Spiritual Directors
A spiritual director provides a safe, confidential, non-judgmental space of listening and wondering so that a person can freely explore and notice the way their relationship with God is unfolding and better appreciate that unfolding and respond to God. A director has no agenda in mind for you other than to meet you where you are and be your companion in your journey with God.
Dr. Robert Lively
Retired Professor of History
Southern Nazarene University
OKC, OK
Dr. Lively retired from Southern Nazarene University in 2015 after 35 years of teaching History and Politics. His PhD is in American History and he remains an Emeritus Professor at SNU, teaching part-time. Dr. Lively is a graduate of the spiritual direction program at the HeartPaths Spirituality Center in Oklahoma City and has been a spiritual director for seven years. He is also a faculty member at HeartPaths and has led groups in contemplative prayer practices.
Dr. Sue Ann Lively
Retired Professor of Adult Learning
Southern Nazarene University
OKC, OK
Dr. Lively was a professor at Southern Nazarene University for 36 years. Her doctorate is in adult education, with emphasis on adult learning and communication. She trained for three years at the HeartPaths Spirituality Center in Oklahoma City to be a spiritual director; she is starting her 9th year as a spiritual director. As a faculty of HeartPaths, she has led groups in contemplative prayer practices and the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius.
Rev. Lisa Sanders
Children's Pastor
OKC First Church of the Nazarene
Lisa enjoys the art of Christian listening, where God creates a special place of sitting open in his presence. She loves to cultivate an openness and responsiveness to the Spirit's presence in our lives. She was certified as a spiritual director through HeartPaths of OKC, and has served as Children's Pastor at OKC 1st Church of the Nazarene for 20 years.
Rev. Dr. Bob Gardenhire
Retired Methodist Minister
OKC, OK
Dr. Gardenhire is a trained therapist/pastoral counselor. He is the founding Director of HeartPaths OKC/DFW through which he has been training and supervising spiritual directors since 1982.
Rev. Kathy Weaver
Christian (Disciples of Christ) Minister
OKC, OK
Kathy is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) She is a trained Spiritual Director through HeartPaths in Oklahoma City. Kathy is a third-carreer minister, having worked in accounting, oil and gas, and mortgage banking before heeding God's call to ministry.
Rev. Jason Smith
Associate Pastor
OKC First Church of the Nazarene
OKC, OK
Jason is the Associate Pastor at Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene, where he has served for 20 years. He is a certified spiritual directer through the Heartpaths organization. His experience with Heartpaths led him to a greater understand of himself and his life in Christ. Learning to listen to God was a transformative experience for him and being trained to listen to others in the art of spiritual direction has been a gift. Jason enjoyed his experience at Southern Nazarene University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Theology and Ministry as well as his Master's degree in Theology. Jason is married to Katie and they have two girls, McCall and Berkley. He is an avid sports fan and loves to golf.
Sharon Dikes
Spiritual Director
OKC, OK
Sharon is a wife, mother, grandmother retired home educator and a trained spiritual director with Heart Paths of Oklahoma City. She has co-led classes in contemplative prayer practices as part of the Heart Paths faculty and continues her own practice of spiritual direction.
Eric Jergensen
Software Engineer
OKC, OK
Eric completed the three-year Heartpaths OKC curriculum in the spring of 2014. He had been drawn to contemplative practices in order to expand prayer beyond merely giving God advice he didn't need about things He already knew. Eric found a rich, vibrant, and challenging experience that transformed his experience of God and the people He loves from a flat, monochromatic picture into a colorful, dynamic, multidimensional living tapestry. Eric now treasures the experience of walking alongside God's beloved children as they experience the "for better and for worse" of relating to God, His Kingdom, and His people.