Personally Made...

This is kind of inspired by one Jill did a while back... but I liked it... so here it is.

Liz Geddert
ESTJ, Overseer, Protector, Kinesthetic, Musical
Primary Funstion: Extraverted Thinking
Population: 11% (13.5% Male, 8.5% Female)


ESTJ - The "Overseer"
ESTJs are responsible, logical, norm-following hard workers. Their efforts are carried out in a practical, structured manner. ESTJs trust facts and experiences more than theories. They are decisive, loyal, tradition observing individuals. They enjoy being the person in charge and often make good supervisors.

Extraverted Thinking Function
Thinking people make decisions based on logic, so the Extraverted thinking function allows a person to organize and categorize things, thoughts or arguments. It is the ability to see the logical consequences of actions. It follows sequence and organization.

SJ Temperament - The "Protectors"
SJs are observant, stable and motivated by a need to maintain security. They are realistic, routinized administrators requiring tasks be completed correctly and that people behave appropriately. SJs make thorough examinations to ensure everything is done according to plan. They make sure no more and no less credit is given than due. When a need arises, they are quick to provide a solution, provided that the need is justified. SJs are not driven by impulse, but rather by concrete fact. By virtue of their reliable, diligent, industrious, persevering nature, they make excellent leaders.

Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence
People with Kinesthetic intelligence love movement. They enjoy sports and/or dance. They are good at building things and like to stay active. They have good motor skills and are very aware of their bodies. They learn best through movement and experimentation.
Common Characteristics:
-Learns by "doing"
-Would rather touch than just look
-Well-coordinated withgood motor skills
-Likes figuring out how things work
-Enjoys the outdoors
-Likes to work with hands
-Can't sit still for too long
-Enjoys sports and exhilarating experiences
-Likes to be active
-Has a lot of physical energy
-Athletic

Musical Intelligence
People with musical intelligence love music. They appreciate rhythm and composition. They are gifted with the ability to compose, sing and/or play instrument(s). Able to recognize sounds, tones and rhythm, they have a "good ear" for music. They learn best through lectures and often use rhythm and music as a way to memorize things.
Common Characteristics:
-Have good rythm
-Can easily memorize songs
-Notice and enjoy different sounds
-Often singing, whisling or tapping a song
-Talented with an instrument or singing
-Can tell when a note is off-key
-Often have a song running through their head
-Have an unquenchable passion for music

Interpersonal Intelligence
People with Interpersonal intelligence are good with people and thrive in social interactions. They are good at reading, empathize and understanding others. They are good at working with others and have many friends. They learn best through interaction and dialogue.
Common Characteristics:
-Empathetic
-Extraverted
-Enjoy social events
-Love groups and crowds
-Enjoying teaching others
-Have many friends
-Enjoy team sports
-Like to counsel others
-Love meeting new people
-Cooperative in groups
-Sensitive to others' moods

Climbing the 2020 Summit...

Hmm... so I started this with a good plan for what I would write... but I just totally forgot everything I was going to say.
Maybe it's cause I'm watching Bones right now. (Probably the best show EVER).

Ok. So.
I just got back from 4 days in Canmore. No, I did not get to go skiing... quite the opposite in fact. I spent all 4 days indoors, sitting through seminars and group sessions. I was there for the 2020 Summit, a conference put on by the Baptist Conference of Canada for "emerging leaders in the church". I didn't really think it was very leader specific, but still an awesome chance for young adults to grow and learn together.

I was there for 4 group devotional and/or worship times, and got to pick 3 seminars to go to. The 3 I picked were: The Big Career and Calling-Discerning God's Will, Talking the Jesus Story, and Earth Crammed with Heaven-God, Culture, and You. The 2 group sessions were on "Personal Style Inventory" (personality types) and Spiritual Gifts.


So:

Devo #1 - Mark 4:35-41
*When we follow Christ, He will lead us into storms.
*God shows up in the storms.
*Our tendancy is to doubt the goodness of God when storms come.
*We find peace not in the absence of storms, but in the presence of Christ.

Devo #2 - Matthew 5:1-16
*Side notes: some writers/theologians think that the Beattitudes were written more as "congratulations" then a list of "rules". As in "Congratulations to you people before me with pure hearts, you will see God".
*God is offering us a life of impact.
*We are to live a life radically different then the world we live in - the tamer we become, the less influence we have.
*How?
*"We are the salt of the earth" - we are to bring the flavor out of life, to make it better, preserve it. We are to be rubbed in the wounds of our broken society, to heal it.
"We are the light of the world" - we are to help lead the way, to live a life that when people look at us, they will know where to go. We can't shine our light in their eyes though, we must go along side them so they can see the way.
*Emphasis on showing, not telling.
*Am I ready to trade my ordinary life for the "extreme" life God offers?

Discerning God's Will -
1. God's will is not so much about the unknown future as it is about the present tense.
*God's will for us is in the present and:
-it will probably be vague
-it will probably not reveal the ending
**The best way to ensure that I am where God wants me to be tomorrow or years from now is to follow God today and focus on the present.
*Have I been obedient to following God TODAY?
2. God's will is not so much about me as it is about God.
*"Not what I will, but what you will"
**Sometimes God takes away our dreams because He has something bigger and better.
3. God's will is not so much a target to hit or a closed container to fit into as it is a personal, life-long, adventurous relationship.
*"Life is like a journey":
-the final destination is fixed and determined (though we might not know what it is)
-the route getting there is as different as each person
-each journey has its share of hardships and adventures
-any journey requires a day to day commitment
-any adventure worth its while requires an experienced travel guide
4. God's will is not something that is fixed and inflexible; rather it is flexible and fluid and encompasses our failures.

That one was definatly the best of the ones I went to.

Personal Style Indicator -
Though this was a test that I'd never seen before, I still "scored" a description like what I normally get. I scored high in "Behavioral" (Action) and "Affective" (Expression) which leads to the following description:
Behavioral action and expressive tendencies are both high in this personal style pattern. These types of people are energetic, confident, and willing to explore new ways of improving things. There is often a mixed reaction to these individuals. On one hand, their energy, optimistic attitude, wordiness, and fortitude impress others, but their drive to get results might interfere with others' feeling comfortable with them. There is often a need for people with this pattern to work on balancing their result orientation with more consideration for human relations. Others are attracted to them and fascinated by them, but can feel intimidated by their high energy and unusual creativity. People with this pattern can exhaust themselves with their own energy.
(Give me some feed-back on this guys... does it sound like me? How am I different/the same?)

Spiritual Gifts -
This one was interesting for me cause, though I kind of had an idea what mine might be, I had never taken a spiritual giftings "test". It was interesting as well that, as you will see, my "gifts" really go along with my personality... all except for one. A quote that the speaker said really encouraged me - "Sometimes our gifts are meant only to be used within the bounds of the Church/Ministry". And I'll come back to that in a sec.
The following are my 5 gifts in order of highest to lowest scoring (the highest you can get is a 12):
1. Leadership (12) (confidence to step forward, give direction, and provide motivation)
2. Administration (11) (formulate, direct, and carry out plans)
3. Musical - vocal/instrument (11) (express faith, provide inspiration and comfort)
4. Pastoring (9) (the confidence, capability, and compassion to provide spiritual leadership and direction)
5. Wisdom (9) (sort through opinions, facts and thoughts in order to determine a solution)
The 2 places I'm definatly not gifted in are writing (3) and service (3).
But back to that quote. I have always felt like my musical skills were different/"lacking" somehow... cause no matter how long I would practice for, the only things that ever made sense were chords and worship songs. I would think to myself "well I guess the only thing I'm good for is playing accustic on the church music team"... but now it's more like yeah! That's how God has gifted me. My music is not meant to go past the Church, it was meant for the Church.

So yeah...
That's all I can really think of right now... I think this is the longest post I've ever done......
Let me know what you think.

A lesson failed, a lesson learned.

[written in my journal as it happened]

I'm sitting here in Tim Hortons, all alone.
I came here to think, to get away from the crowds.

As I sit, a tall handsome guy stands in line. Beside him slouches what looks to be a homeless man- overgrown beard, unclean smell, ragged clothes. Instantly my mind begins to prejudge.
"What's he doing in here?" "Probably one of those guys who comes in here 20 times a day to get a cup of water" "I wonder how many times he's been kicked out of here" I see him look longingly at the donuts and I wonder for a second when he last had a treat like that.

I turn my attention to the "handsome guy". He stands tall, like he's sure of himself. Blonde hair pokes out from some name brand hat. He's adorned in other name brand clothing and his blue eyes sparkle with a mischievous and flirtatious glow. "One of those guys eh" "He probably has some hot girlfriend, who he lives with, and - "

My thoughts and judgements are interrupted by the cashiers firm voice.
"Um excuse me," She's looking directly at the scruffy man. You can tell what's coming. He's definatly not supposed to be here. He looks unsure for a moment, but then the young man breaks in.
"Actually, he's with me."

I can't help but staring now. I watch as my lesson of the day (or maybe year?) unfolds. The young man buys the homeless man a hot drink and his choice of donut - a boston creme.

The scene only lasted a couple of minutes, but that's all that was needed.

The two strangers parted ways with a "cheers" and a nod. The young man walked by me on his way out, and as he did, it was like Jesus was walking by me, I could see God's Love, God's Heart, and God's Hands right there in front of me. And it was like He reached out, grapped my heart, and whispered,

"Here's to your judging, uncompassionate, and closed heart... I forgive you, love you, and want to give you more chances - now, go and serve my people."

Just like that.
Lesson failed. Lesson learned.

The Delirious Consequence

Messy Spirituality - Michael Yaconelli

*What landed Jesus on the cross was the preposterous idea that common, ordinary, broken, screwed up people could be godly!

*What drove Jesus' enemies crazy were His criticisms of the "perfect" religious people and His acceptance of the imperfect nonreligious people. The shocking implication of Jesus' ministry is that anyone can be spiritual.

*Spirituality is not a formula, it's a relationship. It's not about competency, it's about intimacy. Not about perfection, but about connection.

*Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God's being present in the mess of our unfixedness.

*Messy Spirituality is the delirious consequence of a life "ruined" by a Jesus who will love us right into His arms.

Daily Bite

Here's your Daily Bite from http://eattheword.net.

This months theme is: Soul Songs - Worshipping when it's tough

Today's bible reading is from: Psalm 34:17
The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the broken-hearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. (NLT)

Recently I have come to know the truth in this verse and many other verses like it. The bible is full of truth about the faithfulness of God. In a world where there are so many challenges and when every thing around us seems to be against us, illness and poverty and money problems, there is a constant battle between our ideas about God and the truth of the Word of God.

Our response can often be to reshape our view of God by the things that happen to us, in a positive way or a negative way. But our experiences can often tell us that God maybe doesn't care for us as much as we think, or that God doesn't hear our prayers. The truth of the bible tells us otherwise. This passage from Psalms reconfirms that God is compassionate and he is close to those who need him, even though sometimes we don't see or feel that. We need to have faith in the truth of God regardless of what the world says: The truth of God will always win through.

Contributed by: Ant L


Here's your Daily Bite from http://eattheword.net.

This months theme is: Soul Songs - Worshipping when it's tough

Today's bible reading is from: Psalm 68:19
Praise the Lord; praise God our saviour! For each day he carries us in his arms. (NLT)

Our God is such an awesome God. You can't ever get your head around how amazing he is. He is just so loving and caring. This verse is such a comfort to us whether we are going through a difficult time, need some reassurance or just something to remember - that he carries us in his arms. He is closer to us than the air that we breathe and closer than the skin on our body.

When we are going through hard times we can sometimes be upset with God and wonder why he isn't answering our prayers or sorting our problems out. It's like the foot prints poem - we say to him 'where were you when we needed you most?' But then we see, and need to remember that during these times God carries us in his loving arms every single day. Remember what you have already been through in your life. You've been through circumstances you never thought you would get through. But God brought you through. Sometimes God answers prayer by taking things away, sometimes by adding things to us, but we should always remember that he knows best and he deserves all the praise. Praise him today for everything he's brought you through, caring for you as he carries you in his loving arms.

People often say they haven't got anything to be thankful for, but when we know Christ as our Lord and Saviour we have everything to be thankful for. He died for us that we might live and when we die we will live in heaven forever with our Lord. Thank and praise God our Saviour for this today.

Contributed by: Katie R

Me too:

I:
.hate talking on the phone
.am musically charged (it can motivate me to do great things, or crush me down to nothing)
.am a huge worrier
.am terrified of the unknown
.am actually really lazy
.am scared of heights, and get a crazy adrenaline rush from rockclimbing (no ropes)
.have a hard time listening for God
.actually don't mind the colors pink and purple (but only in certain shades)
.want to go skydiving, but NOT bungee jumping
.love black and white photos
.love hanging out with kids (any age)
.have a passion for leading unorganized groups
.love making people laugh
.am still unsure about my leadership abilities (not that I have them, but if I know how to use them)
.could comfortably live in the middle of the jungle, but also could stay in North America
.want to live a radical, barbaric, Christ following life, but am unsure how it all begins
.have control issues (no really?!) and have a hard time giving up my life to God
.have no idea what to do with my life
.don't really want to go to college
.learn from experiences
.love playing in the rain, but would way rather have a boiling hot day
.have issues with ownership (like things to have "have my name on them")
.love willow trees
.hate being depressed
.want to start a new stage of life- a fresh, excited, passionate, yet guarded new me


the end for now...

This is me:

[In an attempt to better understand myself and who I am... maybe you'll learn something new too]

I:
.love being outside
.have never cared about germs
.am totally ok with being dirty (or not taking a shower for a week)
.hate spiders
.care alot about what people think of me
.love romance movies
.love dancing
.am a picky eater
.hate my teeth with a passion
.am deeply attached to my family
.love sleeping in hammocks (even though I can't spell it)
.am afraid of men I don't know

... 2 be continued...
I ran out of time...