How will you know students’ lives are being transformed?

I think I will know that students lives are being transformed when I can see their actions matching the transformation that God is calling them to. I think a lot of times, it is easy to say that I am a Christian, or I believe in Jesus, but the evidence of our beliefs, or lack thereof, is often found in the things we say and do. My students will show evidence of Christ's transformation because they will be challenged to live life differently than they have before. If they are not changing in their desire to know Christ and follow him, then we need to look at the causes for why transformation is not occurring. 

What informal educational experiences have you had in your life? How have they formed you?

The most  "informal" education I have had was learning in action, side by side while someone was teaching me. This primarily came from learning from my dad and others, watching how they performed a task or completed a project. I think we neglect this teaching method frequently. We tell people "This is how you do it", but so often we should be saying "let me show you how to do it, and then I will watch you". We cannot expect competency right off the bat; it requires training before individuals can master a concept or task.

Reflect on at least one personal crisis in your own life. How did you feel when the crisis came. How did you find help to deal with the crisis? In what ways did the Holy Spirit minister to you directly and through other people? What are some lessons you have learned through this crisis?

Wow, I have had some crises in my life that have been overwhelming and frustrating all at the same time. One in particular came about when I did not even realize I was in the midst of crisis. Unbeknownst to me, a very important relationship was near a breaking point, and I had no clue. I was flabbergasted; I was completely unaware of how dangerously close this relationship was to be unrepairable. I was able to seek solace in finally having a dialogue with this person, letting them air out their frustrations and actually taking the time to listen. It was so good to be able to see their side of the situation, because I had no clue from my perspective that there was even a problem. I think the Holy Spirit ministered to me in showing me not to be so self absorbed and focused on what I was doing, but to humble myself and take the time to listen to others around me, to seek their interests before my own. 

reflect on the way you hope to improve on how you were taught.

I hope that I can improve on how I was taught by not getting frustrated easily. I can remember as a young person, being in a classroom full of my peers, and seeing the teacher get quickly frustrated by the lack of focus and attention being paid in the class. I struggled with that, because I genuinely wanted to engage and grow deeper in my faith, and others around me were hindering my ability to do that. I hope that as I continue to mature into the teacher God is calling me to be, that I can recognize those who are distracting and redirect them, and continue to emphasize and praise those engaging and participating effectively. 

Design Argument: I think there are a lot of beneficial qualities to the design argument. The Psalms declare that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made", and in Genesis it is declared that humanity is made "in the image of God". There is no doubt that God has made us unique, gifted, and special. The tricky part with design is that there is a misconception in the world that negative / sinful things in our lives are a result of God's design, arguing "that's just how God made me". We can never discount the sin in our lives, or our propensity to bend towards sinning because "God just made us that way". Its a cop out.

Human Nature Argument: There are many benefits to this argument as well. We are raised with morals, values, and traditions that define who we are.

In both cases, I think we need to take a hybrid approach to these arguments in ministry, recognizing that we will be working with individuals who have a variety of influences on what makes them who they are, what makes them tick, and how sin uniquely manifests itself in their lives.

Reflect on the Bible passage that was most meaningful to you.

Right now, the most meaningful Bible passage to me is found in Philippians 2. Paul challenges his readers to have the attitude of Jesus Christ, to be like minded, to be one in love and purpose, and to emulate the characteristics of obedience, servant-hood, and humility. These are so crucial to me in my faith journey. I find it really easy to puff myself up, to see myself as being some leader among young people, to do all things by my own strength and power. Yet God, in all of his great power in glory, is calling me to take the nature of a servant, the perfect servant found in Jesus Christ. May he give me the strength to be the humble person he wants me to be.