I'm listening to these redemptive gift cds again... despite my personal bent away from this sort of stereotyping i find it near to imposable to communicate with anyone at KL with out at least a general understanding of the gifts and where i fit in. Some people think im a Ruler, i have heard Exhorter, some say Mercy, and of course the servants want me to be a Servant. (man servants do get it hard hu? sorry suze!) Personally, i think im a Giver. Yet, i find one of the main deals with them is money... i don't see a lot of money, and it doesn't seem to come easy to me...
So, im going to break it down here and maybe we (by we i mean you can read while i decide) can come to some sort of agreement.
im going to listen to the CDs that i most identify with write down some facts about them and see where it goes from there.
Giver,
-most difficult to peg, because they resonate with a lot of other gifts
-adaptable
-generational perspective
-dont care for personal things
-desire to create personal environment
-very independent
-relates to a wide range of people
-doesnt like to be suprised
-can sense manipulation of information
-very private in personal matters
-non confrontational
-doesn't knock out problems right away, waits for the right moment to effectively solve problems
-money flows to them
-give wisely, doesn't give more than they have,
-doesn't want to fund a startup
-believe poor people are poor because they mishandle their money
-genrerous but lives simply
-doens't see patterns in personal situations
-doesn't like to see absolutes
-very creative
-motivates people
- doesn't always relate to people easily
Exhorter when some one mentioned that i might be an exhorter i was almost offended... no offense to all those Exhorters out there :)
- world changer
- easiest to spot
- party looking for a place to happen
- super relational
- shares the Gospel with ease
- can have loud arguments about big differences yet still maintain relationship
- don't like being alone
- master communicator
- flexable
- abandon plans easily
- visionary
- govern by relationship not principle feels out what crowd thinks before stating...
- attune to the feelings of people
- doesn't use time well
- gets close to people easily
- don't like confrontation
Servant "porcupine huger"
- see needs (external particularly) and meets them
- easily exploited
- hard to say no
- wants to please people
- will find something to apologize about
- doesn't except excellence in their work, (too hard on themselves)
- sees the best in others
- fierce anger manifests about loyalty
- sentimental
- works very hard, easily exploited
- attract dishonor jokes about them popular
- very competitive in games
- pure motives
- honest
- trustworthy
- doesn't keep track of favors
- lots of spiritual authority given by Gd because they don't want it. no empire building.
- doesn't want to be in charge
- dignity vs shame
- dominion vs victimization
- draws dishonor and slander, don't allow self image to be defined by others...
- good at directing people where they need to go and who they need to talk to
- pure character
- desires to empower others to achieve their best
- struggle with self image
Ruler
- loves pressure
dont need to go any further this isn't me...
Teacher
- needs to validate truth
im kinda like this but not to the extent he's talking
Mercy
-rarely have enemies
- admired and respected...
with this is a waste of my time listening to the rest of these CDs...
Man, i so identify with the Servants struggle. im not sure i really ID with many of the characteristics... maybe i just cant see that im used a lot, and can't say no to people... this is kinda like a bomb... i mean i still identify a lot with the giver's sense of self reliance and whatnot but money isn't my thing... and it seems like the givers confidence is opposite of a Servants struggle.
Well, its nice to be able to ID a struggle at least! maybe when i conquer this i'll ID better with a giver.
also, the way he presents the Servant seems kinda harsh. it seems like he highlights more negative things than he does positive things. What does a redeemed/mature Servant look like?
im completely comfortable saying now that im a Servant that swings Giver.
haha deal with it.
Just for the record, I wasn't the one who said you were a Servant. Pretty sure that was a Prophet. But I'm glad you're wrestling with the questions. You're a gift to our group and our community, whatever you decide your gifting is.
ReplyDeleteSorry suze! i made a few alterations to my post after reading you comment... it was an attempt at a cheesy inside joke but maybe it didn't work...
ReplyDeletedo you agree that he doesn't do a good job highlighting servant strengths?
I removed my comment so I could revise...
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't you talk more about teacher and prophet?
I personally don't think you're a mercy...but what do I know?
You ARE a blessing and a gift to us. I'm sorry if you've been frustrated with this topic, I understand how it can be overwhelming. And regardless of your resolution, it doesn't change you or how much we love you!
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing so hard.... but you know what I think you are!!!
ReplyDeletekidding... that too was a pathetic attempt at an inside joke.
and one more thing....its hard to see my personality traits bullet-pointed like that! eeekkk... "Abandons plans easily" and "doesn't use time well". harsh. Good thing you aren't an exhorter. gheesh.
and I'll keep my opinions to myself about what I think you are. blessings on your journey though!
oh yeah, one more bullet point you could add to the exhorter is, "has trouble with word verificiation on blogger".
ReplyDeleteI know other exhorters who struggle with it too. The apostle Paul had a heck of time pushing the send button on his stone-IPHONe. it was so difficult because it was made out of stone and it got horrible reception on the road.
i guess, i dont completely see it as stereotyping, and i don't mean that i dont feel close to KL people. I am very very very close to KL people! the closest i have ever been to people! I guess im just struggling with how i fit in and what i can do to help out...
ReplyDeletekate, i started with the cds i thought i was the most. and thought about the traits as i went along. i didnt write much about prophet because im pretty sure its not me, and i didnt write about Teacher because i was just overwhelmed with how much i identified with the Servant struggle that i couldn't really put any energy into figuring anything else out.
im going to have to chew on this Servant struggle for awhile before i can go back and listen to the rest!!
Maeret, weren't the roads made of stones? :)
ReplyDeleteI think you are great, little bro! Enjoy the journey.
ReplyDeletei, too, struggle with this. just a few weeks ago in fact.
ReplyDeletei enjoyed reading your post. i laughed more than a few times (not at you, maybe not even with you, but i laughed nonetheless. maybe because i relate to what you are saying!)
hey....you got this!
ReplyDeletetwo things. exhorters rock. there is no offense to be taken at being an exhorter. i married tom because of his amazing gift at listening and drawing me out. only an exhorter does this so naturally. and they are ridiculously good looking.
ReplyDeletealso, i think i might be a servant with giver tendencies. welcome. it is a confusing categorization, but it works somehow. think about family dynamics.
also, for maeret: hilarious. i read it out loud to the people around me. so funny, you exhorter, you.
I appreciate that your post about redemptive gifts got so manyy responses. It makes me smile - inside and out.
ReplyDelete