Christian Formation & Direction Ministries, NorthWest
OUR PURPOSE is captured in the words of Jesus who invites us to come take a rest: “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Matt 11:28-29 - The Message. In and through CFDM, we hope people are finding these “unforced rhythms of grace.”
WHAT WE DO: Christian Formation & Direction Ministries Northwest (CFDM NW) is a Christian ministry offering intentional learning communities in which to explore the soul-shaping experience of God in all of life.
To learn what CFDM is offering for training, workshops and contemplative retreats, please read below and continue to visit our home page for updates. You can also check our Facebook page, and/or sign up to receive our newsletter. To support CFDM, please visit our Giving page.
spiritual direction training
CFDM-NW trains spiritual directors in the Pacific Northwest, to companion others on their journey with God. Our Spiritual Direction Training program is an alternative to seminary for mature Christians who want training in offering spiritual direction and the contemplative life. It offers practical hands-on training, including courses in spiritual theology, spiritual traditions, spiritual formation, along with practicum, case studies, and supervision in giving and receiving spiritual direction. This is a two-year certificate program with small learning cohorts, training people to companion others as they walk the story of their life with God. Learn more...
The Spiritual Direction Training Program starts with a “Season of Discernment”
going deeper in relationship with god
CFDM-NW offers opportunities for individuals to learn and practice contemplative prayer in community. All are welcome at these retreats and workshops. Participants learn and experience contemplative prayer practices which enrich and deepen their relationship with the Triune God. A transformed life is a gift received, not a goal achieved. It happens when we create space for noticing what God is already doing in our life. Through spending time with, reflecting on, and resting in God, we come to know personally, and more fully, God’s immense love for us. We are God’s Beloved!
Online Mini Retreats:
ONCE A MONTH Sept 2026
- May 2027
Saturdays 10am-12N PT
Everyone is welcome to attend these retreats – both those who are brand new to contemplative prayer and the topics presented, and those who are well steeped in them. These retreats offer an opportunity to come together in community, to learn, engage in prayer, and connect with others who desire to deepen their relationship with God.
All Mini Retreats are recorded and shared with registered participants who aren’t able to attend live.
NOVEMBER 14, 2026:
Seeking Jesus with our Imagination - Imaginative Prayer
How many times have you wondered what it would have been like to walk the roads of Galilee with Jesus, listening to him teach, watching him heal, and spending time with him as a friend? Our imagination is a beautiful gift, created by God, to help us encounter Jesus in the stories of the Gospels, offering our attention and our hearts as we watch him, listen to him, and follow him. This imaginative prayer workshop offers an invitation to “seek his face” in prayer and encounter Jesus in fresh ways.
Presenter: Dan Heavenor
DECEMBER 12, 2026:
A Ripening Faith: Learning to Trust the Slow Work of God
How do we discern the ways we are growing in God’s grace and in the love of Jesus? What is our part in spiritual growth, and what belongs to God? Is it even possible to measure spiritual growth? What are the growth edges where we notice new life and change?
Deepening Roots - Desire, Doubts, and Dwelling
Nurturing Strength - Discipline, Wilderness, Perseverance
Harvesting Abundance - Discernment, Freedom, Gathering
Presenter: Marsha Crockett
JANUARY 9, 2027:
An Ignatian Examen on the Threshold of a New Year
Experience a unique guided reflection to bless the year past, to welcome what is to come, and to hallow where we now stand as we linger at the doorpost.
Recognizing The Holy In-Between
Reviewing The Consolations
Remembering The Desolations
Receiving the Grace to Begin Again
Presenter: Marsha Crockett
Listening Groups
Listen and respond to the Divine invitation in ordinary life in the company of a supportive small group.
Groups will meet once a week on a Tuesday or Wednesday in the months of September 2026, November 2026, January 2027, and March 2027
Listening Groups facilitator, Marsha Crockett, is a certified Spiritual Director from CFDM -AZ, and an award-winning author of seven books focused on prayer, spiritual formation, and God-given identity. She resides in Port Orchard, Washington, and is actively involved in her local faith community. You can learn more about her work at http://www.marshacrockett.org
November 2026 - Embracing The Spiritual Life (Meditations from Evelyn Underhill)
Tuesdays 10/27, 11/3, 11/10, 11/17 (1:00 - 3:00 PM, PT)
Wednesdays 10/28, 11/4, 11/11, 11/18 (9:00 - 11:00 AM, PT)
Doing vs. Being
Communion with God
Cooperation with God
Testing the Spiritual Life
Third Thursdays each month from 3:00-4:00pm Pacific Time. To be added to the registration just email CFDMnorthwest@gmail.com
April 23rd (note this is a 4th Thursday),
May 21, June 18, July 16, Aug 20th,
September 10th (note 2nd Thursday),
Oct 15, Nov 19th, Dec 17th
Group Spiritual Direction - Listening to God through scripture
Listening To God Through Scripture is a process in which people come together on a monthly basis to do some “deep listening” of a passage from scripture.
These meetings are currently virtual, and there is no fee to participate. New group members are added to groups after attending a drop-in session, or a one-on-one session with a director to walk you through the process.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” Isaiah 35:5-6
In 2014 I titled these verses in my Bible as “My Prayer” because it became my hope and my desire in a certain area of my life for which I had not seen it fulfilled. So I remained in a time of waiting…waiting with patience. I believe that much of what we pray requires waiting with patience.