Archive for March, 2011

Though they’re accessible on the sidebar to the right, I wanted to particularly point out my reflections on formational goals and Profiles of Ministry feedback as indicators of outcome 9ab, which read as follows:

a) demonstrates healthy awareness of one’s personality, behavior patterns, level of interpersonal effectiveness, and patterns of response to anxiety and conflict
b) takes honest responsibility for one’s actions, habits, and growth, applying effective strategies for achieving ongoing ministerial growth

That is exactly what I believe these reflections (and my further action because of them) do.

Though the process of writing out the reflections (for the formational goals especially) seemed somewhat imposed and tedious before I began, once I got into the process, I was able to see how truly helpful it was for me as I reassessed my progress in my academic program and my ministry. Where my thoughts were previously somewhat nebulous, this has given me a bit more concrete to base my future thoughts and actions on. I plan to return to these goals periodically to revise them or examine my progress toward them.

If you click on the picture below, you will be able to access my spiritual autobiography, which I wrote for Dr. Wray’s spiritual formation class. As the document is 19 pages long, I will forgo the typical practice of posting the text here as well.

This spiritual autobiography is intended to demonstrate MDiv outcomes 8abcd, 9ab, and 10ab, which deal largely with spiritual formation, ministerial identity, and discipleship.

While writing the autobiography required a large investment of time, it was a particularly enjoyable and worthwhile investment. It was a blessing to be allowed (even assigned!) to spend time in reflection on how God has moved in and around me throughout my lifetime, and I savored every moment of the writing process.

As you read my story, you will see how I have discerned my own spiritual formation, how I have wrestled with and finally embraced my identity as a minister, how I have welcomed opportunities for growth and further formation (both individually and as part of faith communities).

In the few months since writing this autobiography, I have continued to reflect on my formation throughout life, recognizing both ways in which I have grown and ways in which I need to continue to grow. For example (though this could take up a whole post of its own), I have come to the realization that I am a codependent person who was raised in a family full of codependent people. As you can imagine, there is a lot of damage there that must be undone for me to have a healthy understanding of life. And I have been purposefully trying to address that issue by practicing assertiveness and healthy conflict with family and friends, among other things.

But perhaps all that is leading us too far astray from the topic at hand. So, for now I’ll just leave you with the pages of my spiritual autobiography…

Spiritual Autobiography