Reflection Paper On Calling

God called you to be a servant to others. Use your gifts and talents to influence and develop

A coworker of mine that I had grown close with would have weekly and sometimes daily conversations about The Bible and the Word of God and how it changes our lives. Once I told him of the changes that were soon to come my way, he began telling me I should attend CCU. After talking with him and reading the vision and mission statements of CCU, I knew this is where I should be. So eventually, I went online and asked to speak with a counselor to see what I needed to do to become a student and start this next exciting chapter of my life.

Through my passions and experiences with people, as well as study, I am convinced that God has given me the desire and gifts to serve Him through discipling others. Ideally, I plan to work with young adults as they commonly need, and want, answers to questions of identity, truth, apologetics, and relationships, with Jesus and others. These are all things I am passionate about. I am committed to helping others experience God’s love, nurture their spiritual development, enable them to discover their spiritual gifts, and equip them for effective

Another, aspect, spirituality is not as much a prearranged system, it is a quest and a prolongation of one’s development.

The one thing many people do not talk about is vocation. Gordon T. Smith declares there are three different forms of vocation. First is the general call which is the invitation to follow Christ. Second is the specific call, this is unique to each person and can be classified as their mission in this world. Third is the immediate responsibilities; these are the task God requires of us daily (p. 10). As a Christian, one's vocation is their response to God; their call is to serve Him in life and reflect who He is to others, no matter the stage of life they are in or the occupations they are call to pursue. Occupations may change through life, but the vocational call remains consistent despite the

In Stanley Hauerwas’s article titled “Go with God” he presents a letter to students who are going off to attend college. It’s a guide that proposes certain expectations and helpful information for students heading off on this new endeavor. He makes a point that going to college means much more than a diploma and hopes of high paying job. “To worship God and live faithfully are necessary conditions if you are to survive college. But as a Christian you are called to do more than survive” (Hauerwas). The advice in the letter reinforce its main theme: to be a student is a calling. This challenges the reader to think beyond the normal expectations of why we go off to college.

This week assignment was very interesting and fascinating. We are all born with gifts and talents. Having God-given gifts inside us that has the power to give life, direction, and purpose. First Peter 4:10 says” As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of Gods varied grace”. God works in different ways in each of us.

Through this assignment, we will examine individual traits and how they integrate into organizational behavior. This project is conveyed from the first-person based on my personal experiences and results based on my answers from the “Project 2 Assessment” from McGraw Hill Connect. From the information gathered we discuss in three-parts, my personality triats, working with others, and my experience within an organizational setting. My paper will culminate by discussing my personal reflection of my strengths and weaknesses regarding the engagement of the Holy Spirit through them.

I must find my calling if I am to truly live my life to the fullest and to live out God’s plan for my life. God is the only one who can help me find my purpose. He has had a plan for my life long before I was even born and that God has a purpose for me that no one else could fulfill. “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future, Jeremiah 29:11” (NIV). This means that no matter what I do as long as I am in accordance with God’s will, everything will turn out for the best in the end. God has promised to give me hope and a future and to bless my life. “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do, Ephesians 2:10” (NIV). With this knowledge I know that God has created me exactly the way I should be and that he has given me talents and skills enough to do all he asks of me to do.

Information from chapter one comprised of a summary of my assignments reports from the various ministries served and class discussions post. Moving forward to chapter two talks more of the vast amount of lessons learned through the five goals and the effectiveness of actual hands-on application: the practice of communication, pastoral-spiritual care, the practice of leadership, engaging diversity, and handling conflict. There were target events in each goal setting subject. For example, in communication, my target events were in small groups, classes, writings of creative activities curriculum, and counseling. In this process, my practice skills supported an audience of women, youth both boys and girls, and children. The area of pastoral-spiritual care involved Bible studies, home visits, hospital and nursing homes visits, grieving family visits, and prison ministry visits with the Children of Inmates Program. The practice of leadership comprises of attending events, training, and assisting in various ministries in need. Engaging diversity involved observing other ministry leaders engaging in a large church congregation, speaking at women's breakfast or functions, speaking at funeral services, and assisting in the planning of funeral with family members. Handling conflict dealt with counseling of premarital sessions, marriage counseling sessions, counseling child abuse sessions, counseling drug addiction session, counseling depression with childhood sexual abuse sessions and assisting with crisis individuals seeking assistance through the resources at our church Peacemakers office. Consequently, chapter three describes the most life changing events causing major setbacks in this journey of my calling and the solutions involved. Chapter four detailed some specifics on the results of my self-analysis test. Some of the shared data comprised of personal

After completing the “Discover Your Spiritual Gifts” survey, the spiritual gifts I appear to be the strongest in are Knowledge, Administration, Teaching, Leadership, and Faith.

Spiritual disciplines will prepare us for our journey in Christ. I feel if understanding correctly, the classical Christian Pilgrimage remind us that we all have issues requiring regular examination. In chapter eight, the classical Christian Pilgrimage tells us we are at different stages on the path of wholeness in Christ. However, in my thoughts some areas of our Christian journey we may be doing well, but in other areas we have not touched at all. Not to mention, these are the place we are not ready or capable of handling yet, however, as we mature in God and He knows what we can handle, then we are awakened. God awakens us to our true selves which have not been completely revealed. In reality, once we reach maturity to God, he reveals all that is hidden deep inside of us (the real us/you). By the same token, he let us see the inner behaviors, attitudes, desires, in fact how we measure up in them being Christ-like. I feel the awakening stage deals with the comfort of being set free of these issues that are holding us back also causing detours on our path to wholeness in Christ. Equally, the threat is being afraid to see who we really are; also how far from Christ-like we really are. We must first be awakened from our separation also alienation from God (Mulholland 79-82).

In a church school, it is important there is evidence of spiritual development across the curriculum and that every curriculum area includes some aims and objectives which make spiritual development more explicit in the teaching and learning process.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been going to church. Over the years, I have felt like I have come closer and closer to God. Through God, the church has influenced me to become a better person. They put me on the right path, helping me find the light that lead me out of the darkness. God, and more specifically the church, has given me hope and strength. They molded me into a person who looks forward to the future, and what I can accomplish. It is hard to believe that I will be going off to college soon. It seems just like yesterday that I started High School. However, as scary as the real world will be, I know I’ll have my family and friends to help. I know when I begin my work as a Computer Scientist, I will have God at the helm guiding

When you first begin a class you never know what to expect. When I first began Intro to Ministry, I did not know the level of insight that I would have about myself and about the character of God. I have been able to combine the things that have happened in my past and things that are happening now to try to paint God's picture in my life to come. Although you do not need to pinpoint the exact moment in time when you received your call for it to be legible, I am thankful that I do. I think it was a series of people and events unfolding in my life and God opened my eyes to the plans He had for me that lead me to that night. The day that I accepted my calling to be a youth pastor (December 30,2015) I did not go into that evening thinking “I’m going to listen to God and go into Ministry” - but I guess you never do. Since then God has been preparing me emotionally, physically, and mentally through programs that I have gone through, people in my life such as my friends, family, and professors I have gotten to know during the short time that I have been at Indiana Wesleyan. I am nowhere close to being where I want to be but that is the beauty of accepting God's call into any type of ministry, you do not have to have it all figured out, you just have to trust Him.“God is a God of infinite variety, and His call comes to people in many ways.” (Drury, K. Pg.67). I didn’t receive my calling in a damascus road way, instead God knew my heart and character so He gave me my calling in a