S.H.A.P.E. Assessment Results

Thank you Jim Gemmell for taking the SHAPE Assessment. We encourage you to meet with a Church Leader that you respect, to go over your results, so that they can help you discover a place to serve in the church and/or community, and also to help you fine-tune your 5 Main Focuses/Priorities listed at the bottom of this email under the ‘Wrapping it up’ section. May God Bless You!

[S]piritual Gifts

Here is how your spiritual gifts scored (in alphabetical order):

62%

84%

81%

50%

50%

90%

87%

31%

96%

To see descriptions on the Spiritual Gifts and how you can use them to further Christ’s Kingdom on earth, visit this link.

This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
I love God’s Word and enjoy studying it as much and even more than I enjoy my day job. Also because people seem to be helped when I comment or teach on the scripture.

This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
Depending on how this is defined, I would simply relate it to God, by His Spirit, helping me (or others) to speak His truth spontaneously so as to meet needs and benefit those who hear (Eph. 4:29).

This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
Knowing God’s truth is of highest importance but isn’t just abstract knowledge–it has a purpose: to be the means of conversion to unbelievers (Rom. 1:16) and the channel of growth for God’s dear people (John 17:17). Helping my brothers and sisters in Christ to grow in grace is among the greatest privileges this life presents.

[H]eart

1. Hang out with my wife, kids and grandkids.

2. Study and teach/preach God’s Word

3. Interact individually with people or in small groups around God’s word as we seek to apply it together to our lives.

I enjoy working with teens up through any age adult most. I love children and don’t mind teaching them but I prefer teaching those that can understand more without having to keep things on the simplest level. I have great respect for others who are very good at teaching small children.

I enjoy teaching contexts, evangelism, prison ministry. I also enjoy brainstorming with others about how the church can structure itself to best serve the church family and the community.

Abortion/sanctity of Life
Marriage/family issues
Other – Cultural issues: Thinking through changing norms biblically

[A]bilities

Graphic Designer

Building and making things

Creativity. Writing. Skits and clowning around. Public speaking.

Many topics and sections from the Bible. Graphic Design and art.

My ability to communicate in various ways.

[P]ersonality

Extrovert

50-50 High/Low Risk

50-50 Peace Maker/Challenger

People Driven

Leader

50-50 Routine/Variety

Your Primary was ‘The Otter’, with your Secondary coming in as ‘The Retriever’, and here are the descriptions of your Personalities, and how they can be used for God

Otter- Otters are very social creature. Otter personalities love people. They enjoys being popular and influencing and motivating others. Otter can sometimes be hurt when people do not like them. Otter personalities usually have lots of friends, but not deep relationships. They love to goof-off. (They are notorious for messy rooms.) Otters like to hurry and finish jobs. (Jobs are not often done well.) The otter personality is like Tigger in Winnie The Pooh.

Strength: People person, open, positive
Weakness: Talks too much, too permissive
Limitation: Remembering past commitments, follow through with discipline

Golden Retriever- Good at making friends. Very loyal. Retriever personalities do not like big changes. They look for security. Can be very sensitive. Very caring. Has deep relationships, but usually only a couple of close friends. Wants to be loved by everyone. Looks for appreciation. Works best in a limited situation with a steady work pattern.

Strength: Accommodating, calm, affirming
Weakness: Indecisive, indifferent, unable to express emotional, too soft on other people
Limitation: Seeing the need to be more assertive, holding others accountable

[E]xperience

Raised Catholic in a good, loving family. In Art school came under conviction and sought relief in good works but only added to my burden. I wondered, “How good do you have to be to be good enough for God?” When I was about to dive deeper into Catholicism, God sent some believers my way who shared the true gospel of faith alone in Christ alone. Praise God!

First Baptist of Downingtown for 20 years. Taught Sunday school to junior high and high school for years before teaching the adult class and preaching once a month and eventually became a bivocational elder. 1986-2007

Covenant Fellowship in Glenn Mills. Active members of a small group locally. Prison ministry for 3 years. Active with the youth ministry with our kids. 2007-2009

Brandywine Grace Church. Ran Children’s Ministry for first 4 years. Lead a small group for 5 years. Helped with Youth ministry the whole time (till recently) and often taught the kids/parents. Lead the Coatesville kids ministry at Old Mill Camp crafting skits, teaching and helping with music.

My wife and family life. Being a husband and father is the greatest privilege and perhaps the hardest thing to really do well (only by God’s grace). My wife has been a chief helper to me in growing in grace. She encourages me but is not afraid to challenge me. She has done me great good (Prov. 31:12)

Serving with Chuck Vuolo and being mentored by him over many years–even into the present. We are still good friends. Few men have shaped me more than him.

Teaching Sunday school to kids. For many years, in a little room with a handful of kids, God taught me about Himself while giving me the delight of teaching them.

Our church in Downingtown eventually folded under the stress of many factors –doctrinal, pastoral, personal. It was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through but it taught me to cling to God, to humble myself and trust Him, even when others may not have understood the circumstances.

Being thought ill of and misunderstood is one of the hardest trials. On one hand, it’s hard to face where you really have sinned and need to humble yourself and repent before God and others. On the other hand, sometimes you’re in the right but the other doesn’t see it–so it effects your relationship. You just have to trust God, but it’s hard.

Our daughter rebelling and eventually getting pregnant and moving home with us. It was extremely difficult and painful but God wonderfully used it in so many ways. It has made me much less self-righteous when judging other parents–knowing that, though no parent is perfect, even good parents may have a rebel and that it is ultimately only God that can work in the hearts of our kids.

Wrapping It Up

The Challenge: Based upon your S.H.A.P.E. Assessment above (the way God wired you), If you knew you couldn’t fail … and ‘lack of money, or time’ was not an obstacle… list your Top 3 Things you would ‘Focus’ your Life on, next to #1 Loving God & #2 Loving Your Neighbor (these would be your ‘3 God-Sized Dreams’ for your life)?

1. My Relationship with GOD

2. My Relationship with Others

• Putting Your Spouse First
• Your Kids Second
• Everyone Else After those

3. Do full time local mission work based in the local church but involving teaching, prison ministry, serving families etc.

4. Write and do art to the glory of God. There are various ideas I have for books/childrens books, paintings that I would love to pursue if I had time.

5. Foreign mission work. I don’t know if I would want to relocate long term but to serve in other places for Christ would be very cool