Welcome to the Journey
You are created by God with a purpose and unique abilities to make a difference. We hope this resource provides greater insight and awareness.
"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
God is the ultimate gift giver. He loves giving gifts in big and small ways for His glory, our joy, and good of the world. He provides the sunrise, the privilege of breathing, opportunities of adventure, and the joy of relationships.
There are two main gifts that God gives that are essential for us to know about as followers of Jesus.
GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE
We were created by God and for a relationship with God. When we give our life to God, God gives new life to us and we receive eternal life. We move from spiritual death to spiritual life. We move from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
- Our sins are forgiven.
- We have a new purpose for living.
- We have a home in heaven.
- We have an eternal family.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
GIFT OF AN EMPOWERED LIFE
When we give our life to God and God gives new life to us, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live the Christian life.
One of the most important ways the Holy Spirit empowers us is through providing spiritual gifts for the purpose of making a difference this side of eternity. We don’t have to be afraid of spiritual gifts or confused by them.
Our job is to do the following.
- Discover our gifts.
- Don’t compare our gifts.
- Develop our gifts.
- Do something with our gifts.
SCRIPTURE
Take a moment to slowly read and reflect on the parable of the talents found in 1 Corinthians 12.
WORTH READING
- S.H.A.P.E by Rick Warren
- Understanding Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms
- Using Spiritual Gifts by Charles Stanley
SERMONS
- Power for Life and Ministry by Sam Storms
- Gifts of the Holy Spirit by Skip Heitzeg
- Learning How to Maximize Your Strengths by Rick Warren
TAKE THE SPIRITUAL GIFT TEST
We encourage you to slowly and prayerfully take the free spiritual gift test provided. Once you finish share it with your pastor, family, small group, and friends.
We all are shaped in unique ways from our family and our culture. The journey of following Jesus in many ways is learning to be re-parented into the family of God. A genogram or a family voyage is simply a tool to help us discover the way we have be shaped our family or origin. The goal is to review key events in our family history, identify earthquake moment, potential generational patterns, relational patterns, and inherited values.
SCRIPTURE
Take a moment to slowly read and reflect on on Genesis 25.
WORTH READING
WORTH WATCHING
NEXT STEP
We encourage you to prayerfully and slowly complete a genogram. When you are complete it share and process with your pastor, small group, and close friends.
We are uniquely shaped by God, our past experiences, and our family of origin. One of the most helpful tool to look beneath the surface of our life in order to understand “why we do what we do” is the enneagram. The enneagram is a system of nine personality types combining spiritual formation, wisdom, and the field of psychology to understand ourselves and the people in our lives. The goal of taking the enneagram is to create awareness for the following ways.
- Personal and spiritual growth
- Successful relationships at home and at work
- Leadership development
WORTH READING
WORTH WATCHING
NEXT STEP
We encourage to slow down and prayerfully take the enneagram test. Please keep in mind the test is not free and will cost $12 to complete. It’s worth it. Afterwards share with your family and small group.