This fall a lot of people at NPC were talking about Rick Warren’s new book, "A Purpose Driven Life.' I gave it a try and found it personally relevant and challenging. In the 3rd chapter, Rick says that when we stand before God we can surmise that he will ask us two crucial questions. The first is, “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?” The second is, “What did you do with what I gave you?” Rick then asks, “What did you do with your life – all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you? Did you spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?” The book centers around helping us answer these two questions, but I’d like to focus on the second question. The equipping team has offered a class, now called the ‘Spiritual Gifts Workshop,’ which about 200 people in the church and community have taken. The goal of the workshop is to help you explore the answer to the second question. In the class we first help each person unwrap what their Spiritual gifts, talents, experiences, personal style and passions are from a faith perspective. Second, we begin the process of exploring meaningful ways to deploy them in ministry both in and outside the church.

“An unopened gift is worthless,” says Rick in Chapter 30. Think about that for a moment. God has given us all at least one Spiritual gift that he wants us to unwrap and use for ministry. Come to the next Spiritual Gifts Workshop. I promise you that the workshop will be a day well spent unwrapping all that God has for you. Put it on your calendar and join us!

Adapted from "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002.