more than thirty years' experience in the field of spiritual direction, Father Frank Houdek offers some commonsense wisdom and time-tested advice to the reader. Spiritual direction refers to a mutually fulfilling dialogue that takes place between two people in which one person, the director, helps another person, the directee, explore the mystery of faith and God's presence in the world. Spiritual direction deals explicitly with spiritual themes, embracing the totality of one's life and experience. Guided by the Spirit is a practical guide for spiritual directors that is written from a decidedly Jesuit point of view. Spiritual directors are empowered by their faith community to facilitate the spiritual quest of others. The author points out that a poorly trained spiritual director can do more harm than good. For this reason, it is important for those who desire to be directors to discern the true nature of their gifts and skills.

Although primarily an exploration of the spiritual direction process for training spiritual directors, Guided by the Spirit also reflects a growing interest among a considerable segment of the population to establish a personal relationship with God that is quite separate from institutional religion. The author explores the spiritual direction process and the relationship between the spiritual director and the spiritual directee. The book also discusses the type of training and experience necessary for an effective ministry of spiritual direction to occur.