Consulting, coaching, and spiritual direction should have an approach of compassion and empathy, be intuitive, and be tailored to the individual needs and concerns of the client.

In my work with people, I view through the lens of “Traversing and ascending.” In our journeys, we are given the task of traversing beautiful and difficult terrain. The various aspects of our stories contribute to our need for help from outside of our context because we don’t always know how to do this well.

As a backpacker and wilderness enthusiast, this makes sense to me. The laws of nature and the wildness of the mountains offer a peek into the uncertain nature of our daily lives in work, conflict, ministry, and personal relationships. Traversing these diverse facets of life requires growth, skill, learning from mistakes and failures, and help.

The way of ascent is precarious- this world can be tough, and life is difficult. Demands and nuance in relationship to ourselves, others, and The Divine can get complicated. And that’s ok.

We need each other. We need help.