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.