Biography

I am not one of those people that naturally look back over one's life and see patterns and movement and change. I think that this is a real loss on my part because, from what I have seen in others, this provides a greater sense of one's self and a deeper understanding of why I am the way I am.

But recently I have been enamored with the MBTI personality types and the StrengthsFinder information (from Gallup) and have been literally amazed to see how accurate it describes some of my more dominant characteristics. Does this mean that I am not all that self-aware? Probably...many people shrug when they see the results and say, 'Of course, but I knew that already - who wouldn't?' Well, I wouldn't and didn't.

Spending some time thinking this stuff through has made me realize that it would do me well to consider my personal history - especially as it relates to how I relate to others, how I work and the shape of my relationship with God. Combine this with the fact that I think using a blog to practice the spiritual discipline of journaling (along with all the other uses that it has) and I see this space as an opportunity to force myself to consider where I have come from and how that is effecting where I am and where I wish to be.

This same effort can also be used to build up current relationships (though I do have my doubts as to how much this can actually be used to create new ones - new ones that develop past a superficial layer anyways)...a way to keep a running conversation amongst my friends and family and perhaps see these relationships grow.

I am a long talker and, therefore, a long post-writer - it can take me a little while to get to the point (more about why that is in a later post) but my point here is to begin posting short snippets from my past as I seek to understand more and more about the shaping influences in my life and especially to see how God has been working all along. I will label these posts as 'biography'.