Selah...
A mysterious little word repeated 71 times in the liturgical worship book of the Psalms, the idea of selah expresses a musical rest note—a pause of silence to take a breath.
In a musical piece, this interval of silence interrupts sound so that the spaces between the musical notes are as important as the notes themselves, allowing the musician to take a breath to absorb the beauty of the sound, balancing musical activity with quiet rest, while strengthening and sustaining the rhythm of the melody. The hush is simply breathtaking…
Marisa Lapish
Marisa Lapish and her husband, Jim, served at Stony Glen Camp, a Christian retreat center in Madison, Ohio, for 35 years with their 10 children. Marisa is a certified spiritual director through Sustainable Faith, a member of Spiritual Directors International, an ordained, licensed community service chaplain, and a pastoral caregiver with the International Alliance of Community Chaplains. She was the founding director of a local faith-based grassroots organization, Following Christ International, bringing the love of Christ to the cross-cultural community in Northeast Ohio through education, advocacy and Discovery Bible Studies for nine years. Marisa received a graduate certificate in Religion, Peace, and Justice from the IRPJ at St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick, Canada where she completed her M.A. in Theology and Culture and is on staff as the JFI's Contemplative Practices Facilitator and teaching assistant. She also serves at St. Stephen's University as their academic accommodations coordinator, tutor, and alumni community coordinator. Marisa directs the Cleveland area cohort of the School of Mercy and Justice. Marisa serves in her private practice, Selah Spiritual Wellness Practice, as a spiritual director, a writing coach, and a chaplain offering pastoral care. Through Selah School of Contemplative Activism, she teaches theologically-based peacebuilding courses locally to encourage grassroots dialogue and mobilization. Marisa is a lover of Jesus, her beautiful family, her library of books, and enjoys travel, creativity, and simple, earthy beauty.
About
Spiritual Direction...
…grounds itself in ancient Christian contemplative traditions and practices as a ministry of spiritual discernment.
…cultivates deep inward growth for a fruitful life experience of faith, hope, love, and freedom through reflection.
…invites freedom to express questions, doubts, fears, longings, and desires, without judgment, both in places of darkness where God may seem absent as well as in places of light where his nearness is tangibly experienced.
…assumes the presence of God to be discovered in all of life’s present moments.
What is Spiritual Direction?
The practice of spiritual direction carves out space to “selah”—to pause our lives for reflection and take notice of God’s presence through the stories taking place in our present moments.
A Spiritual Director is...
A Spiritual Director Does NOT...
A Spiritual Director Does NOT...
…a confidential companion gifted and skilled in the art of spiritual discernment.
…a co-discerning witness to the presence of God in your life as together you encounter the inner transformative movement of the Holy Spirit, the True Spiritual Director.
…a compassionate listener trained to ask questions that encourage self-awareness and God-awareness which are helpful to clarify paths for decision-making and responding to the Spirit's invitations.
A Spiritual Director Does NOT...
A Spiritual Director Does NOT...
A Spiritual Director Does NOT...
…assume there is a problem to be fixed or changed.
…focus on the past or future.
...counsel, teach or coach.
…take the place of pastoral or professional counseling, but will refer to such services if needed.