God’s Imprint on Our Lives Fearfully & Wonderfully Made …we were made for God’s glory, pleasure & purpose “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14 Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Review  God has given us a gift and a bent in our formation and fashioning  God’s preferred method of working in the world is to do ministry through people…and God uses all different personalities to accomplish His purposes. (Just like He called His 12 apostles)  God has given you a temperament suited for your ministry.  God give each of us a unique personality through which He accomplishes His purposes and plans.  Your personality is defined as the innate temperament God gave you so that you could relate to others and respond to opportunities in a manner that matches what He has destined for you.

Review  The Trinity – One in Three Persons…each with a role  We each have tendencies to be “hard” or “soft” and we are to find the proper balance to better reflect “Christ in us”.  God the Father: Creates the Plan  God the Son: Implements the Plan  God the Holy Spirit: Administers the Plan  Jesus was the most “balanced” person to walk on the face of the earth!  The way Jesus dealt with others demonstrated that he had the strengths of all four basic personalities held in balance. Seeing those bents in perfection and practice in His person can both challenge us and draw us closer to Him that ever before.

Sneak Preview 1. Every child comes with an inborn ___________________ bent 2. Learning how to __________________ differences is crucial. 3. Lions need to learn that ____________ are more important than ____________. 4. Otters love to _____________. 5. Golden Retrievers have a difficult time saying __________. 6. Beavers actually read _________________________. value people projects talk no instruction books

Finding Your Balance Point Sometimes we are relating to our spouse, sometimes our children, sometimes our friends, sometimes our co-workers…and in each relationship we may approach each differently and at different times, or we may leans one way or another in many of our relationships. We are not locked into a specific place but can adjust and grow and learn to find balance. We are going to conduct a “Hardside/Sofside Evaluation”. Example: Takes the lead Follower

Personal Strengths Survey Instructions:  You will be presented with four boxes containing words and phrases.  Circle the words and phrases in each box that most seem to describe a consistent character trait of yours.  You will then add up all the circles in each box and then multiply each box total by 2.  Then you will graph your scores.  Then we will identify your strengths, your bent, your tendency in a fun and creative way that will help you see how God created you!

Personal Strengths Survey  The boxes are labeled “L”, “O”, “G”, and “B”. Determined Firm Purposeful Competitive Leader Self-reliant Adventurous Takes charge Assertive Bold Enterprising Decision maker Goal Driven Enjoys challenges “Let’s do it now.” Total x 2 = ____________ L For example: 8 x 2 = 16

Personal Strengths Survey  You will graph your “score” (for each box) and each person will be represented by a “line” with peaks and valleys. For example: Total LOGB ************** ************** ************** **************

The Lion This personality likes to lead. The lion is good at making decisions and is very goal-oriented. They enjoy challenges, difficult assignments, and opportunity for advancement. Because lions are thinking of the goal, they can step on people to reach it. Lions can be very aggressive and competitive. Lions must learn not to be too bossy or to take charge in other’s affairs.  Strength: Goal-oriented, strong, direct  Weakness: Argumentative, too dictatorial  Challenge: Doesn’t understand that directness can hurt others, hard time expressing sympathy  Dominating, Extrovert & Choleric

The Beaver Organized. Beavers think that there is a right way to do everything and they want to do it exact that way. Beaver personalities are very creative. They desire to solve everything. Desire to take their time and do it right. Beavers do not like sudden changes. They need reassurance.  Strength: High standards, order, respect, task-oriented  Weakness: Unrealistic expectations of self & others, too perfect  Challenge: Seeing the optimistic side of things, expressing flexibility  Cautious, Introvert & Melancholic

The Golden Retriever Good at making friends. Very loyal. Retriever personalities do not like big changes. They look for security. Can be very sensitive. Very caring. Has deep relationships, but usually only a couple of close friends. Wants to be loved by everyone. Looks for appreciation. Works best in a limited situation with a steady work pattern.  Strength: Accommodating, calm, affirming  Weakness: Indecisive, indifferent, unable to express emotional, too soft on other people  Challenge: Seeing the need to be more assertive, holding others accountable

The Otter Otters are very social creature. Otter personalities love people. They enjoys being popular and influencing and motivating others. Otter can sometimes be hurt when people do not like them. Otter personalities usually have lots of friends, but not deep relationships. They love to goof-off. (They are notorious for messy rooms.) Otters like to hurry and finish jobs. (Jobs are not often done well.) The otter personality is like Tigger in Winnie The Pooh.  Strength: People person, open, positive  Weakness: Talks too much, too permissive  Challenge: Remembering past comments, follow thru with discipline

Lions: Leaders  Lions are “hard-side” love personalities.  Lions are self-motivated and don’t need a great deal to keep them going  Lions are so leadership- oriented that they often resist being controlled by anyone else.  Lions can be strong, independent but need to learn that the best leaders know how to follow as well.  Positive: Lions can be hard on problems.  Negative: Lions can be hard on people.  Lions are born leaders; they like to be in charge; they gravitate toward leadership positions

Lions: Accomplishment  Lions like to accomplish things with immediate results.  The easiest way to motivate a lion is to tell them “it can’t be done”. Then stand back!  Lions desperately need to learn that relaxation is not a crime.  Lions usually have a demanding hobby or a challenging project they’re working on; they put projects ahead of people.  Lions feel very strongly that life is a series of problems that they need to solve or challenges they need to meet; “workaholics”.  Lions can sometimes make their spouses and children “projects” and begin to try and change or motivate them.

Lions: NOW!  Lions time frame is NOW!  Lions can be very intense individuals who often are interpreted as “mad, angry, impatient” by their non- verbal signals.  Lions often usurp the decision- making process and don’t allow others the opportunity to do, to participate, or even try.  Lions expect people to act immediately; demand tasks to be completed on time (or earlier)!  Lions can hurt relationships by allowing their natural “now” tendency by disregarding others or not valuing their contribution.

Lions: Decisive  Lions are decisive.  Lions can work well under pressure and help move a group off-center to act.  Skilled leadership is more than just being strong and forceful.  Lions tend to make decisions quickly…with or without the facts, and often without asking anyone else.  Lions can often be insensitive, short, impatient, and controlling.

Lions: Short & Sweet  Lions want Reader’s Digest-length communication…NOT War and Peace versions  Lions natural desire for efficient conversation must be balanced with the time needed to generate softsided, relational communication.  Lions believe that meaningful communication usually equals short sentences, sticking to the point, and getting to something more important than talking…namely, charging ahead and “doing” something rather then discussing it.  Lions must learn to listen closely with acceptance, not “jumping ahead” with lecture or solutions.

Lions: Don’t Like to Be Questioned  Out-of-balance Lions don’t like to be questioned…both are often interpreted as a personal challenge, not as a reasonable request for information.  Lions need to slow down long enough to look at all sides of an issue.  Lions can become very defensive and combative…and they can bruise others, dampen their spirits, and deny them credibility.  Lions need to realize there are those personalities (beavers & golden retrievers) who’s nature is to ask questions.

Lions: Thrive Under Pressure  Lions can put a great deal of pressure on themselves and others and thrive on tension.  Lions are energized by confrontation...but they can often hurt other’s feelings without even realizing it.  Lions need to learn that some personalities (beavers & golden retrievers) are very uncomfortable with feeling pressured.  Lions can unknowingly (or sometimes knowingly) intimidate others.  Lions are generally powerful people that love the “hunt” and the thrill of “the kill”

Lions’ #1 Relational Challenge  Lions, while needed to fight the battles and engage the enemy, need to know that their homes, churches, business need to be places of peace, cooperation, and communication.  It is possible to be a sensitive lion without sacrificing he natural strengths that God has built into this person!  Lions demand unquestionable allegiance and expect other to follow their orders immediately.  Remember that the “Lion of Judah” led in such a way that His “hardside” strengths didn’t result in diminishing His “softside” skill of giving unconditional love and acceptance to others as the “Lamb of God”.

Lions in the Bible  Describe those occasions when Jesus was a “lion”.  Confronting the Pharisees and the Sadducees  Confronting the money changers and thieves at the temple  Paul  Deborah, Judge of Israel  Casting “Legion” out of the two demon- possessed men; healings, raising of the dead  While hanging on the cross  40 days in the wilderness – Satan’s temptation of Christ  Confronting Peter about His death  Who are some others “Lions” in the Bible?  King David