Imago Voices Q and A
Hi Imagoans! Tammie and I have been attending Imago for a few years now. I currently look after the Resource Team, trying to keep the building in shape so it is a solid foundation for the missions we support. I also enjoy putting together the food packets for our breakfast club pivot.
Tammie and I have two grown kids, a son-in-law, and two grandkids. Our kids live out of the area, so you likely see us about 50% of the time at church as we travel quite often to see them. We also like to sit in different places in the church, which tends to keep people confused as to whether we are new to Imago or not.
As I look through the questions I am to ponder, I keep thinking about all the times I have been analyzed in my life. It is always interesting to get the evaluations and figure out how to apply them. Do I need to make a change? What if the results are kind of embarrassing? Do I need to take the Enneagram again to see if I can get a better result? This leads me to the first question I selected to answer:
If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
The way I have answered this question has changed over my life. I am one of six kids, raised in a modest family in a small town. We lived in a two-bedroom house, with the front porch converted to a third. My parents slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room and us kids all doubled up in the three bedrooms. In my early years, I was all about working. I did not really have space for crystal ball stuff. I started working when I was 9 years old delivering a daily paper and did so until the age of 16 when I could get a real job. There really was not much need to ask questions about the future of life or anything like that. It was all about earning for today.
Beginning in my late-40’s, I was able to move away from the work hard and achieve mode. I still very much enjoy working, but I spend a lot more time thinking about my purpose. I pray often for guidance on whether I am using my life in the way God intended. If I had a crystal ball, I would want to understand with clarity what God intended me to do with my life. Am I listening to and understanding his/her voice? Am I following the path she/he planned for me? Should I have stuck with my body-building career instead of moving into accounting?
For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
Wine and cheese. I hate to say it, but I have an unhealthy relationship with these two food groups. Beyond that, I am most grateful for the mentors in my life. As I look back, I can see clearly that my mentors came from lots of unexpected places, but in each case, created a fork in my life that was meaningful.
My most impactful mentors came to me when I was about 20. I worked in the Batavia street department for three summers cleaning the city sewers. It was a good paying job (albeit a bit disgusting) that supported my college endeavors. After my first year, I was truly thinking about quitting college and just getting into working life at the street department. My first mentors, my then 50-something workmates, told me that they would kick my butt if I did not go back to college. It would have been extremely comfortable for me to stay in the lane I knew, but their forceful mentoring set me on a path that forever changed my life.
As I get older, I believe that God speaks to me regularly through others. I do not always want to hear what people have to say (check my FB feed for proof of this), but I am grateful for all the voices (mentors) in my life. Grateful because in them, I believe God’s hand is mentoring me to grow.