003: Cheri Hudspith on Spiritual Direction

In this episode, the hosts, Brandon Giella and Parker Smith, are joined by guest Cheri Hudspith, a co-director of the Practice Collective and a trainer of spiritual directors through an organization called Selah.

The conversation begins with a discussion about the role of AI, specifically ChatGPT, in Parker's work. Parker shares how he leveraged technology to correlate Psalms from the Bible with certain emotions as part of a process for writing a children's book.

The hosts then shift the conversation to spiritual direction, asking Cheri to clarify what it entails and how she got involved. Cheri explains that she was introduced to spiritual direction in seminary and found it beneficial. She says that people often seek spiritual direction when they feel "stuck" in their relationship with God, struggling with theological questions, or undergoing significant life transitions.

Cheri also shares her journey from being a spiritual direction recipient to training spiritual directors herself. She hopes that spiritual direction becomes more commonplace, helping people deepen their relationship with God and understand His love for them.

The hosts discuss the increasing interest in spiritual direction and counseling, speculating that it could be due to societal changes and the need for better relational intelligence. Cheri expresses her hope that churches become a place where doubts and questions can be openly discussed and explored.

The conversation concludes with Cheri giving a benediction, thanking God for the ministry of spiritual direction and praying for its growth and understanding in the community.