JUST PUDGE

If you were to look inside of me, at my true personality, you would find someone who isn’t really that confident. Surprising?

I say that because…I’m not that confident. Sure, I try to be and I want to be…but at the heart of it I’m just blessed by God to be where I am and I hope I seize every opportunity I can to be obedient to His calling! I believe that confidence is something we shouldn’t find in ourselves…only in Christ.

Interestingly enough, Christ created each of us in His image and with strengths and weaknesses. Both of which are meant to point to (glorify) Him…not ourselves! I don’t say that because I am an expert in “doing” this…I’m just learning as I go!

I do, however, think it is important that we KNOW our strengths! After all, understanding HOW God wired us can help us use those strengths (and weaknesses) to glorify Him all the more! I was reading a blog post this morning where a friend of mine had taken a test to found out what his strengths are.

The results were fascinating and very accurate! The resource he used is called StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment and it can be found at any local bookstore (ideally). Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on this resource and find out just what my strengths are…maybe I will post my results too?

In the end, it isn’t about me knowing “my strengths” so I know what “I’m good at” isn’t the goal (that only pacifies my need to feel significant…aka, spiritual immaturity). To be clear, I am good at NOTHING…but…I am able to do all things through Christ! If I get that, then knowing my strengths and playing accordingly will be a great thing!
I am curious though and would love you guys’ feedback on the following…

• What other resources do you guys know of out there like this one?
• Has anyone used StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment allready?
• If so, what were your results?

Thanks guys, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

As many of you probably know by now, I got a new tattoo on Saturday. I’d been wanting to get a new one for a while, but I wanted it to have meaning to me! I didn’t want to just get a tattoo because…”hey it’d be fun!”

Why the tat?

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Well, if you look closely at the tattoo you will see three things: a cross, a greater than sign, and the letter i (lower case). If you put them together the message says…”He must increase, I must decrease” (from John 3:30).

• When I first got to Clemson University this verse began to have a lot of meaning for me!
• It helped me understand that spiritual growth wasn’t about what I DO or DON’T do…but about me DYING to self!
• From then on I understood that putting Jesus first meant I had to die to self more everyday.
• For me, no matter where I am in life or what stage of life I may be in, this message still applies.
• JESUS must INCREASE, i must decrease.

This tattoo is meant to help me pause and think when life throws things my way that may not be pleasant or when life is a “bowl of cherries.” It will always be that reminder that HE matters more than my…

• Desires
• Pride
• Selfishness
• Plans
• Fears
• Insecurities
• Ambitions
• …ME!

For me, it’s not that I don’t know these things!! It’s the reinforcement of having something to remind me! To remind me that HE is first and I am not and that LIVING that out applies not just to my words but my actions! HE is in control and my role is to simply OBEY Him and put Him first!

Why the forearm?

It’s visible! People always ask about tattoos and their meaning. It provides me with an opportunity to share my faith with others in a way that doesn’t attack them, but encourages them to ask questions!

Also, it gives me an open door to say to them…”I AM NOT PERFECT!!! Matter of fact, I STINK at this life thing! But it isn’t about me, it’s about Jesus!” After all, that’s my story!

So there you have it! That’s why I got my new tattoo and why I got it where I did!

Happy Labor day!

I thought about putting these pics up via “twitpic” but I thought it would be much more fun this way!! However, before I reveal the pics, let me share some of the facts…

• The tat is on my left forearm (underside).
• The pics are taken from my phone, so they aren’t GI-NORMOUS!
• It took about 1 hour to do.
• Todd did that tat (Artistic Ink, Anderson SC) and did a GREAT job!!
• Each pic shows the various stages of the tattoo being create.
• For me, seeing the tattoo in stages helps me better understand the process…I like that!
• The ‘redness’ is just irritation, not part of the tat.
• Yes, the tattoo has meaning…
• I’m going to be sharing more about this on Monday and WHY the meaning of this tattoo has meaning to me!
• However, for a sneak peak preview, check out John 3:30

I think that’s it! Here are the pics (in order of stages)!! Let me know what you guys think and GOOOOO TIGERS!!

Stage 1 (the blank arm)

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