I-C-Y-U-R that way!

In our class this week, we are talking about personality types and how people interact in groups. It is to help prepare us for the outreach phase of our program and to figure out the best ways we can function in our outreach teams. In order to identify our personality types, every one took the Myers Briggs Personality Test and we received our results today. According to the test and it's terms, I'm an ISTJ, which means I'm an introvert, who works through my senses and feelings. Our results included a lengthy description of what a person with the given personality type usually acts like and some of the points stuck out to me with how accurate they are:

-"usually have an offbeat sense of humor"
-"They're not comfortable with breaking laws or going against the rules. If they are able to see a good reason for stepping outside of the established mode of doing things, they will support that effort."
-"They resist putting energy into things which don't make sense to them, or for which they can't see a practical application."
-They are not naturally in tune with their own feelings and the feelings of others. They may have difficulty picking up on emotional needs immediately, as they are presented."
-"Likely to be uncomfortable expressing affection and emotion to others."
-"Have difficulty understanding a theory or idea which is different from their own perspective."


And according to the test results, I share the same personality type as Clint Eastwood. Just what I always wanted!

Here is the link to take the test if you're interested: Personality Test. It really is quite interesting to see the results and see how it affects our interaction with other people.

Hi Bear

In my Bible reading from this past week, there was a verse from Proverbs that stuck out to me as both awesome and profound. Proverbs 17:12 says, "Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly." I think there are times when we breeze through the Bible because we know the big ideas and we think most of the Bible is basically saying the something - love God & love others. It's true those are the main things we are commanded to do, but there are so many other great principles God wants to reveal to us through the Bible if we are willing to look for them.

How great is the image of a bear being robbed of her cubs to show the danger of a situation? After watching a disturbing amount of Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel in the past year, I can tell you that a mother bear being separated from her cubs is not a pretty sight. Some of the most vicious attacks on humans have occurred when people accidentally came between an adult bear and her cubs. It's believed that nearly 80% of fatal bear attacks come as a result of a bear protecting her cubs. If the mother bear senses a potential threat to her young, she will attack the threat and usually won't stop until the threat is completely destroyed.

So try to picture being attacked by an angry animal that weighs over 800 lbs and is over nine feet tall when it stands upright! And the Bible says it is better to be in that situation than to associate yourself with someone who is being foolish and making unwise decisions. Wow! When it comes to thinking about the people I want to spend time with, I usually make that decision based on who I like, who is funny, and who do I have a good time with. The issue of whether or not that person is making wise decisions usually isn't a big deal unless I think their decisions will affect me. The problem is, their unwise decisions and unwise actions will affect me because their character will have a subtle influence on me. As I continue to meet new people and find myself in new situations, I need to continue to remember the angry bear protecting her cubs.