Coffee Klatch

For all you gamers out there, here’s a fun quiz to find out what kind of polyhedral you are. More specifically what number-sided die you are!

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

You Should Try Sandboarding

As extreme as snowboarding… Except you won’t get cold!

You Are

An Evil Pumpkin Face You would make a good pumpkin bomb.

Brainy Kid

In high school, you were acing AP classes or hanging out in the computer lab. You may have been a bit of a geek back then, but now you’re a total success!

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Extremely Well Traveled in the Midwestern United States (100%) You Are Very Well Traveled in the Western United States (68%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Southern United States (31%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in the Northeastern United States (29%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Canada (20%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Southern Europe (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Western Europe (7%) You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%) You Are Untraveled in Asia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Australia (0%) You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in Latin America (0%) You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%) You Are Untraveled in Scandinavia (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%) You Are Untraveled in the United Kingdom (0%)

(Sad, isn’t it? I’ve got to get out more!)

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you’re the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

[tags]logic, personality tests, blogthings[/tags]

Humans are spiritual creatures. We are multi-faceted, true, yet there is more to our makeup than just our physical bodies. That’s accepted by practically everyone. There is also our mind. Most people accept that there is this mental element to ourselves that is not physical. There is a relationship between the two and the physical and mental elements can affect each other. And yet, that is not all that we consist of.

There is also a spiritual element to human beings. It’s the part of us that connects with other people on a level that mental and physical do not. It’s also the part of us that seeks for something higher–something more than just our limited view of existence. Some people call it the soul or the spirit, but it’s what separates us from animals. That and higher intelligence.

For humans to feel fulfilled in life, all there elements–body, mind, and spirit–must grow and develop. If any is neglected, the person suffers. Whether or not you feel there is a duty for spiritual development, you owe it to yourself to develop the spiritual side of yourself. Even if only to be growing as a “whole person.”

As Christians, I would go so far as to say that it is our duty, not only to learn the Bible and live as God would have us, but also to learn of our Christian heritage. My Christian upbringing was quite short on Church History. In fact, even after taking Bible classes at a Christian college, I didn’t really know much about Church History. All I learned through growing up in a Baptist church and going to a Baptist college was “this is what we believe.” Not a comparative study of what others believe while still calling themselves Christians. Just “here it is.” Sure, the Bible was used to back it up, but that could be done with quite a variety of beliefs. There was a Reformed college just a few miles down the road, but all I knew was that they didn’t believe what we did and they were wrong.

I sincerely believe that 90% of Christians are “floaters.” That is, they float along from week to week, not really thinking about what they believe or why they believe it. Instead, they just get spoon-fed by the preacher and learn “this is what we believe” enough to be able to parrot it back to others if needed. Floating along spiritually is just as unhealthy for a person as floating along mentally or physically. All three need to be challenged continually if we want to be healthy.

I’m just as guilty of being a “floater” as anyone else. I came to realize this a few years ago and I decided to do something about it. Instead of just floating along and going through the motions, I decided to learn about Church history. Growing up, I’d been taught that Catholicism was wrong (even NON-Christian), for instance, just like every other Christian denomination that didn’t believe what the conservative Baptists believed.

So I decided to do a study on my own. Throwing out all my preconceptions of what was “right” and what was “wrong,” setting aside the bias I had developed growing up in the GARBC, I started taking a look at the history of Christianity. What kind of church did Jesus leave? What did the early Christians (esp. 1st and 2nd cenutries) have to say about Christian doctrines and practices? It was obvious to me that there were some issues of doctrine and practice that were not specifically addressed in the Bible. Yes, the Bible touched on them, but not so clearly that it could be said, “This is how you are to do it.” Either that, or in modern times these doctrines had widely varying interpretations, all “based on the Bible.” Some of those topics included transsubstantiation (or the Real Presence in the Eucharist), baptism (purpose and method), and the role of actions (works) in redemption.

After a couple of years reading and praying and talking to other people (whose opinions I valued), I ended up switching from Baptist to Lutheran (Missouri Synod). Some of my blog posts relating to the switch are Liturgical Worship, Confession and Absolution, The Peace of a Clear Conscience, and Liturgical Continuity. I remember reading some of St. Augustine’s writings and seeing somewhere at that time that Lutheranism was very close to what Augustine believed, to the point of reading on some website that Lutheranism was what Catholicism should have been. I haven’t fully reconciled that perspective with everything Augustine had to say, which means more reading and discovering whether that’s true.

I’m not done with this spiritual journey, though. I’m still finding myself needing to become more familiar with the early Church and needing to answer some more questions about what they believed and practiced. The Internet is a VERY helpful tool for finding and collecting these early works, written almost 2,000 years ago. There’s so much to learn and discover about 2,000 years of Christianity.

But, then, the journey’s never really over, is it?

You are Mahogany

Stable and decisive, you lack the hyper energy of most orange colors. You’re still energetic, but you tend to project a peaceful, relaxed vibe. You love to feel cozy. You often rather wrap up in a blanket than go out for the night.

You Are 76% Cynical

You’re a full blown cynic… and probably even skeptical of these results. You have your optimistic moments, but most likely you keep them to yourself.

You Should Drive a Toyota FJ Cruiser

A true adventurer, you’re always up for trying the latest new thing. And you need a car that will take you anywhere, because there are no roads where you’re going!

You Are 0% Redneck

I’ll slap you so hard, your clothes will be outta style. You ain’t no redneck - you’re all Yankee!

Your Geek Profile:

Academic Geekiness: Highest Movie Geekiness: High Gamer Geekiness: Moderate Internet Geekiness: Moderate SciFi Geekiness: Moderate General Geekiness: Low Music Geekiness: Low Fashion Geekiness: None Geekiness in Love: None

You Communicate With Your Ears

You love conversations, both as a listener and a talker. What people say is important to you, and you’re often most affected by words, not actions. You love to hear complements from others. And when you’re upset, you often talk to yourself. Music is very important to you. It’s difficult to find you without your iPod.

[tags]personality tests, blogthings[/tags]

You Are a Pundit [tag]Blogger[/tag]!

Your [tag]blog[/tag] is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few

[tags]personality, blogging style[/tags]