The Importance Of Vocation In A Ray Of Darkness

The voice of vocation is mostly discerned through the heart; therefore, one must consciously be aware of the matters that occupy the heart. In John Neafsey’s “A Sacred Voice Is Calling,” Neafsey asserts “The voice of vocation is the voice of God” (Neafsey, 6). By hearing the voice of God, we’re able to reach the destiny God predestined us for in life and especially in our vocations. In order to hear the voice of God, you have to be able to discern between the many voices you hear every day, the voice of your conscience, and God’s voice. You do so by: consistently managing the matters of the heart- monitoring what you allow to physically and mentally enter into your heart, learning to discern between those things by familiarizing yourself with

I have always felt extremely called to motherhood and feel that God gave me this life for these reasons. Andy Crouch wrote an article relating to vocation in a more creative and captivating way relating it to genesis and our role as creators and cultivators. Crouch discusses our natural stance and the postures we need to go through the day. I believe my natural stance and the basic attitude I carry through life is motherly and care taking. My posture directly correlates to my vocation. Crouch uses an analogy of a gardener and artist in his article to further his discussion of our role as creators and captivators. Gardner’s and artists have postures in common but not the same. The artists carefully creates on a blank canvas with patience and creativity and the gardener tends to and helps grow what is already there preserving the beauty and weeding out the bad. I believe my vocation identifies more with the posture of a gardener. As a mother and caretaker it is my job to help grow children and lead them down a spiritual path to a successful life. My conviction and vocation go hand in hand and without living out my conviction I wont be able to successfully fulfill my vocation. With out trust in God and faith in his plan for me I wont be living my Christian life to the fullest and wont be able to properly guide children through their lives. It is important that I am actively living out my

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

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

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.

Highlighting the importance of the people he spends time with, Williams said he sort of “ran away” from his godly calling because of the crowd around him. While he felt God calling him at an early age, he kept evading it because

My faith and how I lived in my faith made serves as a lasting example to believers in Christ (Lindslay, 3). In life, I believed that all work that I did was spiritual work for the betterment of the Lord’s kingdom. Whether I was writing, ministering, eating out, or simply talking with friends, all work, all things, all I did was for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom. For the work of “a Beethoven” or the work of a “charwoman” were all the same in my eyes; for both the workers, their work should be “offered to God” and done “humbly” “as to the Lord” (Eshlemen, 2). Although I struggled with cynicism, this way of living life challenged and brought new meaning to my life (Lindslay, 3). This idea on the life I lived and how I lived the life I was given serves as an example of Colossians 3:17 for Christians who wish to live and long to live in similar fashions (The Holy, 237). This way of living my faith truly required me to be quite public and open with my thoughts and beliefs. My faith was not always outright and public. When I was young, my family was my first spiritual influence (Eshlemen, 5). My faith started when I was young, but was shattered with the death of my mother when I was ten years of age (Lindslay, 1). This tragedy shook who I thought God is. The death of my mother affected me deeply. In fact, in college, I denounced the protestant

During the course of the LDB481-17: Faith and Life Issues, Ms. Sams did not understand of the concept of vocation, before enrolling in the course. Nor, she has never heard the concept of vocation during at that time her twenty-two years on Earth. As she considers herself, a free spirit and a humanist regarding religion, Ms. Sams continues to note that she does not follow a particular religion. However, she keeps an open mind to how an individual’s religion has transformed his or her life. As a free spirit, by primarily having an open mind to the religious faith of Christianity, Ms. Sams assures that the spirit of God lives within each individual; regardless if he or she believes or does not believe in the spirit of God.

In the article "Now I Become Myself," author Parker Palmer endeavors to illustrate to her readership how can find personal fulfillment in their occupations by finding out about the self and what it is the individual needs to be satisfied. Most important to Palmer is a wider understanding of the term "vocation." This term is usually applied to religious persons who feel some otherworldly calling to the mantle of the clergy. However, Palmer argues that vocation can be a part of everyone's life, no matter which field it is to which they are drawn. Vocation is a gift for every person from a divine being who tries to inspire people to become the best versions of their selves possible. Achieving this is possible for everyone so long as they listen to the self and do not engage in actions which would hinder self-discovery. What's more, Palmer says, once the self-actualization has occurred, one is not only a better employee, but a better all around human being.

Dr. Waddell explains that he feels work signifies honor, creativity, and love. Dr. Waddell states, “[vocation] expresses the belief that God is present in calling and equipping people to fulfill a particular purpose in life and this correlates with Grudems’ statement, “that is why God made us with a desire to be productive, to make or do something useful for [ourselves] and other people”.

The new Christian Counsellor: A fresh Biblical and Transformational Approach is a book that aims to teach people and empower them to take possession of their souls in the contemporary life of a multi-faceted approach design. The authors are seasoned Christian counsellors who have a vast experience in dealing with people’s psycho-spiritual issues from a Christian point of view (Hawkins & Clinton, 2015 p.6). Through their noble ideas, the professors seek to guide their reads through the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, under the influence of God’s word and in a manner that is supportive of the accountability ideas of the entire community.

Recently I sat down with my pastor to discuss my future in ministry. I had some very heavy things weighing on my heart. After laying them out, I stated that “I often feel like I don’t have the needed self-confidence to do this ministry thing” and that “I think that I’m going to need a very supportive pastor in order to survive my first pastorate.” It was there that he stopped me cold and made if very clear that I could not and should not enter into ministry with that mindset. I could not expect my self-confidence to come from other people. I had to seek that from God. In the moments to come, through some very introspective conversation, I realized that I had been approaching the entire idea of ministry from the wrong direction. Without realizing it I had made it a “strong on the outside” thing. I had completely avoided the true spiritual formation that needed to be occurring on the inside.

The CVQ includes three subscales that relate to the search for a calling (Search-Transcendent Summons, Search-Purposeful Work, and Search-Prosocial Orientation) and three subscales that relate to the presence of a calling (Presence-Transcendent Summons, Presence-Purposeful Work, and Presence-Prosocial Orientation). The items are endorsed by the test-taker on a Likert-style scale of one to four, one being “Not at all true of me” and four being “Absolutely true of me”. Each of the

I would like to reflect on a few key moments of my spiritual journey from childhood that has led me to my call to ministry. I do believe that as the prophet Jeremiah was called before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5) that some are called and know their purpose from an early age while others find their path later after stumbling through life. Perhaps it might be that they have heard the call but were uncertain or unwilling to answer the call. Looking back on my life’s journey, I can see the “God moments” and how they have influenced my faith journey.

In the silence, I found myself contemplating the concept of vocation. Since my day of silence began roughly around the same time that Examined Life would have been starting, the topic was already on my mind. Specifically, my vocation, which is becoming more nebulous the longer I stay away from my home and delve into who I am to be as a single unit, opposed to how I fit into my families paradigm. Prior to coming to college it was my belief that I was going to become a professor, that I was called to teach, and that may very well be. However, as I progress in my work through Mission Waco, and explore the calling to ministry in my life, I wonder if I am brave enough to listen to that still small voice. Then, I wonder, why not both?