Bios
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• Jane Johanning
  Educational Background: Bachelor of Science in Education in the Field of Speech Pathology; Truman University, Kirksville, Mo. Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the School of Spiritual Direction, Pecos Benedictine Monastery, Pecos, NM. Trained Stephen Leader and Minister. Currently enrolled in The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Parish Lay Ministry Program.
  
• Experience: Professional Church Worker in a large Lutheran Church. Served a congregation of 3000 Members as Director of Adult Ministries for eight years. Much of my job revolved around the Pastoral Care of our members and their families. Stephen Leader and Minister for ten years. Led retreats on Prayer and Spiritual Formation. Taught Classes on Healing and Wellness. Centering Prayer Practitioner. Led Women's Ministry Events for 200+ women. My favorite ministry in this world is to walk beside someone in whatever path they find themselves to be an encourager and guide. I love to see God working in a person's life as the Lord heals and comforts and provides for that person. God is faithful.

• Jim Cronkhite
  Education and training in spiritual direction and formation: Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA. Certificate in Stephen Ministry training. Currently enrolled in the Parish Lay Ministry Academy of the ELCA Lutheran Church (will complete in spring of 2009). Currently enrolled in Bible Study Fellowship (5th year of seven year program). Over the last two years I have participated in Centering Prayer workshops, Richard Foster’s Renovare Conference in Austin, TX (Sept. 2006) and several spiritual formation retreats, including: a week-long silent retreat at the Redemptorist Desert House of Prayer in Tucson, AZ (Jan. 2006) soon after my wife passed away, a four-day Centering Prayer silent retreat at Montserrat in Dallas, TX (Mar. 2006), a three-day spiritual retreat at Trinity Pines Retreat Center near Houston, TX (Feb.2007), a directed spiritual retreat at the Cenacle Retreat Center in Houston (Feb. 2008), a Lenten Retreat with Fr. Thomas Keating in Austin (Feb.9, 2008) and the Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation at Lake Texoma, TX (Mar. 2008).

  Experience: Teacher of Bible studies, prayer, and Christian living. Served on the Prayer and Spirituality committee at my church that led workshops and retreats. I have been in spiritual direction for about one and a half years. I am now serving as a Spiritual Director and Stephen Minister at Calvary Lutheran Church and am helping those in crisis or on a spiritual journey as a listener and spiritual companion. Spiritual Direction or Mentoring helps us on our spiritual journey as we begin to share our interior thoughts, dreams, fears, hurts and hopes. In response we learn to listen and become aware of the movement of God in our ordinary life, work and prayer. God is always the director or mentor in the process.

• Hazel Barthel
  Educational background: Lutheran Teachers Diploma, Concordia Teachers College, Seward, NE; Bachelor of Science in Education, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Master Business Administration, Wayland College, Plainview, TX. Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the School of Spiritual Direction, Pecos Benedictine Monastery, Pecos, NM.

  Experience: My journey in faith includes baptism and confirmation in the Lutheran Church. The deaths of people close to me, at age 7 and again at age 19, 28, and 39 have made me sensitive to people in grief. The stripping of my identity through divorce sent me to the desert to rethink my relationship to God and His people. My 27 years of working in hospice have contributed greatly to my understanding of each individual’s journey toward God. All of that aside, I bring nothing to a spiritual direction relationship except my faith in God and His Spirit moving in our lives. In the words of Karl Barth, “I long to join hands with you in knocking at the doors of the Kingdom of God and to be moved together by His Spirit.”