Janet K. Ruffing has a Ph.D. in Christian Spirituality and teaches at the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University. In this scholarly work, she looks at some of the major themes and issues facing spiritual directors. Early on, the author quotes one of the people she supervises: "Spiritual direction is like panning for gold. A directee comes and together we dip into the stream of their life and pull up all kinds of things. Rocks of all sizes — I can never guess what's coming next — all kinds of conflicts and problems, then all of a sudden some fleck or nugget of pure gold emerges into view in the bottom of the pan as we swirl the water around, emptying out the rocks." Not a bad metaphor for the complicated process of attempting to discern the presence of God in everyday life.
Ruffing begins with an examination of desire in prayer and in the spiritual life. She believes that any exploration of this arena leads to God. In the second chapter, she opens with a quotation from Gerald May: "The human mind is an endless stream of inventivenss when it comes to avoiding the implications of spiritual experience." Ruffing explores avoidance of God, obstacles to prayer, and resistance between a spiritual director and directee. Other chapters center on the theology of grace, love mysticism, and mutuality with God.
Ruffing concludes with the following thought: "I firmly believe that our task as spiritual directors requires us to continue to grow in skill and sensitivity in this ministry so that God's own Spirit might guide us and make us pliable and steady enough to serve all the ways God chooses to disclose and relate to us."