S.H.A.P.E. Assessment Results
Thank you Laurie Penoyer-Phillips 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:
53%
56%
78%
68%
56%
68%
75%
71%
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 grew up with so many false/critical doctrines that it spurred me to study God’s Word and it’s meaning/s and application/s, for myself (and others) while seeking the Holy Spirit for guidance in knowing and accepting the whole Truth as God intended me to see it and understand it, not in part, but as a whole.
This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
I have often felt defeated and have been misunderstood by many. I am a survivor of abuse and trauma. I know how it feels to be abandoned and alone. I know how easy it is to fall into temptation while lost in isolation and depression, feeling that no one cares and it doesn’t matter anymore.
This gift’s evident in my life in the following ways:
I feel a burden for Christian people, but especially, women (and children), who are survivors of spiritual, emotional, mental, and all other forms of abuse. I want to help them come out of the darkness of sorrow and shame, of guilt and grief, and walk in the Light of Jesus and the Truth in Scripture. I, myself, want so badly to follow God, to live and walk by faith, to express it and share it. I feel drawn to help other Christians who are struggling to know His love and Grace, to bring them back into His Presence, to hope again, when they have fled in fear, or pain, or anger. I want to ease their suffering by being as much like Jesus as I can be for them and by giving them solid Biblical truths about how much God loves and cares for them as individuals with specific needs.
[H]eart
1. Discussing and dissecting the Scriptures and the application of godly principles and doctrines with other Believers and learning more about God and His purposes and plan for people, for this world, for His Kingdom.
2. Loving my husband and son, helping wherever I can, and comforting the lonely, the weary, and brokenhearted. Interpersonal relationships are my passion.
3. Spending time in God’s Presence, worshiping, reading the Bible, and talking about things, just He and I; just being able to see God in all facets of life, His Person, His heart, His love, and kindness, and grace, in everything, in circumstances, in conversations, in my life and other people’s lives….how He weaves Himself into the details. But I feel especially close to God in nature and outdoors…Noticing the little things others might have missed. Gardening is what makes me feel like I am with God in Eden again. I also love to create things, craft things, make something out of old junk or recycled items, turning something old into something new and meaningful or memorable. I love to think deep thoughts and write them down or share them with someone.
Other women, any age, whatever walk of life or background mostly, but anyone; people who are hurting, searching, hiding, avoiding, longing, or afraid…People who don’t dare to hope or dream or to make plans for the future anymore because they’ve been stomped on and pressed down by oppressive or legalistic beliefs/doctrines and spiritual abuses, or the abuse of power, leadership, and authority (men towards women & children in particular). People who’ve been hurt by the church/Christians…who have been lied to, deceived, manipulated, devalued, and invalidated by other Christians and pastors/teachers.
I am excited about the women’s abuse support group I belong to and the core of beautiful, Jesus-loving women who run it; we pray for each other and support one another while ministering hope and healing in Christ to the group at large. Church issues that most concern me are the misuse and abuse of the Bible and it’s teaching (power) to oppress instead of to free people; the misapplication of Scripture and principles that hurt and hinder God’s work and shackle people to hopelessness and helplessness. I am very passionate for the Truth, God’s truth, not man’s variations of it. There seems to be a lack of support for victims of abuse…too often the pat answers are not enough. They need more than verses and prayer. They need to know that we not only hear them but we will stand with them through every stage of healing–the good, the bad, and the ugly–not just when they can instantly “forgive and forget”.
Drug abuse/recovery
Alcoholism
Marriage/family issues
Compulsive behavior
Abuse/violence
Educational
At-risk children
Other – Mental/Emotional/Spiritual wellness/wholeness
[A]bilities
Presently, I am a homemaker/homeschooling Mom with small side businesses on eBay and Etsy.
Childcare/Nannying. House cleaning/Maid services. Gardening/Landscaping. Some demolition and construction work/manual labor. Spiritual Care/Christian Counselor in an abuse-support group (non-professional basis).
I am a problem solver by nature. I am practical, logical, pragmatic. I like to look at a situation or problem and come up with a way to resolve it. I am not afraid of a challenge. I am eager, quick to learn, and committed.
I have never taught anything but children’s classes in Sunday School and basic elementary education at home.
My heart, I think. There is a deep love there that cannot be drowned. I have an ability to love beyond personal pain and loss, even beyond betrayal and lies. I have a Jesus-heart…Compassion. I can get a sense about who a person is after spending just a short time with them; even sometimes by just watching their eyes. I believe this is something from God. I connect with people on a personal level very quickly (when I can let myself relax long enough to let the Holy Spirit do His work, that is). Secondly, would be my head….I have an analytical, exploring mind. I dissect and examine all things before I accept them or make a decision on what to do with them. Together, these things have allowed me to have an INFJ-T personality–the advocate.
[P]ersonality
Reserved
50-50 High/Low Risk
50-50 Peace Maker/Challenger
People Driven
50-50 Follower/Leader
Solo
Routine
1. 3 Likes Control | 2 Enthusiastic | 4 Sensitive | 4 Reserved |
2. 4 Firm | 2 Energetic | 2 Non-Demanding | 4 Practical |
3. 3 Likes Challenge | 2 Promoter | 4 Enjoys Routine | 4 Factual |
4. 4 Problem Solver | 3 Mixes Easily | 4 Relational | 3 Perfectionistic |
5. 2 Bold | 3 Fun-Loving | 4 Thoughtful | 4 Detailed |
6. 2 Goal Driven | 2 Optimistic | 1 Patient | 4 Inquisitive |
7. 4 Strong Willed | 4 Motivator | 3 Good Listener | 3 Accurate |
8. 1 Takes Charge | 4 Very Verbal | 4 Loyal | 4 Predictable |
9. 4 Determined | 3 Popular | 2 Dislikes Change | 3 Orderly |
10. 1 Competitive | 2 Group Oriented | 4 Sympathetic | 4 Analytical |
11. 4 Purposeful | 4 Inspirational | 3 Nurturing | 3 Precise |
12. 2 Action Oriented | 1 Likes Change | 2 Peace Maker | 2 Scheduled |
34 Total | 32 Total | 37 Total | 42 Total |
Your Primary was ‘The Beaver’, with your Secondary coming in as ‘The Retriever’, and here are the descriptions of your Personalities, and how they can be used for God
Beaver- Organized. Beavers think that there is a right way to do everything and they want to do it exactly that way. Beaver personalities are very creative. They desire to solve everything. Desire to take their time and do it right. Beavers do not like sudden changes. They need reassurance.
Strength: High standards, order, respect
Weakness: Unrealistic expectations of self & others, too perfect.
Limitation: Seeing the optimistic side of things, expressing flexibility
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
I asked Jesus to take away my sins at 5 yrs old without adult supervision…It was my first experience with the warm glow and light of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, that light was offensive to my Baptist upbringing and the next 20 years was spent trying to stifle the Light in me, trying to fit into the mold, into the church, etc. I discovered a personal passion for relationship with God in my teens, during tough circumstances, and rededicated myself to Him at 17. This carried me into marriage and a new church, the Vineyard. Here, I met the Holy Spirit again and He revived my weary, discouraged soul and began to reteach me His Word and His Truth. I have been struggling and striving to serve Jesus, to live & love like Jesus does, ever since.
I was a Nursery Worker & Sunday School teacher for Kindergarten students at Grace Baptist Church, Collegeville, Pa., between 1997-1999. I served on the Hospitality Committee and the Auditing Committee there as well during that time.
I also served as a Sunday School teacher for pre-K students at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Grove City, Ohio, from 2003-2005. I was also an assistant youth leader for the Middle-School kids during that time. I completed Prayer Ministry Training and Discipleship Training 100 & 200 as well, giving me practical tools for what the Vineyard calls, “Servant Evangelism”–community outreach.
Realizing that my faith had to be personal to be effective. I was quite isolated as a teenager, home-schooled and my mother was handicapped. I spent a lot of time in God’s Word just trying to find comfort and healing for the hurt. This period of time, God became a real person to me. He spoke to me and showed me things I did not know about myself and the beliefs I held to be true. This was the beginning of my transformation from Christian to Servant.
After marriage, we attended a little church in Horsham, PA. (2000-2002) and I met a delightfully real, Spirit-filled, honest woman named Kitty Sue Wright; she became my mentor and spiritual mother. She and I shared many of the same abuse experiences in childhood and battled with the same demons. She became a lifeline to Christ, to Truth, to Prayer, and to who I really was called to be…just the me God made and loved. Through her (and her husband’s, who was a father to me) influence, I learned to be loved and became able to love as God intended.
It was my husband’s idea to try the Vineyard in Ohio, but I was the one who immersed myself into the Word and teaching there, relearning, retraining, absorbing everything I could absorb, and experiencing God and His Spirit as real and tangible for the first time. I sensed a new purpose for my life and my pain. God began to rebuild me and to grow me up in faith there, while challenging many of my childhood beliefs and the things I was taught were true and right, which turned out to be false.
My father was abusive, verbally/emotionally/spiritually/mentally, as well as physically sometimes. He made me feel unwanted and unloved. I grew up thinking I was a burden on the people who supposedly loved me. But this emptiness was the very thing that drew me in so close to God. I craved His love, because I hadn’t ever felt the love of a Father.
I was molested at the age of 8 by a female cousin and I kept it a secret for years. I knew something wasn’t right about it or the things that I was taught to do and repeated thereafter, but I had no idea what sexual molestation was as a child–no one told me. This changed me, brought darkness and demons into my life, kept me crippled and lonely, spiritually-speaking, and afraid for a long time. I felt strange….dirty….helpless…trapped. But God also came into the injured place inside of me and showed me that His grace was enough, that Jesus was more than enough! He told me that He wanted me just the way I was, ugly and broken and ashamed. This has helped me understand the sinful and destructive habits of others who have been molested and abused, how it causes trauma and must have time to heal and be replaced with healthier input. It gives me a unique perspective on being a victim and how it hurts.
I have been homeless 3 times because of job losses and financial ruin. I have been there. I understand the fear and the pain of loss. I know how it can embitter you and lead you into temptation to feel sorry for yourself and to be angry with God. I believe these events humbled me. They forced me to rely on God and others, into relational dependence, and they gave me a great appreciation for the things we have every day….like food, shelter, electricity, water, and heat. Things most of us take for granted every single day.
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. To build and manage a shelter/home and retreat/haven for abused women
4. To teach Christians about church/spiritual abuse and victimization
5. To help kids/parents to deal with issues like my son’s….depression, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, emotional scars, ADD, etc.