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Preface
The other night after work I came home and watched 'The Exchange' on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is a business program.
Gretchen Rubin, that was a new writer to me, was interviewed and she discussed human nature and habits. Her website offers a tendencies test, which I took and it seems somewhat insightful in regard to me.
I will post and then discuss briefly on audio. My comments in bold.
Gretchen Rubin
Cited
'In a nutshell:
Upholders respond readily to outer and inner expectations
Questioners question all expectations; they’ll meet an expectation if they think it makes sense
Rebels resist all expectations, outer and inner alike
Obligers meet outer expectations, but struggle to meet expectations they impose on themselves'
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According to your answers, your dominant Tendency is Questioner.
Questioners question all expectations, and will meet an expectation only if they believe it’s justified, so in effect, they meet only inner expectations.
This is does not mean a questioner only cares about her/his own needs, I reason. The needs of others can still be met but it is more of a focus on meeting those needs through meeting inner expectations as opposed to meeting outer expectations.
In other words, I do not reason that a questioner is necessarily more selfish than an upholder.
Once Questioners believe that a particular habit is worthwhile, they’ll stick to it—but only if they’re satisfied about the habit’s soundness and usefulness.
They resist anything arbitrary or ineffective; they accept direction only from people they respect.
Reasonable.
Questioners may exhaust themselves (and other people) with their relentless questioning, and they sometimes find it hard to act without perfect information.
I have had to learn to accept very good/excellent as opposed to near perfect.
If you’re thinking, “Well, right now I question the validity of the Four Tendencies framework,” yep, you’re probably a Questioner!
Red flag:
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer: I heard this via the pastor in a sermon and not face to face with information.
He stated recently that in regard to the mega church's large August public outdoor gathering, he is not allowed to publicly pray, but can preach on anything he wants.
I take it this is very likely from the loyal city government, not the province or federal.
If for example, that city is concerned about public praying on the street corner from Muslims (This may be the main secret motivation of the regulation), Christians, Satanists or others; these incidents could be dealt with on a case by case basis. In other words, if a group is disturbing the peace then deal with it. A blanket regulation seems unnecessary.
To me to prohibit all public prayer seems a dangerous political move against freedoms such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion in a democracy.
God's Way to be Important
ReplyDeleteMurder isn't a problem for me. I don't carry a handgun that would make it easy. I generally don't think much about the people who have done me wrong, I just ignore them and after a while they disappear out of my world. But as I read I John 3, it lumps together murder and hatred, and the message that keeps coming up is that I'm called to love them. So "you shall not murder" means you need to love everyone, with more than words too.
We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
ReplyDeleteLet's look at the Cain story again, in Genesis 4. It's sketchy, isn't it? Cain is a farmer and Abel a herdsman, and they each bring offerings from their work to the Lord. He accepts Abel's offering (because it has blood?) but not Cain's, and Cain gets mad. Then God tells him, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door, it desires to have you, but you must master it. That's a word of hope, isn't it? You did it wrong, but now do it right, that's how you beat Satan.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds standard to me. You did it wrong, now turn your heart around and do it right. Today we know to add, "by the power of the Holy Spirit, trusting in Jesus your Mediator," but when God said, this is how your awakening happens, he was surely right. Instead of listening hard to God, Cain became the murder pioneer, and killed Abel. Why?
ReplyDeleteHe killed him because Abel got God's praise and acceptance and he didn't, not right away. I think I understand that. Everyone out there praise me, praise me, God included. Me, me, me! Don't leave me out, or I'll get the one you do pay attention to. I'm important too, don't you understand that?
ReplyDeleteRight there is our main problem with the gospel of Jesus Christ, it doesn't come to the ones that are worthy, like we are. God singles out the despised losers, to show his own glory. God doesn't do what we want him to do, be a fair grader. Instead he says to Zachaeus the crooked Roman lackey, we're going to lunch together. That's when the Pharisees lose it, doesn't this Jesus know the respectable important people he should be hanging with, like us? God's grace has a nice ring to it—but what if it means, no special treatment for someone as special as I am? Because Jesus is here for sinners like a doctor is for the sick. If you don't see yourself that way, stop cluttering up the doctor's office, Jesus said.
ReplyDeleteThat's in Berkouwer's Sin book, where he talks about "the knowledge of sin through he gospel." Do you want to know how you stand in God's eyes? Here it is, your sin is so large, so comprehensive, so despicable, that only the wrath and curse of the Father against his Beloved Son could do anything about it. Think about it like this: if God's plan were all about how much better you are than the run of the mill, all Jesus would need to do is tell you, "Well, thanks to you for existing, now I've done my job, and found someone worthy for God's presence in heaven. Let's get up and go there right now and let the angels worship us both. We'll heckle if they're not loud enough."
ReplyDeleteBut take Gethsemane and Golgotha seriously now. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Do you hear that? Do you get it? That's why you're not in hell right now. Why does Jesus love you that much? The answer isn't, you're worthy. It's more like, just shut your mouth and enjoy his love.
ReplyDeleteWho is the Abel in your life today? The one who gets the fame and attention you deserve but don't get? The one whose fame is more obnoxious to you than the glory of Jesus Christ is joyful? Not that you'll murder him, you have more sense than that—but you sure wouldn't miss him if someone else did. He's not the one you ask the Lord to bless, is he? Nor do you ask that you might learn to appreciate him as much as the other people do. Definitely not thank him for how he's helped you. Nor do you work to find his need and to care for him.
ReplyDeleteThere's the problem, what's the answer? Get that self-righteousness out of your heart, do that by honoring the real Jesus. That says it positively, do the negative too, repent of your sin and pride and desire to be God yourself. Do not murder, but love, the way God loves you.
ReplyDeleteTalk about counter-cultural, you know the world, you know yourself—could that really happen? Just preacher talk? It's more than don't you dare end life, it's really Christ is risen, he is risen indeed! Enjoy that new life now with him, and love is how you live it.
ReplyDeleteD. Clair Davis
'God's Way to be Important
ReplyDeleteMurder isn't a problem for me. I don't carry a handgun that would make it easy. I generally don't think much about the people who have done me wrong, I just ignore them and after a while they disappear out of my world. But as I read I John 3, it lumps together murder and hatred, and the message that keeps coming up is that I'm called to love them. So "you shall not murder" means you need to love everyone, with more than words too.'
Well-stated and reasonable.
Thanks.
Thousands (now 24k) of automated views have led to many daily spam comments on my November 18, 2014 satire post, which has now gone to number 3/489 all time with posts as far as views. There are so many related spam post comments in my email while deleting I now risk accidentally deleting something important related to personal or employment with my mass deletes. The comments are moderated by me. Google and Blogger should delete these before being sent.
ReplyDeleteMy Italian American friend is very self-conscious about his height, or lack thereof. So I always steer clear of the subject.
ReplyDeleteOne day, he and I went to lunch at a Sub shop. "I'll take the Italian," he said to the guy behind the
counter. "Salami, Provolone, and peppers."
Do you want a full hero or half one?" came the reply.
"Ah... gimme a half," my friend says.
After placing our orders, we took our seats. A few minutes later, my friend grimaced when we heard... "Small Italian, your order is up!"
…..Doc’s Daily Chuckle (docsdailychuckle@associate.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (ChristianVoices@att.net)
Shorty
ReplyDeleteMy Italian American friend is very self-conscious about his height, or lack thereof. So I always steer clear of the subject.
One day, he and I went to lunch at a Sub shop. "I'll take the Italian," he said to the guy behind the
counter. "Salami, Provolone, and peppers."
Do you want a full hero or half one?" came the reply.
"Ah... gimme a half," my friend says.
After placing our orders, we took our seats. A few minutes later, my friend grimaced when we heard... "Small Italian, your order is up!"
…..Doc’s Daily Chuckle (docsdailychuckle@associate.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (ChristianVoices@att.net)
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