Global Vision Week

So, I didn’t go to my beginnings class on Global Vision because I had an academic advising appointment. My alpha meeting for this topic was cancelled. So, I ended up not going to anything this whole week that was dedicated to Global Vision. I do think that this was an important week and it is good to have awareness about all that is going on in this world. Also, all of the chapels that went on this week were internationally based. I think it is really cool to worship God in a different language, remembering that people who speak a different language serve the same God that I do.

It was also really neat walking down cougar walk, seeing all the booths that are out there talking about missions and such. I stopped at the “Stop the Traffik” booth because it had caught my attention. This booth had tons of stuff about all forms of human trafficking. I already know a lot about sex trafficking, but I don’t know that much about fair trade chocolate. It was interesting to learn about people who are slaves for harvesting cocoa beans. They encouraged me to buy fair trade chocolate that can guarantee to have no involvement in trafficked people. You can buy this kind of chocolate at stores like Trader Joe’s, Target, Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Ten Thousand Villages. If you want more details about this then drop a comment!

Genocide

So we heard in our beginnings class from the youngest women survivor of the Holocaust. This was so sad and eye opening… well, minus the little bit of shut eye I always get in this class… Anyway, what I heard from her was kind of what I would have expected to hear. Her story was about how as a young girl she went in and out of concentration camps and somehow survived. We had a Q/A time after she was finished and I remember someone asking her if she would ever forgive the Nazi’s for what they did to her and her family. Her response is pretty unforgettable. She said something like, “Only stupid people would ask a question like that. No, I will never forgive them.” Right then a verse popped into my head that I have been memorizing lately in Colossians 3:13 which says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” She said later on, that she still is a Jew in religion and was NOT a Christian. I thought that was interesting…

So here is a question about genocide. Is genocide ever justified? Is it ever ok? I am pretty sure that most people would say that the mass killing of a group of people could never be ok. I could probably get severely persecuted for what I am about to say. Yes, genocide can be justified. Looking into the Bible it becomes very clear that there are times that genocide is justified. When God wants to do something, he doesn’t have to justify His actions. What about the flood? Because of God’s wrath toward the sin on this world, the flood killed all the people on earth except for 8 people. Look at what is yet to happen. God is going to wipe off 1/3 of the people of this world in the last days. What about Judgment Day? All the people who have never repented and trusted in Christ for their Salvation will go to hell. These are three legitimate examples of genocide that God is justifies. Hopefully this is a perspective on genocide that you have never really thought of.

Alcohol

I have never had that much experience with alcohol. I have never had a drink for myself. I have had a few sips of my aunt’s, brother’s or sister’s drink, but that is it. I guess I was kind of sheltered from everything that it has to do with. I think I was pretty naïve because when people I knew in high school started drinking, it shocked me. Or, when I heard of people that were at certain parties and had something to drink, I was surprised because I never thought of them doing that.

I am much more aware now of alcohol because it is more prevalent and because I am surrounded by more people who are over 21 and are able to drink. Just a few weeks ago I went to a Campus Crusade for Christ event for Cal Poly Pomona, and there were empty beer cans lying around everywhere. I think that kind of shocked me because I would expect more out of a Christian group that is supposed to be representing Christ.

My personal conviction is that I will never drink alcohol. Even when I turn 21, I do not plan on having alcohol. I think as a follower of Christ, that I can be a better example and witness for completely abstaining from it. I do not like what it can do to people and I do not want to risk that for me.

My strengths have weaknesses.

My strengths are able to work against me if I do not use them wisely. Also, I look forward to seeing what I will do with my strengths in the next semester.

Woo can be used against me because I could go up to strangers and possibly offend them with my energy. This could also be negative because I may not be a good distinguisher of the other persons mood. I need to be careful to know when people want to talk and when people do not want to talk. In the next semester, I would like to be confident in talking to every kind of person randomly. I do not want to be shy about talking to people or getting to know people.

Individualization could be used against me if I focus too much on myself or on one person in particular and don't spent enough time with other people and spreading my self out more. I need to be careful to get to know not just one person, but lots of people. This semester I would like to develop several intimate relationships where people feel comfortable talking to me and get to know me better.

Activator could very easily be used against me. I could see how I can appear impatient and how I could quickly become impatient if things don't go the exact way that I want them to at the time I want them to happen. This semester I would like to learn how to be more patient and considerate of other peoples time frames and what they are capable of doing at that specific time.

I do not really see how my belief could be used against me. Maybe it could be bad if I have a belief about something very strongly and don't have an open mind to listen to what someone else has to say. That could be hard to listen to other peoples perspective. I want this semester for everyone to know me as having this strength. I wand my reputation to be the girl with belief. I want to be able to bring God into every conversation and not be even a little bit ashamed of Him.

Relator could be used against me because people could see my bluntness and take it as "wow she really doesn't love me. I need to make it clear to people that I do love them and the reason I am being blunt is because I relate to what they are going through and am telling them things that I know will help them in the long run even if they don't want to hear it right then. This semester I want to have relationships that I can relate to and try to help out situations with. This would be good if I were able to have mentoring opportunities.

Top 5 Strengths!

I took a strengths test and it came out with my top 5 strengths.

#1 Woo
“Woo stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are rarely intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, ask them questions, and find some area of common interest so that you can strike up a conversation and build rapport. Some people shy away from starting up conversations because they worry about running out of things to say. You don't. Not only are you rarely at a loss for words; you actually enjoy initiating with strangers because you derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection. Once that connection is made, you are quite happy to wrap it up and move on. There are new people to meet, new rooms to work, new crowds to mingle in. In your world there are no strangers, only friends you haven't met yet-lots of them.”

I think I am a Woo. I do well with talking with strangers. I mean, I go up to them about everyday and talk to them about God and why they need Him. Hopefully they see my Woo and are won over for the sake of Christ. I do like talking to people and learning about what they are life so I think this strength is accurate. What do you think?

#2 Individualization
“Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or "types" because you don't want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person's style, each person's motivation, how each thinks, and how each builds relationships. You hear the one-of-a-kind stories in each person's life. This theme explains why you pick your friends just the right birthday gift, why you know that one person prefers praise in public and another detests it, and why you tailor your teaching style to accommodate one person's need to be shown and another's desire to "figure it out as I go." Because you are such a keen observer of other people's strengths, you can draw out the best in each person. This Individualization theme also helps you build productive teams. While some search around for the perfect team "structure" or "process," you know instinctively that the secret to great teams is casting by individual strengths so that everyone can do a lot of what they do well.”

This is so true I think. I do not know about how well I do with building productive teams, but I sure can try. I am definitely interested in the individual person and getting to know how unique each person is. I suppose this will come in handy with social work. What do you think?

#3 Activator
“"When can we start?" This is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action. You may concede that analysis has its uses or that debate and discussion can occasionally yield some valuable insights, but deep down you know that only action is real. Only action can make things happen. Only action leads to performance. Once a decision is made, you cannot not act. Others may worry that "there are still some things we don't know," but this doesn't seem to slow you. If the decision has been made to go across town, you know that the fastest way to get there is to go stoplight to stoplight. You are not going to sit around waiting until all the lights have turned green. Besides, in your view, action and thinking are not opposites. In fact, guided by your Activator theme, you believe that action is the best device for learning. You make a decision, you take action, you look at the result, and you learn. This learning informs your next action and your next. How can you grow if you have nothing to react to? Well, you believe you can't. You must put yourself out there. You must take the next step. It is the only way to keep your thinking fresh and informed. The bottom line is this: You know you will be judged not by what you say, not by what you think, but by what you get done. This does not frighten you. It pleases you.”

I am going to have to agree with this one as well. I am always like this. When ever someone says that they might want to do something someday, I am right on top of it planning to do it as soon as possible. If I see something that can get done, then why not just do it right now? I do not really think this applies in my life to the homework issue, but I guess once I start, I have to do it then and get it done. What do you think?

#4 Belief
“If you possess a strong Belief theme, you have certain core values that are enduring. These values vary from one person to another, but ordinarily your Belief theme causes you to be family-oriented, altruistic, even spiritual, and to value responsibility and high ethics-both in yourself and others. These core values affect your behavior in many ways. They give your life meaning and satisfaction; in your view, success is more than money and prestige. They provide you with direction, guiding you through the temptations and distractions of life toward a consistent set of priorities. This consistency is the foundation for all your relationships. Your friends call you dependable. "I know where you stand," they say. Your Belief makes you easy to trust. It also demands that you find work that meshes with your values. Your work must be meaningful; it must matter to you. And guided by your Belief theme it will matter only if it gives you a chance to live out your values.”

Um, yes. I do possess a strong Belief theme. He’s called God. You should get to know Him.

#5 Relator
“Relator describes your attitude toward your relationships. In simple terms, the Relator theme pulls you toward people you already know. You do not necessarily shy away from meeting new people-in fact, you may have other themes that cause you to enjoy the thrill of turning strangers into friends-but you do derive a great deal of pleasure and strength from being around your close friends. You are comfortable with intimacy. Once the initial connection has been made, you deliberately encourage a deepening of the relationship. You want to understand their feelings, their goals, their fears, and their dreams; and you want them to understand yours. You know that this kind of closeness implies a certain amount of risk-you might be taken advantage of-but you are willing to accept that risk. For you a relationship has value only if it is genuine. And the only way to know that is to entrust yourself to the other person. The more you share with each other, the more you risk together. The more you risk together, the more each of you proves your caring is genuine. These are your steps toward real friendship, and you take them willingly.”

This one goes along right with the first two and I am going to have to agree. I like people. I like relating to people and getting to know their hearts.

I think all of these are pretty accurate. Tell me what you think. Are these my strengths?

Who am I?

I am Julie. I am 18 and starting my freshman year at Azusa Pacific University. I am from San Jose area and the first time I ever moved was this past month when I moved into my dorm room! Shout out to Trinity 3rd North! I love to dance. I have been doing it my whole life and I am not very good, but I just love doing it! I have one brother who is 24 I think, and one sister who is 22. I have my aunt and my dad and my grandma, and I love them very much and miss them! Friends are a big part of my life; I love having good hang out times and long conversations. I love going to Carl's Jr. every Tuesday, getting the biggest hugs ever, and eating Bagel Bites at 2 in the morning. This is just one of the few parts that make up who I am.

Right now I am a double major with Social Work and Sociology, but I bet eventually, that the Sociology major will turn into a minor. I want to be a Social Worker and work with kids basically. I would love to work with foster care, probation, child abuse and things similar to these. Since the beginning of 2007, I have had the thought in my mind of going to a different country and working with kids that have been sold into brothels for sex trafficking. Intense, I know. My hope would be to not only do the job of a social worker and restore these precious kids back into a normal society, but to then share the truth of Jesus Christ with them so they may be fully restored by their Creator.

Speaking of which, the biggest part of my life is Jesus Christ. I am a Christian. I love Christ and I do my best to live for Him in every situation. I love learning about God, through prayer, reading His Word, memorizing what it has to say and asking tons of questions. I suppose you could say that I am very inquisitive. I love talking to people about Jesus Christ and sharing my faith with anyone willing to listen. I do my best through Christ's help to live my life glorifying God and by telling as many people as possible about how he has saved my life. Because that is what I am here for right? To glorify God. I can do this by telling people about sin and how since we are not good enough by God's standards to go to heaven, we are deserving of hell. Then I get to tell them the good news of how gracious God is by coming down to earth through His son Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life and suffered a horrible death on the cross and then defeated death by raising form the dead, so we also could be raised and spend eternity in heaven with Him! Isn’t that the best news you have ever heard?!?! This is why Jesus Christ is my life and why nothing matters in this life without Him!