord for her physical, spiritual, and emotional sustenance.

Through the gift of words of wisdom from her daughter, Carolyn began to more fully embrace who God made her to be: a spiritual mother. She enjoys many different paths of mothering as she walks in spiritual companionship with others. She is currently in her 2nd year of the Selah Certificate Program in Spiritual Direction through Leadership Transformations Inc. Carolyn also enjoys reading, cooking, hiking and down time with her emotional support dog, Cashew.

Due to Carolyn working at Christ Church of Austin, she prefers not to work professionally with members of her own parish.

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For general inquiries, please send to: ask.lumen.center@gmail.com