This is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to learn more about their spiritual gifts! As the authors point out, there are numerous inventory assessments available to help people identify their spiritual gifts but in general, these inventories are limited to just that – identification. This resource, in a workbook format, offers a more comprehensive view of giftedness and provides information intended to help people understand and develop their spiritual gifts.

The workbook includes a helpful introduction on spiritual giftedness before providing a more in-depth look at each of 20 spiritual gifts. Through this introduction, the reader learns what spiritual gifts are and how God intends for these gifts to be used. The authors acknowledge the limitations of gift inventory assessments and provide ideas for the readers to “test” their findings. In addition, eight specific steps are offered to fully explore each gift. As outlined in the workbook, these steps look very sequential. In reality, they are probably more iterative in nature. Nevertheless, they offer very practical advice for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of their spiritual gifts. Beyond this, they reflect the importance of both intrapersonal (meditation, journaling and prayer) and interpersonal (dialogue, clarifying, and affirming) aspects in exploring one’s gifts.

Following the introduction to the workbook, each spiritual gift is discussed at length, beginning with a paragraph called, A Gifted Story. I found that without exception, the story shared for each of the 20 spiritual gifts is a compelling example of the gift “in action.” Each story provides rich context for the gift discussed and piques the reader’s interest to learn more. Information included about each spiritual gift includes Biblical references, a comprehensive definition, questions the reader can ask to help determine if this is their gift, suggestions for potential areas of study and personal growth, and general ways in which the gift can be used. The discussion closes with a section providing thoughtful insights for the reader to reflect on the gift.

I would like to know more about the context in which this resource is provided to the members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. Although the introduction in the workbook refers to the Spiritual Gifts Inventory, it is not clear if the individual completes the inventory prior to receiving the workbook, or if the workbook is distributed along with instructions for completing the assessment. I’m also curious as to which inventory is used, as I found numerous results when I conducted an internet search for Spiritual Gifts Inventory.

In summary, the Understanding and Developing Your Spiritual Gifts workbook is an impressive resource and one that I will draw upon in the future. I imagine that it has been extremely valuable to the people of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and to all those whose lives have been touched by the spiritual gifts shared with them.