A woman who lived in Phoenix, Arizona once said to me, "How could I fly to Chicago and meet with your Covenant Group? I'd give anything just to sit and listen like a mouse in the corner. I promise I won't say a word."
Most of us are hungry to be around people who not only understand the dynamics of the spiritual journey but who actually, for decades, have experienced the power of God working in their lives to transform them into a living image of Christ.
I understand my friend's desire. It was the very reason, nine years ago, that I put this group of special people together. I wanted holy people in my life who were committed to the lifetime journey of spiritual growth. All involved for decades in fulltime professional ministry, trained spiritual directors, serving on staffs of local churches, writers, retreat leaders, public speakers, they each one travel the world extensively giving themselves to the stimulating journey of spiritual becoming and tending to the souls of those who are hungry for this kind of transformation.
Almost two years ago, I began to be impressed with what a dramatic opportunity we have to mentor people who were hungry for wise spiritual friends. I committed myself to using my spiritual gifts of administration, strategic planning, and communication if the members of my Covenant Group would open up their resources of wisdom and experience, their teaching files, and their experience with God to those longing for companions to travel alongside during the long pilgrimage of the Christ-life.
I am deeply concerned for those of you, who like my friend from Phoenix, who would fly to Chicago just to sit in a corner and listen. The mostly distance-mentoring ministry of Hungry Souls gives you exactly that opportunity. We would like to walk alongside you so you will not be so lonely in your longing for God. We promise not to give you simplistic answers. We are committed to being lovingly honest, tough and tender. And we will share the intellectual as well as the aesthetic discoveries we believe must be integrated into full-blown spiritual growth.
Frankly, none of us needs anything more to do, but we are all gifted, in our different ways, at being friends to hungry souls. We are also wise enough to know the dangers in mentoring others and avoid most of them, to not believing that we are the answer to all the world's ills, nor that others cannot do what we do better than we do it.
This page serves as an initial explanation as to what the ministry of Hungry Souls intends to be. I am working hard to establish our own website www.hungrysouls.org which should be functioning by April 2002. For now, the following information will give you some insight as to the present plans we have made.
Lord, always keep me hungry for you, and help me to be tender to those around me who are starving for more of You.
Karen Mains
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