Who I am and what I'm for

A person who is following hard after Jesus knows who they are and what they're for and focuses on that
 

What does that look like?

 

The outcomes we see in the lives of people following Jesus will vary, but might include:

• An increasing sense of personal identity drawn from the Lord as the basis for their self-esteem
• Motivation for service drawn from the "audience of one" and a passion for the themes of the Kingdom of God
• A vision for seeing kingdom themes worked out in their everyday life and work
• Increasing sensitivity to "seeing what the Father is doing and doing that"
• A sense of focus on an area of service based on hearing God's call, and working out what that means in their circumstances and opportunities.
• Acts of practical service that are appropriate for them, based on understanding how he has designed and gifted them as an individual.
• Working as a healthy team with others, understanding their own temperament and strengths, and recognising how others complement that

How does it come about?

 

The way we see that becoming deeply rooted in people's lives includes:

• Teaching and reflection exercises on personal identity
• Hearing a variety of stories from ordinary people who explain their passions and calling and what they do about it
• Exploring the themes of the Kingdom as applied to everyday and workplace life - in talks and small group discussion
• Self-discovery modules such as the Active Listening Questionnaire, Gifts questionnaire, Myers Briggs, Belbin and Strengthsfinder
• Coaching individuals to align their life goals and calling and pursue them in voluntary service and employment
• Praying for each individual in a small group or team environment over time
• Providing opportunities to "try out" various forms of service and spiritual gift
• Sensitivity during the recruitment process
• Flexibility in adapting team roles to allow individuals to flourish
• Affirmation in the team setting
• Opportunities for people to seek feedback
• Opportunities for training
• A senior leader keeping an overview and watching brief on gifts alignment across the church, possibly supported by a database
• Leaders connecting people with related passions and vision
• Helping people to change roles as their focus becomes more clear

The process of aligning your ministry and activity with your God-given calling is illustrated by the following diagram

 

Resources

 

Discovery & profile

• Our own Active Listening questionnaire - with a simple and extended version.  Some of the material is from the book Living on Purpose (Tom Sine)
• Simple Style Assessment temperament analysis from Jigsaw (task/people orientation and structured/unstructured)
• Spiritual gifts self-assessment questionnaire, observation assessment (for others to fill in) and calculation sheet. Then follow up with Individual detail sheets for each of your top few spiritual gifts.
• Strengthsfinder (buy the book and get a code to allow you to do an online assessment)
• Packtypes - a pack of cards with pictures of dogs, and game-like activities which uncover personality in a fun way.  Krystyna Gadd has a set.

Alignment & activation

• Help each other connect spiritual gifts and passions using the Spiritual gifts are verbs exercise (after doing a gifts assessment)
• Explore new possibilities for service using the mindmap of regular, project and spontaneous opportunities for serving in any church.
• Talk about spiritual gifts in the workplace using this mindmap to get ideas for aligning your spiritual gifts with opportunities for ministry in the workplace

 

Serendipity Bible Study

• Real beauty - Living in a world of glitz (Identity - Serendipity Felt-need course 7, page M9)
• The single Jesus - Becoming a whole in one (Serendipity Felt-need course 15, page M17)
• Up close - Discovering my real identity (Identity - Serendipity Felt-need course 31, page M33)
• Employment - Over, Under, and Un (What I'm for - Serendipity Felt-need course 40, page M42)
• Bored and burned out - Assessing your career (What I'm for - Serendipity Felt-need course 41, page M43)
• Gifts and calling - What is the will of God for my life? (What I'm for - Serendipity Felt-need course 45, page M47)  the standout ones for developing the topic are 1Cor 12 and Matt 25.
• Self-esteem - Made in the image of God (Identity - Serendipity Felt-need course 49, page M51)
• I would add the Serendipity questions on Eph 4, Exodus 31

Nooma videos

 

• Nooma 018 | Name: "Why are we so concerned with what other people think, say, or look like?"
• Nooma 020 | Shells: "What are we really doing with our time?" (May 2008)
• Nooma 021 | She: "When we omit the feminine, are we missing a very fundamental part of God's nature?" (August 2008)

Related talks and articles   Destiny We all get somewhere, some get there on purpose. The big decision to follow Jesus then leads into many small decisions as we pursue our goal. More ... The Wharfedale Vineyard Hi, how are you? Knowing me, knowing you Sometimes we look great but aren't doing so well underneath. Jesus crosses boundaries to get to us and we must learn to love each other too. More ... David Flowers Identity Inspired by her own experience of how her sense of identity was affected by a change in her work roles, Kate takes a look at the foundations we build our sense of ourselves on, and encourages us to see that we are chosen and beloved by God. More ... Kate Newman In the beginning, God - making me 17 Feb 2013: In a few short verses you can learn just how special you are and how God designed you to live. This impacts our attitude to identity, marriage and sexuality. More ... David Flowers The Big Story of God part 3: Who do you think you are? Looking at the family tree of Jesus, we find a collection of ordinary people, whose lives contain brokenness, failure, courage and faith. We too are part of that same family of Jesus - not one of us is outside of God's love or mercy. All are welcome. More ... Maggie Gee