A couple of days ago I posted my top 5 strengths from the StrengthsFinder 2.0 test. Today I am continuing what I call the “Who Am I” series of posts by looking at my spiritual gifts.

God has gifted every Christian with spiritual gifts. Gene Wilkes defines a spiritual gift as “an expression of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers which empowers them to serve the body of Christ, the church.” If you are wondering, or have ever wondered, where God has gifted you to serve His church; take a spiritual gifts survey to discover the gifts God has given you.

Here are my top 3: Giving, Administration, Service/Helps.

Giving (24)
Members with the gift of giving give freely and joyfully to the work and mission of the body. Cheerfulness and liberality are characteristics of individuals with this gift (Rom. 12:8).

Administration (18)
Persons with the gift of administration lead the body by steering others to remain on task. Administration enables the body to organize according to God-given purposes and long-term goals (1 Cor. 12:28).

Service/Helps (16)
Those with the gift of service/helps recognize practical needs in the body and joyfully give assistance to meeting those needs. Christians with this gift do not mind working behind the scenes (1 Cor. 12:28; Rom. 12:7).

What are your spiritual gifts?

You can download and take the Spiritual Gifts Survey from LifeWay Christian Resources. You can also download the list of gift descriptions and scripture references as well. Both files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• Spiritual Gifts Survey

• Spiritual Gifts List

Related links & References:

What Are Your Strengths?

LifeWay Christian Resources

Knoxville’s First Presbyterian Church, the city’s first church, was organized in 1792 and is still located on its original site.  James White, Knoxville’s founder and a devout Presbyterian, came from North Carolina to the Fork of the River, where the Holston and French Broad Rivers meet to form the Tennessee River. He later moved downriver and settled near First Creek. He built a fort and a mill and planted his garden — for turnips in the fall and corn in the spring. When he asked his son-in-law, Charles McClung, to lay out a town, part of White’s instructions were “to reserve my turnip patch for a church and a burying ground.”

Although 1800 is the earliest death date inscribed on a tombstone in the church cemetery, the site may have been used by the pioneers as a community burying ground as early as 1786 when James White’s fort was built. Among those buried in the church graveyard are James White, the founder of Knoxville; Rev. Samuel Carrick, our first minister; Hugh Lawson White, a candidate for U.S. President in 1836; territorial governor William Blount; and Col. John Williams, a member of Congress. The graveyard is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Max Lucado’s newest release, “Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear”, is nothing short of amazing. Being someone who has lived a large portion of his adult life battling anxiety and depression, I could not wait to get my hands on this book. Each chapter covers a fear that each one of us has experienced at least once in our life. Chapters such as the fear of not mattering, overwhelming challenges, financial disaster, and that God is not real are just a few. And as a Christian, we should face those fears with faith and trust in a Holy God. Yet, many of us cower, worry, and fret. Only to find out our fear was unfounded.

Many of the chapters in “Fearless” have answered my doubts and calmed my fears. Will I still experience these feelings? Sure, but I know who can end the worry and calm my fears. And, I now have a plan for stopping those worries too. In one of the chapters, Max provides eight steps to stop the worry and be more P-E-A-C-E-F-U-L: Pray, first. Easy, now. Act on it. Compile a worry list. Evaluate your worry categories. Focus on today. Unleash a worry army. Let God be enough.

I received this book as a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger. You can purchase “Fearless” from any book seller, through Thomas Nelson Publishers, or direct from Max Lucado’s web site.

From someone who has overcome fear and anxiety, I highly recommend this book and encourage you to get it. It is an easy read and full of answers to many of today’s fears. Imagine your life without fear.

Related Links

www.TheFearlesBook.com

www.MaxLucado.com/TownHall

www.ThomasNelson.com/Fearless

I read this on one of the blogs I follow and thought it was great. Here are 29 things you can do to have a better life.

• Take a 10-30 minute walk every day and, while you walk, smile. It’s the ultimate anti-depressant.
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes a day.
• Tape your late shows and get more sleep.
• When you wake up in the morning, complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to _________ today.’
• Live with the 3 E’s – energy, enthusiasm and empathy.
• Play more games and read more books than you did last year.
• Make time to pray. Prayer provides us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. Appreciate their genuine nature, strength and innocence.
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
• Try to make at least 3 people smile each day.
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid.
• Smile and laugh more.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
• Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
• Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
• Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
• Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In 5 years, will this matter?’
• God can heal any hurt.
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
• Your job won’t take care of you when you’re sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
• Envy is a waste of time.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• Do the right thing!
• Call your family often.
• Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
• Enjoy the ride. Remember, this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
• Glorify God with your life.

What would you add?

Here are two links of interest from several of the blogs I read.

(In)Courage
http://www.incourage.me/
DaySpring, the Christian subsidiary of Hallmark, has always sought to connect people with the heart of God and it seemed there were more opportunities and reasons to do so than ever. (In)Courage is DaySpring’s new home for the hearts of women.

Fearless
http://www.thefearlesstimes.com/
Can you imagine your life without fear? This website for Max Lucado’s new book, Fearless, contains additional content and information about the book. In addition, you can submit your fear related questions to Max and read others stories of encouragement.

“Focused intensity over time multiplied by God’s power creates an unstoppable momentum.” – Dave Ramsey

I received Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage through Thomas Nelson’s book reviewer blog program. Written by nationally syndicated radio talk show hosts Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey is a perfect marriage book. I would recommend anyone read this book. Whether you are planning on getting married, have just gotten married, or have been married for years. Rick and Bubba take what they have learned from their more than 33 years of marriage and share it through their personal experiences. Several times throughout the book I saw my wife and me in the same situation. I just wish I had read that part of the book before it happened to me.

I have always enjoyed reading books where real-life examples are shared. It is so much easier to learn from someone else’s mistakes. The book is written with a good balance between humor, common sense, and seriousness in a marriage. Rick and Bubba bring out many good points you can take from the book. And they did what they do best; poke fun of themselves as men. But in their poking fun, they speak it in truth. The book is very well written with short chapters. So, it should be an easy read for most of us men.

Here is more information about the book and a link to order a copy:
Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage

I just received my review copy of “Rick and Bubba’s Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage” from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I will be reading this book in the coming days and will post a review of the on my blog in very soon.

Click on the cover for an inside the book preview.

Rick and Bubba are at it again, and this time it is all about marriage. Addressing such topics as apologizing (The Ten Worst Ways to Say I’m Sorry), communication (Grunting Is Not a Language), date nights (Worst Date Nights in History), finances (I Thought You Paid the Gas Bill), and playing sports together (I Did Too Let You Win), the two “sexiest fat men alive” will have couples everywhere tied in knots. With stories, top ten lists, and even a bonus addendum of their oft mentioned, “The Book of Blame,” this humorous look at marriage is long overdue. This book will revolutionize your way of looking at married life. And it might just remind you all over again why you fell in love in the first place.

I have read several books and many articles by John Maxwell. However, “Put Your Dream to the Test” is John Maxwell’s greatest book yet. This is an absolute must read for anyone challenged by discovering, taking hold of, and pursuing their dream. The book walks you through the ten questions for putting your dream(s) to the test:

· The Ownership Question

· The Clarity Question

· The Reality Question

· The Passion Question

· The Pathway Question

· The People Question

· The Cost Question

· The Tenacity Question

· The Fulfillment Question

· The Significance Question

Many people have hopes and dreams, but no idea how to go about reaching those dreams. “Put Your Dreams to the Test” essentially helps you to create the right answers to these questions, giving you principles and tips to so you can make good decisions and maximize every moment to achieve your dream. The book is full of examples of people who have successfully pursued and attained their dreams.

“Put Your Dream to the Test” is definitely a book that I will read again and again. It is a practical, yet very applicable book that is a must-have and can make the difference between failure and success. Don’t leave your dream to chance or whatever may be.

One of the finance blogs I follow, Christian Personal Finance, turned two years old last week. And in conjunction with CPF’s “birthday”, Bob is giving you a chance to win a Wii and and iPod. All you need to do is go to this post, Wii and iPod giveaway! Happy Birthday CPF!, and follow the instructions.

By the way, read the other posts as well. CPF has some of the best personal financial advice you will find in the blogosphere.