When I found Typealyzer, I was quite skeptical. How can a computer determine my personality by looking at my website? but sure enough, the analysis of this site was consistant with other results from the Meyer’s Briggs personalities. I’m ISTJ, what are you?

This semester finds me navigating uncharted waters…particularly in the area of public speaking. I have often used my education in Christian matters to speak before other people, but the majority of that speaking has been in a classroom setting. Now that I am faced with the prospect of spending forty minutes exhorting and explaining the Word of God to a crowd, I am terrified. And not without good reasons:

1. DTS has convinced me that Scripture must not be misused…and staying true to the text is harder than it looks. I spend hours on assignments, only to have my understanding of passages corrected in class. I thought I was smart!

2. Writing eloquently is easier than Speaking effectively. You can pause and collect your thoughts between sentences when you write, but when you collect your thoughts while speaking, it’s usually accompanied by the word “Ummmm”

3. Exhortation only works when you are yielded to the Spirit. Being earnest requires having applied the Scripture to your own life, as well as to the life of others. Understanding comes faster than application. Proper application takes time…and how many of us plan far enough ahead in our teaching to allow the Scriptures to sink into our own actions?

Married life can be comparable to an extended road trip…spending long hours together deciding where to go, how to get there, what to eat and who’s driving. There’s bad weather, dull conversations, and traffic to make the trip difficult sometimes (not to mention occasionally getting lost), however, find the right traveling companion and follow a few key rules of road etiquette, and your bound to have a great time…and collect a lot of great road trip memories.

This post begins a multipart series of tips for marital bliss. I hope you appreciate my suggestions, and that they contribute to a smoother ride for you and your beloved companion.
Read the rest of this entry »

Married life can be comparable to an extended road trip…spending long hours together deciding where to go, how to get there, what to eat and who’s driving. There’s bad weather, dull conversations, and traffic to make the trip difficult sometimes (not to mention occasionally getting lost), however, find the right traveling companion and follow a few key rules of road etiquette, and your bound to have a great time…and collect a lot of great road trip memories.

This post begins a multipart series of tips for marital bliss. I hope you appreciate my suggestions, and that they contribute to a smoother ride for you and your beloved companion. Read the rest of this entry »

Our American society continues to build upon the wondrous human triumph of moving from rags to riches. In fact, we are starting to portray this very story through the lenses of other cultures. Consider the recent movie, Slumdog Millionaire, if you need a good example…or have a look at a website dedicated to men and women who dropped out of school to become millionaires, here.

While I love the ambition of the American people, I have a problem with the scope of this philosophy. In my opinion, this philosophy misses two important factors:

First, it misses the fact that our prosperity is a collective accomplishment, not an individual one. The reason a lot of people move from rags to riches on their own power is specifically because society has allowed them to. Societies that embrace values which promotes education, equal rights, and moral standards, are the ones that give the men and women in their society an equal opportunity to succeed. It’s no surprise then, that men and women have flocked to America to pursue the American dream. It’s easier here.

Second, most Americans are living this triumphant dream. Most of us have moved from rags to riches, and forgotten the rags. Rate yourself on the Global Rich List, and see for yourself. Then take some time and consider how you might manage your riches to better serve those who are not on the list.

L

The Global Richlist based on my old salary...