Over the past number of years, I have been involved in teaching Rick Warren's SHAPE material For those of you who may not be familiar with this material, SHAPE is an acronym. The 'S' is for Spiritual Gifts; the 'H' is the Heart; the 'A' is all about Abilities; the 'P' takes a peek at your Personality; and finally the 'E' examines your Experiences. These five qualities or characteristics show how God has uniquely shaped you for His Kingdom work. Your unique shape is kind of like your spiritual DNA.

I believe with all my heart that if you can get a strangle hold on your Spiritual Gifts and what your Heart/Passion is, you are well on the way toward faithful, fruitful, and fulfilling ministry, while God is made famous!

One of the more probing questions that I ask individuals in a one-on-one consultation session at the conclusion of the workshop is: "If money, time, education, and family were not a factor, and you knew you would not fail, what would you do with your life?" In my experience in performing many of these consultations over the years, I have found that the older people become, the more difficult it is to come up with a real answer to that question. Of course there are exceptions.

However, when someone takes the time to really think about that question, and then gives an answer, I will often follow that answer up with another question: "What's preventing you from doing that right now?" The sad thing about this question, is that people often find that they have fallen into a life rut, and that rut has grown somewhat comfortable. They continually tell themselves that their dreams are no longer within reach. They magnify their limitations and minimize their strengths - their God-given gifts, abilities and passion. Tragic.

A fresh new year is just days away. During the next few days, I challenge each of you to ask yourself the same question: "If money, time, education, or family were not a factor, what would I do with my life?" After giving some thought to this, and then basing your reply on your Spiritual Gifts (if you have identified them), your abilities, and your past experiences, write down your answer. Then ask the next question: "What's keeping me from moving in that direction?" Maybe this new year will be one in which you begin taking steps into a dream and a purpose that God has been patiently waiting for you to step into.

Shaped for Him,
DOM