Friday, June 29, 2007

Friday Five: Gifts and Talents

Sally from RevGals writes: Our Circuit (Methodist) is having a "Gifts and talents day" tomorrow- we have a minister visiting from another circuit who has modified the Myers Briggs personality test and added a few things of his own to run a day where we get to look at ourselves in the light of giftings and of the whole church. The idea is to encourage everyone with the news that there is room for you in the ministry of the church- and perhaps to discover where that ministry might be.....

It should be an interesting day, and one where I hope people will leave feeling encouraged and challenged...

So with gifts and talents in mind here is today's Friday 5:

1. Personality tests; love them or hate them?
I've taken enough of them that I should hate them (LOL) but interestingly enough, I enjoy them! The only one I found creepy was the Rorschach inkblots test I was required to take during my music therapy internship at a psychiatric facility... I guess I passed.


2. Would you describe yourself as practical, creative, intellectual or a mixture ?
I am a mixture. Not so creative as to be impractical. Not so intellectual as to lose my creativity. And not so practical that I can't have FUN! (I am probably the only person in my church who has a chicken hat! And who bought one for her long-suffering husband as well. I lent them out for VBS this week...)


3. It is said that everyone has their 15 minutes of fame; have you had yours yet? If so what was it, if not dream away what would you like it to be?
I guess I have. DD#1 and I were in the Washington Post about 8 years ago... and includes a horrible picture of yours truly for anyone to Google and find!!!


4. If you were given a 2 year sabbatical ( oh the dream of it) to create something would it be music, literature, art.....something completely different...share your dream with us...
Wow. Well, this idea just came to me so here goes. I'd like to write a musical for a book like "Blue Like Jazz" or "Velvet Elvis" or something else that pulls the church out of "Andy of Mayberry" and into life today.


5. Describe a talent you would like to develop, but that seems completely beyond you.
Knitting. Painting anything other than a wall or wood trim. Drawing anything beyond a stick figure. Dancing better than Elaine on "Seinfeld".


Bonus question: Back to the church- what does every member ministry mean to you? Is it truly possible to encourage/ implement?
The Scriptural mandate for "every member ministry" is indeed a powerful one. We need each other. The world needs us to be who we are created to be.

If each member begins to see their personal, God-created pool of talents and gifts, and decides to use them for the glory of God, then yes, I think it is possible. If "spiritual gifts surveys" remain as a "fill-the-slot-in-the-church-program" impetus, then no, it will fall flat every time. (And I think that is why many churches try these programs... to be perfectly frank!)

Deb

10 comments:

Sally said...

well played Deb- whay do reporters always take pictures when we don't want them to????
Love your thoughts on every member ministry!

ellbee said...

Good play - love the chicken hat!
I inherited a rubber chicken once, in a Cub Scout leadership transition.

We named him Johann Sebastian Bock.

It's not copyrighted, should either of your hats need a name :)

hip2b said...

Oh my goodness, do I need a hat like that! Loved your responses

Terri said...

Oh I remember the Rorchach test, had to do them twice before ordination as part of the psych evals...didn't like them. Nor did I like the "Look at this picture and tell me a story that you see in it. A story with a beginning, middle, and an end." Then I was shown these odd images...but, like you guess I passed. Love the idea for your sabbatical.

Diane M. Roth said...

1. I like your picture.
2. I think you are right about every member ministry... not "fill in the slot"... but also every member ministry is ministry both in the church and in the world. I bet 2 is even more important.
3. I think all of your images are cool. (esp. the potter)
4. Write a musical! My husband wants to write "The Seven first words of Christ.)

RevRosa said...

I'd forgotten about the Rorchach--I had to take it too for ordination, and I hated it too. I love your idea for a musical. Great play!

1-4 Grace said...

Okay, I got the ink blot! It's two witches carrying a horned pig-toad to a caldron. The caldron is not pictured, but I am sure it is there.

revhipchick said...

fabulous play! i love all your images as well!

i've always found the rorshack test very interesting. some of the ink blots are sooo strange and disturbing!

there is a game based on them, i also think it'd be cool to have a few framed for decoration.

wonderful play!

Anonymous said...

So what was the WashPo article about? And which section were you in? :^)

Deb said...

It was on "religion on the web" - at the time I was the "web minister" for the church we attended...

I forgot to include the link to it -- sorry!

d