Friday, August 25, 2006
Reflecting
A hiatus from blogging?
Definitely.
Has blogging become a priority again?
Possibly.
Either way, here's my first in awhile.
Some things of significant impact have happened recently that God is using to help shape who I am and who I am becoming. Primarily, I now recognize that its beginning has come from a moment where I began to ponder bridges.
Sometime last semester I was in the computer lab at Southern after my Friday morning class and I began to think on bridges. It made little sense to me why I was expending mental energy on such random things (though I could chalk it up to a number of things: my ADD, the Starbucks coffee I had that morning, or some other randomness). However, in a sense, I felt compelled to begin looking online at information about bridges. I stumbled across one site that captivated my attention for the next two hours.
I began to read about how bridges function, the basic engineering principles of bridges, different types of bridges, special considerations taken in the construction/design of a bridge, as well as the different external forces acting on a bridge.
From that time, I have begun to pray and ask God (for now I recognize that He was the impetus of my search that day) why he would give me such an odd topic to examine. He has been shaping my journey to piece together some of the why that I have asked since that day.
Initially, I have come to understand it in reference to my call as an apostle/missionary: one who is sent from one place to another for a specific purpose or reason. Missionaries bridge the gap. Apostles pioneer into new places. Both serve as a bridge for the gospel.
In addition to that, many of you know I have been meeting monthly with a Spiritual Director. For those of you who didn't know, don't get freaked out like I'm getting into some cult or something. This is just someone who is older, wiser, has significant ministry experience, and helps to ask questions about my the vitality of my life and how I am connecting with God in all things.
As part of our time together I have studied about a personality assessment called the Enneagram (click here for Google search). While taking the test and learning about the different personality types, I have found that I fit best under Type 9, which some call a Peacemaker and others a Mediator.
For me, this has been another step in my journey for God to show me how he is forming me. I believe that this Personality type is another affirmation of God's direction for me as a bridge.
From here, my prayer is that God would continue to reveal himself in how I can be a bridge in every aspect of my life, especially in practical application to daily conversations, tasks, and relationships.
Definitely.
Has blogging become a priority again?
Possibly.
Either way, here's my first in awhile.
Some things of significant impact have happened recently that God is using to help shape who I am and who I am becoming. Primarily, I now recognize that its beginning has come from a moment where I began to ponder bridges.
Sometime last semester I was in the computer lab at Southern after my Friday morning class and I began to think on bridges. It made little sense to me why I was expending mental energy on such random things (though I could chalk it up to a number of things: my ADD, the Starbucks coffee I had that morning, or some other randomness). However, in a sense, I felt compelled to begin looking online at information about bridges. I stumbled across one site that captivated my attention for the next two hours.
I began to read about how bridges function, the basic engineering principles of bridges, different types of bridges, special considerations taken in the construction/design of a bridge, as well as the different external forces acting on a bridge.
From that time, I have begun to pray and ask God (for now I recognize that He was the impetus of my search that day) why he would give me such an odd topic to examine. He has been shaping my journey to piece together some of the why that I have asked since that day.
Initially, I have come to understand it in reference to my call as an apostle/missionary: one who is sent from one place to another for a specific purpose or reason. Missionaries bridge the gap. Apostles pioneer into new places. Both serve as a bridge for the gospel.
In addition to that, many of you know I have been meeting monthly with a Spiritual Director. For those of you who didn't know, don't get freaked out like I'm getting into some cult or something. This is just someone who is older, wiser, has significant ministry experience, and helps to ask questions about my the vitality of my life and how I am connecting with God in all things.
As part of our time together I have studied about a personality assessment called the Enneagram (click here for Google search). While taking the test and learning about the different personality types, I have found that I fit best under Type 9, which some call a Peacemaker and others a Mediator.
For me, this has been another step in my journey for God to show me how he is forming me. I believe that this Personality type is another affirmation of God's direction for me as a bridge.
From here, my prayer is that God would continue to reveal himself in how I can be a bridge in every aspect of my life, especially in practical application to daily conversations, tasks, and relationships.
