GLP Graduate Testimonial Ian White Maher

Traveling from his home in New York City, Shalem graduate Ian White Maher finds himself wondering "Why am I here?" as he stands among joyous whirling dervishes worshiping in Istanbul, Turkey.
Full Text:
"How did I get here?" I heard these words as I watched the dervishes dance and listened to the men sing and shout their love for God in this small dergah in the Fatih neighborhood of Istanbul. These were not dervishes dancing for tourists. They were the faithful. They were dancing for God. And I was not here as a tourist. I was here to pray. These were my people even if the names of our religions were different.
But how did I get here? As I sat, the answers to this question slowly rose up out of the dark revealing a lifetime of choosing to follow the call from God. With each revealed step I whispered a 'thank you' to join the chorus of praise and gratitude going on all around me as my fingers clicked through the beads of the tespih dangling from my hand. Shalem, definitely Shalem. Thank you.
A few years ago, when I applied to learn about contemplative leadership, I was telling myself (and others) a story about a dried up spiritual life and the need to return to the well. While at Shalem, however, I discovered this was not exactly true. Rather, what I experienced was a call into the greater spiritual depth with the Presence and the shallow waters where I had been wading were just no longer satisfying for my soul. Experiencing what Shalem offers was less about me accomplishing or developing or learning as much as being encouraged to be guided by God to live the life I am supposed to lead as a spiritual being. The goals I had for my life before I attended Shalem have completely changed. And while I'm happy with where my life is going, it was not what I had planned. Instead another plan was revealed.
In many ways, I believe Shalem is both counter-cultural and precisely what the people of the world need today. In my own small way, I am so grateful to be a part of the journey. Presently, I'm in the process of developing my third spiritual guidance group. I've led one weekend retreat and have a second one planned for a few months from now. At times I'm still intimidated by the path this call has placed me on, but then I remind myself that I'm not the leader, just the vehicle, and then everything else seems to fall into place. This is the great blessing of Shalem.