What I learned at my Psych Eval.

A lot has gone on for me the past few days, so I am going to write an entry about my Psychological Evaluation in Columbus, then write another entry about Evelyn stuff.  That way, if you're not interested in the Psych Eval, you can just skip over it.  And if you're not interested in Evelyn (WHHHATTT???), then you can skip over that.  So the Psych Eval is a requirement for Ordination.  I'm glad they do it, because we all know that sex scandal and other abuse of power in churches are real issues and this is a good way to avoid them as best we can.

It was hard because I had to leave Evelyn for two days.  But, now that I am home and have her in  my arms again, I am certain that the trip was extremely beneficial.  First off, I got to spend some time with my good friend Christine.  Second, my mom, dad, and grandma came down to visit and surprised me by bringing along my sister-in-law and niece, Zoey.  What an awesome surprise!  Zoey is 19 months old now, and so cool.  She calls me "Jo" and she calls her gramma "Gmama" and I think she's pretty good at pronouncing grampa.

As for the evaluation itself, first of all, I learned that I am an "ENFP" on the Myers-Briggs scale.  I got a big print out with the four categories broken down into subcategories, and it helps me to understand how my brain functions and how to work with others who think differently.  I learned that being an extrovert doesn't just mean that I function well in groups of people, but that I am energized by being with others.  That is why I am often so tired after staying home all day and doing nothing.

I also learned that, in being Intuitive, I can picture an idea before I even see it.  For me, it is easy to say, "I have it figured out in my head" but in my ministry I will work with people who are the opposite, Sensing, and I will have to learn to deliver concrete, practical, and realistic ideas so that they won't write me off as unprepared and unplanned.

Another thing is that my disorganization and procrastination is an embedded thing that I can't really change.  I can try to adjust and develop more organized ways of doing things, but I will never change.  I will always be pressure-prompted and I will never be scheduled.

I have been very worried lately about how I will balance my family and my career, so I felt liberated by some advice that George, my counselor, gave me.  He said that because pastors are role-models, the way that my family functions will demonstrate to others how their families should function.  So, as I try to figure out how to be a pastor and a mama, I need to ask myself what I think a family should look like, and I need to model that.  So, of course I'll always be "on call" for emergencies, etc. in the ministry, but I need to learn to say, "I'm going home to be with my family now" at the end of the day.

I am also a people-pleaser.  No surprise there.  But what did come as a surprise is how detrimental that can be to my ministry.   So I am learning to say "no," learning to disagree, and learning to receive.  This will be difficult.

Ultimately he said that I seem to be a good fit for ministry and that he is excited to have people like me coming into authority positions in the church.

Now that the Psych Eval is over, I am one step closer to ordination.  What's left?  An ordination paper, review before the ordination committee, graduation, and a call to serve a congregation.   It seems like so much, but I know it will go so quickly from here.