Spiritual disciplines
Order Instructions:
The Pastoral Counselor’s Identity and Ethics learning activity is experimental rather than authoritative in nature. In other words, you must develop this paper with the assumption that any future application will be the result of a collaborative effort (e.g., organization’s leadership). Professional or vocational identity and ethical boundaries are developed and maintained through meaningful connection with others. You will use course resources and search engines to complete the following:
1. Concisely describe a research-based paradigm for ministerial (e.g., pastoral counselor) identity and ethical boundaries. The Identity and Ethics handout will be helpful in establishing professional boundaries for a biblically responsible vocational paradigm. If using cited material from the Identity and Ethics Handout (e.g., Trull & Carter), then use current APA Manual/resources to create a citation from a secondary source. Do realize best research practice is to review originating source as it validates one’s veracity in research. Cite accordingly.
2. Identify potential professional partnerships that would support your professional growth and development. Consideration must be given to a support group(s), local association of peers, referral network, and credible certification, licensure, agencies, and organizations. Concise partnership details must be given (i.e., What is the partnership? Where is the partnership located? What is required to be a member in good standing of the professional partnership?). The Identity and Ethics handout provides possible considerations for this expectation. Cite accordingly.
3. Build a concise synthesis of issues to be addressed by an organization’s ethical guidelines. Kollar (2011, ch. 20), Johnson & Johnson (2014, ch. 8), and the Identity and Ethics handout provides resources to meet this expectation. Cite accordingly.
4. Propose a pre-counseling package to collect pertinent care-seeker information and convey professional identity and ethical boundaries to care-seeker; place it in the appendix of the paper. The pre-session material will be branded according to a student’s actual or anticipated soul-care context and include the following non-clinical/church counseling forms: intake; informed consent including brief description of length/number of sessions, note-taking strategy, referral process, and confidentiality covenant; and ethical guidelines. See student sample in “Pastoral Counselor’s Identity and Ethics Handout.” Do not copy material from student sample, especially the pre-session package. Conduct original research to create your pastoral counselor’s identity and ethics material and the corresponding pre-session forms suitable for a church/ministry non-licensure context. Forms must identify your ministry site and be suitably prepared for immediate careseeker use. Cite accordingly.
5. As an example of an ethical procedure, a background check will be conducted on the student before being approved to register for the new MA PACO program’s internship (PACO 699). A MAPC student should plan to engage the background check process at least one semester before PACO 699 is needed. Thus, as part of this paper, each student is required to acknowledge notification of this policy in the conclusion, even if he/she is not enrolled in the MA PACO degree.
With the exception of the pre-counseling package, an annotated outline may be used for items 1, 2, and 3. In addition to the 4–6-page annotated outline and appendix, a cover sheet, abstract, table of contents, introduction, conclusion, references, and required grading rubric are to be included. The paper must be submitted with the correct word file name (i.e., PACO500_CIEP_[StudentInitials]).
The Identity and Ethics Paper is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 6.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Spiritual disciplines
Spiritual disciplines form a natural component of the Christian life. In fact, nearly nothing of any importance in Christian lives can be achieved without it. Spiritual disciplines can be illustrated as deeds that enhance spiritual growth and allow people to grow to spiritual maturity. Moreover, the course of spiritual growth and development commence the moment an individual meets the risen Christ and draw closer to Him for salvation. Spiritual disciplines play a significant role in the growth of an individual inner being, which has been altered by Christ at salvation. In addition, redeemed believers have experienced the full regeneration of their entire person from within, concerning variation in notion, feeling, and disposition that might be unhurried to manifest in their external deeds (Daniel, 2015).
There are several spiritual disciplines that individuals apply and have shown immense capability in changing their lives. The common spiritual disciplines applied by individuals include prayer, fasting, scripture reading, worship, and service. Since I received salvation and decided to devote my life to Christ, I have been applying various spiritual disciplines in my daily life to assist in my personal development. The first spiritual discipline that I employ involves the Word of God and comprises the reading, study, memorization, and meditation of scripture. These spiritual disciplines have played a noteworthy role in my personal development, and as Daniel notes if these spiritual disciplines are ignored, there is no other effort to control ourselves that will be successful because we merely do not possess the power to prevail over the opposition of the sin nature in which our new natures dwell. In addition, we do not have the power to triumph over the resistance of demonic pressures whose plan is constantly to disconnect us from the single source of spiritual growth, the Word of God. Scripture memorization has also been an essential component in my spiritual life. I usually do scripture memorization twice a week, especially during the evening before I go to sleep. Daniel argues that individuals have been offered the free will to select what they want to put in their minds, thereby making scripture memorization important in human lives. Moreover, since Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God they are called upon to memorize it as it facilitates Christians to keep it always in the front of their minds, which makes it possible for them to react to all life situations according to its teachings (Daniel, 2015).
The other spiritual disciplines that I have applied in my life include prayer and fasting. Daniel proposes that prayer has the ability to transform people’s viewpoint and further adjust what they look from others. Moreover, prayer changes how people react to predicaments. Prayer is a great source of spiritual growth for me and I usually pray in the morning when I wake up and in the evening before I sleep. Conversely, whenever I want to attain a larger spiritual objective I fast. Since it is possible to fast from pleasures, such as social media or any other activities that convey fulfillment and happiness, I desire to focus my fasting from food, and I fast mostly two or three days (Daniel, 2015).
Common temptations
The major challenge of being a Christian is the temptations we face each day, but resisting temptation is the essential component of every Christian’s life. Christian temptations differ in various aspects, however they can be tempted, and stand firm. Personally as a Christian, I often face temptations on a regular basis, but refusing to accept the temptation is what allows me to succeed and grow spiritually. In spite of standing firm, I often face temptations that tend to have an influence on my spiritual life. The temptations that I commonly face include overuse of electronic and social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, video games, and television. This is the temptation I face on regular basis and find it not easy to oppose, but since Christians posses the internal strength to counter temptations if they turn to God, this always constitute part of my appeal when I am praying to God (Presbyterian Mission Agency, 2012).
Blind spots and weaknesses
Everyone has blind spots in their discernment that keep them from seeing the certainty about others and themselves. Since people are at times blinded to truth, they are powerless and crippled by blame and disgrace, rage and bitterness, and fear and worry. Several people live unnecessarily in defeat, powerless to their own faults or the faults of others. Moreover, they stagger around in life with blind spots blocking the work God wants to do in them. Nevertheless, it should not be this way since regardless of how broken or upset, each person can find out the way to healing, optimism, and a pleasant new way of living. On the other hand, people always feel they have a weakness that affects their capacity to do bigger things. In fact, in the Bible, Paul felt similar way; however, he utilized his weakness to have great impacts on other people (Arterburn, 2015).
As a devoted Christian I try very hard to live a life that is in line with the Christ teachings, however I have identified some blind spots and weakness that drags me back. The stubborn resistance is the blind spots that have an influence on my spiritual life. Arterburn argues that stubborn resistance is when people develop practices and inhibitions that they do not consider of letting go. People often hurt themselves and those around them, thus allowing things to worsen in almost every area of their lives. Furthermore, rather than searching for ways to get rid of these blind spots, people refute that they have a problem. Nevertheless, in my case I have discovered that willingness is essential in overcoming stubborn resistance, although it is not very easy to overcome the blind spot in a moment or a day, but the realization that I have a problem is a greater step towards conquering the blind spot. Conversely, I have recognized that there are weaknesses that have an immense effect on my Christian life. Blame shifting tends to have an influence on how I react when things do not occur as I have anticipated, especially things done in a group. Morally, everyone has a weakness, but it is when we accept where the weaknesses are that we are more likely to prevail over them. Therefore, in my case since I have understood in which circumstances that I am more likely to shift the blame, then I will be more watchful and ask for God’s assistance, when I find myself in that situation (Arterburn, 2015).
References
Arterburn, S. (2015, January 28). 5 blind spots blocking god’s work in you. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/5-blind-spots-blocking-god-s-work-in-you.html
Daniel, D. (2015, January 9). 5 Spiritual Disciplines that Will Change Your Life. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/5-spiritual-disciplines-that-will-change-your-life.html
Presbyterian Mission Agency. (2012, March 18). Spiritual practices and disciplines — spiritual formation — mission and ministry — Presbyterian mission agency. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from https://pma.pcusa.org/ministries/spiritualformation/disciplines/
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