Spiritual Pre-screening

One of the forms that I have to fill out in order to go through Project 1.27 to adopt children is the spiritual pre-screening form. I have to be interviewed by my pastor and I guess he gives a recommendation to Project 1.27 or something along those lines. So, I have to fill out this form before the interview. My handwriting is often very poor so I typed up the answers and printed them on the form. Here are some of the questions with my answers.

(The last question is "Why do you want to adopt?" which I answered back in November. Click here to read the answer to that question.)

What is a Christian?

A Christian is one who, simply put, believes in Jesus: that Jesus is the son of God, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on a cross to pay the sacrificial penalty for the sins of every person, came back to life of his own power, and today sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for those who believe.

How do you know that you are a Christian? Or how/when did Christ come into your life?

My mother took my brothers and I to church intermittently until I was 5 years old. At that time my father also began attending church and it became a Sunday habit for the family. The children’s church and Sunday School teachers were diligent to teach us about Jesus and the historical stories of the old testament. Somewhere around the time I was 5 or 6, the church we attended held a missions conference. As children we listened to stories of a missionary who was home on furlough from Africa. The missionary was very clear about presenting the gospel and it was at that time that I decided to believe.

How has the Lord made a difference in your life?

There has been a fair amount of instability in my life. Through all of it, God has been gracious to care for me and to provide people and teaching that keep me grounded. In the middle of everything, He’s been the only stable object. Looking around at my family and the directions they’ve taken, all away God, I can see that without Him, I could easily be in similar unhealthy situations consumed by anger and bitterness. But for His grace, I would probably be in the same place.

How do you seek the Lord in your decision making?

It generally takes me a lot of time to make big decisions. I do a lot of research and evaluation. Throughout this process, I pray about the decision. Sometimes I ask others to pray and often seek the advice of other believers. Over time I have learned that a particular type of apprehension or fear is equivalent to the Holy Spirit sending warning. If I feel a type of urgent excitement about something, it should be pursued. If I have neither of these feelings is particularly strong, then either choice is generally an okay option.

What does prayer look like for you?

Prayer is often a random conversation while I’m driving down the road. It can also take the form of journaling or formalized prayer with friends.