Spiritual Direction
with
Charlie Sattgast
Invitation to a Journey |
Spiritual Direction in Portland, OR
Everything in your life—joyful, painful, messy—is exactly what God can use to form you into who you’re meant to be.
God invites us, through every circumstance in our lives, into a deepening awareness of our belovedness and toward a loving response to him for the sake of the world and and the people in our lives.
As a spiritual director in Portland, Oregon, my role is to come alongside to help you pay attention to the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life.
The goal is for you to become increasingly aware of the presence of God and move toward a gracious wholeness in your relationship with God and others.
What Is Spiritual Direction?
Christian spiritual direction traces its roots all the way back to the mentorship of Jesus with his disciples.
Much of Jesus’ ministry focused on helping his followers develop a deep and meaningful relationship with a redeeming and radically loving God.
In the 3rd and 4th centuries, the early church Desert Fathers and Mothers developed spiritual direction into a practice that aided Christ-followers in finding deeper communion with God.
Christian spiritual direction today draws on that rich history and tradition, combined with the wisdom, insights, and methods mature spiritual guides have contributed over the centuries so it becomes a sacred space for transformation to happen.
When we meet, you bring whatever is stirring in your heart and mind. We look at everything together—like panning for gold in the stream of your life—searching for the flecks of grace, the places where God is speaking, leading, and loving you.
“If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet, you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them.”
CS Lewis
A Little About Me…
Hi, I’m Charlie Sattgast. I have been in full-time or bivocational ministry for over thirty years as a pastor and chaplain.
I have experienced the gifts and the wounds of leading in faith communities, in the nonprofit sector, and the world of business.
I have a master’s degree in pastoral studies with a focus in family ministry and a doctor of ministry degree with an emphasis in spiritual leadership and life transitions.
I have experience across several Christian traditions, including growing up in a mainline Protestant denomination, a season in the Anglican tradition, studying for advanced degrees at two different theologically conservative seminaries, and being licensed/ordained in a Pentecostal denomination for 32 years.
I received my spiritual direction training through Soul Formation’s School of Spiritual Direction and am an active member of their community of spiritual directors (soulformation.org).
In addition to my spiritual direction practice, I serve in my local church as a teaching and discipleship pastor. Since 2001 have co-owned an online training company with my wife, Linda.
I am a lifelong musician, and love contributing to worship by playing upright and electric bass.
I have been married to Linda since 1982, and have two adult children, a daughter-in-law, and one grandson.
“Nothing is quite so rewarding or so at the heart of what we are made for as the spiritual quest.
But nothing is so daunting either.
That is where the spiritual director comes in, companion and guide on the spiritual journey.”
Thomas Hart
What do we talk about?
We talk about everything as it relates to your experience of God. It’s not the same as therapy, in that spiritual direction is not problem-focused or aimed at “fixing” anything. It is different than coaching because it’s not goal-oriented in the same way.
The expectation is for you to come to our session prepared to explore whatever is stirring in your heart and mind as you live out your relationship with God.
In our time together…
I will attend deeply to your story.
I will listen for any question that wants to be asked, helping you discern God’s movement in your life.
I will approach our time together with reverence and humility.
I will resist giving advice and will not try to fix or change you.
I will hold your story in strict confidence.1
I will abide by the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct of Spiritual Directors International.2
1 See my statement on the limits of confidentiality below.
2 https://www.sdicompanions.org/media/guidelines-for-ethical-conduct/
Whom I Work With
I am delighted to come alongside anyone who desires a deeper walk and life of prayer with God.
I have a special heart for
Leaders in transition, crisis, or burnout
Those facing “second half of life” questions
People questioning, deconstructing, or re-constructing their faith
Anyone with an ache to better know and love God
My hope is to create a safe space where you can explore and expand your relationship with God.
Details
Fees: A one hour session is $100. Finances should not be a barrier to spiritual direction so talk to me if this is prohibitive for you.
Getting Started: Our initial session is free. In that first meeting we will talk about spiritual direction and you will have the opportunity to ask me any questions you might have. Afterward, we will discern together whether to commit to regular monthly sessions.
Session length: 60 minutes
Meeting frequency: Once per month
Serving the Portland Metro Area: I offer spiritual direction in Southeast Portland, with in-person sessions at my office near the Gresham border.
I also serve clients throughout the Portland metro area and beyond via Zoom.
Confidentiality
What is said in a spiritual direction session is confidential. No one else will be privy to what is said with two exceptions.
The first exception is that I am in a peer supervision group. Occasionally I bring a directee’s situation to supervision to help me become a better and more perceptive spiritual director. This supervision group is bound by confidentiality as well.
The second exception is that I am a mandatory reporter, which means I have a legal duty to report abuse and situations where there is danger to self or others.
Since spiritual direction often takes place in communities of faith, I practice dual relationships, which means that we may interact outside of direction. The fact that you are seeing me will not necessarily be confidential while the content of our sessions will be.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
What Should I Expect in My First Spiritual Direction Session?
I’m very glad to know you’ve decided to look for a spiritual director! The first time we meet we’ll want to spend some time getting acquainted with each other.
I’ll begin by asking you some questions about what prompted your decision to seek direction, what you hope for from our relationship, and a little bit about your life situation and your current relationship with God. I’ll be interested to know what your spiritual journey has been like up until now, and what prayer looks like for you.
I’ll spend most of my time listening, but I may ask you to clarify or elaborate on some of the things you share with me. As we talk I’ll be listening for the leading of the Holy Spirit, and noticing if there are any questions God would prompt me to ask.
As we get started I’m sure there are also some things you’ll want to ask me, so we’ll leave time for that in our first session.
As we close our appointment I’ll be interested to know how you’re feeling about our time, and then we will discern together whether to commit to regular monthly sessions.
What’s the Difference Between Spiritual Direction, Therapy, and Coaching?
Spiritual direction focuses on one essential thing: your relationship with God.
It's not so much about fixing problems or achieving goals. It's about sitting with a trained companion who helps you notice where God has been present in your life...where he is now...and where he may be inviting you as you move forward.
Think of it as having a trusted guide who helps you pay attention to God's movement in your everyday life and helps highlight where God’s invitation may be in your current circumstances.
Therapy serves a different purpose. A therapist helps you work through emotional pain, past wounds, family patterns, depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.
Therapy looks backward to understand why certain struggles keep repeating. If you're dealing with significant emotional or mental health challenges, working with a trained therapist may be worth considering.
Coaching is about moving forward. It's action-focused and future-oriented.
A coach draws out the potential that’s already inside you, and helps you get unstuck, gain clarity, and reach your goals. Coaches hold you accountable and help you create momentum toward your goals.
Spiritual directors may have training in therapy, counseling, coaching, or other skill sets, and they may draw on those skills at times. But spiritual direction always returns to the central question: What is God doing in your life, and how are you responding to him?
What Should I Look For in a Good Spiritual Director in Portland?
There are a number of very good training programs in spiritual direction across the country that provide their own certification to qualified graduates, so I recommend you look for someone who has completed one of those recognized programs. Good training programs are rigorous, lasting 2.5 to 3 years, require seminary-level effort from students, and hours of supervised practice working with actual directees.
My training was completed through Soul Formation’s School of Spiritual Direction, a highly respected program based in Portland, Oregon. As required by Soul Formation's Community of Spiritual Directors, I see my own spiritual director monthly and participate in ongoing supervision.
I also follow the Code of Ethics from Spiritual Directors International. But here's something to be aware of: The Code of Ethics from Spiritual Directors International is outstanding, but their directory includes practitioners from many different faith traditions.
If you're specifically looking for Christian spiritual direction, using a resource like Soul Formation's directory will better help you find well-trained directors who hold to a Trinitarian Christian faith and have completed rigorous preparation.
What Specific Tradition of Spiritual Direction do You Practice?
My training is in the Ignatian stream of spiritual direction, and my approach to direction is based on the Rules of Discernment derived from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola. If you're interested in learning more about Ignatian spirituality visit IgnatianSpirituality.com.
To paraphrase Soul Formation’s foundational document titled Way of Proceeding, I am unapologetically Trinitarian and my theology and worship is centered on Jesus Christ. I recognize that Christianity is a big tent and invite anyone to participate in a journey with Christ toward deeper intimacy with the Trinity.
Appointments in person in Portland / Gresham, Oregon, or anywhere by Zoom
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