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Sue's blogchalk:
United States, Tennessee, Humboldt, English, Susan, Female, 36-40, Christianity, Bible Study, church, music, trumpet, CD's.

Katie's blogchalk:
United States, Tennessee, Humboldt, English, Katie, Female, 30-35, Christianity, Bible Study, church, mom with two kids, full-time student.

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:: Saturday, December 28, 2002 ::

Brainbench Personality Test?

Everyone else is...so why not? (Which is exactly the reason this rebellious person considered not taking the test!) I decided to try the latest Personality Test from Brainbench. It for the most part explains my personality. I have also noticed that many of the blogs that I frequently read have posted the results of this test. It is curious to me that they ALL are introverts! I wonder if there is a survey of blogger vs. non-blogger with a comparison ratio of introvert to extrovert?

PART 1 -- PERSONALITY EVALUATION:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trait |<--|---|---|---- Range ----|---|---|--->| Trait
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introverted |......X.................................| Extraverted
Candid |..........X.............................| Considerate
Impulsive |......X.................................| Cautious
Excitable |......X.................................| Relaxed
Practical |..........X.............................| Imaginative
Concrete |..............................X.........| Abstract
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|<--|---|---|---- Range ----|---|---|--->|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your Social Boldness: Introverted VS Extraverted
------------------------------------------------------------
You are quite introverted. Socially, you prefer a more
relaxed, low-key environment, rather than the hustle and
bustle of a wild night in the city. You tend not to talk a
lot, but when you do people listen, because when you say
something it has meaning. You are not seeking the
limelight, usually you prefer to let the attention-mongers
do their thing while you observe. In an unfamiliar setting,
you tend to be cautious and shy while you evaluate the
circumstances. You prefer to avoid conflict, so you do not
put yourself into a threatening situation. Your shyness may
be perceived as unfriendly, but that could not be further
from the truth. People need to be patient with you and take
the time to get to know the complex, private you.

Your Agreeableness: Candid VS Considerate
------------------------------------------------------------
You are moderately candid. You know how people in a group
tend to agree with each other so that no one is dissenting?
Well, you are not one of those people. You are gifted with
the ability to make tough and objective decisions, even if
it goes against the popular consensus. At work, you are the
maverick with your no-nonsense, self-reliant and
independent nature. You have a realistic outlook on life,
and as a result you are more tough-minded than
tender-minded. You prefer if others are independent,
because going out of your way to help someone who you know
is capable of helping themselves is not particularly
appealing to you. In social relationships, you tend to be
somewhat guarded and will only reveal the real you once you
trust the other person. Your level of self-esteem is
admirable, and you would probably prefer if others were as
confident, so that you would not have to take steps to
boost their ego.

Your Self-Control: Impulsive VS Cautious
------------------------------------------------------------
You are quite impulsive. You are an independent thinker.
You do not need a book of rules to tell you how to behave -
you know inside what is right and what is wrong and you act
accordingly. You are able to live life spontaneously,
because you are able to make decisions without endless
deliberation. In fact, when you and another person are
making a decision, you are able to reach a solution fairly
quickly while the other person has to cautiously plan every
step. Eventually, they will agree with you, which is
frustrating when your first impulse is usually the correct
one in the decision-making process. You tend to be a little
more casual, and you do not feel out of sorts when your
home or office is not perfectly neat. In general, your life
is pleasurable - you know how to have fun and will never be
accused of being staid or stuffy.

Your Anxiety Level: Excitable VS Relaxed
------------------------------------------------------------
You are quite excitable. You do not like stressful
situations. You tend to react emotionally to stress, which
can lead to bad moods, or even anxiety, anger, or
depression. You like to be treated fairly, and may become
upset if you sense that someone is trying to cheat you. You
may find urges and cravings irresistible to the point that
you are giving into them even if you know you will regret
it or feel guilty later. Sometimes you may feel
uncomfortable in social situations, even thinking that
others are judging you. This self-consciousness may show
through as shyness, because you do not want people to think
poorly of you. You tend to worry and are apprehensive in
unfamiliar circumstances.

Your Openness to Change: Practical VS Imaginative
------------------------------------------------------------
You are moderately practical. You tend to be more
comfortable when your daily activities are familiar and
unchanging, rather than constantly in a state of flux. You
prefer to deal with facts and not ideas. You prefer to be
more practical and pragmatic, but you are able to be
creative when the situation calls for it. You prefer the
conversation or situation to be more straightforward.
Emotionally, you are more conservative and tend not to
express your feelings openly. You have a proper demeanor,
which summons respect from those around you.

The way you Think/Reason: Concrete VS Abstract (I'm not sure about this assessment)
------------------------------------------------------------
You are moderately abstract in your thinking. Your
cognitive style tends to produce a facility for thinking in
symbols and abstractions far removed from actual
experiences. This symbolic cognition may take the form of
mathematical, logical, or geometric thinking, artistic and
metaphorical use of language, music composition or
performance, or one of the many visual or performing arts.
You tend to be intellectually curious, cultured,
appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty and have the
uncanny abilities to distinguish imaginative, creative
people from down-to-earth, conventional people.

PART 2: OCCUPATIONAL PREFERENCE EVALUATION:

Investigative people prefer to think rather than to act or
to organize and understand. They are not apt to be too
"people oriented." The I type generally likes to explore
and understand things or events. They enjoy gathering
information, uncovering new facts or theories and analyzing
and interpreting data. The I type usually has math and
science abilities, and likes to work alone and to solve
problems. They generally avoid leading, selling or
persuading people. They see themselves as precise,
scientific, and intellectual.

The adjectives most typically associated with the
Investigative occupational category are:
------------------------------------------------------------
analytical YES! cautious YES!
complex YES! critical YES!
curious YES! independent YES!
inquisitive YES! intellectual Not sure here...hmmmm?
introverted YES! logical YES!
methodical YES! modest YES!
observant YES! pessimistic not necessarily
precise YES! questioning ALWAYS!
rational YES! reserved YES!
scientific YES! scholarly Most definitely! HA!

Interesting! I work as a music retail manager. It really is rather investigative afterall, when I think about it. I'm always investigating people to hire the best one. I'm investigating all I can about a particular song to try to track it down for the customer. I've investigated drawer over/shortages. I've investigated and problem solved merchandising issues. I investigate possible theft occurances and thwart them if possible! I investigate a lot in my job and actually find that part of the job fun! I also enjoy interacting with customers which is kind of bizarre because I am an introvert! I don't get it either...I like to be to myself, but I love customer service. I was even a band director for a time. I guess introvert just means I like to keep my self to myself.

But, I guess those of us who blog, really don't do that do we. We are a contradiction in terms!

:: Susan 12/28/2002 06:42:13 PM ** ** [+] ::
...

The Fall of this One Human

Yay! Christmas was good! Some minor mishaps and inconviences, but minus all that it was a good day to celebrate the birth of the Savior!

To recap: I am sick. Still coughing up ugly, green, sticky loogies. I felt pretty miserable all day with the cold. I have that "perpetual sneeze" feeling going on. You know, when your nose is so itchy and irritated that it feels like you are going to sneeze constantly? Eyes water and everything.

Then came the fall. I fell down and went boom. Katie was napping, the house was quiet, and so I decided I wanted to nap too. I headed down the three steps into my room and my sock slipped on the carpet of the middle step. Both legs went up, and my butt came down. HARD! As I have major back troubles I was quite concerned that I seriously injured myself and as you could guess, I woke Katie from her nap with my screaming in agony. I hurt BAD! My bottom is so sore on my right cheek and it has bruised. I can't sit on it! I have to shift my weight to my left side in order to sit and when I walk with my purse over my shoulder, my purse slightly bangs into me and IT HURTS! It's so pathetic, I am such a dork! and a clutz! People at work asked "was it icy?" and I just looked at them and said "no" and they all realized that "of course it was't ice, Sue is a clod!" LOL

That's all for now!


:: Susan 12/26/2002 05:45:19 PM ** ** [+] ::
...

Another Story About How God Provides

It's Christmas Eve. I'm sick. Yep, caught a cold. Stuffy nose, watery eyes...I keep coughing up big yucky green loogies, but they are so sticky I can't get them out of the back of my throat! I do not like this one bit!

I worked today. My company requires me to stay until the store is set up for the "after Christmas sale". I told my DM, "it's Christmas Eve. I want to go home, my employees want to go home and at 7:00 I'm leaving!" He said "as long as things are set up before you open on Thursday." Yeah, right. Okay...he's doing the DM thing...making sure I know what is expected and holding me accountable. At 8:00 PM I finally left. Me and two associates walked across an abandoned parking lot to our cars. We wished each other Merry Christmas and were on our way home.

Tonight I purchased some last minute gifts for the kids. I spent more than I planned to, but...it's Christmas and well...it's Christmas! I want to give...I don't give enough! So, I spent about $90 on videos, a storage unit and a CD. When I got home I noticed an envelope on the table that looked like a bill. It was from the endodontist who did my root canal. I thought oh just great, I spent money and come home to another bill I didn't know I had. I thought I was all paid up!

Well, I got brave and opened up the envelope. It was not a bill. It was a refund check for...guess how much? $90!!!!!!!!! Actually, $96, because God always gives above and beyond! So, I'm out nothing! Wooooooohoooooooooo!!!

God is soooooooooooooooo good! All the time!

:: Susan 12/24/2002 08:59:04 PM ** ** [+] ::
...

Am I a Good Employee?

Tonight I did something I never did before. I delivered food to the needy. My church did this. We broke up into groups of 3 or 4 people (or more) and drove to the person's house from an address we obtained from "Helping Hands" a local charity. We had 12 homes to deliver to. Each group delivered to 2 homes, although I got gyped and only got to deliver to 1 house.

We filled laundry baskets with food that would be used for Christmas dinner and other necessities like laundry detergent, laundry baskets, bibles, stuff like that. It was really cool to see all the stuff people brought to church to give to those in greater need. We were given the addresses and delivered the goods. We also invited the people we visited to come back to church for our Christmas party. Snacks, music, songs...that kind of stuff. Some people came back and we all fellowshipped together.

Our church believes in outreach ministry. We hope to be able to establish relationships with people in the community and minister to their needs. Their needs right now include the basics and also a need to be loved and respected.

The message today was all about that. I have not heard it yet, but I have a copy on Cd. I am looking forward to hearing it because it sounds like a message I need to hear. My roommate, Katie, said it was about how to treat the people we were going to be meeting tonight. People in need and people who may not look pretty, may smell bad, may not even have a ride back to the church. These people are probably people in their current situation because of decisions they made in life. It is not our business to determine how they ended up in need. It is not our business to determine if they deserve what we give. It is our business to give. To give love. Laundry baskets filled with food is one thing, love is another. These are people who may not know any other way of living. Jesus would have us build relationships and teach them how to live. "Give a man a fish...teach a man to fish..." you know, that kind of thing. Northbrook is all about helping those in need. Not just dropping food off, but about making connections. That is what Jesus taught us to do.

I often think about the woman at the well. How did Jesus treat her? He knew her sin. He told her he knew her sin. He told her Who He was and to "sin no more". How did he do this? He talked to her. He listened to her. He connected with her. He loved her. It really is simple. Why do we make it so hard?

What is so hard about loving other people? You know what the hard thing is, at least for me? I love myself. I do. I love myself. Not a healthy love...a prideful love. (Who is gonna need to listen to the message on CD, I'm getting ready to give one myself!) I have an amazing ability to look at another person and know something about them. I can know things like, "they are only in that predicament because of choices they made". I look at them and wonder sometimes...why should I help them? Why should I help that person who is probably going to turn around and continue in their lifestyle as if I never existed. Why should I lend money to them so they can foster their habit? Why should I? Why should I?i>

I - I? See that? My questions always being with "I". There should be no "I". THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEM IS! Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor...love our enemies. He didn't teach us to love ourselves!

God actually used the Jackson Sun this week to convict me of this poor attitude of mine. There was a front page article on a young couple who is desparate need of financial help. They are living together and have a newborn. The pregnancy was complicated, as was the delivery, and complications arose. Medical bills piled up. They have no way to pay. Their house had been robbed 3 times in as many months. This is a sad story.

What did I think when I read about this couple? First of all I noticed that I KNOW THESE PEOPLE!. The woman was a former employee of mine! I immediately judged the situation and determined that the only reason they were in their predicament was because they chose sex outside of marriage and still choose to live un-married. (I was angry too that this was published in the paper without an ounce of conviction...shacking up is totally acceptable now I guess!) and they had their apartment broken into. I remember her boyfriend...bad news. None of her "friends" seemed reputable and I'm sure there were shady things going on which explains why someone kept breaking in to their apartment...what? You think it's just random 3x burglaries? yep, I have the situation pegged...so they aren't deserving of any help from me!

Then I had a thought...you know Sue, you are delivering food on Sunday to people just like them. It's true. Here I was going to deliver food to the needy and passing judgement that they don't deserve help. As my roommate says "I'm glad you're not God!". She's not kidding! Our duty to GOD is to help the poor and needy. It's a commandment from Him! He didn't say "Help the poor and needy only if you feel it warranted" He said "love your neighbor" and "give to the poor". That's all. That simple. He will do the judging. I am to do the loving and the giving. I am to serve Him. I am not to serve self. When I determine someone unworthy of receiving my gift, I am doing God's job. It is not easy...and God never said it would be, matter of fact He said quite the opposite. Somthing about "taking up your cross"?!

I am not totally compassionless. This I have shown before and continue to show in other ways. This pride problem and judgemental attitude is something I obviously need to work on. God is obviously working on it! Woooooohoooooooooooooo! ISN'T HE AWESOME! I'm very thankful that God is so patient with me. That's something else he is working on...patience!

So, am I a Good Employee? I am a workman approved by God, let me never be ashamed! I want to be a good employee for the Lord!

:: Susan 12/22/2002 10:42:19 PM ** ** [+] ::
...

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