Passion for Life
It's holy week. Not only is this a big week for the Christian church, but it's a big week in my call story. Tonight is Good Friday - the annual evening where I remember my call to ministry. I had every intention of coming into this week with a fury of blog posts leading up to a big dramatic finish tonight where I finally, after a full Lenten season of lead ups, finish my call story. In full cinematic flair for all to read.
Then this week happened. A big part of my identity is changing, and I'm having a difficult time adapting to the change. It is not change that I wanted nor was able to fully anticipate due to miscommunication and what I view to be poor planning. Nonetheless, I am working through it. I am glad to have the help of many mentors, friends, and family supporting me. Nobody wants to see me fail on purpose. But we all are forced into change and accept it in different ways. I do know that how we rise above the challenges is what defines us. I'm up to the task, and I am ready to overcome the challenges with good communication. And ultimately if the path isn't made clear, I know it's not the right one, and that God will guide where I go next.
So talking about how we respond and how that defines who we are. I came across a different type of personality assessment from a conversation with the District Superintendent in my church district. He would be my boss essentially, when I have a call to serve as a licensed local pastor. The personality assessment is often called APEST. It categorizes different types of people as one of the following:
Apostle - A visionary sent to form the structures (of the church)
Prophet - One who goes ahead to spread the message and get people excited about what is coming next
Evangelist - One who meets with people to garner their support and to convince them to join the ranks and help the cause
Shepherd - One who cares for the people amidst the process
Teacher - Documents what's happening in order to instruct or train others as they join the cause
Any guesses on who I would be categorized as in this list?
I ranked highest as an Apostle. Not to my surprise, I feel my strength is setting up a good structure for being efficient, also taking into consideration the needs of the group and making provisions as much as possible so that the system works for everybody. Next highest is Prophet, which also brings in my ability to talk with people and relate to them and welcome them to joining in community with me/us.
Let me use a recent example to demonstrate what APEST people do in a situation. Recently there was a heartbreaking fire at Notre Dame de Paris. The entire world was watching it go up into flames, and immediately joined in understanding of how we need to proceed. Here's what the APEST people would do to set things on the proper course.
Apostle - Help re-design the structure of the building, considering historical integrity but also putting in new technology as needed to bring the building up to fire code and to prevent major damage in a future event.
Prophet - Communicates to people the meaning of rebuilding and explains the plans being made, and invites people to watch for updates.
Evangelist - Helps with fundraising, building community support, and rallying people together to rebuild.
Shepherd - Helps people who are grieving the loss, building the community despite the condition of the building.
Teacher - Documents the steps taken with the fire fighters and first responders, so we know how well the emergency action plan was executed. Documents the construction process so we can speak to how we overcame and continues the history of the magnificent structure.
All of these types of people have necessary roles in the rebuilding of the cathedral. While some roles might seem more important at certain moments, ranking one above the other would be wrong. All are important and all play a part in different ways.
My current challenge that I'm facing is that my job isn't delivering the same satisfaction that it once did. It's possible that it will again, and I truly hope that it does. My heart is grieving for what I had, and is worried for what is to come. But ultimately I know that I have a higher calling, and that God is using all of this experience to improve my future situations. I'm relying on trust today to move forward.
Positivity for the Day
Every day brings its own struggles. Sometimes we have the skills we need to overcome the struggle, and some days the struggles overcome us. Change is SO difficult - people who say they enjoy changing are either lying to themselves or have had more time to adapt than others.
We can become stronger. We will rebuild. We know that sometimes in life, there is no cinematic build to a story - sometimes the chapter just ends. Turn the page and find out what's happening next.
I will post my Good Friday closing to my call to ministry story, either today or tomorrow. Easter is coming. New things are happening - we must watch and wait.
Peace,
Positively Pastoral Jessica
Then this week happened. A big part of my identity is changing, and I'm having a difficult time adapting to the change. It is not change that I wanted nor was able to fully anticipate due to miscommunication and what I view to be poor planning. Nonetheless, I am working through it. I am glad to have the help of many mentors, friends, and family supporting me. Nobody wants to see me fail on purpose. But we all are forced into change and accept it in different ways. I do know that how we rise above the challenges is what defines us. I'm up to the task, and I am ready to overcome the challenges with good communication. And ultimately if the path isn't made clear, I know it's not the right one, and that God will guide where I go next.
So talking about how we respond and how that defines who we are. I came across a different type of personality assessment from a conversation with the District Superintendent in my church district. He would be my boss essentially, when I have a call to serve as a licensed local pastor. The personality assessment is often called APEST. It categorizes different types of people as one of the following:
Apostle - A visionary sent to form the structures (of the church)
Prophet - One who goes ahead to spread the message and get people excited about what is coming next
Evangelist - One who meets with people to garner their support and to convince them to join the ranks and help the cause
Shepherd - One who cares for the people amidst the process
Teacher - Documents what's happening in order to instruct or train others as they join the cause
Any guesses on who I would be categorized as in this list?
I ranked highest as an Apostle. Not to my surprise, I feel my strength is setting up a good structure for being efficient, also taking into consideration the needs of the group and making provisions as much as possible so that the system works for everybody. Next highest is Prophet, which also brings in my ability to talk with people and relate to them and welcome them to joining in community with me/us.
Let me use a recent example to demonstrate what APEST people do in a situation. Recently there was a heartbreaking fire at Notre Dame de Paris. The entire world was watching it go up into flames, and immediately joined in understanding of how we need to proceed. Here's what the APEST people would do to set things on the proper course.
Apostle - Help re-design the structure of the building, considering historical integrity but also putting in new technology as needed to bring the building up to fire code and to prevent major damage in a future event.
Prophet - Communicates to people the meaning of rebuilding and explains the plans being made, and invites people to watch for updates.
Evangelist - Helps with fundraising, building community support, and rallying people together to rebuild.
Shepherd - Helps people who are grieving the loss, building the community despite the condition of the building.
Teacher - Documents the steps taken with the fire fighters and first responders, so we know how well the emergency action plan was executed. Documents the construction process so we can speak to how we overcame and continues the history of the magnificent structure.
All of these types of people have necessary roles in the rebuilding of the cathedral. While some roles might seem more important at certain moments, ranking one above the other would be wrong. All are important and all play a part in different ways.
My current challenge that I'm facing is that my job isn't delivering the same satisfaction that it once did. It's possible that it will again, and I truly hope that it does. My heart is grieving for what I had, and is worried for what is to come. But ultimately I know that I have a higher calling, and that God is using all of this experience to improve my future situations. I'm relying on trust today to move forward.
Positivity for the Day
Every day brings its own struggles. Sometimes we have the skills we need to overcome the struggle, and some days the struggles overcome us. Change is SO difficult - people who say they enjoy changing are either lying to themselves or have had more time to adapt than others.
We can become stronger. We will rebuild. We know that sometimes in life, there is no cinematic build to a story - sometimes the chapter just ends. Turn the page and find out what's happening next.
I will post my Good Friday closing to my call to ministry story, either today or tomorrow. Easter is coming. New things are happening - we must watch and wait.
Peace,
Positively Pastoral Jessica
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