My Sacred Pathways

Was trying to get a hold of Sacred Pathways today to get some thoughts for tomorrows message I'm teaching.  Got it referred by Rich.

Unfortunately, NOBODY in the the area had it for sale.  But I did find a test online to find out my Sacred Pathways.  The idea is that we all have different ways to connect with and worship God.  Here's what it looked like for me and the meaning of the terms:

Summary of spiritual temperaments:

Intellectual - Loving God with the Mind:
These Christians live in the world of concepts. They may feel closest to God when they first understand something new about Him.

Contemplative - Loving God through Adoration:
These Christians seek to love God with the purest, deepest, and brightest love imaginable. They want nothing more than some privacy and quiet to gaze upon the face of their heavenly Lover and give all of themselves to God.

Enthusiast - Loving God with Mystery & Celebration:
Excitement and mystery in worship is the spiritual lifeblood of enthusiasts. They are inspired by joyful celebration; cheerleaders for God and the Christian life. They don't want to just know concepts, but to experience them, to feel them, and to be moved by them. They like to let go and experience God on the precipice of excitement and awe.

Caregiver - Loving God by Loving Others:
Caregivers serve God by serving others. They often claim to see Christ in the poor and needy, and their faith is built up by interacting with other people. Caring for others recharges a caregiver's batteries.

Activist - Loving God Through Confrontation:
These Christians define worship as standing against evil and calling sinners to repentance. They are energized more by interaction with others, even in conflict, than by being alone or in small groups. Activists are spiritually nourished through the battle.

Ascetic - Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity:
Ascetics want nothing more than to be left alone in prayer. Let there be nothing to distract them--no pictures, no loud music--and leave them alone to pray in silence and simplicity.

Traditionalist - Loving God Through Ritual and Symbol:
Traditionalists are fed by what are often termed the historic dimensions of faith: rituals, symbols, sacraments, and sacrifice. They tend to have a disciplined life of faith and have a need for ritual and structure.

Sensate - Loving God with the Senses:
Sensate Christians want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God. They are drawn particularly to the liturgical, the majestic, the grand. They want to be filled with sights, sounds, and smells that overwhelm them. The five senses are God's most effective inroad to their hearts.

Naturalist - Loving God Out of Doors:
The naturalist seeks to leave the formal architecture and the padded pews to enter an entirely new "cathedral", a place that God himself has built: the out-of-doors.

Take the test yourself here.

Comments

[Jeni]

I really enjoyed this morning... good job man! :) So I took the test because I was curious and I couldn't really figure out what I was this morning (and I know you probably don't care... but I'm going to share anyways) I got the highest in Caregiver (27) and Contemplative (26), Kinda interesting bc I thought it would be Naturalist after hearing you this morning... I mean I love spending my devotional time in the middle of the redwoods, out on a hike, or sitting by the ocean (I did get a 24 in this area so I'm guessing thats high too). But I see the other ones too...

[Shawna]

Any thoughts on where relational fits into these categories?

After all was said and done i guess I am not so well rounded! I ended up as contemplative, enthusiast and intellectual. Different than I thought, maybe I like to contemplate with people???

Have a great weekend, see you Tuesday!