Purpose II
Transformation is a beautiful transition. It is one rooted in letting go of the past, while grasping the future in effort to preserve the present. It is inevitable an experience we all must face, embrace or reject; yet it will eventually take us toward destiny. I have always believed, as members of humanity, our lives ultimately come down to ONE decision which will effect the rest of our lives. The question is, when the moment arrives, will you know this is the ONE decision. I have made two major decisions, either of which could be the ONE--I have yet to find out. The first, was to attend college (undergraduate) instead of become a member of the U. S. Marines, the second was to embrace the spiritual gifts granted, given to me by God.
The former broadened my inter/intrapersonal skills, expanded my ability to think critically and provided instruction concerning how to build social capital. The latter is preparing me for something just over the horizon.
Sidebar: I am a comic fanatic. X-Men, Spiderman, Spawn, Superman, Batman, Justice League--you name it, I know it intimately. The beauty of comics is, for the reader, they provide an escape from the complexities of "real" life. In fact, there is something inherently intriguing about being to aid in "saving" the earth's inhabitants from inevitable destruction or the temporary threat of a bad guy every now and again.
As of last year, I've invested an inordinate amount of time following the 4400 and Heroes, two television shows about persons who have acquired "special" powers. The former implies the individuals received their abilities from aliens, while the mystery of the latter power source is yet to be determined. The interesting thing about Heroes is the origins of the powers remain unexplained. In my estimation, super abilities are given to individuals one of three ways:
1) Accident, e. g. Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider, becoming Spiderman.
2) Genetically, by being born with the mutant gene which is passed by both parents like Sickle Cell.
3) Divine Intervention, gifts granted by God for a divine purpose.
The third proposition interest me the most--what if God actually grants individuals super powers, supernatural, in effort to serve or carry out a divine purpose? How would such knowledge be accepted, interpreted by humanity? If you could save the world, would you?
These questions, thoughts brought me to a direct possibility...
1 Corinthians, 12:4-11
There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular was in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom given him by the Spirit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing, through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognizing spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses.
If you've been reading my blog the first post PURPOSE alluded to spiritual gifts. Upon taking a brief test, I found my spiritual gifts to be:
Leadership
Faith
Administration
...are my DOMINATE gifts
Wisdom
Exhortation
Teaching
Service
Leading Worship
...were my SUBORDINATE gifts.
If you get a moment visit the following web addy, you may find yourself shocked:
http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/
Final note, please don't take this post as love mongering or an attempt to push God's gifts all on you in a violent spiritual fashion; as usual, just want to expose you, the reader, my friends, to an alternative way of viewing the not so obvious.
If you visit the site, post your gifts on this post, I'd like to know your supernatural powers...
The former broadened my inter/intrapersonal skills, expanded my ability to think critically and provided instruction concerning how to build social capital. The latter is preparing me for something just over the horizon.
Sidebar: I am a comic fanatic. X-Men, Spiderman, Spawn, Superman, Batman, Justice League--you name it, I know it intimately. The beauty of comics is, for the reader, they provide an escape from the complexities of "real" life. In fact, there is something inherently intriguing about being to aid in "saving" the earth's inhabitants from inevitable destruction or the temporary threat of a bad guy every now and again.
As of last year, I've invested an inordinate amount of time following the 4400 and Heroes, two television shows about persons who have acquired "special" powers. The former implies the individuals received their abilities from aliens, while the mystery of the latter power source is yet to be determined. The interesting thing about Heroes is the origins of the powers remain unexplained. In my estimation, super abilities are given to individuals one of three ways:
1) Accident, e. g. Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider, becoming Spiderman.
2) Genetically, by being born with the mutant gene which is passed by both parents like Sickle Cell.
3) Divine Intervention, gifts granted by God for a divine purpose.
The third proposition interest me the most--what if God actually grants individuals super powers, supernatural, in effort to serve or carry out a divine purpose? How would such knowledge be accepted, interpreted by humanity? If you could save the world, would you?
These questions, thoughts brought me to a direct possibility...
1 Corinthians, 12:4-11
There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them. The particular was in which the Spirit is given to each person is for a good purpose. One may have the gift of preaching with wisdom given him by the Spirit; another may have the gift of preaching instruction given him by the same Spirit; and another the gift of faith given by the same Spirit; another again the gift of healing, through this one Spirit; one, the power of miracles; another, prophecy; another the gift of recognizing spirits; another the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes different gifts to different people just as he chooses.
If you've been reading my blog the first post PURPOSE alluded to spiritual gifts. Upon taking a brief test, I found my spiritual gifts to be:
Leadership
Faith
Administration
...are my DOMINATE gifts
Wisdom
Exhortation
Teaching
Service
Leading Worship
...were my SUBORDINATE gifts.
If you get a moment visit the following web addy, you may find yourself shocked:
http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/
Final note, please don't take this post as love mongering or an attempt to push God's gifts all on you in a violent spiritual fashion; as usual, just want to expose you, the reader, my friends, to an alternative way of viewing the not so obvious.
If you visit the site, post your gifts on this post, I'd like to know your supernatural powers...
posted by SLUMP FACADE at 7:31:00 AM
Hey, I took the test a few years ago and amazingly not much has changed even though my life is drastically different.
Teaching, Discernment & Exhortation