The Discovery of Personality

Recently I was exposed to this book: Please Understand Me II by David Keirsey. (Thanks and props to Josh Harnden).

It has provided me with a wonderful discovery of myself as to how I relate to others, process things, and view a lot of different things.

My personality type: INFP. Which according to the Myer-Briggs Test is the Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving group. According to the book I am a rarer breed, making up only around 1% of the population.

In all honesty I was very skeptical going into taking the test and reading the book, but was simply amazed at how accurately my result fit how I see myself. No to mention how much it gave me understanding for how I comprehend and do things.

According to the book I am "The Healer":

The Healer, I mend divisions
Altruism flows from within me
In the Depths, serenity I do not have
Passion burns within me, a need to make things whole
Empathic I am, glory filled I am not

Benevolence holds me, enthusiasm grips me
I yearn for purity, aspire to wisdom, and search for truth
Aesthetics move me, romance swoons me
And I feel from deep within my bones

Patience in the midst of complication, impatience with routine
I welcome the new, but revere the old
Relate, I do with reservation
Harmony binds me, where commitment finds me
I dislike my credulous nature

From adaptability, and dependability I will not budge
For "If-then" is not my home
Intuition my guide and impressionism my struggle
I will fight for you, love for you,
I would die for you
All I need is your care


Needless to say I'm rather excited about this newly found knowledge. I so appreciative of how God created me to think and relate to others.

As such I encourage you to GO READ THIS BOOK!

Any books hit you crazy recently?
Has God shown you anything about yourself in unexpected ways?

The New Beginning: A few adventures

The break of Christmas is here and another semester ends with its beginning.
And what a semester it has been!

I came to Sonoma State not knowing a single soul, and have ended my first semester with some of the best friends a guy can ask for. Between Ultimate Frisbee, photoshoots, and midnight Slurpee runs, to Intervarsity events and classes, this season of life has been one of the busiest and happiest I've ever had.

Here's a little taste of what I have been able to do:

To Write Love on Her Arms Photoshoot



Doggy Play Day




California Academy of Sciences




Gravity Hill




Trilogy




The Rocket Summer concert




Ice Skating




Carolling in the Rain




Formal Dinner





Random Photoshoots




Bible Study



A small but wonderful sampling of the many wonderful things of this semester.
From here on out I am going to try and be more diligent about posting as events happen.
But here's to a extraordinary three months and for a whole year and a half more.

Thank you to all who have made it so =)

Have you let God give you any wonderful opportunities recently?

Of Peace, Camping, and God

I love camping, and this last few days I was able to participate in our family's annual adventure at Shasta Lake (Weren't sure if we were going to go due to the level of the lake earlier in the year). It is by far one of my favourite times of year, and this time was no different. There was a plethora of Wakeboarding (I was able to get up again after a few years of being out cause of my shoulder), Waterskiing, Parasailing, Waterfall exploring, and Campfire talking; which have always been intriguing, to say the least, with my family.

It has been within these conversations I find a lot of wrestling with my own beliefs about God, the church and our purpose as such on this earth, Politics, etcetera, while I listen and sometimes engage in my elders discussions. Constantly I'm reminded how much my views on all of it differs from theirs. Many of them definitely have a more economically conservative, pro-military, "be good, and you're acting like a Christian" mindsets.

A few of my friends are heading into the military and constantly Old Testament quotations are thrown at me to condone military action, and I constantly head to the New Testament where time and time again Jesus says "You have heard its said....but I tell you...". We are called to be different, radically different. To love our enemies and pray for those that do evil against us. To forgive, because retribution is God's. To care for the burdened, down-trodden, the lost. How has it ever gotten to the point, that we have been so self-oriented and forgetful of the things that God has called for us?

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12 v. 16-18

Serenity in Silence?

I'm a silent person. Ok, I can see a few eyebrows, I know I can be outgoing and stuff at times but the more I think about it....I'm rather...well quiet.
The problem: When is it beneficial and when is it detrimental?
Tough question, uber amounts of introspection on this one.
I guess the major thing that has kick started this scrutiny of self has been the recent confront that my reservedness has caused people to believe me to have either hostility or a dislike of them.
I don't like that. Period.
I'm a people pleaser, I hate to pain people in any manner....and I especially dislike people thinking I don't care...
The fact is

I do care, simply, I am shy, under-confident, and defiantly afraid of rejection

The rejection part I just need to just plain get over....its going to happen. The rest has been far from easy.
My recent stumbling block to silence:
Proverbs 12 with Prodigal John's beautiful commentary of this chapter.
There is so much in there on this subject ill have to post on individually what they mean to me.

"But I am not silenced by the darkness, Nor deep gloom which covers me." - Job 23v.17

The Stone, Round 2

So this Sunday was round two of my epic battle against the malfunctioning of my kidneys. It started during Jesus time at Nine. We were talking about the craziness that occurs when people truly immerse themselves in their relationship with God, when I started feeling a strange feeling in my abdomen. So I told Kurt and Angie that I wasn't feeling good and stuff, so we started praying, really really praying, and at the end Kurt was like "Do you truly believe that God can heal you." and I was like "Yes", and with no doubt about it the pain was totally utterly gone. It was amazing!
On the way to Church the pain all of a sudden hit me extremely hard and thankfully i was taking Angie to church so she took me to the ER. After a lot of agony, a mini seizure thanks to the morphine, and some sleeping here I am totally befuddled about the whole thing.
In no way do I doubt God's power or anything close to that I just don't know how to take any of this. I mean God had answered the prayer, the pain had stopped what happened?

"Look ot he Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles and the judgement he pronounced." Psalms 105 v. 4-5

19 years Come and Gone

Today my long term animal friend, Snowfire Rocket, had to be put to sleep.
It's curious how drastic the change is from knowing a day like this would come, to knowing the very day its going to happen, and then actually experiencing everything that happens on the day itself. You can never really prepare yourself for it.
It's always amazing how much an animal can mean to you, especially since she has been in my life for so long, I mean ever since I was born people....thats a long time!!
Though its hard God is so good. He's been such a comfort for me these past few days...
Its easy to turn away from God's help when you're hurting, but thats when you need him the most! And he likes it when you spend time with him, and i have a feeling it means even more when he can bring comfort and strength when you feel weak!

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5 v. 4

Being Quieted with Love

I have been struggling a lot with feeling wanted recently, mostly in terms of ministry, I keep feeling as if I put myself out there to help and either it feels as if I just get shot down and basically ignored or I feel like I accomplished nothing for the kingdom while doing so.
I was reading 97 seconds with God yesterday, a blog I was exposed to recently that has become a helpful breather during my day and the writer was talking on "quiet" but this verse popped out to me and I pulled something different.
Zephaniah 3:17:

The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.

It was just encouraging, that if I continue pursuing God and his Kingdom, to be like him, and He will give me the direction that I seek. Plain and Simple.