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PURPOSE  6'?m2f Discipleship, ministry, spiritual gifts, serving

AMY -- (enters, paging through Bible, begins crossing)

LIZ -- (follows, reading magazine, looks up) Hey, Amy, have you
read the latest issue of Christian Magazine? (holds up magazine
cover)

AMY -- (turns) Huh? Oh, yeah, that came out a couple weeks ago.
Why?

LIZ -- I just wanted to make sure everybody took the test.

AMY -- Oh, you mean that test to find your spiritual gifts?

LIZ -- Yeah, did you take it?

AMY -- I looked at it. But I didn't take the test. I already
know what my spiritual gifts are.

LIZ -- You do?

AMY -- Yes.

LIZ -- Oh.

AMY -- (turns resumes reading, steps toward opposite exit)

LIZ -- Aren't you going to ask me what my spiritual gifts are?

AMY -- (turns) Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I'm a little preoccupied. A
lady in the hospital asked me a question about the Bible and I
had no idea how to answer. (points to Bible) What was the
question again?

LIZ -- My spiritual gifts.

AMY -- Oh, yes. So, what are your spiritual gifts?

LIZ -- (swaggers) Actually, according to the test, I have THREE
spiritual gifts. I have the gift of teaching, and the gift of
helps, and the gift of leadership.

AMY -- Three gifts! That's nice.

LIZ -- I thought you'd be impressed.

AMY -- So, what ministries are you in?

LIZ -- Ministries?

AMY -- Yes. You know, serving? How are you serving?

LIZ -- We were talking about my spiritual gifts. Why are you
asking me about serving?

AMY -- You're kidding, right?

LIZ -- No. I don't see the connection.

AMY -- Don't tell me that with all those gifts you're not in any
ministries.

LIZ -- No. So what?

AMY -- This is a put-on, right? What's the punch line?

LIZ -- There's no punch line. Spiritual gifts show how
spiritually mature a person is. What does that have to do with
serving?

AMY -- You're serious. You really believe that?

LIZ -- Well, sure. I'm sure I read that somewhere.

AMY -- Well, it wasn't in the Bible.

LIZ -- It wasn't?

AMY -- No. And spiritual gifts have nothing whatsoever to do
with your Christian maturity. (offers Bible) Can you show me
where it says that the closer you get to the Lord, the more
gifts you get?

LIZ -- (pulls hands away as if the Bible is infected) Well,
actually, no I can't.

AMY -- So, let me get this right. You have a gift for teaching,
but you're not teaching anyone?

LIZ -- Well, no.

AMY -- And you have a gift for helping people, but you're not
helping anyone?

LIZ -- Well, no, but....

AMY -- And you have a gift for leadership but you're not leading
anyone?

LIZ -- No! When would I possibly have time for any of that?

AMY -- There are seven days and seven nights per week. Are you
saying you don't have even one night per week to use your gifts
to serve the Lord?

LIZ -- Well, no. Monday night is bowling night. Wednesday night
I have midweek service at church. Friday night I go out.
Saturday is house cleaning day and Saturday night I play racquet
ball. And Sunday night, if I don't go to church, I catch up on
my thank you notes and letter writing.

AMY -- What about Tuesday and Thursday nights?

LIZ -- Tuesday and Thursday I have adult education.

AMY -- What courses are you taking?

LIZ -- I'm taking a pottery class. I just made this darling
little trivet....

AMY -- (turns to audience, bows head and closes eyes)

LIZ -- ...with a beautiful floral design and filligree around
the... You're not listening to me. What are you doing?

AMY -- I'm praying.

LIZ -- You're praying... for me?

AMY -- No, I'm praying for all the people who will not have
their needs met because you're too busy.

LIZ -- Oh, don't lay that guilt trip on me.

AMY -- I'm not laying a guilt trip on you. I have the gift of
prayer. I am praying that the Lord will find someone else to do
the work that he set aside for YOU to do.

LIZ -- People aren't just standing around waiting for me to
serve them.

AMY -- Just a moment, let me finish. (pauses, looks up) Thank
you, Lord. (to Liz) Now, where were we?

LIZ -- You were laying a guilt trip on me.

AMY -- Oh, yes, I was about to tell you that, if your ministries
are anything like mine, only the Lord knows if the work set
aside for you isn't getting done.

LIZ -- So, all it'll cost me to be too busy is a few rewards in
Heaven.

AMY -- All it will cost you is your purpose for living.

LIZ -- There you go with the guilt trip again.

AMY -- Do you think the Lord went to all the trouble to save you
so that you could go bowling and play with clay?

LIZ -- You make it sound so petty.

AMY -- Compared to the work the Lord has for you to do, it IS
petty! Look, the Lord has uniquely equipped you with life
experiences, inborn talents and spiritual gifts to do a unique
job that only YOU can do. If you don't use your spiritual gifts
to serve him, YOUR work may not get done at all.

LIZ -- Alright, you shamed me into it. But how do I know where
the Lord wants me to serve?

AMY -- When the Lord gave you your spiritual gifts, he also
gave you a sense of excitement to use those gifts. I'll bet that
the moment you realized that you have the gift of teaching, you
immediately got a mental image of teaching a specific subject to
a specific class, didn't you?

LIZ -- Well, yeah, I guess....

AMY -- But that mental image was immediately covered over with
self-talk, like "Naw, I could never do that, I'm too busy."

LIZ -- Have you been reading my mail?

AMY -- No, I went through the same things you're going through
right now. When the Lord gave me the gifts of prayer and mercy,
immediately, the image appeared in my head of me visiting people
in the hospital. But I was too busy. In order to make a real
difference in this world, the first thing I had to do was give
up some of my activities that don't make a difference, so that
I could make room for activities that DO make a difference.

(both move toward far exit)

LIZ -- I suppose you're going to tell me to give up my pottery
class.

AMY -- I'm sorry, but I don't have the gift of counseling.
You'll have to make that decision on your own.

LIZ -- You know, it's a real shame to give up my classes. In our
next pottery class, we were going to make the prettiest little
ash tray, with...

AMY -- An ash tray!? You don't smoke.

LIZ -- Oh, that's right! You know, you're very observant. Are
you sure you don't have the gift of counseling?

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