Spiritual Gifting


This morning I took a “spiritual gifts” test.  It’s been some decades since I took such a test.  I don’t know what I found out the last time I took one.

I wasn’t too surprised to see the outcome.  Here’s the page for the test I took:  http://www.spiritualgiftstest.com/test/adult

I’m going to display the results here so that those who read the things I write might better understand the intent and gifts God has seen fit to place within me.

I don’t know how accurate such a test can be.  And I’m not sure what value they might be to others.

Administration
12
Discernment
23
Evangelism
22
Exhortation
25
Faith
35
Giving
13
Serving / Ministering
20
Knowledge
27
Leadership
22
Mercy
6
Prophecy
26
Pastor
23
Teacher
29
Wisdom
17

Patience, My Friend, You’ll Get What’s Coming to You


Self-perceived quality-of-life scale

Self-perceived quality-of-life scale (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As many of my brothers and sisters, I get so very heart weary seeing people lack patience.  It doesn’t seem to matter where you find them, patience is a quality of life that is almost completely ignored.

If you wait too long after the light turns green someone behind you is going to honk their horn.  If you dare to say more than one sentence to the cashier you can hear the “huff” from the person behind you.  People speed past the infirm and elderly on the sidewalk.  The man or woman right in front of you won’t hold that door 2 seconds for you.

So what happened to considering being last as a good thing?  I’m not talking about how it might be in a Church setting.  I’m talking about meeting those Christians (as well as wanna be Christians) during the middle of the week.   I confess that I’ve even felt pressure to leave the company of the pastor at a certain point in a conversation.  So what happened?

It has to be noted that the opposite of patient living is a lifestyle of selfish concern.  Hmmmmmm    got patience?  got selfishness?

A Pulpit of Dust


Jakobskirken in Roskilde, Denmark. Pulpit.

Image via Wikipedia

There are those who knew me as I held a pulpit’s railing. 

The lips in my head proclaimed with power the Word of God.

I fell from that raised platform and was injured for years.

And those who knew me shook their head.

I also shook my head, as a man who reels from a hard blow.

Trouble swamped my boat and death was my longing.

No hope was mine.

No place to hide.

I lost everything I could have gained.

But the Lord has not kept me locked in those chains.

He has released His prisoner with a smile on His face.

I AM FREE!

Now I will announce His Words!

I will not surrender to the foolishness which caused me to stumble.

My feet find Rock instead of sand!

I am a man of God, and I will proclaim His Name!

Do I miss that place, so clean and stately?

Oh!  How the Lord knows I do.

But my pulpit now is the very dust of this earth.

As was the Lord’s Place of Announcement.

And now I am blessed to take part in the Great Parade of His Beautiful Saints!

Glory to the One who sets the captive free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forever is the praise of those ARE redeemed!

 

By His Grace.