Spiritual direction, retreats, and discernment for cross-cultural workers and their families, including the kids who grew up between worlds.
Spiritual direction is a way of paying attention to God together, through listening, slowing down, and reflecting on what’s already happening in your life and faith. Over time, that attention leads to a deeper relationship with God, and to wholeness and healing.
I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? · Psalm 121, painted by Joel D. Goodwin
Whatever you’re exploring, it begins with one unhurried conversation about what fits.
About Joel
Joel, Maria, and their daughters.
Joel Goodwin serves with his wife, Maria, and their two daughters in Turkey, working with cross-cultural workers across the region. Born in Colombia to missionary parents, Joel’s own path has taken him through Sudan, Egypt, and Turkey, working alongside Sudanese refugees, local communities, and fellow cross-cultural workers.
Years spent walking through grief, unmet expectations, and a reshaped sense of calling have shaped how Joel accompanies others. He doesn’t just teach spiritual formation, he continues to live inside it.
Training & practice
Trained through Novo’s Sent Well and Deepen programs; certified spiritual director since 2021
Spiritual Formation Coach through Novo’s Imago Christi
MBA, with prior experience as a finance manager in an NGO context
Ongoing supervision as part of his spiritual direction practice
The towel and the basin: accompaniment begins as service.
What stays in the room
What’s shared in session stays confidential, in the same way a counselor’s or pastor’s would, with anonymized reflection brought to an outside supervision group for Joel’s own growth as a director.
If any of this resonates, the first conversation is simply to see what fits.
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Spiritual direction is a contemplative practice that involves accompanying individuals on their spiritual journey by creating space through listening, slowing down, waiting, silence, and reflecting. The goal is to expectantly discern together the movement, activity, and presence of God, which ultimately leads to a deepening of relationship and intimacy with God, and in turn to spiritual maturing, wholeness, and healing.
“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” — Amos 3:3 (NLT)
“Direction” doesn’t mean being led or told what to do. It means walking together, with the Holy Spirit as the actual guide.
Three ways to walk together
The present
Spiritual Direction
Noticing where God is already at work in your life, right now.
This might be for you if you want ongoing, unhurried space to reflect on your spiritual life with someone else present.
The past
Emmanuel Approach
Inner healing prayer: inviting God’s presence into old pain, and releasing barriers, lies, or attachments formed there.
This might be for you if there’s a specific hurt or memory you sense God wants to meet you in.
The future
Formation Coaching
Structured practices, including Ignatian exercises and Examen journaling, with clearer goals and check-ins.
This might be for you if you want more structure and a defined next step, or if ongoing direction feels like too big a starting point.
Exploring shadow and persona (the parts of ourselves we hide or perform) often comes up naturally within direction, coaching, and training conversations.
Being held while it heals
The Emmanuel Approach begins from one conviction: God was present in the moment the wound was made, and God is present now. In prayer, we return to what hurt. Not alone, but carried.
What’s shared in session stays confidential, held to the same standard a counselor or pastor would hold.
Suspended in the mother’s jaws: carried, not dropped.
A moment with the heart
Be present to what you feel. Choose the palette that names the emotion nearest the surface (joy, sadness, fear, or anger) and paint inside the heart. Watch how feelings sit, spread, run, and settle.
This is a way of dialoguing with your emotions before God: recognizing the condition of your heart without rushing to fix it.
You don’t have to know which of these fits before you reach out. The first conversation is where we figure that out together.
La dirección espiritual es una práctica contemplativa que consiste en acompañar a las personas en su camino espiritual, creando espacio a través de la escucha, la pausa, la espera, el silencio y la reflexión. La meta es discernir juntos, con expectativa, el movimiento, la actividad y la presencia de Dios, lo cual conduce a una relación más profunda e íntima con Dios, y a su vez a la madurez espiritual, la plenitud y la sanidad.
“¿Pueden dos caminar juntos sin antes ponerse de acuerdo?” — Amós 3:3
“Dirección” no significa ser guiado ni que te digan qué hacer. Significa caminar juntos, con el Espíritu Santo como verdadero guía.
Tres maneras de caminar juntos
El presente
Dirección Espiritual
Notar dónde Dios ya está obrando en tu vida, ahora mismo.
Puede ser para ti si deseas un espacio continuo y sin prisa para reflexionar sobre tu vida espiritual en compañía.
El pasado
Enfoque Emanuel
Oración de sanidad interior: invitar la presencia de Dios al dolor antiguo, y soltar las barreras, mentiras o ataduras que se formaron allí.
Puede ser para ti si hay una herida o un recuerdo específico donde sientes que Dios quiere encontrarte.
El futuro
Coaching de Formación
Prácticas estructuradas, incluidos los ejercicios ignacianos y el examen diario, con metas más claras y seguimiento.
Puede ser para ti si buscas más estructura y un próximo paso definido.
Explorar la sombra y la persona (las partes de nosotros que ocultamos o actuamos) surge con naturalidad dentro de la dirección, el coaching y las capacitaciones.
Sostenidos mientras sana
El Enfoque Emanuel parte de una convicción: Dios estuvo presente en el momento en que se hizo la herida, y Dios está presente ahora. En oración, volvemos a lo que dolió. No solos, sino cargados.
Lo que se comparte en sesión permanece confidencial, con el mismo estándar que mantendría un consejero o pastor.
Suspendido en las fauces de la madre: cargado, no soltado.
Un momento con el corazón
Está presente a lo que sientes. Elige la paleta que nombra la emoción más cercana a la superficie (alegría, tristeza, miedo o enojo) y pinta dentro del corazón. Observa cómo los sentimientos se asientan, se extienden, corren y reposan.
Es una manera de dialogar con tus emociones delante de Dios: reconocer la condición de tu corazón sin apresurarte a arreglarlo.
No necesitas saber cuál de estos caminos es el tuyo antes de escribir. La primera conversación es donde lo descubrimos juntos.
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A retreat is space set apart (a weekend, a day, or a season inside ordinary life) for the same contemplative attention that spiritual direction offers: slowing down enough to notice God.
Sailboat in Aswan, moving at the pace of the wind.
Three shapes a retreat can take
In-Person: Soul Spa
Set apart, together
A gathered retreat at a quiet center: unhurried rhythms of silence, guided reflection, one-on-one conversation, rest, and shared meals. Evenings sometimes include playing as a group.
Virtual Retreats
Set apart, from anywhere
An online group gathering with the same bones (silence, guided reflection, and conversation) for those scattered across countries and time zones. What changes is the room, not the attention.
Retreats in Daily Life
Set apart, inside your week
A daily or weekly practice plus a periodic check-in, individual or group, followed on your own rhythm rather than in a set-apart location. The retreat comes to where you live.
Out of the stump, a shoot: courage, healing, hope.
What a season apart can do
Rest is not a reward for finishing the work; it’s where the deeper work happens. Retreats make room for what a full schedule keeps postponing: grief that hasn’t been heard, gratitude that hasn’t been said, and the quiet green shoot of something new.
Before you go — walk the labyrinth
Retreatants have walked labyrinths for centuries: one path in, the same path out, nothing to solve. Trace the single path with your finger or cursor: inward, back out, deeper in, until the center. The paint is drawn toward the center, as you are. Press Guide on the paper to follow the footprints the whole way.
Each direction carries its own question. North — what am I looking to God for? East — what new thing is God bringing? South — what do I need to surrender? West — what is ending or being lost?
If the canvas isn’t available to you: imagine a single path that winds toward a center. Walk it in your mind, one breath per step, and let arriving take as long as it takes.
Wondering which shape of retreat fits your season? That’s a good first conversation.
Un retiro es espacio apartado (un fin de semana, un día o una temporada dentro de la vida ordinaria) para la misma atención contemplativa que ofrece la dirección espiritual: bajar el ritmo lo suficiente para notar a Dios.
Velero en Asuán, al ritmo del viento.
Tres formas que puede tomar un retiro
Presencial: Soul Spa
Apartados, juntos
Un retiro reunido en un centro tranquilo: ritmos sin prisa de silencio, reflexión guiada, conversación personal, descanso y comidas compartidas. Algunas noches incluyen jugar en grupo.
Retiros Virtuales
Apartados, desde cualquier lugar
Un encuentro grupal en línea con la misma estructura (silencio, reflexión guiada y conversación) para quienes están dispersos entre países y husos horarios. Lo que cambia es el lugar, no la atención.
Retiros en la Vida Diaria
Apartados, dentro de tu semana
Una práctica diaria o semanal más un acompañamiento periódico, individual o grupal, siguiendo tu propio ritmo, sin salir de tu lugar. El retiro llega a donde vives.
Del tocón, un retoño: valentía, sanidad, esperanza.
Lo que puede hacer una temporada apartada
El descanso no es una recompensa por terminar el trabajo; es donde sucede el trabajo más profundo. Los retiros hacen espacio para lo que una agenda llena sigue posponiendo: el duelo que no ha sido escuchado, la gratitud que no se ha dicho y el callado brote verde de algo nuevo.
Antes de irte — camina el laberinto
Quienes hacen retiros han caminado laberintos durante siglos: un solo camino de entrada, el mismo de salida, nada que resolver. Recorre el único camino con tu dedo o cursor: hacia adentro, de regreso, más adentro, hasta el centro. La pintura es atraída hacia el centro, como tú. Presiona Guide sobre el papel para seguir las huellas.
Cada dirección lleva su propia pregunta. Norte — ¿qué espero de Dios? Este — ¿qué cosa nueva está trayendo Dios? Sur — ¿qué necesito entregar? Oeste — ¿qué está terminando o perdiéndose?
Si el lienzo no está disponible para ti: imagina un único camino que serpentea hacia un centro. Recórrelo en tu mente, una respiración por paso, y deja que llegar tome el tiempo que tome.
¿Te preguntas qué forma de retiro corresponde a tu temporada? Esa es una buena primera conversación.
Games for Spiritual Formation
Some things are hard to learn by being told. They’re easier to discover inside a story, especially one where you get to be a character.
Being Chosen
The main event
Being Chosen is a story-based group experience. You pick up a character linked to one of the nine Enneagram types, and then, over sessions of story and conversation, you grow that character through stages of spiritual formation. Their blind spots have a funny way of turning out to be yours. Their growth, too.
It runs virtually or in person; sometimes as its own gathering, sometimes as the evening chapter of an . It’s made for adults and older youth who’d rather explore formation through story than through instruction.
The fuller shape of how it works? That gets shared as you show interest. Half the fun is not knowing everything on page one. Online groups often span several time zones; handles the scheduling puzzle.
Flying home.
Further up and further in
For kids and youth, there’s a second game, set in Narnia. Same formation themes, but symbolic, approachable, and unapologetically playful. It’s made especially for the children of cross-cultural worker families: kids who know a thing or two about wardrobes between worlds.
Offered as one-off sessions or ongoing groups. Curious for detail? Ask. There’s more than fits on a page.
Before the story — open space
Every good game starts with a little play. There is nothing to win here. Move slowly across the open paper and let color follow your hand, noticing what is quietly present before you step into the story.
Choose the word that names what you find in yourself right now (awareness, resistance, distraction, or longing) and let its colors carry it.
Want a seat at the table? Say hello and we’ll find a story, and a time zone, that works.
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Discernment for individuals & teams
Discernment is help for a decision: seeking clarity about God’s heart, way, and character on the question in front of you, as an individual, or as a team facing it together.
Discernment work also extends into business contexts, drawing on Joel’s background in business and consulting. If you’re a business owner or leader interested in exploring this, reach out directly to talk through what that could look like.
Every discernment begins at a door.
Trainings by request
Workshops delivered within partnering organizations, or woven into individual coaching and development. These build general spiritual formation capacity. They are not a pathway toward becoming a spiritual director.
Discernment
Practices for seeking clarity, alone and as a team.
Accompaniment
Walking well beside colleagues and those you serve.
Resilience
Staying rooted through transition, loss, and long seasons.
Shadow & Persona
Meeting the parts of ourselves we hide or perform.
Introduction to Spiritual Formation
Where formation begins: the shape of a life with God.
Lament
Bringing grief and protest honestly into prayer.
Rule of Life
Designing sustainable rhythms that hold your calling.
Spiritual Practices
A working toolkit of prayer, silence, and attention.
Currently offered by request within partnering organizations, not open enrollment, so the invitation is to request a training, not to sign up.
Rooted in something deeper than the street.
Why organizations ask for this
Teams that serve across cultures carry decisions and losses that don’t fit in a project plan. These trainings give a shared language for the inner life of the work, so the organization’s roots grow as deep as its branches.
Before you go — the cross
Discernment usually ends at a point of surrender: laying the options down before picking one up. Trace the cross slowly with your finger or mouse, coloring it in as you go. The colors shift on their own, and you don’t choose them: a small way of releasing control while you reflect.
As you trace, consider the death and the body of Jesus, then your own body, held in his. Press Guide on the paper to follow the footprints: up the right side, around the ring, down the left.
If the canvas isn’t available to you: name the decision you carry, hold each option open-handed for a slow breath, and ask for the grace to want what God wants.
Facing a decision, or curious about a training for your team? Let’s talk it through.
Discernimiento para personas y equipos
El discernimiento es ayuda para una decisión: buscar claridad sobre el corazón, el camino y el carácter de Dios respecto a la pregunta que tienes delante, como persona, o como equipo que la enfrenta junto.
El discernimiento también se extiende a contextos empresariales, a partir de la experiencia de Joel en negocios y consultoría. Si eres dueño o líder de una empresa y te interesa explorarlo, escribe directamente para conversar cómo podría verse.
Todo discernimiento comienza ante una puerta.
Capacitaciones a solicitud
Talleres impartidos dentro de organizaciones aliadas, o integrados al coaching individual. Estas capacitaciones desarrollan capacidad general de formación espiritual. No son un camino para convertirse en director espiritual.
Discernimiento
Prácticas para buscar claridad, a solas y en equipo.
Acompañamiento
Caminar bien junto a colegas y a quienes sirves.
Resiliencia
Mantenerse arraigado en la transición, la pérdida y las temporadas largas.
Sombra y Persona
Encontrarnos con las partes que ocultamos o actuamos.
Introducción a la Formación Espiritual
Donde comienza la formación: la forma de una vida con Dios.
Lamento
Traer el duelo y la protesta con honestidad a la oración.
Regla de Vida
Diseñar ritmos sostenibles que sostengan tu llamado.
Prácticas Espirituales
Una caja de herramientas de oración, silencio y atención.
Actualmente se ofrecen a solicitud dentro de organizaciones aliadas, sin inscripción abierta, así que la invitación es a solicitar una capacitación.
Antes de irte — la cruz
El discernimiento suele terminar en un punto de entrega: dejar las opciones antes de tomar una. Traza la cruz lentamente con tu dedo o ratón, coloreándola al avanzar. Los colores cambian por sí solos y tú no los eliges: una pequeña manera de soltar el control mientras reflexionas.
Mientras trazas, considera la muerte y el cuerpo de Jesús, y luego tu propio cuerpo, sostenido en el suyo. Presiona Guide sobre el papel para seguir las huellas.
Si el lienzo no está disponible para ti: nombra la decisión que cargas, sostén cada opción con las manos abiertas durante una respiración lenta y pide la gracia de querer lo que Dios quiere.
¿Frente a una decisión, o interesado en una capacitación para tu equipo? Conversemos.
Start Here
Whatever you’re exploring (direction, a retreat, a game, a training for your team), this is where we start. One unhurried conversation about what fits.
Thank you.
Your note is on its way. Joel reads each one himself and will reply personally, usually within a few days. There’s nothing more you need to do for now.
Booking a time, together or apart
For one-on-one conversations, you can pick an open time directly from Joel’s calendar, shown in your own time zone.
For retreat groups and game groups spread across time zones, a short poll finds the shared time. No time-zone math required.
About cost
There’s no price list here on purpose. Cost is part of the first conversation, shaped to your situation, never a reason not to reach out.
Pay it forwardSome sessions are quietly covered by people who came before you. If you’d like to fill someone else’s bowl, mention it in your note. It’s always an open, standing option.Give it forward
Book a Time
Pick a time that suits you. The calendar shows Joel’s real availability, in your own time zone, and a confirmation arrives by email once you choose.
Online booking opens soon.
Until then, send a short note and Joel will reply with a few times that work in your time zone.
Scheduling for a whole group across time zones instead?
Find a Shared Time
For retreat groups and game circles scattered across the map. Mark every time you could make. There’s no time-zone math; it’s already done for you.
All times below are shown in your time zone: {{ tzName }}.
