A War of Words
The third chapter of the book of James reminds us that our tongue is like a bit in the mouth of a horse. Or the rudder of a ship. Or the spark of a forrest fire. Though it’s a small part of the body, it actually has the power to steer the course of our life. In the case of our country’s leaders, what simply comes out of their mouth has the power to steer the course of our nation.
I Failed the Personality Test (Part 5)
It came out years into my career that, based on my Strengthfinder personality profile, Gallop stamped an X on my application.
What mix of personality themes was so egregious that lil’ ole fresh college graduate Dan was “unrecommended” for a job that would later prove to be a perfect fit?
I am a positive person. But that doesn’t make me blindly optimistic.
I Failed the Personality Test (Part 4)
It came out years into my career that, based on my Strengthfinder personality profile, Gallop stamped an X on my application.
What mix of personality themes was so egregious that lil’ ole fresh college graduate Dan was “unrecommended” for a job that would later prove to be a perfect fit?
I am a Maximizer. I’m allergic to wasted potential.
I Failed the Personality Test (Part 3)
It came out years into my career that, based on my Strengthfinder personality profile, Gallop stamped an X on my application.
What mix of personality themes was so egregious that lil’ ole fresh college graduate Dan was “unrecommended” for a job that would later prove to be a perfect fit?
Including others has always been easy. It’s odd, because I’m an introvert. I actually prefer that others would not come along. I’m terrible at names. I have face blindness. I may not remember that you were in the back seat during our epic road trip to Florida 20 years ago. So I’ll invite you, but that doesn’t mean we’re friends.
I Failed the Personality Test (Part 2)
It came out years into my career that, based on my Strengthfinder personality profile, Gallop stamped an X on my application.
What mix of personality themes was so egregious that lil’ ole fresh college graduate Dan was “unrecommended” for a job that would later prove to be a perfect fit?
Admittedly, as an early Christian, my worldview was morally binary. It was learning to ask questions that nurtured comfort with ambiguity, gave me peace about things I didn’t understand and strengthened my sight through lenses not my own.
Misery – The Secret to Healing
We live in a culture that avoids pain at all costs. We dismiss, downplay, and demonize people who hurt differently than we do.
When we don’t feeeeeel it ourselves, it’s easy to write off other people’s pain:
“They’re lazy.”
“They’re weak.”
“They’re uneducated.”
“They’re illegal.”
“They’re immoral.”
“They deserve it.”
But if we’re unwilling to co-suffer, we will never truly follow Jesus.
Through the Smoke
The first time you face your fear, it starts to lose its grip. That’s the essence of empathy: stepping into what you do not understand, and finding out it’s not so scary after all.