Congratulations … You’re Gifted: Discovering Your God-Given Shape to Make a Difference in the World
by Doug Fields and Erik Rees
Zondervan, 2008, 192 pp., $12.99, www.zondervan.com
How many of our offices have been invaded by teenagers who are wondering who they are, who they are supposed to be, and what they are supposed to be doing with their life? What youth worker hasn’t been frustrated because we desire to see our students engaged and passionate about God’s deeply personal and immediate mission for them? Congratulations … You’re Gifted endeavors to answer our students’ questions and alleviate our frustrations by equipping youth with the self-discovery tools they need to realize the unique purpose God has orchestrated specifically for them.
Doug Fields has taken his fellow Saddleback staffer Erik Rees’ highly successful book S.H.A.P.E. and reformatted the material, making this assessment more accessible to a teenage audience by adding his own adolescent humor, stories and content. Youth workers are more than familiar with Fields’ tremendous ability to teach (that is part of his S.H.A.P.E.). With Rees’ well thought out discovery process this is a potent combination. By discovering how God has designed them with Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality and Experiences, Fields and Rees hope teenagers will uncover the great aspirations God has for each and every one of them.
If the idea that your students are the “future of the church” frustrates you, and you are seeking to direct a movement of teenagers to impact the Kingdom of God right now, then here is a resource that will come alongside your vision. Fields and Rees carry that hope throughout. They want your students to know, “as one of God’s custom-designed, original masterpieces, your potential to make a difference in this world is endless.”
This is not a book you can hand out on Sunday morning and trust the content to do all the work. Even though each chapter is exceptionally clear, interactive, and packs a personal punch, even the most mature students would benefit exponentially from someone going through this resource with them. Taking stock of one’s life can be tough for anyone, especially an adolescent. This book is ideal for a discussion group or one-on-one mentoring.
