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LIDS Class # 2

Pastor Liz Rios – Executive Pastor

Welcome

Overall Learning Objective: Clarify your life calling and shape what

you know so far into a life purpose statement that summarizes your call

Learn tools that can also help you help others find their calling

Learning Style:Tell, Show, Discuss, Do

Books Used to Prepare This

What is My Calling and How Do I Know It?

Calling: “An External Commission from God for Others.”

External• Comes by looking outward, not just inward

Commission• Your marching orders. Your life is not your

own.From God• Comes by revelation

For Others• Your call is not about getting yours

The Three Levels of Purpose

Misconceptions about Calling

The Common Image of Call• “I was 17, kneeling in the grove, and a light shone on me…”

A Calling Event• “You’re called if you can name one special day when God

spoke.”Timing• “If you know what your call is, you should be doing it.”

Finding Your “One Thing”• “A call is one predetermined role or task you must

accomplish.”The MapQuest Paradigm• “If you make a major wrong decision in life, you’ll miss your

call.”

The Calling Journey

1.Lordship Decision2.Natural Promotion3.Valley of Dependence4.Preparation Stage5.Inside/Outside Preparation6.Valley of Wholeness7.Releasing Stage8.Day of Release9.Valley of Identity10.Fulfillment Stage

The Calling Journey

Let’s Chart Our Journey

15-20 minutes

Keeping a Revelation Journal

Twelve Revelation Methods God speaks in

many different ways Dramatic events Everyday

circumstances Insight that develops

progressively over a lifetime

Revelation can mean all three.

Revelation simply means God has shown us something we wouldn’t have known on our own.

•Two general categories of revelation are Calling Events specific experiences we’ve been called through via dramatic or everyday events and Progressive Revelation where we gradually come to understand our destiny over a period of years•For ex: Abraham rec’d a series of calling events over a period of 25 years that when put together progressively revealed his calling.

•Let’s review 12 revelation methods (handout)

Revelation Exercise On your own: try to fill in at least

several items in each category of handout Revelation Journal. Use the list of ideas if you get stuck

With A Peer: Choose a category you had trouble with or didn’t write much for. Have your partner ask you questions (see list for ideas) to draw out more insights in that category.

Calling Patterns from Suffering

What Does Destiny Look Like?

What words describe what it would be like to fulfill your calling?

Significance

Joy

Peace

Satisfaction

Accomplishment

What words describe what Jesus was feeling in the

moment he was accomplishing his

calling?

Pain

Sorrow

Thirst

Betrayal

Loneliness

Six Calling Patterns from Suffering

1

•Confronting

•I stand up to an injustice we all face

2

•Prevention

•I work to keep you from suffering what I did

3

•Compassion

•I take up the cause of something you suffer

4

•Qualification

•What I’ve suffered qualifies me to speak to you

5

•Overcoming

•I conquer adversity and help you do the same

6

•Acceptance

•Reaching a place of peace with my condition inspires others

Calling from Suffering Exercise

On your own: Take 2 minutes and jot down several experiences of suffering you've gone through. It could be illness, rejection, divorce, death of a parent, losing friends, moving away, being victim of a crime, relational breakdowns, etc.

Demo Instructions Volunteer: someone with a solid

experience of suffering Observers: watch for how we make the

connection between suffering and calling Key questions:

What happened? How did it impact/shape/change you? Who are you drawn to because of that? What does this qualify you to do and say? What does this make you passionate about

changing?

Reflection Exercise On your own:

Reflect on each of the six Calling Patterns from Suffering

If you think better out loud, you may choose to do this verbally with your peer.

Doing and Being – Life Messages

Doing and Being Calls: David

David’s Doing Call

• Ultimate Task or Role

• “Prince over His people”

• I Samuel 13:14

David’s Being Call

• The Message conveyed through what you do

• “A man after God’s own heart”

Doing and Being Calls: Joseph

Joseph’s Doing Call

• “Have dominion”

• To walk in a role where his family is under his authority

• Gen 37:6-9

Joseph’s Being Call

• “God meant it for good”

• God redeems even injustice and brings salvation and reconciliation through it.

• Gen 50:20

Doing and Being Calls: Abraham

Abraham’s Doing Call

• “Go…to the land that I will show you”

• Possessor of a land, father of a nation

• Gen 12:1-3

Abraham’s Being Call

• “The father of all who believe”

• The first one to figure out that God wanted believing in him, not rule-following.

• Rom 4:11-12, Gen 15:6

Ministry and Being Principle: “Ministry isn't something

you do--it's something you are that comes out through what you do.” (Mt 12:35)

“You can do a good deed whether you are a Christ-follower or not. The difference is the message in your heart that is communicated through what you do.”

The Power of a Being Call No external

circumstance can stop you from being your call.

You can be debilitated, imprisoned, lose your job, and still fulfill your calling.

You’ll have the secret to facing any and all circumstances in your calling journey: that Christ is in you. (Phil 4:12)

Life Messages

They are the key to discovering your being call.

Definition: A message God has implanted in your life for others.”

A characteristic of Jesus that is deeply incarnated in you in a place God has deeply processed.

Not the natural you (your Design). The natural you must die for Christ to live in you. (Gal. 2:20)

Life Message IndicatorsSoapbox Issues

Places of Power

Qualification

Drawing

Soap box issues: The ideals and issues you always talk about.Places of power: Where you have unusual authority and impactQualification: What you’ve been through makes people listen to youDrawing: Where you are drawn to others and they’re drawn to you.

Life Message ExerciseOn your own: Take three minutes and jot down several major shaping events in the left column of a sheet My Ex: Having a premature baby What made you the person you are today? What are the experiences where you were a

fundamentally different person afterward? Focus on what shaped you inwardly—

identity, values, personhood—as opposed to external changes like skill development.

Life Message Exercise Take one

shaping experience each and unpack

Share it with us

“What happened?” “How did it shape you

at the identity level? How are you a different person because of this?”

“How did God meet you here? Who is the Jesus you met?”

“In a short phrase, sum up what the message of this experience is.”

Finding Your Audience

The Message>Audience> Impact>Task FrameworkCalling is:A Message you embody to a specific Audience for an ultimate Impact through a unique Task.

Defining the Elements Message: Where all your

individual life messages converge

Audience: The people you are called to touch

Impact: How their lives will be different because you touched them

Task: The vehicle for it all

An Audience Could Be… Specific People – like your

kids, or your co-workers A Group – third graders at

Chamberlain Elementary school where you teach

A point of contact – all the customers you deal with in your sales job

People with a certain Need – like leaders in transition

A Societal Need – you serve the community at large

Defining Your Impact

Impact Demo

Think about your own audience as we flesh this out—answer the questions for yourself.

What impact do you want to have?

Impact ExerciseFirst, create an exemplar for your audience An exemplar is a specific, real person who

exemplifies your audienceThen use the questions below to create a detailed description of your impact How do I want this person’s life be different

because I touched it? How will my message impact him or her? What will he/she experience through

interacting with me?

Your Calling Task and Role

Influence Styles

See list The ways you

prefer to exert influence

NOTE: This may be a better description of what you are called to do than a specific task or role

Choosing Your Influence Styles

Personal Reflection: Choose the one to three primary styles that fit you best. When I am effectively

influencing others, which of these styles best describe how I do it?

With LID Peer: Share your styles and why you chose them.

Converting Styles to Roles or Tasks

Message: “God is a father to children of divorce.”Audience: “Men who bear the scars of divorced parents.”

QUESTION: What would a role that uses the ______ Influence Style look like?

Converting Styles to Roles or Tasks

Review your message, audience and influence styles with your LID peer

Brainstorm: what roles or tasks might be a good fit?

Use questions to help your partner explore

Come up with a phrase that describes a specific role or task, or the category of roles or tasks, that fit.

Creating a Life Purpose Statement

Creating Purpose Statements

Start with the four elements: Message>Audience>Impact>Task

Make each of the four elements into a short phrase

Arrange the phrases into the Statement formula in 17.3

Your Purpose Statement Memorable: Make it short

enough to memorize, so you can carry it with you

Unique: Not a bunch of stock Christian lingo

Unpack-able: Use significant words you can unpack to convey the full meaning

Changeable: It’s a draft that can be modified as God reveals more of your calling

Where to Go from Here

Memorize your statement Do several more individual Life Messages to refine the

overall Message of Your Life Go through the Self Study for the other three areas of

Purpose—Design, Passion and Preparation