Ministries council at Church of Scotland HQ (aka 121) have sent me a pile of paperwork.
Some is to do with my personal development interview (PDI) on Monday. That I was expecting, though I do not know what to expect (that sounds completely contradictory, doesn't it!). I will post how I got on after the event. I'm going with an open mind (and heart).
No, the scary stuff is:
- A form asking which of the assessment conferences I am able to attend. One step at a time guys; I'm only 1 month into my co-ordinated field assessment.
- An information leaflet about training for full-time ministry, containing advice to write to the Deans of Divinity at the various universities to apply for a place, if I wish to begin studies in 2009. Err, even if I get through my local review, that doesn't mean I'll get through the assessment conference.
It's not that I don't feel called. In fact, the deeper into this process I get, the more my sense of call grows. I feel I am pleasing God and He is supporting me at the moment, even when I don't think I can handle this.
My heart tells me I will get through all the hoops and will need a place at uni next year. My head tells me, be patient. You've waited this long another little while won't make any difference.
God might have other ideas, though...
The PDI can be daunting, and you can expect to be 'prodded' a bit on things that might not be entirely comfortable. But they're looking for how you deal with it as much as what you say (if that makes sense).
ReplyDeleteTiming was my big stumbling block. When I felt affirmed in my call I wanted it all to happen *now*. I had all sorts of plans for how it was all going to happen. Yea right! I needed to be reminded that it was God's plan, not mine. But you seem to be quite open to the timing, so that's good. Make sure assessors don't 'exploit' that as uncertainty. It's a fine line to tread between being sure and still being open to God's guidance.
I found the bit about the selection conference really scary for the same reasons as you... This is the point at which the outward journey starts to move on faster than your inner journey and it is scary because it is out of your control to some extent.
ReplyDeletePut the Uni stuff out of your mind just now, the Universities know the situation with Divinity students and they compensate accordingly.