Myers Briggs

Everyone is different. We all know that.

But yet all too often we expect others to think and behave in certain ways, and struggle to communicate with people who are different. At BCM the second year cadets are forced to work in groups for a month at a time to acheive a module topic. By the end of these weeks true personalities can start to show as niceness is pushed aside.

I've been observing the Myers Briggs personality types coming to play in very obvious ways when people are stressed or panicking. Some people get stuck on the small details which frustrate those who are just wanting to get the thing done. The ideas people offer many off topic suggestions which can frustrate those who have just spent hours researching to understand the last idea. Some can be far too careful making sure everyone is feeling ok about things while others can be insensitive pushing the task through to the end.

No approach is wrong and no approach is completely right. We are all different and 'special' and thats just how we are wired and function. Each person has thier own way of doing things and this works, for them. We all need to understand and be reminded that other people do not think or behave like us, no matter how much we try to make them understand!!!

Luckily, at the end of the day this is a place full of Christians. Alot of forgiveness, humbleness, grace and understanding is expressed through these groups and session. We know we don't have to like each other all the time, but are called to love each other regardless. And even if that gets hard, well, theres only 8 months to go and we'll never have to see each other again...

Ceremonies

Today we started our first ceremony class - learning about funerals, weddings, dedications, enrollements and all the other events a Salvation Army Officer is called to front.

What a prividege many of these are - to be with a family who are struggling to cope with the lss of a loved one, or to share in the joy of a wedding day, or even to enrol a beaming young child as a Junior Soldier... what a special position we hold and a huge responsibility to bear.

Has anyone ever wondered what a CV of a regular officer would entail? All the different aspects of the job!

Module Two

We are now one week through our new module - Salvation Army Governance and Organisation.

New module, new topic, new teams; new challenges. This group enquiry delves into Formal and Informal Authority. Formal authority and communication flows through the official chain of command, the hierarchical structure of line managers from the General down to the door seargeant. Informal communications are the not so official conversations or decisions, the grapevine, the watercooler or pillow talk, the seeking of advice or authority from a respected friend over the official channels.

Both happen in any workplace or organisation. The month of research will find how these play out in The Salvation Army, what thier relationship to each other is, how a First Year Salvation Army Officer should work within them both and the various responses to them.

This has got many people thinking about how they use the two channels. Any thoughts?

Practical Grace

When I first became a Christian I was told that Grace means 'a free gift'. Jesus, being the gift God gave, in order that we may be saved. In investigating the word 'grace', I have uncovered a deeper understanding, I never knew. I call it practical grace.

Grace is found in both giving and receiving. It can be tangible, such as material things we give and receive. It can also be intangible, such as the relationship we have with Jesus and with others.

I call it practical grace, because grace is present in the practical things of life. When our eyes are open to it, it is there to be seen, it is everywhere. It is God's gift of a new morning, of the food so readily available to us. It is in new relationships and in the old ones we old dear. Practical grace is when God burdens us with compassion for those in need, and act on that burden with practical giving. Then, as others respond to grace in their lives, we are blessed in receiving. It is a beautiful circular picture of love.

My hope is that we see the tangible and intangible blessings of practical grace, and that we respond to the burden of compassion God has placed on our hearts.

For everything we have, and everything we are, is because of Him.