Ok, it’s April and I’m a late in getting this up, but wanted to share the conferences and major events I’ll be at throughout this year.
I love conferences! I always say that I could never go back to school, but I could always go to another conference.
In fact, I love learning so much that I usually plan my year around the conferences I’ll be attending. Even when I had a job with regular vacation days and limited time off, I’d fill those times with learning opportunities.
A few days ago I was watching an episode of “Quantico” and they were profiling people using their personality types. I LOVE personality tests! My friends and I used to take them all the time, and my favorite is Myers-Briggs.
It had been a while since I’d read through mine, and I have some big changes coming in my life, so I Googled it. Spot on, as always. But it was really encouraging to read it again.
The INFJ personality type is very rare, making up less than one percent of the population, but they nonetheless leave their mark on the world. As Diplomats (NF), they have an inborn sense of idealism and morality, but what sets them apart is the accompanying Judging (J) trait – INFJs are not idle dreamers, but people capable of taking concrete steps to realize their goals and make a lasting positive impact.
INFJs tend to see helping others as their purpose in life, but while people with this personality type can be found engaging rescue efforts and doing charity work, their real passion is to get to the heart of the issue so that people need not be rescued at all.
INFJs indeed share a very unique combination of traits: though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but will rarely use that energy for personal gain – INFJs will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity not to create advantage, but to create balance. Egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to INFJs, and they tend to believe that nothing would help the world so much as using love and compassion to soften the hearts of tyrants.
INFJs find it easy to make connections with others, and have a talent for warm, sensitive language, speaking in human terms, rather than with pure logic and fact. It makes sense that their friends and colleagues will come to think of them as quiet Extroverted types, but they would all do well to remember that INFJs need time alone to decompress and recharge, and to not become too alarmed when they suddenly withdraw. INFJs take great care of other’s feelings, and they expect the favor to be returned – sometimes that means giving them the space they need for a few days.
Really though, it is most important for INFJs to remember to take care of themselves. The passion of their convictions is perfectly capable of carrying them past their breaking point and if their zeal gets out of hand, they can find themselves exhausted, unhealthy and stressed. This becomes especially apparent when INFJs find themselves up against conflict and criticism – their sensitivity forces them to do everything they can to evade these seemingly personal attacks, but when the circumstances are unavoidable, they can fight back in highly irrational, unhelpful ways.
To INFJs, the world is a place full of inequity – but it doesn’t have to be. No other personality type is better suited to create a movement to right a wrong, no matter how big or small. INFJs just need to remember that while they’re busy taking care of the world, they need to take care of themselves, too.
Additionally:
Strengths: Creative, insightful, inspiring and convicting, decisive, determined, altruistic and passionate.
Weaknesses: Sensitive, extremely private, perfectionist, always need a cause and can burn out easily.
INFJs are likely to find that most corporate career paths are not designed for them, but for those focused on status and material gain.
Many INFJs struggle to begin a career early on because they see ten wildly different paths forward, each with its own intrinsic rewards, alluring but also heartbreaking, because each means abandoning so much else.
INFJs are complex, deep and intensely private. Their life’s mission is to develop and guide others. Personal growth drives them and anything short of that pursuit is meaningless to them. They are passionate and devoted to the causes they believe in. INFJs live their life with a great sense of purpose.
INFJs direct their energy inward. They are energized by spending time alone and have a few close friends. They are independent and deliberate. INFJs are highly intuitive and are deep thinkers. Their thought process is complex and abstract. They are idealistic and future-focused.
INFJs are Feelers that make decisions with their heart.
INFJs love to learn. Their whole existence is wrapped around growth. They are on a constant quest to improve and untangle more questions. They are gifted at deciphering the connections and profound meaning of things. They are interested in theoretical and abstract concepts that can be applied to people and relationships.
Famous INFJs include: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Jimmy Carter, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Jefferson, Oprah, Agatha Christie, Leo Tolstoy, Edward Norton, Cate Blanchett, Princess Diana and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Fictional INFJs include: Luke Skywalker, the Tinman, Kermit the Frog, Frodo Baggins, Martha Jones, Fox Mulder and Albus Dumbledore.
If you’d like to read the entire profile, you can do that here.
And if you’d like to take the test for free, you can also do that on this site, which I really liked. Here is another one that I pulled a few things from, but you can Google and find a bunch.
If you’ve never done this before, I highly encourage you to. It’s very illuminating! Learning these profiles and being able to identify them in others has helped me know how to interact with others better both personally and professionally, and also gain new understanding about myself. I’ve found them to be incredibly useful in a number of ways.
Give it a try! And when you know your letters, list them below along with one thing you love about your personality type.
August 2018 update:
I’ve also recently discovered the book, The INFJ Writer, by Lauren Sapala. Loved it, and highly recommend! It shed even more light from me on my personality type. It’s also a quick read, so dig in when you get the chance!
In striving to live a life of justice, I try to also pay attention to causes outside those with which I’m most interested and most familiar. One of those is the homeless population.
My church is in Downtown Atlanta, and it’s not uncommon to see someone standing on the corner selling newspapers or asking for money. Additionally, there is a lot of new construction and growth in the area where I live, and over the past eighteen months or so, I have also seen more of the same close to home. I wanted to help, but didn’t quite know how.
And then a little over a year ago I read Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity by Jen Hatmaker. I’d read 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by her a few years earlier, and absolutely loved it, so I thought I’d also give this earlier work a try. Again, it did not disappoint! She knows just how to rock my world, and is so funny, relatable and challenging. I highly recommend these books, as well as her latest, For the Love, which is not about social justice like the other two, but oh so funny about life and family and spirituality.
Anyway, in reading Interrupted, it came to me that one thing I could do easily is basically create “kits” that I could keep in my car, and give to those in need.
The Hatmaker’s church in Austin frequently works with the homeless, so she mentioned a number of things throughout the book that helped me figure out what to include. And then I added my own spin as well.
My kits currently contain:
Bag – A reusable tote, backpack or duffle. If I don’t have anything on hand, I get them at IKEA because they are inexpensive and good quality. A plastic bag would do just fine, but I rarely have those, and I wanted them to have something they could keep and use. I choose not to shop at Walmart, so IKEA is a great alternative for things like this.
Blanket – Again, I get these at IKEA for the same reason. And I figured when it gets really hot in Atlanta, the blankets could be simply used as pillows.
Rain gear – Yep, IKEA. Though the plastic rain ponchos you can buy practically anywhere would do fine too. Something is better than nothing, and it rains here a lot.
Nuts – A fairly inexpensive source of protein. I try to include several packs of these per bag.
Water – One bottle per bag. With multiple bottles, the bag starts getting heavy.
Socks – One pair per bag. This is an item I probably wouldn’t have included if it not for the book.
Gift card – I chose McDonald’s. I am not a big fan of McD’s or believe they are full of high quality foods, but there is one every couple of miles, and I’d rather them have a hot meal than nothing. Mine have $10 each, and hopefully that covers at least two meals.
Note – I put the gift card in a handwritten note to make it more personal.
These kits stay behind the passenger side of my car, so I can easily reach and grab one when needed. I usually have five or six at a time on hand, and in total, it costs me about $75-$150 each time I buy all the contents. It depends on what quantity I buy. This could easily be scaled up or scaled down.
I have started to see women now and again, when before it was always men. So, I hope to expand on the next round to have a version of the kit with feminine hygiene products, as those are something always in short supply with women in need.
Additionally, I try to have a couple of the McDonald’s gift cards in my wallet at all times as well. This way, when I’m not in my car, I still have something that I can offer. It’s been especially helpful when traveling.
In a recent conversation with a friend about this topic (she wondered what the heck was in the back seat of my car), she said she keeps power bars in her car’s console, and also tries to keep a crate of bottled water for the same purpose. So, that’s an even easier way to contribute, especially if you have limited funds but want to help.
Many people do not like to give money to homeless people, and I understand why, but these are easy solutions when you put some thought into them as was the case for me.
I hope they inspire you to do something as well. Being able to look these men and women in the eye, exchange a kind word, and provide them with something they need is worthwhile for both of you, and gives them more dignity than just ignoring them.
And if you’re already doing it, let me know! I’d love to hear about it!
Curious about the red X you see everyone on social media today? Today, February 25th, is the day thousands of us all over the world will “Shine A Light on Slavery.”
Yes, slavery still exists. And yes, so do modern-day abolitionists!
What is it? Modern-day slavery is the acquisition of people using force, deception or coercion with the intent to exploit. Slavery is wrapped up in almost every industry’s supply chain, tainting the food we eat, the clothes we buy and the electronics we use. After the international drug trade, trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second-largest criminal industry in the world.
How many people are currently enslaved? There are 30 million slaves in the world today, more than at any point in history.
What kinds of slavery exist today? Labor trafficking and debt bondage are the most common forms of slavery today. Using coercion, violence and deception, labor traffickers force victims to work against their will in industries that range from small mom-and-pop shops to enormous mineral extraction camps.
Sex trafficking is also extremely widespread, generating $99 billion in illegal profits annually. Victims of sex trafficking are predominantly women and girls who are forced to work in the commercial sex trade against their will. Physical and emotional violence is an intrinsic part of this industry, which preys on those in conditions of physical, economic and psychological vulnerability.
Why does slavery occur? Trafficking exists because there is skyrocketing demand for cheap products, labor and services. For traffickers, there is also abundant money to be made and little risk of discovery because the crime is so difficult to identify.
Where does slavery occur? Slavery and human trafficking occur in virtually every corner of the world, with hundreds of thousands of victims in the United States alone. Victims of trafficking have been found in all 50 states and in cities, rural areas and suburbs.
Men, women, and children are sold into a $150 billion annual market for sex and labor. After the international drug trade, trafficking of humans is tied with arms dealing as the second- largest criminal industry in the world.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (C.S.E.C.) is the sexual abuse of a minor for economic gain. The majority of child victims come from environments of extreme instability, and most have suffered sexual abuse prior to their commercial exploitation. Homeless and street youth, or those facing food and shelter insecurities are also easy targets.
There are an estimated 2 million children exploited in the commercial sex industry worldwide. And 12 to 14 is the age in which a girl is sexually exploited in the commercial sex industry in the US.
“Shine a Light on Slavery Day” was instituted by the END IT MOVEMENT as a way to unify the cause so many of us fight year round and in our own spaces.
So, this is it. This is our day to let the world know that SLAVERY STILL EXISTS and we won’t stand for it! We want to own the conversation on February 25th. Join us and raise your voice for the men, women and children trapped in slavery around the world today. Draw a RED X on your hand, snap a selfie and post it using #enditmovement. Awareness isn’t everything, but without it, slavery will never end.
END IT is a coalition of the leading organizations in the world in the fight for FREEDOM. Each of their amazing 16 coalition partners are doing the work, on the ground, everyday, to bring AWARENESS, PREVENTION, RESCUE, and RESTORATION.
If you see something you need report, or if you need help, please call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text “BeFree” to 233733, or submit a tip online at PolarisProject.org.
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” – Nelson Mandela
Just got back from Austin! It was a fun event, and I loved making new friends and discovering new speakers and resources. God showed up and big and small ways, as He always does. He is faithful.
It was a powerful statement to see over 2,000 women gather, get equipped and be unleashed to live God’s calling on their lives. And there were over 100 countries watching from over 2,000 live streams all around the globe! It is quite the community.
Here are my notes from a number of the speakers. And if you’d like to watch the live stream recordings, they are free until tomorrow evening at www.live.ifgathering.com. Enjoy!
John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” There are a lot of theological issues we can disagree on, but this isn’t one of them.
Is it possible that we’re more in love with the idea of follow Jesus than actually following Him?
John 13-17
To follow Jesus is to know that He loves you.
To follow Jesus means that we hear His voice.
To follow Jesus is to love people.
To follow Jesus is to usher in the Kingdom of God. (Gal 3:28)
Listen to the Holy Spirit first.
If you believe the grass is greener on the other side, maybe the Holy Spirit is telling you to water the grass you’re standing on!
I don’t want to have spent my life trying to look like other Christians instead of trying to look like Christ.
Story of Isaac’s almost sacrifice (Genesis 22) is the first time the word, “love” is used in the Bible. And the same word/context is used later to describe Jesus’ sacrifice.
2K years later, Jesus was crucified in the same area as God provided the sacrifice for Abraham and Isaac.
In times of testing, have you been more focused on the thicket or the cross? We aren’t promised the ram, only the Lamb.
In striving to live a life of justice, I try to also pay attention to causes outside those with which I’m most interested and most familiar. One of those is the homeless population.
“Shine a Light on Slavery Day” was instituted by the END IT MOVEMENT as a way to unify the cause so many of us fight year round and in our own spaces.
Just got back from Austin! It was a fun event, and I loved making new friends and discovering new speakers and resources. God showed up and big and small ways, as He always does. He is faithful.
Mental Post-Its 