Living Your Strengths - Part 2

This morning I read through Living Your Strengths. It's not long--less than 250 pages of large print--and it's not difficult to read. Two sections make up the bulk of the book. Chapter 2 is "Identifying and Affirming Your Talents," which consists of explanations of all 34 themes along with a set of insights "for further understanding of your talents." Chapter 3 is "Using Your Talents for Growth and Service," which discusses "how to apply these talents in your congregation and in your life." Since the StrengthsFinder site only gives you your top five themes (you can order a report, for a fee, of where you fall in all 34 themes), it cuts out down the amount of pages you need to read.

The explanations in Chapter 2 are the same as the ones you get online, so you've already seen the explanations of my five themes. Here are a couple of examples of the insights for the Learner theme:

• You enjoy the process of learning as much as what you actually learn.
• You can get frustrated about wanting to learn so many different things because you fear you'll never be an expert.
• Learner talents are valuable because they propel you to thrive in a dynamic world where learning is a necessity. You can learn a lot in a short period of time.

Along with the insights, the authors provide a list of scripture passages that they feel relate to the theme. The ones for the Learner theme are Daniel 1:3-4, Luke 10:38-42, Ezra 7:10, and 2 Timothy 3:14-17. I suppose you could use these for further reflection and prayer as you explore and learn about your strengths.

Each section of Chapter 3

lists insights, thought-provoking questions, and action suggestions that can help you build on your talents to create and apply strengths--and to grow spiritually and serve God and others in the process. (p.104)

Here are a couple of examples, again, from the Learner theme:

• Participate in a Sunday school or Bible study class. Become an expert in your own religious beliefs and knowledgeable in the history and belief [sic] of other religions.
• Keep track of what you have learned. Create a spiritual resume of all you have learned and done. Share it with others so they may call on you as a resource.
• You can be a catalyst for change in your church. Others might be intimidated by new ideas, new routines, or new circumstances, but your willingness to soak up this "newness" can calm their fears and spur them to participate. Take this responsibility seriously.

A fair amount of food for thought, and probably some conversation topics when each of us "trainees" meets with Suzanne in the coming weeks to discuss our "year of discernment" (that's what they're calling it) about our new jobs.

The last three chapters, and the first one to some extent, all reminded me of Ken Blanchard's (of The One Minute Manager fame) books such as Raving Fans, Gung Ho, and Fish. Or Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese, which was given to every employee at the Episcopal Church Center early in the reorganization process. While looking at Blanchard's website I even discovered one I hadn't heard of called It Takes Less Than One Minute to Suit up for The Lord. I don't think I'm going to add that one to my list. What saves Living Your Strengths are occasional insights such as

One of the most common mistakes people make in their spiritual lives is to focus on the steps to spiritual growth rather than on the outcomes of spiritual growth. (p. 100)

Or

Indeed, developing our talents into strengths requires risk. We must step out, try new things, or take a chance by doing something we may fail at--at first. But if we do not take some risks--emotionally, physically, and spiritually--we will never grow. God expects no less from us and from the Church. (p. 213-214)

In that last quote is something important that the corporate world, and many churches, have forgotten. Failure is part of the learning process. If there is no room for a person to fail, then there really is no room for a person to truly learn. May all of us at the Church Center keep that in mind as we move forward with our new roles and responsibilities.

Peace,
Jeffri