DIG DEEP, “Self-knowledge is tied with inner work, which is both demanding and painful. Change occurs amid birth pangs. It takes courage to walk such a path. Many avoid the path of self-knowledge because they are afraid of being swallowed up in their own abysses. But Christians have confidence that Christ has lived through all the abysses of human life and that he goes with us when we dare to engage in such confrontation with ourselves.” -Andreas Ebert
Personality Typing- How the world perceives you
This test is about how the world preceives you. The Enneagram proposes there are nine basic personality types. We are born with one dominant personality type and have two wings. After much research, tradition suggests Jesus holds all nine personality types in perfection. 1. The Reformer 2. The Helper 3. The Acheiever 4. The Individualist 5. The Investigator 6. The Loyalist 7. The Enthusiast 8. The Challenger 9. The Peacemaker
Book: The Enneagram-The Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr I recommend this book if you decide to pursue this interesting diagram. It has morphored over time to be very mystical, depending upon the author you read. The Enneagram began in the third century and its foundation is Christianity.
Strength Finder
Strengths are the unique combination of talents, knowledge, and skills that every person possesses. People who do focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs. They are more productive too, both individually and in teams. And they are more than three times as likely to say they have an excellent quality of life.
Top 5 strengths; purchase an access code to take the test; totally worth it!
170 Questions. Sign up at the end for report
Personality Test
"When people differ, a knowledge of [personality] type lessens friction and eases strain [in relationships]. In addition it reveals the value of differences. No one has to be good at everything."
Summary:
Extraversion – Introversion, signifies the source and direction of a person’s energy expression mainly in the external world or their own internal world.
Sensing – Intuition, the method by which someone perceives information receiving it directly from the external world or receives from the internal or imaginative world.
Thinking – Feeling, how a person processes information making decisions mainly through logic or based on emotion, i.e. based on what they feel they should do.
Judging – Perceiving, how a person implements the information he has processed organizing all of his life events and, as a rule, sticks to his plans or she is inclined to improvise and explore alternative options.
If you know your personality type
You were created as a master piece: complicated, intricate, fascinating, unique. The voice in my head told me, "you are not good enough, you are not enough, you are too much..." on and on it went. When I took the Briggs Meyer test and found out it was okay to be quiet and still... I was so relieved. When I took the Strengh-Finder test and found out I am responsible, a learner and relational, it freed me to acknowledge these strengths and build upon them. Through these tests, learn how to love the amazing person God has created you to be! Allow Him to lead you on the path to wholeness and Freedom!
Spiritual Tests
Based on Gary Chapman’s book, Love Languages.
The five Love Languages are how we best receive love. Typcially, we have one or two dominate ways we receive love which are through 1. Words of Affirmation 2. Acts of Service 3. Receiving Gifts 4. Quality Time 5. Physical Touch
Finding your place in ministry. There are 25 categories in this test: 1. Administration 2. Apostle 3. Discerning of Spirits 4. Evangelism 5. Ekballism 6. Exhortation 7. Faith 8. Giving 9. Healing 10. Helps 11. Hospitality 12. Intercession 13. Interpretation of Tongues 14. Knowledge 15. Mercy 16. Leadership 17. Miracles 18. Missionary 19. Prophecy 20. Service 21. Shepherd 22. Teaching 23. Tongues 24. Voluntary Poverty 25. Wisdom
Sacred Pathways by Gary L. Thomas as referenced by John Ortberg. This lists nine ways about how you best experience the Lord. He made us all unique with many ways to come into a closer relationship with him. 1. Naturalist 2. Sensate 3. Traditionalist 4. Ascetics 5. Activist 6. Caregiver 7. Enthusiast 8. Contemplative 9. Intellectual.
Destiny is based on God's unique design for individuals. That design is expressed in our passions and our gifting. It is shaped by our history, character, personality, skills and knowledge. Find out your destiny.
Managing and Validating Emotions
This website has about 20 tests to help you assess your level of happiness, strengths and virtues to help you identify how you can thrive. These tests are free, but you need to sign in with an email address.
This test will help you to understand the level of stress you are experiencing at any time. This test will also aid you in writing your loss inventory. John Maxwell says with every change there is a loss. You need to grieve your losses so you don't get stuck. See what losses you have gone through. Print this out for the next step.
Take the Stress Test printout to help with your loss inventory and add to it. When I did a Loss History, I included every move, new school, death of pet, divorce, loss of friendships, meaningful jewelry, death of loved ones, finances, morality etc. Looking at my losses validated my experiences. I pondered them for several days, cried about a few, went to counseling over others, and talked to the Lord along the way. Loss and grief will impact your well-being, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
The Grief Quiz will help you understand if you are still grieving your loss.
The Stages of Grief Quiz will help you understand what stage of grief you are currently experiencing. Click for more for understanding grief and its stages
The following assessment is designed to help you understand how you manage your anger based on the book "Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion" by Dr. Gary Chapman. Often pain is underneath anger. How you express your anger may be indicative of the pain you have or are suffering.
This quiz will help you discover your ability to forgive. The Power of Forgiveness film and website takes an honest look at the intensity of anger and grief the human nature is heir too. It exams the role forgiveness can play in alleviating anger and grief. It shows the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that come with forgiveness.
Joyce Meyer is a powerful teacher Bible Teacher whose ministry is dedicated to sharing God's love and the life-changing message of the Bible with the world through TV, radio, various media productions, live conferences and this website.
Freedom comes through forgiveness. It comes through three principles 1) Forgiveness in the Spirit is an act of the will, 2) We forgive because WE need to let go and 3) The time to forgive someone is as soon as we have been hurt. This guide will lead you through prayers of forgiveness and breaking bondages in your life.
DIG DEEP, even in the darkness there is light and beauty.
DIG DEEP, see what the Lord has done. He gives his children good gifts.
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We work on ourselves, but do we know where we are going.
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We need to know the goal, so we can navigate the path.
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Below are some goals to help you Grow and Mature
Understanding Development
by LifeWay
by FCCI Kingdom-minded business professionals
In my work as a foster/adoption social worker, we often talk about the "Ages and Stages" of a child. The foster parents will often say, "This child looks like he is 7, but acts as if he is 3," to which I reply an emphatic, "YES." Or my friend will say, "My husband is a grown man, but acts like he is 10, when we fight." Again, I reply, "Yes!" The emotional maturity of a person does not always match their physical maturity.
We need to go back into their personal history and find out what stage the child/adult missed in their develomental years. Then we go back and meet that need. For example, a baby who cries for a bottle, diaper change, affection, or comfort. develops Trust when that this need is met. When the need is unmet, they develop Mistrust. Therefore, we work with the child using my CPS model of Trust; Consistency => Predictability => Stability = TRUST.
Whatever is true in the natural is typically true in the spiritual. Jesus says to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must be born again and enter the kingdom as a little child. In Corinthians 13 it says we must put away childish things. In Hebrew 5 & 6, Paul says solid food, not milk, is for the mature. The mature train themselves to know good from evil and understand advanced teachings. We are to leave the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to maturity, the high call of which Jesus died to give us. If we missed part of the process the Lord will take us back to learn it until we pass the test.
I am proposing, if we follow Erik Erikson's 8 Stages of Development, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, learn the Levels of Communication and Attachment Styles we can follow these stages on a spiritual level. We build on each stage... just like babies drink milk the first six months, then progress on to rice ceral, finger foods and finally more solid foods when they are 18 months old. You have to progress through the fundamentals being hand fed before you learn to feed yourself. When you learn to trust the Lord fully you can go on to the next stage. If you have mistrust, can you look back at your upbringing and find a correlation of what you lacked as a child? Allow the Lord to re-parent you.
Develomental Growth & Maturity
Summary: 1.Physical 2. Safety 3. Social 4. Esteem 5. Self-Actualization
View Charts: Demonstrate highest need on the bottom narrowing up to the top
Summary: 1. Small Talk 2. Factual Conversation 3. Ideas and Opinions 4. Feelings and Emotions 5.Deep Insight
View Charts: Demonstrates lowest level of communication on the bottom
See Video: Levels of Communcation
Read About: 5 Levels of Communication
Summary: 8 Stages to progress thru
View Charts: The grids below provide understanding of the developmental stages by age
See Video: Provides understanding of the stages using video
Read About: Biography of Erik Erikson and his stages described in detail.
The lower level needs are required to be met in order to move up the pyramid to reach our highest level of potential. Go to link is a youtube video. Skip to :46
1. Clichés/Small Talk-the Grocery Clerk 2. Information/Facts - Down the street neighbor 3. Ideas/Opinions - Neighbors 4. Values/Feelings/Emotions - Friendships 5. Intimacy/Confession/Deep Insight - Best Friend/Safe Family
8 Stages of Developmental Theory in pictures
This Chart shows what is accomplished in virtue if passed through properly
As Christians, there are times when we may feel unhappy and low, it is in these times we need to say outloud, whether we "feel it" or not, "Thank you Lord, for the joy set before you, you endured the cross. As this cross is bearing down on me, for the joy set before me, of getting through this mess, I will praise you for this opportunity to experience you; I will DIG DEEP."
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
Galatians 6:4-5 (Msg)
Test: Attachment Style
Attachment is a special emotional relationship that involves an exchange of comfort, care, and pleasure.
Summary: 1.Secure 2. Avoidant 3. Ambivalent/Anxious 4. Disorganized 5. Reactive
View Charts: Demonstrate highest need on the bottom narrowing up to the top
See Video: Romantic Attachments Styles
See Video: Attachment affects on Relationsip
As Graham Cooke would say, "Love the learning and enjoy the process."
DIG DEEP, even in the darkness there is light and beauty.
Background music while you take tests
Directions:
Printout the worksheet above
Turn on the music at the side
Take each test, no need to hurry
Open your heart and mind to what the Spirit of the Lord has for you
The voice in my head told me, "you are not good enough, you are not enough, you are too much..." on and on it went.
When I took the Briggs Meyer test and found out it was okay to be quiet and still... I was so relieved.
When I took the Strengh-Finder test and found out I am responsible, a learner and relational, it freed me to acknowledge these strengths and build upon them.
When I forgave all who offended me and asked forgiveness from all I had offended, I found freedom on the other side. I did these areas with fear and found peace for my soul.
When I found out my spiritual pathways, I was free to love the Lord how I was created to interact and experience him.
As I have had a better understanding of developing and parenting abused and neglected children, I have become aware of how closely our spiritual development and maturity mimicks our physical and emotional development.
Through these tests, I learned how to love the amazing person God created me to be! My prayer is that you would find out how AMAZING you are!!! Allow Him to lead you on the path to wholeness and Freedom!