Move you further in your journey and in the direction God wants you to

First published on: 29th January 2021

Martin and Jess are married and have a rescue dog Harvey.
Martin: I work for Micah Liverpool, which is a social justice charity based at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. We run food banks in two churches serving up to 400 people a week. I am a musician and lead worship in my church and other events. 
Jess: My day job is in Marketing, but I’m super passionate about people so on the side I run the website The inspiher Project which is about helping women in their careers and I  host the podcast thrivin’ while 9-5in.

Why did you decide to take part in the Directions course?

Martin: For the past number of years I have felt called to ordained ministry and I came on the course to reaffirm that calling and to get some more information and personal experiences to help with my discernment.
Jess: I decided to take part because I found out the course wasn’t just for people who wanted to go into ordained ministry, and i could try and work out if God was calling me to something in particular or where I could use my skills.

What have you gained from completing the Directions course? How has it helped you?

Jess: I’ve definitely gained a clearer understanding about what my gifts are and what I’m passionate about, particularly through the SHAPE exercise, but if I’m honest I’m not too sure any next steps for me are. 
Martin: The course has given me further insight not only into ordained ministry but to other forms of ministry, which has made me think further about moving forward.

Your course was partly online, how did you find it? Do you have any tips for people attending this course which will be fully online?

Martin: The course online was very well put together, it wasn’t the same as meeting in person but it was as close as physically being there, the leadership team did amazing to get it up and running. I would say make sure you have a drink with you, don’t get too comfortable as you could fall asleep. There is a break in the middle of the sessions, make sure you get up and move away from the screen (to get another drink or go the loo) this will help with keeping focussed. 
Jess: Once we had settled back in I definitely preferred online. The first part of the course was a rush to get home from work, finish tea, and get out again so having that bit more time was great thing. My top tips are for people who like me are WFH full time looking at a screen all day.
-make sure you manage to have some form of break away from the screen in between work and the course so you can fully focus and apply yourself to the teaching. Sometimes no break can make it all feel a bit jumbled.
try and have your set up ready ahead of time, in a space that is well lit and quiet if you can, just so you can focus on engaging and getting to know others, not worrying if your iPad is going to fall.
-if you need to keep yourself feeling focused, you can always turn your camera  off for a few minutes and do a walk around the room.

Would you recommend the Directions course and why?

Jess:  I’d recommend the course to anyone who’s trying to figure out what their ministry looks like and how they fit into God’s plan as it provides practical guides and useful prompts to work this out. 
Martin: I would recommend it to people who have a calling, and to people who have no clue where God wants them. It may not answer every question, but it will definitely move you further in your journey and in the direction God wants you. 

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