Ordinary Talents

I am not in the mood for time or treasure today (don't ask) so I decided to try something talent-y.  I thought, "Let me try one of those Spiritual Gift questionnaires."  That way I can cut to the chase on the talent stewardship goal, right?  The sooner I know my natural ability and capability, the sooner I can get to work and cross it off of my list.  Done and done.  Here we go.

Test #1:  Administration.  Yuck.

Test #2:  Administration.  Srsly?

Test #3:  Administration.  Now you're just messing with me.

Alright, maybe administration means something different 'spiritually'.  Let me take a look at the definitions...

"The special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of those goals....characterized by people who lead the body by steering others to remain on task... concerned with the details of how to accomplish tasks..."

Hmph. Let's try that again...

"The gift of administration is the God-given ability to give direction and make decisions on behalf of others that result in efficient operation and accomplishment of goals. Administration includes the ability to organize people, things, information, finances, etc. Often the mark of an administrator is the ability to accomplish things in a fitting and orderly way."

*sigh*  It sounds like work.   I was hoping for something more fun, like, oh, I don't know, "hospitality".  Or at least something more metaphysical, like "discerning of spirits."  At the very least something really cool and spiritual like "faith." 

And then there are the supporting scripture texts:

Discerning spirits?  Peter in the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  Exciting!

Faith?  The recounting of Abraham's faith in Romans.  Inspiring!!

Administration?   “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’"  Boring!!!

Well, it's just a quiz, right?  Maybe administration is my talent, and to the extent that it's useful to my church, awesome.  I'm blessed by whatever talent(s?) God has decided I can handle.  But I don't want to stop there. Maybe I have other gifts or talents to offer.  And maybe I don't have to know what they are right now.  I just need to try some stuff and see.  As long as I keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities, I'm sure I'll figure it out. 

But if you have any ideas, lemme know.

"Don't assume you have to be extraordinary to be used by God. You don't have to have exceptional gifts, talents, abilities, or connections. God specializes in using ordinary people whose limitations and weaknesses make them ideal showcases for His greatness and glory."  Nancy Leigh DeMoss