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From the Dean
of Students
Many researchers have
defined the decade of life from 18 to 28 years of age
as one of the most formative periods in a
person’s life. It is often from the decisions
made during these years that the rest of our life is
shaped and impacted. I know this has been true in my
life. How I came to live in Newberg, who I married,
what I do for fun on Friday nights, my convictions,
my passions, my worldview, what I’m investing
my time in – all these things are directly
related to the choices I made during that decade of
my life. This is why I love ministering to college
students, and why I feel privileged to be walking
alongside them at this stage of their journey.
What am I going to major in?
What do I want to do for a career?
What is God’s will for my life?
Who am I?
Who am I becoming?
Have you heard your daughter or son
ask these questions? I find students are continually
asking these questions and many more as they journey
through their developmental process as a young adult.
For some, it seems to be a relatively easy process,
while for others it can be difficult to make all
these decisions. And they obviously want to make the
“right” decisions in answering these
questions.
How do our students find the answers
to these big questions at this phase of their life?
More specifically, how do they discern the
“good” from the “best”? How
do they discern and understand God’s will for
their lives now and throughout their life? At George
Fox, our hope is to assist students in this process
of discovering their life’s calling, passions,
and spiritual gifts.
I heard our campus pastor, Sarah
Baldwin, articulate one way she heard about
discovering who we are through the acronym
SHAPE, which includes the
following:
Spiritual Gifts:
these are the gifts God has given us
Heart: our passions, what makes us
feel alive
Abilities: natural talents we
possess
Personality: lens by which the above
aspects are manifested
Experiences: those occurrences in
life that influence who we are and affect our
lives
I encourage students to look at the
gifts God has given them, their passions, their
strengths, the unique individual they are, and the
experiences they can draw from when making important
choices in their lives. This semester, I’ve had
the privilege of having several conversations with
students who are seniors at George Fox. I’ve
enjoyed listening to them process their thoughts
regarding the decisions they are making in their last
year of college, as well as those they will need to
make when they graduate. I have heard their
excitement and their concern about those issues. Many
of them have more questions than answers. They are
“in process” with figuring out the next
phase of life. I am always amazed at how our
conversations end up coming back to looking at how
God has gifted them, identifying their passions, and
affirming their strengths. This means affirming them
in their SHAPE and how God has
created them.
For parents and students, college can
be a challenging season when things might not go as
planned. Add to this the feelings of obligation that
may come from other people’s expectations in
addition to your own, and the pressure can seem
overwhelming. My hope and prayer is that you continue
to take advantage of the divine appointments to
actively listen to your student. Please do not
underestimate the power of your listening ear and
wise counsel. If you may be thinking you have missed
opportunities to listen well, be encouraged that you
can still seize those precious moments to hear and
encourage your son or daughter. God continues to have
a wonderful plan for your child’s life. Thank
you for allowing us to have the privilege of
journeying with them as they process through this
formative time in their life.
Mark Pothoff
Dean of Students
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