Structured Reading Guide Assignment Questions (1)

LEAD 122 S TRUCTURED R EADING G UIDE A SSIGNMENT Q UESTIONS H ABITUDES “S ELF - LEADERSHIP ” H ABITUDE I MAGES 5-9 (110 P OINTS .) For full credit, provide a very thorough response of at least 75 words for each question. Habitude 5: The Fun House Mirror In Matthew 23:25 Jesus used harsh words to describe the Pharisees and their ancient practice of posing. Discuss the distortion He was accusing them of in their leadership. In the section, “GETTING PERSONAL,” Name and explain the four images of ourselves. Share which of these images consumes most of your time or thoughts. How can you revise this challenge in your life? The four images are the image others have of us, the image we project to others, the image we have of ourselves, and the image that is true. The image others have of us is something we don’t have much control over. The way people perceive us is different for everyone. This is the one out of the four images that I struggle with the most. Not knowing how I am perceived through others' eyes is something that heightens my anxiety, especially in situations with new people and ones whom I may never see again and who will only get one impression of me. The image we project to others is similar to the image others have of us but is more related to how we change ourselves for others to like us. The image I project to the people I’m comfortable with is not the same image I portray to someone I have never met before. The image we have of ourselves is often an internal battle between who we want to be and who we see ourselves as. Being someone who has often struggled with self-worth is a difficult image to tackle, but one I’ve learned to give to the Lord. The last image is the image that is true. This is the root of who we are as people and who God knows us to be. This is our innermost self that most people don’t get to know but is between you and the Lord. Habitude 6: The Oversized Gift Growing in self-leadership is enhanced when we come to accept ourselves as we truly are. Name and explain three of your top gifts—how have you developed each? Three gifts I have include my ability to write, speak, and sing. Each of these gifts is something I’ve been working to grow, but also something that comes easily to me. I love to write and have a decent ability to craft stories from nothing and use my imagination to create extravagant tales. In my ability to write I also developed the ability to present information well. I can create speeches and deliver them effortlessly, which is something a Page 1 of 6

LEAD 122 lot of people struggle with. Lastly, I also love to sing. This gift has taken the most to harness since it is more difficult to find areas to practice this gift. I’ve grown in this gift by joining the worship team at church and sharing my talent with others in that way. Growing in self-leadership is enhanced when we come to accept ourselves as we truly are. Name and explain three of your top character qualities—how do you live out each one? Three of my top character qualities are patience, compassion, and smartness. I use my patience daily at work when serving others. There are often people who come through that feel as though I am below them because I am serving them, but in these moments, it is important to focus on my patience because you never know the kind of day someone else is having. I am compassionate when it comes to my friends. I tend to be the mom of our friend group and the person who keeps all of us responsible and gives advice. In moments when my friends are struggling, I strive to be the compassionate person they need me to be so they can feel heard and loved. Lastly, I am smart. This is not just being book-smart, but also smart about how to perceive the world. I work hard to understand the world around me and why it works the way it does. Habitude 7: Personal Laptop Proverbs 4:20-25 tells us to guard our hearts and minds. What is the reason for this? This seems very difficult in today’s society. Name and explain three specific things you can do to “guard your heart.” Guard your heart is something I’ve been told to do for as long as I can remember. Our hearts are one of the most sensitive parts of ourselves and it is our job to control what gets through to it. It was always explained to me in the way of our hearts being like a piece of paper and every time we gave a piece of ourselves to someone there was no getting it back. The more we give ourselves to others the less we have to give to our future husband/wife when the time comes. Three ways I personally guard my heart is by keeping a conscious eye on who I am spending my time with. Are these people filling my cup? Are these people helping me grow my faith or leading me astray? Would these people be good influences on my future children? These are just a few questions I ask myself occasionally to check my circle. Another way I guard my heart is by staying reserved. If there are scenarios or situations my friends are asking me to participate in that I feel could be temptations, I say no. It is important to understand that life is full of choices, and it is important to make sure we continue to make the ones that are the most beneficial to our futures and follow in the path God has for us. Lastly, I stay away from social media. In today’s society I think social media can be very detrimental to self-worth and often makes things that are wrong seem like they are okay because everyone else is participating. Social media makes me care more what the world thinks of me than what God thinks of me and was something I needed to get rid of in order to grow my faith. Habitude 8: Pop Quiz Page 2 of 6

LEAD 122 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. The Offense Test: Hebrews 12:14-15 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Mark 11:25-26 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Having these verses memorized would help me to remember that God is always with me. Oftentimes in the moment, I tend to forget that I am not alone and make decisions that do not keep me on the path God has laid out for me. If these verses were something I could pull from in these moments, I would be better equipped to handle stress and the difficult situations life throws at us. Habitude 9: Emotional Fuel Relationships are invaluable in our self-leadership development. Without them, we become burnt out, underused, or ineffective. Name and explain three of your most helpful current relationships. What exactly does each relationship contribute to your overall health? Three of the most helpful relationships I currently have are with my sister, my best friend, and my dad. The relationship with my sister is one that I have always had and is built on a lifetime of memories together with shared trauma only the tow of us would understand. She Page 4 of 6

LEAD 122 keeps me laughing and helps me when I become burdened by our situation or memories. My best friend is the person I chose to be closest to in this life and someone I would never take for granted. She keeps me accountable and steady in my faith. Lastly, my relationship with my father is relatively new but is one of the most helpful relationships to me at the moment. It has created so much healing in my past and helped to explain so many questions I’ve always had. These relationships keep me whole and without any of them I would not be the person I am today. Complete the relationship chart on your own by naming at least one person in each category. In which three areas should you work and pray in order to make your chart more complete and be “fueled more effectively?” Also, name and explain 2 people whom you should fuel? Model: Thurgood Marshall Heroes: Mother Theresa Partners: Shelby Kirk Mentors: Amber Vint Inner Circle: Shelby Kirk Mentees: Driana Nicole There is just one person in each category, not the full chart, but the three areas I could improve in are the mentees, mentors, and partners. Each of these areas is lacking in the number of people I have, but I will pray for growth so I can be fueled more. I should fuel my mom and Claire Hamilton. These two people have previously caused lots of strife in my life, due to no one fueling them or filling their cups. I can try to take this job on, but from a distance until the relationships are mended enough to truly grow together. In regard to Proverbs 11:14, why is it easier to fall without counsel from others and why do we need even more support and accountability as leaders? It is much easier to fall when we do not have people who support us when we are in need. Everyone goes through times when it all feels like it is too much and when no people are standing behind you to catch you when you fall it becomes much easier to fall hard. If Page 5 of 6