September 4, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
Romans 12:18 “If it is possible as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
If we are true to that verse, we cannot be selective in practicing it. Neither can we limit ourselves to equipping others through our Personality Training seminars. We must be available to train people in the church, workplace, educational arenas, and more.
While I was judging a literary meet at a local school, one of the administrators stopped by to chat. She mentioned a problem in one of the classrooms.
“You know what you need?” I asked.
Surprised by the promise of help, she responded, “No what?”
“Your teachers need the Personality Training. If they understood some of the basics of how their students think, they could help them learn more effectively.”
A week later I received an invitation to be the guest speaker on the subject of the Personalities at the next teacher inservice day.
Over 75 educators came into the room. Most chatted excitedly. A few melancholies and phlegmatics sat quietly waiting for time to begin. But the air in the room was full of expectancy.
We had a great time of learning and fun. Each time I gave a specific classroom situation to analyze, there were snickers and whispers of “I have him in my class” or “That’s exactly the way she does her assignments.”
Since that time I have been asked to come back to that school and teach the same thing to the entire senior class!
Not too long ago I received a phone call from the Director of my church’s Newlywed Sunday School class.
“Could you teach the Personalities to our class in November? I think it would be such a blessing for them to have this information as they start out together.”
Hmmm. Hadn’t thought about teaching Personalities in Sunday School but why not? What a sensible use of our time in God’s house understanding how He made us and how we can best “live at peace with everyone.”
These were wonderful Sunday mornings with fifteen-twenty precious couples. Grins were exchanged, eyes rolled, and elbows constantly poked spouses’ ribs as these newlyweds confirmed how God had brought them to complement and complete each other.
An email from one of the school administrators recently said, “Since you left, there is a sweet buzz around campus about our personalities and how we can minister to each other and our students.”
Isn’t that what we should be doing no matter where we teach the Personalities? We should equip others to create a happy buzz of loving and understanding those around them so they can, as much as it is up to them, live at peace.
June 15, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
Understanding yourself and those around you can make a tremendous difference in your relationships and your writing.
Hippocrates first labeled the four personality types with words that are still used today. The sanguine personality is the happy, playful person. They dress to be noticed. When you attend a party, you immediately notice the sanguines – they are the life of the party. The melancholy person is also known as purposeful, introspective, and dedicated. At a party you will find the melancholies away from the action, possibly engaged in deep conversation with one individual. He or she may also be content to sit quietly and enjoy observing those around. The choleric individual will probably be involved in group settings in some way. They enjoy short conversations but prefer to keep things moving toward the goal of the gathering. If need be, they can help with that by taking charge. The phlegmatic person loves to be around people but can tire easily of high energy gatherings.
Why does personality make such a difference? Usually our expectations are for people to react and enjoy things just the way we do. But with four distinct personalities in the world, rarely is there a gathering of more than two people that would include only one personality. And no matter what the program, entertainment, or topic of conversation every personality will interpret it differently.
It is so helpful for those involved in groups to understand how other react. Group dynamics work much smoother and relationships grow through that understanding.
For example, our extended family is made up of all four personalities. When there is a family crisis, this is what happens.
The cholerics immediately begin to make a checklist of what we need to do to fix it.
The melancholies handle the emotional side of things, comforting those involved, organizing prayer chains, and doing the practical things.
The sanguines are, as always, glad to have a group of people around. Being very tenderhearted, they want to console and help even though they are sometimes easily distracted.
The phlegmatics tend to withdraw. If we give them a specific assignment, they rise readily to the task and do an excellent job.
You can see from above, that some of all those things is needed in time of crisis. God knew what He was doing when He made us all different. But sometimes we need to realize that everyone is not like us. It is up to us to love each other for who they were created to be and not try to make them fit into our personality mold.
As writers, we need to keep in mind that our readers are from all personality types. So we need to vary our style so that we reach sanguine, melancholy, choleric, and phlegmatic readers with the message God has given us.
May 4, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
When our children learned to walk, they imitated what they saw going on around them. Often a close adult took them by the hand and encouraged them to take just a few more steps.
But the stairs were different. In order to be safe, we wanted them to continue to sit down or slide down on their tummies. And, hard as we tried, these cute tiny people didn’t understand our explanation. So I sat at the top of the stairs with the current toddler in my lap and said, “Watch Daddy!”
My husband patiently demonstrated how to turn around down on all fours, push with his hands, and safely slide down the stairs.
When Dad got back up to the top of the steps, he again got down on all fours. Our toddler crawled down from my lap, turned around and did exactly what his daddy had just done. Together they slid slowly and carefully down the steps.
When I began writing over two decades ago I was in a similar predicament. I wanted to know how to write and needed to learn how to do it the correct way. So what did I do? I looked around to see how other people were succeeding in the writing business and I looked for someone to show me the way.
At that time resources were scarce and writers conferences were not plentiful. I read every current book I could find but there were not many. A new writers conference was organized in Florida and I attended at the invitation of my neighbor. I never knew anything like that existed. The entire conference was full of writers who loved the Lord and wanted to write for Him just like me! Friendly editors genuinely cared whether or not my writing dream was realized.
At that conference God had my writing path cross with Sandy Brooks. Sandy was such an encourager. She knew I needed encouragement and direction. She provided it without ever making me feel like a rookie. She offered instruction and answers to my questions. Most of all, she became my lifelong friend.
I still have my meager first attempts at writing devotions. They have Sandy’s profuse green markings on them, showing me how to make them stronger and explaining why what I had written would not work. In the beginning I felt like there was way too much green on those pages. But as I read her wisdom and realized her intent was to make me a better writer, I appreciated the way she came alongside me and mentored me right into being a writer. As the years went on and our friendship grew, she continued to model to me what a committed, godly writer looked like.
Ron Benson and Lee Warren are mentoring writers every year through the On Ramp program at the CLASS Christian Writers Conference. For six hours before the conference begins, they have an all-day workshop so that the attendees can get the most out of the conference.
The 2010 CLASS Christian Writers Conference introduced the book project. For one hour each morning, attendees were in small groups with a professional writer/facilitator. Many of those group times produced lasting relationships as knowledge and the benefit of experience passed from one person to another. Another project result was the beautiful book, Out of the Overflow.
Esther Burroughs says, “Mentoring…means using the best part of yourself to help another see and be the best that they can be.”
Whether writing, speaking, or teaching grandchildren to go up and down the stairs God is pleased when we take what we have learned and pass it on to someone else. And in coming along side and partnering with others along the way, we multiply our own ministry through the ministry of others.
April 22, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
One morning I sat on the porch as the sun was coming up. I was alone and enjoying watching the day put on its brilliant colors. I looked at the swimming pool in the backyard, so still, looking like the surface was highly polished glass.
As the sun made its way over the hill the light caused there to be a crystal clear reflection of the trees lined up around the perimeter of the property. In the pool was a mirror image of what was around it.
Sitting there I realized there was a reason the pool could reflect like that. The reason the pool had such a clear image of the things around it was because of what was in it. It was full to the top with water and the water was reflecting the beauty around it.
Isn’t that the way it is with our relationship with God? If we are full of Him, not half full but totally filled up, we will reflect His love and light to the world. Those around us will see His beauty reflected from the Living Water that fills us. Whether we are writing, speaking, or chatting with someone in the grocery store, His love and light will be reflected.
So each of us must pay attention and nurture our relationship with God. We must work hard to fill ourselves with His love that can overflow to those around us and reflect the Kingdom in everything we write, say, or do!
April 4, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
Being a writer on mission is to be focused. To set your sights on a goal and work unwaveringly to reach that goal. To feel so passionate about your calling you work tirelessly to communicate your message to others.
As writers who are believers, our message is clear. We write to bring honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean that every word, article, or book we write must be a sermon. That doesn’t mean that everything we write must be evangelistic. However, it does mean that everything we write no matter what the subject should be written with excellence and in a way that honors our Lord.
Christian writers need to write about every subject, even those that seem to be “secular.” The world needs writers who are on mission to bring hope to those who feel none. Missional writers need to be the bright spot in a reader’s otherwise dreary day.
So let’s move forward to be the very best writers we can be. After all we have the very best message – a message of hope for a hurting world.
March 29, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
How do you know if you are called to be a writer? Does God whisper it in your ear or speak it through a friend? Some writers have known for a long time that writing was their passion and they have second grade essays to prove it. Others dabbled along in other activities collecting great material before discovering the pure joy in knowing God’s direction for their lives.
Answering the question of “How do you really know if you are called to be a writer?” is a personal matter. The answer can come only from God. Seeking that answer can take hours of prayer, soul searching, and counsel. Look deeply in your heart and find your true desires. Yield your life to God and watch how He leads you. Are doors opening that could only be His doing? Are there opportunities presented to you that could only be divine intervention?
Once you have established your calling and feel God’s direction to write, you know what your goal is: to be the best writer you can be and to write for Him with excellence. You may not write full time, especially in the beginning, but whatever opportunity you have to write must be approached with equal dedication and commitment.
March 18, 2011 - Posted by linda - Comments Off
What?
I looked at the envelope.
It was a self-addressed-stamped (SASE) Always exciting! I mailed a manuscript yesterday with a similar return envelope. But what did I have out there that I was expecting back? I couldn’t imagine.
Walking down the driveway, I couldn’t wait to get inside and rip open the envelope.
Reckessly tearing the envelope open, I stopped short. There was the manuscript I had mailed yesterday.
Instead of checking to make sure I had put the SASE and manuscript together in the envelope to mail to the publisher, I had hurriedly put my manuscript and publisher envelope in the SASE!
My grandmother used to say, “Haste makes waste.” I do believe she was right!
