DISCERNING SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT: ASSESSING CURRENT APPROACHES FOR UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WILL By Dennis J. Horton

SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT AND VOCATIONAL COUNSELING PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

Directions: The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with the various views of vocational decision-making and the Will of God that are advocated in Christian circles today, and to encourage you to examine your own view and how it may influence your counseling.

To complete this paper, download the article "Discerning Spiritual Discernment:

Assessing Current Approaches for Understanding God's Will" by Dennis Horton, which is found inBlackboard.

Dividing your paper using theheadings below (withoutRoman numerals), write an 8-10-page APA-formatted paper (not including the abstract and reference page). Remember to bold and center all Level 1 headings.Include at least 3 resources in addition to Horton's articleto support your position and assertions.

There are multiple SafeAssign submission links for this assignment: 3are draftsubmission links, which allow you to check your paper for plagiarism, and 1 is the final submission link, which will be graded by your instructor.

First, submit the paper through the link titled "Spiritual Discernment and Vocational Counseling Paper Draft 1." Click on that same link to ensure that your paper has a similarity index less than 20%.

If you achieve less than 20% in your first draft submission, you may submit your paper through the final link without using the other Draft links. However, if your similarity index is greater than 20%, you must re-work your assignment and resubmit through the other Draft links.

You may submit3 drafts using the separate links. Please note that each link can only be used one time. Any paper submitted through the Final link with a similarity index greater than 20% will receive a 0 for the assignment.

Outline of the Spiritual Discernment Paper

I. Personal Position (Level 1 Heading)

• Using the survey found at the end of the article, discuss which decision-making factors are important to you when making career decisions.

• Based on these factors, which approach to spiritual discernment, as described by Horton, are you most likely to follow? Why?

II. Past and Present Influences (Level 1 Heading)

• What past and present factors could have influenced your approach to spiritual discernment? Be sure to include family, spiritual heritage and religious background, present religious beliefs, and past experiences.

III. Practical Application (Level 1 Heading)

A client comes to you for counseling. She states she is a Christian, in her third year of undergraduate school. She states she is struggling to choose a major because, "I am afraid that it may not be God's will."

• What steps will you take to help her navigate this impasse? Why?

• How might your personal position influence how you address this client's concerns?