Finding your God-given "shape"

"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

Have you ever watched a baby play with a shape sorter toy like the one pictured (right)? Most babies have difficulty getting the shapes into the right holes until they learn to look at the shape first, and then find the hole it will fit into.

Figuring out what God is calling us to do with our lives can pose a similar challenge, Souderton Mennonite Church Pastor Gerry Clemmer told students in chapel on March 2.

We need to pay attention to our God-given shape--the spiritual gifts God has given to us--and then it will be easier to figure out how we fit into God's plan:

S = Spiritual gifts
H = Heart's desire (Psalm 37:5)
A = Abilities
P = Personality
E = Experience

Clemmer suggested students do three things to help them find their God-given shape:

1. Think of three things that bring you joy and energy.

2. Do an assessment of your spiritual gifts. Use 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4 to guide you.

 3. Find two or three people who know you well. Ask them to tell you what they consider to be your strengths and weaknesses. Be open to the adults in your life--parents, teachers, pastors, youth sponsors.

"Your calling is where your greatest joy meets the world's greatest need." Theologian Frederick Buechner

Our "Come to Jesus" Moments

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."  Matthew 5:6

Ertell Whigham challenged Dock students
to allow their "Come to Jesus" moments to
shape their spiritual journey.

If we are looking for the righteousness of Christ, if we are looking for what God wants us to see, then we are bound to have what Ertell Whigham calls, "Come to Jesus" moments.

Whigham, who recently was named Executive Minister of Franconia Conference, recalled one of his own "Come to Jesus" moments when he spoke in chapel on Friday, Feb. 25.

His moment began with what he calls a "foolish" decision: As a teenager, he and four buddies decided to join the Marines together. After a "tour" of combat duty in Vietnam, he returned to the Reading, PA area as a recruiter for the military. At about the same time, his family began attending a Mennonite church in the area, and he was exposed to the ideas of pacifism and non-violence.

One day he had just finished his devotions--which had nothing to do with the peace or non-violence--when his "Come to Jesus" moment arrived out of the blue. The message he heard from the Holy Spirit was as clear as it was simple:

"How can you share the love of Jesus Christ with someone when you want to take their life?"

From that moment, Whigham says, he knew God was telling him to follow the way of peace.

The challenge Whigham brought to Dock students is this:

What will you do with your "Come to Jesus" moments?

How will you let them change you, shape you?

What impact will those moments have on your spiritual journey?

Senior Experience 2011

Senior Experience 2011
More photos and video from Senior Experience week...check it out.

The Power of Stories

Today in chapel, we heard about stories.

Everyone who spoke was affected in a different way by a different story, and all of us as listeners also connected in an unique way. From personal stories to Bible stories that everyone knows, every story has a meaning.

Junior Abby Bush said she remembers
being a child and acting out the part
of Jarius' daughter when her mother 
would read the Bible story in church.

Many times, we go through things that we really don't want to go through. We wonder why anything like that would have to happen. But everything happens for a reason, and if we share our story and the meaning behind it, people around us will be able to take something from it and learn something about us. Although it may make us feel vulnerable, sharing our expierences with others really does help both ourselves and the listener. People can get advice, wisdom, encouragement, or a feeling of love just from listening to one story. And when no one has to hide anything, we can experience freedom like we never have before--because we know that we are accepted for who we are.

-- Brie Rotelle

The "O" in RADIO: Openness

MCUSA's Glen Guyton used the last day of Spiritual Life Emphasis to review what he had talked about in the previous chapels, and to discuss the last topic in his RADIO theme: Openness.

R = Reaching. Reach out to the source of your faith and stay connected to God. Then reach out to those around, maybe even a new crew.

A = Adopting. Give up whatever separates you from fully participating in God's family. Treat others like part of the family. Enjoy all the benefits that come with being part of the family of God.

D = Discipleship. Find a spiritual mother or father, a mentor who can help you walk the walk. You don't have to go it alone.

I = Involvement. Don't be a spectator in your life, or your faith. Get involved! Realize that your gifts and talents are important. Use them!

O = Openness. Be open to the call of God on your life. If you are open to who God created you to be, you will be amazed at what He can do through you. Be open to new people, people who are different from you. Be open to making mistakes. Some of the greatest inventions in the world have been the result of mistakes.

Take your everyday, ordinary, walking-around life and place it before God as an offering. Don't be conformed to this world, don't let the world drag you down to its level of immaturity. But be transformed--and be open to what God has for you.

The “I” in Radio: Involvement

The takeaways from Thursday morning had nothing to do with dancing, piggy-back rides, or the long lost brother of Menno Simons—although from the past three mornings, anything was possible—but rather Glen had for us three visuals to go along with his message. He had three objects made from clay: a terra cotta flower pot, an ornate candle holder that he borrowed from our campus pastor’s wash room, and a small, simple tea cup. He analyzed each object and showed us each of their differences and how their lone similarity was that they all were created from clay.

So what? Thursday’s focus was involvement. Like the clay objects, we as people are all unified by one similarity. We are humans, created by God, placed here on earth to further His Kingdom. Aside from this lone similarity, we are all created vastly different; we all have different gifts, talents, traits, and things that set us apart to do things that other people may not be able to do. Glen told us the story of a big event that he was heading up. He told us how there was a lady who came up to him at the end and asked if she could help clean up. He said this was one of the most impactful moments in his dealings with Involvement. She had no desire to be in the spotlight, she just wanted to help out and get things done.

We should strive to use our gifts, our differences, to reflect Christ’s light into the world; whether that means being “out in front” or being the “trash can.” The “trash can” imagery was used to demonstrate that even something as seemingly lowly as a person who helps out behind the scenes, or helps clean up when everything is done with are in fact just as important to the operation as the people who head it up. All that matters is that we become involved.

-- Andrew Gordon

The "D" in RADIO: Discipleship

Today was our third day in SLEW, and we came onto our third topic of R.A.D.I.O.--Discipleship. Most of what Glen talked about today was about having a mentor; having someone who would do anything for you, encourage you, pray with and for you, and be there for you. Our mentor should be someone who we look up to. Someone who we trust and who has similar ideas about life.

As Christians, we want people to see Jesus when they look at us. We try to act like Him, love like Him, and live like Him. Jesus is our mentor. When we need comfort, support, encouragement, love, or just to be held, Jesus is always there, and always will be. But sometimes He seems too far away to reach... and we need something more tangible. Something like a mentor. When we feel like we can't reach Jesus, we can reach out to others. They can help us through and share in the struggle.

Glen was able to connect all of our words in R.A.D.I.O with the D... discipleship. We adopt others into the family of Christ so we can reach to Jesus... and each other. We all need to "let go and let God." Everyone needs help, and you can find someone who can give it to you.

So make a list of attributes of people that you like. See how you would want your mentor to act, and write it down. You will be blessed if you can be discipled by someone else in the family of God.

-- Brie Rotelle